Editorial standards

1. We're on the side of alternatives, openly. We exist to help businesses adopt alternative IT. We say so plainly rather than posing as neutral.
2. We never criticise any vendor. We don't disparage Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple or any other company, mainstream or alternative. We describe what products do, factually.
3. We give credit where it's due. When a mainstream product is ahead on a feature, our comparisons say so. Honest guides are more useful than flattering ones.
4. We show the trade-offs. Every editorial guide and listing includes a Risks and mitigations section: the real challenges of adopting that option, and practical ways to reduce them.
5. We say when not to switch. Some workloads are best left where they are. Our guides cover partial and hybrid moves, and say clearly when a move isn't worth it.
6. We source our claims. Pricing, licensing, certifications, ownership and data location link to a primary source with an as-of date.
7. We present sovereignty facts the same way for everyone. Jurisdiction, data location, ownership and certifications use one format for every vendor. We report them; readers draw their own conclusions.
8. We talk about values only where they're evidenced. Openness, data control and transparency are highlighted where a vendor demonstrably offers them, never assumed for a whole category.
9. We don't propagandise. No exaggeration, no fear-based selling, no claims we can't support.
10. Money never decides editorial content. How we handle sponsorship, affiliate links and related products is set out below.

Sponsorship, affiliates and disclosure

Paid content is always labelled as paid, and it never changes our editorial content. Sponsored listings are advertising: they may leave out the Risks and mitigations section, because they never present themselves as neutral. See how each label looks.

• Labels are unmissable. "Sponsored" appears on the listing itself and everywhere it shows up: category pages, search results, newsletters. No hovering or clicking needed to see it.
• Sponsorship sits beside editorial, never on top of it. A sponsored listing doesn't replace or alter the product's editorial listing. Where one exists, it keeps its full Risks and mitigations section, and the sponsored listing links to it.
• Sponsors get no say over editorial. They can't review, approve or influence our coverage of themselves or their competitors.
• Affiliate schemes don't affect inclusion or order. Products without an affiliate scheme, which includes most open-source software, are listed on equal terms. Every page with affiliate links says so.
• Related products get the same scrutiny. Products made by our publisher or related companies are labelled and carry the full Risks and mitigations section.
• Display ads track no one. Ads are contextual only. We use no ad source that tracks visitors, sets cookies or runs advertiser code on our pages, and none from big-tech ad platforms.

Corrections, updates and right of reply

We fix factual errors quickly and in public, and every page shows when it was last checked.

• Corrections are logged. Our corrections page lists each fix with its date and what changed.
• Pages show a last-reviewed date. Guides and listings are reviewed at least every 12 months, and sooner when a vendor changes pricing, licensing or ownership.
• Vendors can request corrections. We correct facts when shown evidence. We don't remove risks on request, but we'll add a mitigation a vendor can demonstrate.
• Readers can report errors. Every page has a link to report an error on it.