Disclosure: how HostIdea is funded
How HostIdea makes money, who operates it, where review data comes from, and why affiliate commissions never change a score or a ranking.
Last updated
Who operates HostIdea
HostIdea is operated by DM Research Labs, LLC. Our only income from hosting companies is the affiliate commissions described below.
Where the data comes from
HostIdea is currently a review aggregator and translator with its own view, not a testing lab. We read each host’s published terms, collect and cite measurements published by others (by name, date and method), and add our own reading of what they mean. Our own monitoring windows are being opened host by host; until one exists for a host, the review says that no figure on it is ours.
Every review states, next to each figure, where it came from: the host’s own published terms and documentation (with the URL and the date we checked it), third-party measurements cited by name and date, or our own checks, labelled as such. Where we have not measured something yet, the review says so rather than printing a number. The data behind every host is published at /data so anyone can check it. The full account is on the methodology page.
Affiliate links
Links to hosting companies on this site are affiliate links. When you buy through one, the host pays us a commission. You pay the same price either way.
Commissions do not affect scores or rankings. Scores are computed from the published methodology and the monitored data; the weights are the only inputs. Hosts that pay higher commissions get no better placement, and hosts with no affiliate program are reviewed and ranked the same way.
Affiliate links are marked with rel="sponsored" and go through /go/ so they can be identified.
What we do not do
- We do not accept payment for reviews, placements or score changes.
- We do not accept free hosting or payment in exchange for coverage.
- We do not publish user reviews or star ratings.
- We do not remove data at a host’s request.
Questions
Use the contact page.