Policy
Advertising policy
StackBuilder is funded by advertising, and we intend to keep it that way — openly. This page states the commercial contract in plain language: what money buys, what it can never buy, and how you can tell the difference.
The non-negotiable rule
Money buys clearly labeled visibility, never organic rank. The scoring function that orders every tool cannot see sponsorship data — it is never passed in, so no payment can influence a rank, a score, a verification badge, or a finder recommendation. This is enforced in code, not just promised in policy. Read the full mechanism on the methodology page.
What money buys
- ✓A visible Sponsored label on every paid placement
- ✓Separation from numbered organic results — ads live in their own slots
- ✓rel="sponsored" on paid outbound links
- ✓Human review before any paid placement goes live
- ✓The same relevance and safety screening as organic listings
What money never buys
- ✕Organic rank in any list, category, or search result
- ✕Editorial scores or the fit labels visitors see
- ✕Verified status or freshness signals
- ✕Placement in finder results or workflow stacks
- ✕Suppression of criticism, negative reviews, or corrections
- ✕A 'best for' task recommendation or category leadership badge
Sponsorship products
Showcase slots
Dedicated sponsored placements on high-traffic surfaces. Always labeled Sponsored, always in their own slot outside the ranked list. See current options.
Newsletter sponsorship
A distinct sponsored block inside the newsletter — never a purchased editorial winner. The digest's tool picks are chosen by the same ranking the site uses.
Affiliate links
Some outbound links earn us a commission. Commissions are disclosed adjacent to the link and are excluded from editorial scoring and finder fit. Read the affiliate disclosure.
Corrections
Correction requests are free for everyone — tool makers, readers, competitors. Paying for promotion never buys a faster correction queue, and it never buys suppression of one. If you spot an error, tell us.
Why "Sponsored" and not "Featured": "featured" is ambiguous — it can read as an editorial pick. Every paid placement on StackBuilder says Sponsored, because that is what it is.