How we make money

Testing costs money: every full lab panel is several hundred dollars, before the product itself. Here is exactly where the money comes from, and where it doesn’t.

Where the money comes from

Affiliate commissions

Some vendor pages have a “Visit vendor” button. If you click it and buy something, we may earn a commission from that vendor at no extra cost to you. Every button that earns us a commission says so right next to it.

Commissions never affect scores, rankings, or which vendors we test. We publish failed results for affiliate partners. If a vendor drops us from their affiliate program after a bad result, we will say so on their page.

Memberships (planned)

We plan to offer a paid membership that lets members vote on which vendors and products we test next, see results early, and download the full data. Membership money goes straight into the testing budget.

Sponsorships (open, with rules)

We are open to sponsorship from vendors and other companies, on terms that keep the money away from results. A sponsor can buy a clearly labelled banner or a video sponsorship slot. A sponsor cannot buy a score, a ranking position, a badge, early notice of a result, or any change to a review. Every sponsorship is disclosed on this page and on the page or video where it appears, and a sponsor’s lab sample is bought and tested exactly like everyone else’s. There are no sponsors today.

Video advertising

Our videos may carry platform advertising. We treat this as a bonus, not a plan, because platform rules around this topic are strict and can change.

Where it does not come from

• Vendors do not pay for testing, placement, badges, or scores.
• Vendors do not pay to reply to reviews, to use our review widgets, or to send review invitations. Those tools are free.
• We do not sell kratom and we do not take a cut of sales from any vendor other than through disclosed affiliate links.
• We do not run sponsored posts or paid reviews. Sponsorship buys a labelled banner or video slot, never editorial content.

What changed in 2026

Before November 2026, KratomSource was a sponsored review site: Canadian vendors paid for placement, and the footer said so. Those arrangements have ended and no vendor currently pays us anything beyond standard affiliate commissions. Vendors that previously paid for placement are now reviewed under the same rubric as everyone else, their pages say whether we currently earn an affiliate commission, and their lab samples are bought the same anonymous way. Coupon codes that were part of the old arrangements are listed on the coupon page only once we have re-verified them and confirmed they carry no placement obligation.

Why we publish this

Every review site gets accused of hiding bad results for paying customers. The only answer is to make the money visible and the rules strict. If you ever think we have crossed a line, tell us and we will answer publicly.

Frequently asked questions

Does KratomSource sell kratom?

No. We sell nothing and take no cut of vendor sales other than through disclosed affiliate links.

Can vendors sponsor KratomSource?

Yes, with limits: a sponsor can buy a clearly labelled banner or video slot, never a score, ranking, badge or review change. Every sponsorship is disclosed.

Are vendor review widgets free?

Yes. Vendors do not pay to reply to reviews, display our widgets or send review invitations.