# How we research affiliate networks · Vendor Runbook

> Source: https://vendorrunbook.com/methodology

## How we research

We read each network's and tool's own seller pages, fee schedules and help-center articles, then what long-term vendors report in public threads and review sites, and we take prices only from the vendor's own site.

### Where the facts come from

Fees, approval rules, payout schedules, refund windows and chargeback terms come from each network's own pages: its seller or vendor page, its pricing page and its help center. We record the date we read them, and that date is shown on the review and fee pages. When a third-party article disagrees with the network's own page, we print what the network says.

### Where the experience comes from

What it is like to sell on a network comes from vendors who have done it for a while: discussions in public forums and Reddit threads, and reviews on sites such as Trustpilot. We group what they repeatedly say into themes. A quote we publish is a verbatim excerpt that links to where it was said. Research records that a second person has not yet checked are labelled "unverified" on the page.

### What we do not do

We do not run paid traffic or launch offers on the networks we cover, and no page claims we did. We do not accept payment for a position in a ranking.

### How we rank

Networks are ranked for the vendor, in order, without scores. Four things decide the order:

* **Cost per sale:** the published fee, any approval or payout fees, and whether the rate is published or negotiated.
* **The gate before listing:** compliance review, referral-only entry, or quick approval, and what that does to a launch date.
* **Money out and money back:** payout cadence and holds, refund windows and chargeback handling.
* **The right affiliates:** whether the network's affiliates buy the traffic your kind of offer converts on.

Each network gets one "best for" that no other network on the list shares, and a named drawback, including the first one.

### How we make money

We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our rankings. When you sign up through one of our links, the price you pay is unchanged. The details are on [how we make money](/how-we-make-money).

### Corrections

Networks change their fees and terms. Each review shows the date we last read the network's pages, and each ranking carries a changelog. If something here is wrong, [tell us](/contact) and we will fix it and say that we did.

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For product owners selling through affiliate networks like ClickBank, BuyGoods, Digistore24 and JVZoo: approval, funnels, affiliates, payouts and chargebacks.

[Contact the editors](/contact)

### Rankings

* [Best affiliate networks for vendors](/best)

### Networks

* [Reviews](/reviews)
* [Head-to-heads](/compare)

### Alternatives

* [All alternatives](/alternatives)

### How we work

* [How we research](/methodology)
* [Editorial policy](/editorial-policy)
* [How we make money](/how-we-make-money)
* [About](/about)

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