<b>Why every "top host" list has the same 5 names</b>

<b>Why every "top host" list has the same 5 names</b>

Myth: "This roundup ranked them by performance."

Check the affiliate payouts. The hosts at the top of nearly every "best hosting 2024" list are the ones paying $65–$200 per signup. The independent host with better TTFB and no bounty? Mysteriously absent.

The ranking isn't sorted by speed. It's sorted by commission, then reverse-engineered with prose to look earned.

A tell: when the same parent company owns several "competing" brands <i>and</i> the review site, you're reading a menu, not a comparison.

Follow the money: you're not the reader of these articles. You're the product being routed.

Reality: a review you didn't pay for was paid for by the thing being reviewed.