# How We Make Money

**URL:** https://theauditrail.com/how-we-make-money/
**Published:** 2026-09-29
**Modified:** 2026-09-29
**Author:** The Audit Trail editorial desk

> Some vendors pay us to be included on The Audit Trail. Payment never affects the rankings or what a review says. Here is what they pay for and how it is labelled.

---

# How We Make Money

Last updated Sep 29, 2026

Some vendors pay us to be included on The Audit Trail. That payment never affects the rankings or the review itself.

## Our products

Vendors can pay for three products:

**Get listed.** Assessment against the published rubric, a scorecard, and inclusion in every list where the platform qualifies by score.

**Review.** A hands-on review where we log in, test the product, and publish a full review with screenshots.

**Mention.** Consideration for relevant blog posts and research, named and linked where the platform fits the topic.

More detail is on the [For Vendors page](https://theauditrail.com/for-vendors/).

## What payment never buys

Payment never buys a rank, a score, a “Best for” superlative, a verdict, or the removal of a con. Rank inside any list is the vendor’s rubric total, computed from the published criteria. There is no way to pay for a higher position.

## How we label paid relationships

Paid entries carry a “Paid listing” label on the page where the relationship applies. Paid mentions in blog posts and research are labelled “Sponsored.”

## Link policy

Vendor links are nofollow. A paid mention adds sponsored to the link’s rel attribute.

## Affiliate links

This site has no affiliate links. We do not earn commissions when readers click vendor links or sign up for a product.