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Pledge and trust center

We never earn a cent from what you buy.

A fake review checker is only useful if you can trust the checker. This page explains who pays for HonestStars, what we can see, and how a grade can be challenged.

The HonestStars pledge

  1. No affiliate links

    We never add affiliate tags or change a link you click. Links to stores are plain links, and we earn nothing if you buy.

  2. No data sales

    We never sell or share your browsing data.

  3. No paid grades

    Brands and sellers can't pay to change a grade.

  4. Public methodology

    Our methodology is public, and each month's grade distribution goes on a public page.

Who pays for HonestStars

HonestStars is made by Pointerflow LLC and is free at launch. We take no money from marketplaces, sellers or brands, and we earn nothing from purchases. Your first 5 checks need no account. After that, a free account keeps them going.

Pricing may change in the future. The four pledge items above do not depend on pricing.

What we see, and what we don't

  • Leaves your browser: review text with names removed, ratings, dates, verified-purchase flags, reviewer statistics and the product ID, plus the price shown on the page and your random install ID. For a D or F grade, the product title and category are also sent to look for better-rated options. Nothing is sent about a listing until you check it.
  • Never leaves your browser: your identity, cart, order history, other tabs, and your browsing outside the stores you choose.
  • The extension runs automatically only on a fixed list of stores. On other stores it only runs when you click to check.

The full detail is in the privacy policy.

How grades stay honest

  • Every grade comes with three reasons and the evidence behind them.
  • The methodology is public and versioned, with signals and weights listed in full.
  • We grade reviews, never sellers. We don't call any seller or product "fake" or a "scam".
  • Each month's grade distribution goes on the monthly reports page, with a JSON export. It counts the grades HonestStars gave to listings people checked: our own sample, not the marketplace. The first report is published after the first full month.
  • Every decided correction is listed in the public corrections log: the claim, the outcome and any note, with no names or contact details.

Challenging a grade

If you are a seller, brand or shopper and you believe a grade rests on a factual error, send it through the public correction form. Decided corrections appear in the public log. A grade can change when the facts change. It can never be changed by payment.

Independence

HonestStars is independent and not affiliated with Amazon, Walmart or any other marketplace.