Most Review Sites Rank by Commission. This One Doesn’t.

Here’s the dirty secret of the “independent review” business: most sites rank online tools by how much they pay, not how good they actually are.

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ExpressVPN pays ≈$95/sale? Suddenly it’s the #1 recommendation, glowing review, “best VPN for privacy,” “top rated VPN!”

Bluehost pays ≈$100/sale? Top-rated host, “perfect for beginners, recommended by WordPress” - ignore the CPU throttling and 5xx errors.

Cloud storage providers with sketchy privacy pay big commissions? Featured prominently. Transparent alternatives? Buried.

Mullvad pays $0/sale. Hetzner pays $0/sale. Rarely mentioned anywhere. Why would they be? No money in it.

StackRater exists to rank the other way: by quality, with the money trail shown.

The Industry is Corrupt (Here’s the Map)

This isn’t a hunch. It’s ownership records and public filings:

The VPN industry is a joke:

• Kape Technologies (formerly Crossrider, an alleged ex-malware company) owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate, AND the “independent” review site vpnMentor
• Ziff Davis (parent company of PCMag, CNET) owns IPVanish, StrongVPN, and several other VPNs they “independently” review
• NordVPN and Surfshark pretend to compete but are owned by the same parent company
• Almost every “top 10 VPN” list is just the 10 VPNs that pay the highest commissions

The hosting industry is the same:

• Newfold Digital (formerly EIG) owns Bluehost, HostGator, and 50+ other brands, acquiring companies and running them into the ground
• GoDaddy hides renewal prices that spike 300-400% after the first year
• “Unlimited hosting” is never unlimited (read the ToS fine print)
• Support gets outsourced, performance tanks, customers get screwed
• Managed WordPress hosting is nothing but a marketing ploy

The cloud storage racket:

• “Lifetime” deals that disappear (that review sites profit from)
• Zero-knowledge encryption sold as premium when it should be standard
• Unlimited storage that is in fact limited
• Phishing attempts try to steal your data and money
• Free tiers designed to bait-and-switch to overpriced plans

Everyone in the business knows this. Most recommend these companies anyway, because they pay.

Am I Biased? Yes.

Let’s be honest up front.

This site uses affiliate links. Running it, doing actual testing, writing honest reviews - that takes time, and the links pay for it.

That creates bias. Products that pay get more exposure than products that don’t. Any site that tells you otherwise is lying.

Here’s the difference:

Integrity level: 6/10. Not perfect, not claiming to be. Just better than the sites that claim 10/10 while ranking ExpressVPN #1 because Kape pays them ≈$95/sale.

How the Rankings Actually Shake Out

Every category here is ranked by actual quality instead of commission rates.

For VPNs:

• Mullvad is #1 (pays $0, accepts cash, proven privacy by police raid)
• ProtonVPN is #2 (pays ≈$25, Swiss laws, transparent company)
• NordVPN is #3 (pays ≈$40, only recommended for streaming - they hid a breach for 18 months)
• ExpressVPN is rejected (pays ≈$95, owned by Kape/ex-Crossrider - that’s $70/sale left on the table)

For hosting:

• Hetzner is #1 (pays $0)
• Scala Hosting and ChemiCloud (pay ≈$100, and they actually perform)
• GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator rejected (higher commissions, garbage products that screw customers)

For cloud storage:

• pCloud is #1 (pays 35%, established 2013, defines “lifetime” as 99 years, Swiss-based)
• Icedrive is #2 (pays 20%, cheaper but newer company with pricing flip-flop history)
• Degoo is rejected (pays commission, “100GB free” is a SCAM - deletes files, impossible to use)
• Warning about rug pulls: Ganso and ThunderDrive both offered “lifetime” plans, took customers’ money, then shut down completely. Customers lost files AND money.
• “Lifetime” usually means company lifetime, not yours (pCloud at least defines it as 99 years)

The math that proves it:

• Rank by commission: ExpressVPN (≈$95) + Bluehost (≈$100) = ≈$195/sale
• What’s actually ranked #1: Mullvad ($0) + Hetzner ($0) = $0
• Less money, honest ranking.

What to Expect from This Site

Transparency:

• Exactly what’s earned from each product, stated plainly
• Which higher-paying products got rejected, and why
• Documented industry conflicts (companies owning review sites, fake competition)

Documented anger:

• Every claim backed by sources, court documents, public records
• Scams get called out - with the receipts shown
• Legally defensible (fact-based, with opinion markers)

Real testing:

• Performance benchmarks, speed tests, actual usage
• Products are used here, not just linked
• No fake TrustScore manipulation

Don’t Trust Me. Verify Everything.

Seriously. The sources are right there. Look them up yourself.

• Check Kape’s ownership of ExpressVPN and vpnMentor (public SEC filings)
• Check Ziff Davis owning PCMag and VPN companies (public corporate records)
• Check NordVPN and Surfshark’s common ownership (2022 merger, publicly announced)
• Check commission rates on affiliate networks (join the programs yourself)
• Test the products recommended here (most have money-back guarantees)

If it’s wrong, you’ll find out. That’s the point.

About me

Matt here. I rank tools by value, disclose the rates, and say no to bigger offers when they don’t deserve it. Biased - but honest about it.

• Accepted: ProtonVPN (≈ $25/sale), Scala Hosting, ChemiCloud (≈ $100/sale)
• Rejected: ExpressVPN (up to $95/sale), CyberGhost (up to $135/sale), GoDaddy (up to $100/sale)
• Non‑affiliates ranked #1 when deserved: Mullvad, Hetzner
• Verify me: Spreadsheets

Formula: “in my opinion” + documented sources + verify yourself (trust no one!)

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Have a question? See something wrong or incorrect? Have a horror story to share? Contact me with sources and I’ll investigate.