Revenue & disclosure
How Toolradar makes money
Most software-comparison sites quietly take money to move tools up rankings. Toolradar does not, and this page exists so you can hold us to it. Below: where every dollar of revenue comes from, in plain numbers, what we will never sell, and what to do if you spot a violation.
Revenue breakdown
Rough share of Toolradar revenue over the last 12 months (rounded). Numbers shift quarter to quarter; the share order has been stable since launch.
Newsletter sponsorships (Dupple network)
Brands pay to appear as sponsored sections inside the 5 Dupple newsletters: Techpresso, MarketingShot, Devshot, Cyberpresso, and Finpresso, combined 550K+ readers. Sold and delivered off Toolradar.
Labeled placements on Toolradar
The "Sponsored" ribbon at the top of category pages, the "Featured" block on /advertise, sponsored newsletter spots, and homepage-takeover slots. Every paid unit carries a Sponsored or Ad label at the placement itself.
Premium directory listings & Dofollow link upgrades
One-time fees for the Dofollow vendor link ($299, see /advertise/dofollow) and the "Featured" premium listing tier. Editorial scoring is independent of either; see /how-we-rate § 6.
Shares are approximate, rounded to the nearest 5%, and recalculated each quarter from the Stripe revenue report (Toolradar account + Techpresso account combined). Last refresh: Q1 2026.
Affiliate disclosure
Toolradar does not run a catalog-wide affiliate program. Outbound links from tool pages and comparison pages to vendor sites are rel="nofollow sponsored" by default and pay zero commission per click or per signup. The only paid outbound link is the explicit Dofollow upgrade, clearly labeled on the tool page when it applies.
Affiliate networks Toolradar is enrolled in
None. As of May 28, 2026, Toolradar has zero accounts with Impact, PartnerStack, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Rakuten, AvantLink, or any per-click or per-signup network. If that changes, we will name the network, the date we joined, and the tools it covers on this page before we run any link through it.
The Amazon Associates program is not used: Toolradar does not link to Amazon product pages from editorial content.
Paid vs unpaid coverage, with examples
The fastest way to test whether a page is paid: look at the placement label. Here is what each surface looks like, with a concrete example of where it appears.
- Top picks inside any guide on /best or /guides.
- Tool detail pages on /tools/[slug], including pros, cons, and Editor's Take.
- Comparison verdicts on /compare/[a]-vs-[b].
- Blog posts on /blog.
- Default sort order on category pages (by editorial score).
- The Sponsored ribbon at the very top of a category page (above the editorial list).
- The Featured block on /advertise.
- Newsletter spots inside the 5 Dupple newsletters (each section marked "Sponsored").
- Dofollow vendor link on a tool page, when present (Dofollow badge visible).
- Any unit marked Ad in a corner of the card.
What we don't do
- Take money to add a tool to a guide's top picks. Top picks are chosen by the editor based on testing and research, not on who pays.
- Take money to raise a tool's editorial score. Scores are derived from a public methodology, see /how-we-rate.
- Take money to remove negative coverage. Vendors disputing claims should send evidence to editorial@toolradar.com, facts win, not invoices.
- Run catalog-wide affiliate links. Outbound vendor links are
rel="nofollow sponsored"by default and pay zero commission. - Insert pay-to-play paragraphs in editorial content. If a guide mentions a tool that also sponsors a Dupple newsletter, the disclosure is at the top of the relevant section.
- Bundle revenue across surfaces. A sponsorship in Techpresso does not buy anything on Toolradar, and vice versa.
Conflicts of interest
When a tool covered editorially on Toolradar also sponsors a Dupple newsletter that month, the relevant tool page and any guide that recommends the tool carries a disclosure: "X sponsors a Dupple newsletter. Editorial coverage is independent, see /how-we-make-money." We log these overlaps internally and audit them quarterly to make sure the disclosure actually appears.
Toolradar staff hold no equity in the tools they cover. If that ever changes for a specific tool, the relevant author's bio will declare it on every page mentioning that tool. The editor's full conflict-of-interest disclosures live on /editorial-policy.
Why we publish this page
Software comparison content has a credibility problem because most of it is paid placement dressed as editorial. Toolradar gets a lot of B2B SaaS traffic from buyers researching purchases, and that audience deserves to know exactly how we make money before they trust a recommendation. This page is part of how we earn that trust. If you find a place where reality does not match this policy, that is a bug, not a feature, please tell us.
Report a violation
Suspect a placement isn't labeled? Think editorial coverage looks bought? Email editorial@toolradar.com with the URL and what you saw. We respond within 48 hours and publish the resolution if the issue is real.
For the editorial process behind every page (sourcing, fact-checking, AI disclosure, corrections), see /editorial-policy. For the ranking methodology, see /how-we-rate.