1. The short version

HostStarterGuide participates in affiliate programs run by hosting companies. When you click an outbound link on this site and sign up for a hosting plan, we may receive a commission — at no extra cost to you. This commission funds the site, the benchmark infrastructure, and the editorial team.

Affiliate revenue does not buy higher rankings. Scorecards are generated from our published methodology. If a top-tier-paying host loses on benchmarks, it loses on the comparison table — full stop.

2. Why we disclose this

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires affiliate publishers in the United States to disclose material connections to the brands they review. This page satisfies that obligation, along with the per-page disclosures embedded in every review.

3. Programs we participate in

We currently maintain affiliate relationships with most major hosting providers we review, including (but not limited to):

• SiteGround
• Hostinger
• Kinsta
• Cloudways
• DreamHost
• A2 Hosting
• Bluehost
• WP Engine
• Liquid Web
• Nexcess
• InMotion Hosting
• GreenGeeks

Some reviews on the Site cover hosts we do not have an affiliate relationship with. Those reviews are flagged with an editorial note at the top of the post.

4. How commissions work

Affiliate commissions are paid by the hosting provider — not by you. The price you pay is identical whether you reach the provider through one of our links or directly. Commission rates vary by provider and plan tier, typically between $50 and $200 per qualified sign-up.

5. Our editorial firewall

We separate revenue from rankings in three concrete ways:

• Benchmark testing is run by the operations team, who do not see commission rates while collecting data
• Scorecards use the same weighted formula across every provider — performance 40%, support 25%, value 20%, features 15%
• No hosting provider is given a draft of a review before it publishes, and no provider may negotiate score adjustments

If we did rank hosts based on commission rates, the reviews would not be credible — and credibility is the only thing keeping this site alive.

6. What we do not do

• We do not accept payment for inclusion in the comparison table
• We do not accept payment for editorial coverage of any kind
• We do not publish sponsored posts disguised as reviews
• We do not remove negative reviews when a provider asks us to
• We do not cloak affiliate links to obscure that they're affiliate links

7. Sponsored content (if any)

If we ever publish genuinely sponsored content — for example, a third-party guide funded by a hosting partner — it will be clearly labeled "Sponsored" at the top of the post, separate from our editorial reviews, and excluded from the comparison scoring.

8. Re-test commitments

Hosting performance is not static. We re-benchmark every host in our comparison table at least once per year. When a provider's score moves more than two tenths in either direction, we publish a dedicated update post explaining what changed — even if the change costs us affiliate income.

9. Reporting bias

If you believe a review on this site reads as biased in either direction — too favorable or too harsh — let us know. Email editorial@hoststarterguide.com with the URL and your concern. We investigate every report and publish editor's notes when we find a problem.

10. Trust verification

You don't have to take our word for any of this. Our published methodology, raw benchmark data, and revision history are available on request. We'd rather you verify than assume.

11. Contact

Questions about this disclosure? Email editorial@hoststarterguide.com — we read every message and respond within two business days.