Affiliate Disclosure

Some outbound links on AIDiveForge are affiliate links. If you sign up for a tool through one, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This page explains exactly how that works, how we mark affiliate links, and why it doesn't influence what we list or how we rank.

AIDiveForge is a curated directory and comparison platform for AI tools, operated by Emrich Enterprises LLC (a Montana limited liability company). We install and run local and open-source AI tools on our own test machine and publish what we measured; those pages carry a We installed and ran it section with the test date. Other tool pages summarise the tool's own website and documentation and say they were not tested by us. Running the site — hosting, the test machine, the newsletter — costs money. This page explains how we pay for it.

How we fund the site

Some outbound links on this site are affiliate links. If you click one and then sign up for or purchase the tool on the vendor's website, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. You'll never pay more by using our link than you would by going directly to the tool.

Affiliate commissions help us cover hosting, tool testing, and continued development. They don't influence what we write or which tools we choose to list.

How to identify affiliate links

Every tool listing has a prominent "Visit [Tool Name]" button near the top. When that button points to an affiliate-tracked URL, you'll see a short note directly underneath it that reads:

Affiliate disclosures explain that we may earn a commission and appear with the relevant recommendation or link. Paid placements carry a Sponsored or equivalent label. Link attributes such as rel="sponsored" help search engines understand a paid relationship; they do not replace a disclosure readers can see. If a disclosure appears to be missing, contact us so we can check it.

Editorial independence

We only list tools we believe are genuinely useful. An affiliate relationship does not guarantee a listing, promote a tool higher in our rankings, or change what a tool page says. Tools that offer affiliate programs are treated the same as tools that don't.

If a test result or tool page is critical, that isn't softened because we earn commissions. If a tool doesn't meet our quality bar, we don't list it regardless of commission rates.

We do not sell rankings, scores, or badges. You cannot pay us to be listed in the directory, to rank higher in comparisons, or to change a score. Separately, we may sell clearly labeled Sponsored ad placements and newsletter sponsorships — see below.

Other material connections

The Federal Trade Commission treats any arrangement capable of affecting the weight or credibility of an endorsement as a "material connection" that must be disclosed. Affiliate commissions are the most visible form, but not the only one.

Complimentary access and review units. A vendor may occasionally offer us complimentary access to a paid tier, extended trial credits, or early access for evaluation. When that happens, we disclose it at the top of the relevant listing with a line reading "Reviewed with complimentary access provided by [vendor]." Complimentary access never guarantees a favorable write-up or continued inclusion.

Gifts and hardware. We do not accept physical hardware, swag, or gifts from tool vendors in exchange for coverage. If that policy changes, a disclosure line and an updated version of this page will precede any review affected by it.

Sponsored placements (ads). In addition to affiliate commissions, we sell clearly labeled Sponsored advertising: homepage and compare-page units, listing boosts, and optional newsletter sponsorships. These are advertising placements, not editorial endorsements. They do not change directory inclusion, rankings, or scores. Every paid unit is marked "Sponsored" (or equivalent) consistent with the FTC's Native Advertising Guidance. Rate card: /advertise/.

Employment and equity. Emrich Enterprises LLC does not hold equity in, sit on the board of, or receive salary from any AI-tool vendor listed in the directory. If that ever changes for any individual tool, a disclosure will appear on that tool's listing page.

Contributor and community disclosures

User-submitted content is subject to our Terms of Service, which prohibit affiliate links, promotional codes, and marketing on behalf of third parties. If a contributor has a material connection to a tool they are writing about, such as employment, contracting, or compensation, they must disclose it in the submission. Disclosure does not guarantee that a submission will be published.

Guest contributors, where used, must disclose any affiliate, employment, or consulting relationship with a tool before their byline appears.

Cookies & tracking

Our first-party metrics on aidiveforge.com can record the source page and destination of an outbound click, subject to the storage choices described in our Cookie Policy. Following an affiliate link also sends your browser to the vendor or its affiliate network. That destination can receive your IP address, browser information, referral information, and an affiliate identifier, and may set its own cookies under its privacy policy. Information you enter there goes to that provider. We do not give affiliate partners our subscriber list.

Newsletter & email

Our newsletter may contain affiliate links and labeled Sponsored partner blocks. We disclose those relationships in the message. Affiliate commissions do not determine our editorial recommendations, and sponsored blocks are advertising. You can unsubscribe using the link in a newsletter or our web unsubscribe form — see our Email Policy and email preferences.

Questions

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, a specific listing, or how we make money, reach out at [email protected]. We answer every honest question.

This disclosure is provided in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides and is updated whenever our monetization model changes.