Affiliate disclosure
Short version: Solo Tool Stack intends to earn commissions when readers sign up for certain tools through links on this site, at no extra cost to you. Right now, in this site's initial launch state, the "Visit site" and "Check pricing" buttons across the site are clearly labeled placeholder links that point to each tool's real, official homepage — they are not yet live, revenue-generating affiliate links. We're publishing this disclosure in full before that changes, not after.
Why this page exists
The FTC and most reader-trust norms require sites that earn affiliate commissions to say so, clearly, near the content it affects. We think that's the right rule even before it's legally required of a brand-new site, so we're publishing it from day one.
What "placeholder affiliate link" means on this site
Every button styled like this:
Visit Example Tool ↗
Placeholder link — not a live affiliate link yet
is a real, working link to the tool's official website. It carries no tracking parameters and generates no commission today. When we sign a real affiliate agreement with a vendor, we will replace that specific link with the tracked affiliate URL and remove the placeholder label for that tool — we will not silently relabel a placeholder as a partnership without making the underlying link a genuine one.
What changes once a link goes live
When a placeholder becomes a real affiliate link, three things will be true simultaneously: the destination URL will include the vendor's tracking parameters, the link will carry rel="sponsored" in its HTML, and this disclosure page will be updated to reflect which categories currently have live affiliate relationships.
Does an affiliate relationship change our ranking?
No. Our review methodology is decided independently of which vendors have affiliate programs. We rank a tool below a competitor if we believe it's genuinely a worse fit for a solo founder, regardless of commission. If a top-ranked tool has no affiliate program, we still rank it first and simply don't monetize that specific placement.
Do we ever get free access to review a tool?
We may use vendor-provided free trials, publicly available free tiers, or sandbox accounts to evaluate software, the same as any reader could. We do not accept free premium access in exchange for a guaranteed positive review, and we do not accept payment for guaranteed placement.
Questions
If anything on this page is unclear, or you believe a specific link is mislabeled, please contact us and we'll correct it.