Affiliate Disclosure & Editorial Independence Policy
Last updated: April 2026 · By Arjun Mehta, Certified Ethical Hacker & VPN Analyst
How We Fund This Site
NordVPN Authority is an independently operated review site. We earn revenue through affiliate commissions — when you click a link on our site and purchase a VPN subscription, we may receive a commission from the provider at no extra cost to you.
This affiliate income is what allows us to purchase VPN subscriptions with our own money, maintain our testing infrastructure, and publish in-depth reviews without paywalls or sponsored content.
Which Links Are Affiliate Links?
Any link on this site that directs you to a VPN provider's website (such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, etc.) is an affiliate link. These links are clearly identifiable — they typically appear as buttons labeled "Get NordVPN" or similar call-to-action text. We use affiliate links from NordVPN's official partner program.
Our Editorial Independence Policy
Commissions never influence our ratings, rankings, or recommendations. Here's how we ensure editorial integrity:
- We purchase every VPN independently — no provider has ever given us a free subscription for review purposes. Our NordVPN Complete plan (2-year) was purchased at full price ($3.09/mo).
- No provider has editorial input — VPN companies do not review, approve, or influence our content before publication.
- We publish honest negatives — every review includes real downsides we found during testing. For example, we openly disclose NordVPN's high renewal pricing (~$14.99/mo), missing macOS split tunneling, and Linux CLI-only limitations.
- Ratings are based on testing data — our scores come from measurable metrics (speed retention, leak test results, streaming success rates, support response times), not subjective opinion or commission rates.
- We recommend alternatives when appropriate — if a competitor outperforms NordVPN in a specific category, we say so.
Our Testing Methodology
Every claim on this site is backed by hands-on testing. Our April 2026 testing methodology includes:
- 500 Mbps symmetric fiber baseline connection
- Testing on Windows 11, macOS Sonoma, Android 14, and iOS 17.4
- Speed tests using Ookla Speedtest CLI — 10 runs per server, averaged across 48 locations
- Leak testing via browserleaks.com, ipleak.net, and dnsleaktest.com
- Streaming verification across 15 countries and 50+ services
- 7-day continuous testing periods, re-tested quarterly
What Happens When You Click an Affiliate Link?
- You are redirected to the VPN provider's official website
- A tracking cookie identifies that you came from our site
- If you purchase a subscription, we receive a commission (typically 30–40% of the first payment)
- You pay exactly the same price as if you visited the provider directly — our commission comes from the provider's marketing budget, not your wallet
Why We Primarily Recommend NordVPN
NordVPN consistently ranks #1 in our independent testing across the metrics that matter most: speed (91% retention via NordLynx), privacy (Deloitte-audited no-logs), server network (6,400+ in 111 countries), and streaming reliability (94%+ unblock rate). While we do earn commissions from NordVPN referrals, our recommendation is based entirely on test results — not commission rates.
We also review and link to competitors (ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, and others), some of which also have affiliate programs. If a competitor offered higher commissions but worse performance, we would still recommend the better product.
FTC Compliance
This disclosure complies with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines on endorsements and testimonials. We believe in full transparency about how we earn revenue, and we encourage our readers to make informed decisions based on our testing data, not just our recommendations.
Contact Us
If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, editorial policy, or testing methodology, you can reach us through our website. We are committed to maintaining the trust of our readers above all else.