How we research and recommend

Research comes before recommendation

Our launch coverage uses current official product pages, support documentation and primary technical guidance. We connect those facts to a defined reader need and explain the practical trade-offs. A source date records when a document was checked; it does not promise the offer will remain unchanged.

What our reviews mean

These are research-based reviews. Unless an article explicitly provides a test method and results, it does not represent hands-on paid-account testing, measured uptime, a support experiment or an independent security audit. We do not invent benchmark results, customer testimonials or experience claims. Our numerical editorial ratings summarize documented features, commercial terms and reader fit under the rubric below.

When evidence is unavailable, we describe the gap. A provider-wide location catalog, for example, does not establish that every shared plan can use every facility. Missing evidence is not treated as proof of poor performance or insecurity.

How recommendations are made

We prioritize application and device compatibility, the required workflow, recovery and privacy considerations, total cost and the ability to leave. Recommendations are conditional: a provider can suit one need and be inappropriate for another. The current hosting and VPN shortlists cover our named affiliate partners rather than the entire market.

The website’s selector is rules-based. It uses the answers you choose to suggest a starting point from that coverage. It is not an AI consultation or a numerical product assessment.

Commercial relationships

We may receive commissions from eligible purchases through our links. This can influence which providers are covered and where commercial links appear. We make that scope visible and explain disadvantages alongside reasons to consider a product. See the affiliate disclosure for the current partner list.

AI-assisted production

This launch edition was prepared with AI assistance for research organization, drafting, code and consistency checks. Author profiles describe the people responsible for HostingRanker; a byline is not a claim of personal hands-on testing. AI-generated text and provider marketing are not accepted as independent proof of a product claim.

The standard for every published page is the same: traceable material facts, clear limits, useful analysis and no invented evidence. Readers should follow the linked primary sources when a decision depends on current commercial or technical terms.

Prices, examples and scores

Prices are dated snapshots with a billing term where verified. Local currency, taxes, promotions and renewals can change. Illustrative calculations are labeled and are not provider quotes. The overall score is an editorial judgment, with its components and reasons visible in the review. It is never presented as an aggregated customer rating or a measured speed, uptime or support result.

Our editorial rating rubric

Each review scores five criteria from 1 to 5, with half-points allowed. Every criterion has a 20% weight. We take their arithmetic mean and round once to one decimal. The full calculation and an individual reason for every component appear in each review.

For hosting, the criteria are value and commitment; included features; backup and recovery; administration and published support options; and pricing/documentation clarity. For VPNs, they are value and commitment; VPN features; privacy evidence; devices and app coverage; and pricing/documentation clarity. The two categories are not directly comparable.

The scale is 1 for substantial documented limitations, 2 for limited fit or evidence, 3 for an adequate offer with material trade-offs, 4 for a strong documented fit, and 5 for an exceptionally complete offer in our disclosed coverage set. A half-point represents a judgment between adjacent anchors. These are reasoned opinions, not laboratory measurements. Missing evidence can affect the relevant evidence or documentation component; it does not establish that the service failed a test.

Scores apply to the offer and reader needs described in the review, on the stated source date. They do not establish an absolute winner, predict uptime, certify privacy, or cover every provider in the market. Differences of a few tenths should not override compatibility, recovery or budget requirements. We do not use commission size as a score component.

What our screenshots show

Review screenshots are original browser captures of the linked public provider pages. Captions identify date, currency and context. Some images are cropped to the relevant plan area and are optimized for loading; their product text is not rewritten. They do not represent paid-account access, support experiments or product-performance tests. Original capture files are retained with the project.

Updates and corrections

Material updates should change the article and any related comparison or summary that repeats the fact. Dates should change when a substantive review or revision occurs, not simply to make a page look newer. Report an issue through our correction channel, including the page and supporting source.

Authors and accountability

Vlastimil Stich covers hosting and website technology. Pavel Stich covers SEO, software and digital privacy. HostingRanker is operated by INTERSTORE CAPITAL s.r.o. Contact [email protected] for editorial questions.