No reader payment required
Editorial accessible free. No paywalls. No required signups. Cost borne by retailer marketing budgets.
Section 01 · Foundations
What are affiliate links
Affiliate links are URLs that contain a tracking parameter identifying Comparees as the source of a visitor. When you click an affiliate link and the destination retailer can attribute your visit (and any subsequent purchase) back to Comparees, we may earn a small commission from that retailer if you complete a purchase within a tracking window.
1.1 How affiliate links differ from regular links
| Aspect | Regular link | Affiliate link |
|---|---|---|
| Looks the same? | Yes | Yes (some have tracking params) |
| Works the same? | Yes | Yes — same destination |
| Costs you more? | No | No — same price |
| Tracks purchases? | No | Yes — for commission attribution |
| Earns us money? | No | Yes — if you buy something |
| Required disclosure? | No | Yes — by law |
1.2 The economic reality
When you make an online purchase, the retailer pays a small percentage of the transaction to whoever referred you. If you arrived via Comparees, that's us. If you arrived via Google search, no one earns it. If you went directly to the retailer, no one earns it. The price you pay is identical in all cases. What's actually happening is a retailer marketing budget allocation, not a hidden charge to you.
Important to understand
Affiliate commissions are not added to your purchase price. They come from the retailer's existing marketing budget — money the retailer was going to spend on customer acquisition anyway. Whether spent on Google ads, social media, or affiliate publishers like us, it's part of retailers' standard marketing cost structure.
Section 02 · Revenue Mechanics
How we actually earn money
2.1 The four-step process
From article to commission
The actual revenue flow
Step 01 · You read
You read an article
You access editorial content freely — no paywall, no signup, no obligation.
Step 02 · You click
You click a link
If a recommendation interests you, you follow the link to the retailer.
Step 03 · You buy
You purchase (or don't)
You decide whether to buy. Standard retailer pricing, no markup.
Step 04 · We earn
Commission paid
If purchased within tracking window, retailer pays us a small commission.
2.2 Revenue streams beyond affiliate commissions
While affiliate commissions are our primary revenue, we have additional streams documented in our Advertise page:
- Newsletter sponsorships: clearly marked sponsor mentions in our Compare Brief newsletter
- Custom research collaborations: where we apply our methodology to broader category questions
- Strategic brand partnerships: ongoing collaboration with brands meeting our editorial standards
- Reader support: voluntary contributions from readers who find our work valuable
2.3 What revenue allows
The revenue from affiliate commissions and other sources funds:
- Editorial team: salaries for our 14 editors and writers across 11 categories
- Product testing: purchasing products for hands-on evaluation (often before any potential commission)
- Research infrastructure: subscriptions to data sources, testing equipment, expert consultations
- Technology costs: web hosting, content management systems, security infrastructure
- Office operations: our Mumbai HQ and Bangalore tech office
- Independent journalism: enabling us to operate without paywalls or invasive advertising
Section 03 · Partners
Our affiliate partners
Comparees participates in affiliate programs with a range of retailers and brands. Here's the complete list, organized by category:
3.1 Major retail platforms
- Amazon Associates Program: largest single source of affiliate links across most product categories
- Flipkart Affiliate Program: significant for India-specific product purchases
- Myntra Affiliate: primarily for fashion and apparel categories
- Ajio Affiliate: Reliance fashion ecosystem for apparel
- TataCliq: Tata Digital retail platform
- Nykaa: beauty and personal care products
3.2 Direct brand programs
We participate in direct affiliate programs with brands across multiple categories:
- Apparel: FabIndia, Allen Solly, Manyavar, Biba
- Footwear: Nike, Adidas, ASICS, Bata
- Appliances: IFB, Bosch, LG, Dyson
- Security: CP Plus, Eufy, Ring, Godrej Locks
- Backup software: Backblaze, Synology, iDrive, Acronis
- Privacy tools: Sync.com, pCloud, Proton, Malwarebytes
- Travel: IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, IRCTC
- Hotels: Taj Hotels, ITC Hotels, Oberoi, Marriott
3.3 Affiliate network participation
We also use affiliate networks that aggregate multiple brands:
- Commission Junction (CJ Affiliate): international brand affiliate aggregator
- Impact: SaaS and software brand network
- VCommission: India-focused affiliate network
- Cuelinks: India-focused content monetization platform
Comprehensive list
For the most current and complete list of all affiliate relationships, contact us at legal@comparees.com. This list is updated quarterly as we add or end affiliate relationships. We don't hide any relationships — full disclosure on request, always.
Section 04 · The Critical Separation
How editorial stays independent
4.1 The structural separation
The most important thing to understand about our model: editorial decisions and affiliate links are made by different people at different times. Our editorial team — Priya Mehta (Appliances/Privacy), Arjun Kapoor (Tech/Style), Vikram T. (Lifestyle/Home Tech), Rohan Sharma (Cybersecurity/Sport), Neha Verma (Software/Subscriptions), and Rohan Singh (Travel) — applies our published methodology to research, test, and rank products. They don't see affiliate commission rates when making editorial decisions. Affiliate links are added later by our partnership team after editorial decisions are finalized.
4.2 The sequence that matters
- Editorial decides: editors apply methodology to determine which products to recommend in articles
- Rankings finalized: senior editor signs off on rankings without commission rate consideration
- Affiliate links added: partnership team adds affiliate links to whatever was recommended
- Best link wins: where multiple retailers carry a recommended product, we link to the best one for readers, not the highest commission
4.3 What this means in practice
Several practical implications worth understanding:
- We recommend products from brands we have no affiliate relationship with when our methodology supports the recommendation
- We don't recommend products from affiliate partners when our methodology doesn't support the recommendation
- Where multiple retailers carry the same product, we typically link to the best price and most reliable service, not the highest commission rate
- Higher commission products don't get ranked higher — we test products competing for the same use case under identical methodology
- Lower commission products win when methodology supports it — Amazon often pays modest commissions but is still recommended for products where it offers best price/reliability
4.4 Real examples of editorial independence
Concrete examples from our recent coverage:
- Privacy category: we recommend Sync.com as zero-knowledge leader despite Google Drive having broader affiliate reach
- Backup category: our 3-2-1 backup strategy recommends Synology hardware despite hardware affiliate rates being lower than subscription software
- Security category: we recommend CP Plus for India-specific conditions despite Ring being more globally available
- Footwear category: we sometimes recommend brands without affiliate programs when methodology supports it, accepting we'll earn no commission on those recommendations
The honest framework
The structural separation between editorial and commerce isn't perfect — humans are involved at every stage, and complete independence is impossible to fully prove. What we can do is build the structure to make influence as hard as possible, document our methodology publicly, and welcome scrutiny when we appear to fail the test. Our published methodology is the accountability mechanism that lets readers verify our practices.
Section 05 · Identifying Links
How to identify affiliate links
Affiliate links on Comparees are identified in several ways to ensure you can distinguish them from regular links:
5.1 Page-level disclosure
Every article on Comparees includes a disclosure notice indicating that some links may earn commission. This typically appears:
- In article footers or sidebars where affiliate links are present
- In our standard editorial disclaimer text
- In the article's metadata where applicable
5.2 Link-level identification
You can identify affiliate links through several technical methods:
- URL inspection: hover over a link to see the destination URL. Affiliate links often contain tracking parameters like
?tag=,?ref=, or redirect through affiliate networks - Browser developer tools: inspecting links shows the full URL structure
- Privacy browser extensions: some extensions (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger) can identify and display affiliate links
- Affiliate domains: links going through
amzn.to,fkrt.cc,cuelinks.com, or similar are typically affiliate links
5.3 Commerce-related sections
Certain section types on Comparees are particularly likely to contain affiliate links:
- "Where to buy" sections: in product reviews and comparisons
- "Visit [Brand]" buttons: in brand-specific cards within articles
- Product comparison tables: with retailer columns
- Deal alerts: in our Deals section
- Newsletter product mentions: when products are mentioned with purchase guidance
5.4 Sections that don't contain affiliate links
- Editorial analysis sections: discussion of products, technology, or trends without specific purchase recommendations
- Methodology pages: explanation of how we work, without product links
- Brand history articles: contextual coverage without purchase guidance
- Investigative pieces: critical coverage that wouldn't appropriately include affiliate links
- Educational explainers: like our zero-knowledge encryption explainer — concept-focused, not purchase-focused
Section 06 · Our Practices
What we do
6.1 Honest editorial practice
- Apply methodology consistently: same scoring rubric across competing brands regardless of affiliate status
- Recommend non-affiliate brands when methodology supports it
- Decline to cover brands or products our methodology doesn't support, regardless of commission potential
- Update rankings when new information warrants change, even if it costs us established affiliate revenue
- Publish negative findings about affiliate partners when we discover issues
- Maintain editorial independence as documented in our Methodology page
6.2 Transparent communication
- Disclose affiliate relationships page-by-page and at the site level
- Document partner relationships on our Advertise page
- Identify affiliate links through page-level notices and link-level conventions
- Respond honestly to questions about specific recommendations and affiliate context
- Maintain this disclosure page with current information about our practices
6.3 Reader-first link choice
When multiple retailers carry a product we recommend, we typically link to:
- Best price available for our typical reader at time of publication
- Most reliable retailer with proven delivery and customer service
- India-relevant retailer for India-focused content (often Amazon India or Flipkart)
- Brand-direct option when brand site offers comparable price and service
- Best return policy for products where returns matter
6.4 What this means for higher-commission retailers
Sometimes our reader-first link choice means we link to retailers with lower commission rates than alternatives. This is the structural commitment we make: best for readers, not best for our bottom line. Examples from past coverage:
- Linking to brand-direct purchases with lower commissions when brand site offers better warranty
- Linking to Amazon Prime-eligible items when prime shipping matters more than alternative retailer commission
- Linking to local retailers for India-specific service network when global retailers offer higher commissions
- Linking to free options when free is genuinely the right answer (no commission, but right recommendation)
Section 07 · Firm Boundaries
What we don't do
These are absolute commitments. No partnership budget, no relationship length, no offer combination will move us across these lines:
7.1 No paid editorial coverage
- Never accept payment from brands for inclusion in rankings
- Never accept payment for favorable review tone
- Never accept payment to remove negative findings
- Never accept payment for higher placement in comparisons
- Never accept payment for exclusive coverage that excludes competitors
7.2 No editorial influence from commerce
- Affiliate commission rates don't affect rankings — methodology determines, commerce follows
- Partner status doesn't affect ranking — partners are evaluated by same methodology as non-partners
- Brand spend doesn't affect coverage — bigger marketing budgets don't mean better reviews
- Affiliate program participation doesn't guarantee inclusion — many affiliate program members never appear in our recommendations
7.3 No hidden practices
- Never sponsored content disguised as editorial — sponsored content is clearly marked or doesn't run
- Never paid placement camouflaged as recommendation — recommendations are based on methodology
- Never AI-generated review content regardless of commission potential
- Never fabricated testing scenarios for any partner at any price
- Never selectively cited reviews that misrepresent our overall methodology findings
7.4 No exploitation of reader trust
- Never selling reader data to brands or third parties
- Never sharing reader email addresses with affiliate partners
- Never enabling brand surveillance of individual readers
- Never compromising privacy in pursuit of affiliate revenue
- Never optimizing for clicks over reader benefit — quality over volume
Why these matter
These firm boundaries are structural to our business model. The moment we cross any of these lines, the value of our editorial work to readers disappears. Without trustworthy editorial, we have nothing to monetize through affiliate commissions. The integrity isn't just ethical — it's commercial. Our reputation among readers is our most valuable asset, and these commitments protect it.
Section 08 · Commission Details
How commissions actually work
8.1 Typical commission rates
| Category | Typical rate | Tracking window |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon India | 1-10% (varies by category) | 24 hours |
| Flipkart | 1-12% (varies by category) | 30 days |
| Apparel brands | 6-15% | 30-60 days |
| Footwear brands | 5-12% | 30 days |
| Appliances | 2-8% | 30 days |
| SaaS subscriptions | 20-40% (first month) or 8-15% recurring | 30-90 days |
| Hotels | 3-7% of booking value | 30 days |
| Flights | flat fee per booking or 0.5-2% | 24-48 hours |
8.2 Tracking windows explained
"Tracking window" refers to how long after your click we can earn commission. Practical implications:
- 24-hour window (Amazon): if you click an Amazon link and buy anything from Amazon within 24 hours, we earn commission — even on items we didn't recommend
- 30-day window (most brands): longer window means more chance of attribution, but also more uncertainty about which click drove the purchase
- Last-click attribution: most programs use last-click — if you click multiple affiliate links, the last one before purchase typically gets credit
- Same-device requirement: most programs require purchase from the same device that clicked the link
8.3 What happens if you don't buy what we recommended
Several scenarios worth understanding:
- Buy something else from the same retailer: we may still earn commission on that purchase (depending on program rules)
- Buy a competitor's product from the same retailer: we may earn commission even though we recommended the competitor's product
- Buy from a different retailer: no commission to us, regardless of what you bought
- Don't buy anything: no commission, but you've benefited from our research at no cost
8.4 The "we earn anyway" reality
This creates an interesting structural fact: our financial incentive isn't to convince you to buy specific products. It's to drive qualified traffic to retailers we have relationships with. Whether you buy what we recommended or something else, the commission comes through. This further reduces our incentive to recommend specific products for commission reasons — we benefit either way as long as you find our content useful enough to click through to retailers.
8.5 When commissions get reversed
Commissions aren't always permanent. They can be reversed when:
- You return the product: commission is typically reversed within 60-90 days
- Payment processing issues: failed payments result in commission reversal
- Fraud detection: suspected fraudulent purchases get commissions held or reversed
- Self-purchases: many programs prohibit self-purchasing through affiliate links
- Compliance issues: program rule violations can result in commission reversal
Section 09 · Your Rights
Your rights as a reader
9.1 Right to use our content without supporting us financially
You have complete right to use Comparees content without ever using affiliate links. How to use Comparees without affiliate links:
- Read editorial content freely: no requirement to click through to retailers
- Navigate directly to retailers: copy product names into your browser, go to retailers directly
- Search for products: use search engines or retailer search instead of our links
- Visit brand websites directly: most brands we cover have direct websites accessible without affiliate links
- Use our content as research only: gather information, then make purchases through your preferred channels
9.2 Right to support us if you find our work valuable
If you find our editorial work valuable and want to support continued operation, you can:
- Use our affiliate links when making purchases — costs you nothing extra, supports our work
- Subscribe to our newsletter for ongoing editorial
- Share our content with people who would find it useful
- Send corrections and feedback via our Contact page — helps us improve
- Suggest brands for evaluation via editorial@comparees.com
9.3 Right to question our recommendations
You always retain the right to:
- Disagree with our rankings and make different choices
- Question our methodology via editorial@comparees.com
- Report concerns about specific recommendations that seem influenced by affiliate considerations
- Get explanations for why specific products are recommended over alternatives
- Request methodology reviews for specific categories where you have expertise
9.4 Right to privacy when using affiliate links
When you click an affiliate link:
- You don't share your identity with us — we get aggregate referral data, not personal information
- Retailer privacy policies govern your interaction with the retailer site
- Tracking is limited to commission attribution — not used for profiling
- You can opt out of affiliate tracking via browser settings or privacy tools
- Your purchases remain between you and the retailer — we don't see what you bought, just that you bought something
See our Privacy Policy for complete details on data handling.
Section 10 · Compliance
FTC & ASCI compliance
10.1 Indian advertising standards
As an India-headquartered publication, we comply with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) code, particularly the influencer marketing guidelines requiring disclosure of material connections to brands. Our affiliate relationships and partnership arrangements are disclosed in accordance with these guidelines.
10.2 FTC compliance for global audience
While we're headquartered in India, our content reaches a global audience including significant US readership. We comply with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) endorsement guidelines, which require clear disclosure of:
- Material connections between endorsers and brands
- Affiliate relationships that may influence content
- Free products received for review
- Any other compensation that might affect reader trust
10.3 EU and UK compliance
For European Union and United Kingdom readers, we comply with:
- Consumer Protection Regulations for honest commercial practices
- UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) guidance on affiliate marketing
- EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive requirements for transparent commercial communication
10.4 How we implement compliance
Practical compliance measures include:
- This Affiliate Disclosure page: comprehensive site-level disclosure
- Article-level notices: disclosure within articles containing affiliate links
- Newsletter disclosures: clear marking of sponsored content in newsletters
- Sponsor labels: explicit "sponsor" labels on any paid content (rare for us)
- Regular review: quarterly review of disclosure practices for ongoing compliance
- Staff training: editorial team training on disclosure requirements
10.5 Reporting compliance concerns
If you believe our disclosure practices fall short of legal requirements or our own commitments:
- Email legal@comparees.com with specific concerns
- Include the article or content in question
- Specify what disclosure you believe is missing or inadequate
- We investigate within 7 days and respond within 14 days
- Corrections made promptly if compliance issues confirmed
Section 11 · Contact
How to contact us
11.1 Affiliate disclosure questions
- General disclosure questions: legal@comparees.com for questions about this policy
- Specific article concerns: editorial@comparees.com for questions about specific recommendations
- Partnership inquiries: partners@comparees.com for brand partnership discussions
- Privacy questions: privacy@comparees.com for data-related inquiries
11.2 Office addresses
Comparees Editorial & Compliance
Bandra West, Mumbai
Maharashtra, India · 400050
11.3 Response times
- Disclosure questions: response within 5-7 business days
- Specific article concerns: investigation within 7 days, response within 14 days
- Compliance violations: acknowledgment within 48 hours
- Urgent legal matters: same business day when received before 4 PM IST
11.4 Related policies
For complete context on how Comparees operates:
- Methodology — how we research and rate products
- Privacy Policy — how we handle your data
- Terms of Service — terms governing site use
- Advertise — partnership opportunities for brands
- Contact — general editorial directory
- About — who we are and what we do