Matt here — I used to rank online tools by commission for years. ExpressVPN paid ≈$95/sale, #1 VPN. Bluehost paid ≈$100/sale, best host. Screw that. Now I rank by quality. Mullvad, Hetzner, and the best providers are #1 even though they pay me $0. Still biased. Still a hypocrite. Just honest about it now. Read the full story →
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Policy 📢
Honest about being dishonest.
I take affiliate money. I still rank by value, disclose rates and reject higher‑paying offers.
- Accepted: ProtonVPN (≈ $25/sale), Scala Hosting, ChemiCloud (≈ $100/sale).
- Rejected: ExpressVPN (up to $95), CyberGhost (up to $135), GoDaddy.
- Non‑affiliates ranked #1: Mullvad, Hetzner.
- Formula: opinion + documented sources + verify yourself.
- Updated: Mar 2026
- Refusals: 12
- Non‑affiliate #1s: 2
Top Picks 🏅
Winners this month (raw data linked).
Top choices by value, not commission. Verify everything with the raw data.
- VPN: Mullvad — no affiliate program. Runner‑up: ProtonVPN ≈ $25/sale disclosed.
- Hosting: Hetzner — transparent pricing. Runner‑up: ChemiCloud — honest support (≈ $100/sale).
- Cloud storage sync/backup: No winner, mostly losers. Dropbox — hacked 3×; Degoo "100GB free" — bait‑and‑switch.
- Audited: Mar 2026
- Sources: 8+
- Price hikes tracked
Avoid ☠️
The dirty patterns you're supposed to ignore.
Common industry patterns we document with receipts.
- Fake competition: Bluehost + HostGator share the same owner (Newfold/EIG).
- (Alleged) ex‑adware/malware legacy: Kape (ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, PIA).
- "Unlimited" hosting with inode caps, throttling, and ToS fine print.
- 300–400% renewal hikes and dark‑pattern checkouts.
- Evidence linked
- Renewal traps
- Ownership mapped
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