Do commissions or sponsors affect ShieldDigest's scores?

No. ShieldDigest is reader-supported, so links may earn it a commission, but scores are never affected and the site reports zero paid placements. As the homepage puts it, the rankings are earned, not sold.

How often are ShieldDigest rankings updated?

Each pick is live-monitored for 90 days and products are re-tested quarterly. VPN, hosting, and online learning rankings were updated in September 2026.

Independent · Hands-on · September 2026

The rankings are earned, not sold.

Q: How does ShieldDigest test the products it ranks?

ShieldDigest buys VPNs, web hosting, and online learning platforms anonymously, runs them through identical benchmarks, and publishes every score, criterion by criterion. So far this year that has meant 64 services tested and 1,400+ benchmark runs, backed by 140 pages of research.

ShieldDigest buys VPNs, web hosting, and learning platforms anonymously, runs them through identical benchmarks, and publishes every score, criterion by criterion.

See the rankings How we test

Abstract honeycomb leaderboard illustration

NordVPNVPNs · #1

9.7

HostingerHosting · #1

9.6

CourseraOnline Learning · #1

9.5

64services tested this year

1,400+benchmark runs

90 dayslive monitoring per pick

143pages of research

0paid placements

Pick a category

Three verticals, fully tested

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