The short version: some of the outbound links on this site earn us a commission if you sign up or buy through them. This does not change the price you pay. It also does not change whether we recommend a tool. We've passed on covering tools whose payouts were generous but whose product wasn't.
What an affiliate link is
When you click an outbound link to a tool we cover, the vendor may credit AI Alleyway as the source of your visit. If you then sign up for a paid plan, we receive a referral commission — usually a percentage of your first payment, sometimes recurring for a fixed period.
Affiliate relationships exist for some of the tools we cover, not all.
Where we do have one, we disclose it with a banner at the top of any page
that carries affiliate links. Those outbound links also carry
rel="sponsored nofollow" so search engines understand the
relationship.
What an affiliate link is not
- Not a sponsorship. We don't accept payment for a specific review, a positive rating, or placement on the picks page.
- Not editorial influence. Whether a tool is recommended is decided by the editor before any affiliate program is checked.
- Not a price markup. The price you pay is the same as what you'd pay going directly to the vendor.
How we choose what to cover
Coverage decisions come from three signals, in this order:
- What our audience asks about (mentions in comments on our short-form clips, reader email, search queries we see in our analytics).
- What the editor considers credible enough to take seriously — based on our own hands-on time, user reports, and public benchmarks.
- Then, and only then, whether an affiliate program exists. A tool can be recommended without one; it just doesn't earn us money.
How affiliate revenue is used
Affiliate income funds the publication: hosting, tooling, contractor work, and the editor's time. It does not get redirected to the people deciding which tools to recommend (the editor is the same person), but the editorial standard — "when a tool gets recommended here, it earned the spot" — is the line that keeps the business honest.
Programs and networks we use
We work with vendors through their direct affiliate programs and through networks including Impact, PartnerStack, Rewardful, and FirstPromoter, among others. Specific programs change as vendors add or remove us; the disclosure on each post tells you whether a link earns us a commission.
Required disclosures
This page satisfies the FTC's disclosure requirements for affiliate relationships in editorial content. It also fulfills similar obligations under the UK CMA's guidance on hidden advertising and the EU's consumer-protection rules on transparency in influencer / publisher marketing.
Questions or complaints
If you spot a missing disclosure on a post or think a recommendation looks bought-and-paid-for, tell us — [email protected]. We treat that as a serious correction and respond quickly.