We want to be open and transparent. The goal of this disclosure is to ensure that our site visitors are comfortable with the way we fund our efforts. Our mission at VPNFan is to help protect users online privacy through VPN and other privacy-related tools. We often write guides and reviews of products and services on the site. You will also find promotions from our partners. We fund the site through affiliate relationships with VPN services and a few other companies in the cybersecurity space. This means that when you purchase an account after visiting a vendor through our site we may receive an affiliate payment. This helps us fund the site.
How did we decide on affiliate partnerships?
In 2014 we sat down and considered how to fund the upcoming project. At the time there were two main options. We could charge our readers for access or earn money from elsewhere. Since our primary goal was to help grow the use of tools to improve users online privacy, we knew we didn't want to charge our users. This left the option of seeking an outside source to fund the website, accept advertising on the site, or partner with companies in the space to help promote their services.
We decided to partner with companies, primarily VPN providers, to help promote the use of online privacy tools. We partner with these companies through affiliate relationships. Since most of the large companies in the industry offer affiliate programs, we have been able to fund the project and continue to grow our team.
How do we keep track of sales?
Some of the links on VPNFan include unique IDs that help our partners track sales. When you sign up for an account we may receive a commission. This does not happen for every company on our site and does not incur any extra charges. We have been fortunate in growing over the years and forming lasting relationships with leading privacy services. This has given us the ability to offer discounts to our readers. We anticipate that this trend will continue as we continue to grow.
How do we deal with bias?
That's a fair question and one you should always ask when considering recommendations from websites like ours. In our case we take a long term approach to growth. The only way to do that is to provide the best advice possible. Otherwise our readers will simply move on to another site. There is no lack of sites offering VPN reviews and comparisons.
Working around bias is one of the biggest challenges in running a a site like ours. We will naturally favor the VPNs that we use on a regular basis. In the early years we fought it as best we could. This was especially hard when there were hundreds of VPN companies competing in the space. In more recent years the industry has matured. A number of companies have consolidated. This has resulted in fewer companies innovating in the space.
We have helped promote and encourage new VPNs through the years. Most of them come and go but a few, like Surfshark, hit the industry hard and innovate to the fullest. With that said, we prefer VPNs that have been around for years and have a track record or protecting users privacy. Examples include ExpressVPN and Private Internet access. Both companies have stood up to government requests to protect user privacy.
What if you don't wish to help fund the site?
We genuinely hope you receive a lot of value from the site and will help fund us by using one of our affiliate partners. They are the same VPNs we recommend to our family and friends. However, if you'd rather not participate then we respect your decision. You can gladly use the resources on our site and we hope you will recommend them to others. The best way to avoid supporting our site is to visit the VPN provider's websites directly, rather than through the links on our site. By doing so we will not receive credit for your sign up.
Whether you provide feedback, sign up with one of our partners, or recommend the site to friends and family, we appreciate your support!