Affiliate Disclosure & Tools We Use
We care about transparency. RavChat is supported in part through affiliate partnerships and sponsorships.
This page explains how affiliate links work here and which tools we actually use and recommend.
Affiliate disclosure (short version)
- Some links on RavChat and related projects (like CryptoPaste) are affiliate links.
- If you click one of those links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission or credit.
- You pay the same price you would pay without our link (and sometimes you may get a discount or extended trial).
- We only recommend tools we genuinely believe can help developers, security-minded users, and creators build better, more resilient projects.
Where it makes sense, we’ll mark affiliate links with a note such as “(affiliate link)” or similar wording next to the link.
How we choose tools to recommend
We test a lot of software and services. Only a small subset ever gets recommended on RavChat.
When we decide whether to talk about a tool, we look at:
- Security & privacy – encryption, track record, and how the company treats user data.
- Developer experience – clear documentation, stable APIs, and sensible pricing.
- Longevity – whether the product still makes sense in 3–5 years, not just during a hype cycle.
- Support & reliability – how it behaves in real-world use and how support responds.
- Audience fit – is this useful for the kind of people who read RavChat?
Sometimes we use and love a tool that has no affiliate program at all. We still recommend it.
The presence (or absence) of an affiliate program does not decide what we write about.
Sponsors & partners
From time to time, RavChat may work directly with sponsors or partners
(for example, in a clearly labeled “Sponsor” block or a dedicated review).
When that happens, we will:
- Clearly label sponsored placements (e.g. “Sponsor”, “Partner”, or “Sponsored review”).
- Give our honest opinion, including drawbacks and limitations.
- Decline partnerships with products that don’t meet our quality, security, or ethics bar.
If you ever feel a post is unclear about whether something is sponsored or affiliated, please contact us and we’ll fix it.
Tools we use (and often recommend)
This is a snapshot of the kinds of tools we rely on behind the scenes or frequently recommend to readers.
The stack may change over time as our needs evolve.
Hosting & infrastructure
Managed hosting / WordPress
- Kinsta – managed WordPress and application hosting for serious blogs and apps.
Developer-friendly cloud
- DigitalOcean – simple droplets, app hosting, and databases for small apps and experiments.
AI & developer tools
AI-ready data & APIs
- Supadata – APIs for fetching and structuring content (e.g. YouTube videos, web pages) for AI workflows.
GPU cloud & model hosting
- Runpod – GPU instances and serverless endpoints for running models and AI agents.
No-/low-code AI applications
- MindStudio – building AI apps and workflows without wiring everything from scratch.
Security & privacy stack
Secure email & VPN
- Proton Mail and Proton VPN – privacy-focused email and VPN services.
Password managers & secrets
Private messaging
- Signal – end-to-end encrypted messaging app we recommend frequently.
Content, SEO & analytics
SEO and keyword research
- Semrush – SEO suite for keyword research, competitor analysis, and content planning.
Analytics / privacy-friendly tracking
- Plausible - powerful, intuitive and lightweight analytics.
Affiliate link fairness & independence
To keep things fair:
- We never intentionally increase your price with an affiliate link.
- We don’t sell “positive coverage”. If a tool has serious drawbacks, we’ll say so, affiliate or not.
- Where it makes sense, we try to mention at least one non-affiliate or open-source alternative.
- If our relationship with a tool changes (for example, we stop using it or lose trust in it),
we may update or remove our recommendation.
Questions?
If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, tools we recommend,
or anything on this page, you can reach us at:
- Contact – (https://www.ravchat.com/contact)
We’d rather over-disclose than leave you guessing.