What an affiliate link is
An affiliate link is a tracked URL that lets a vendor credit a referral to The Hidden Structure. If you click an affiliate link and later make a purchase, the vendor may pay us a commission. There is no extra cost to you.
How affiliate relationships affect rankings
They don't. Tools are scored on published criteria (see our Editorial & Review Methodology) and ranked using the priority you select. Whether a tool has an affiliate program — and at what rate — is not a scoring input.
How we mark affiliate links
Affiliate links are tagged in the underlying data so the platform can disclose them at the point of click. We may add visible labels over time as the catalogue grows.
Independence checks
- Reviewers do not see affiliate commission rates while scoring tools.
- Tools with no affiliate program appear in rankings on the same basis as those that do.
- Removal or downgrading of a tool is never tied to its affiliate status.
Questions
If you have a question about a specific recommendation, please use the contact form.