Transparency

How Ardlight makes money

Last updated: March 2026
The short version

Ardlight earns commission when you open an account through one of our affiliate links. We only link to providers we would genuinely recommend. Our content is written independently — we do not accept payment to change editorial positions, and affiliate relationships do not affect which products appear in our guides.

Ardlight is free to use. To sustain it, we earn commission through affiliate partnerships with financial product providers. This page explains exactly how that works, which relationships we currently have, and the editorial rules we apply to protect your interests.

Affiliate links — how they work

Some links on Ardlight are affiliate links. When you click one of these links and open an account or complete a qualifying action with the provider, we receive a commission from that provider. This does not cost you anything extra — the commission is paid by the provider, not you.

Affiliate links are used on pages where we recommend or compare financial products — such as Stocks and Shares ISA platforms, index funds, and savings accounts. Where affiliate links are present, we aim to make this clear at the top of the relevant page with a notice like: "This page contains affiliate links. If you open an account via our links, we may earn a commission. This does not affect our editorial independence."

Not every link on Ardlight is an affiliate link. Links to government websites (HMRC, gov.uk, MoneyHelper), to free debt charities (StepChange, National Debtline), and to general reference sources are never affiliate links.

Our current affiliate relationships

The following table lists all current affiliate relationships as of March 2026. Ardlight currently has no active affiliate relationships — all providers mentioned on this site appear for editorial reasons only. We will update this table as relationships are established.

Provider Category Status Pages where linked
InvestEngine Stocks & Shares ISA platform No relationship Stocks & Shares ISA, Index Funds (editorial only)
Vanguard Index funds / ISA platform No relationship Index Funds (editorial only)
Hargreaves Lansdown Stocks & Shares ISA platform No relationship Stocks & Shares ISA (editorial only)
Fidelity ISA platform No relationship Index Funds (editorial only)
AJ Bell ISA platform No relationship ISA platform comparison (editorial only)

Every provider listed above appears in our content based solely on editorial merit. We earn no commission from any of them. When affiliate relationships are established in future, this table will be updated immediately and relevant pages will carry a clear disclosure notice.

Our editorial rules

We do not accept payment to change editorial positions

No provider can pay Ardlight to improve their ranking in a comparison, to be listed as "best" or "recommended", or to have negative information removed. Our editorial assessments are based on publicly available information, user costs, and the factors we believe matter to the type of person using Ardlight.

Affiliate status does not determine inclusion

We include providers in our guides based on whether they are genuinely relevant and good value for our audience — not because they pay us a commission. As the table above shows, several providers we regularly mention (Vanguard, Fidelity, AJ Bell) have no affiliate relationship with us.

We disclose at the point of recommendation

On any page containing affiliate links, we include a notice at the top of the page making this clear. We do not hide affiliate relationships in footnotes or small print.

Commission rates do not influence recommendations

We do not rank providers by commission rate or steer users toward higher-commission options. If a provider with a lower commission (or no commission) is better suited to the reader's situation, that is what we say.

Other revenue

Ardlight does not currently display advertising, accept sponsored content, or charge users for access to any content or tool. All content and tools are free. The only revenue source is affiliate commission as described above.

We may in future explore a business-to-business product for employers. If this changes the nature of our revenue or creates any conflict with editorial independence, we will update this page to reflect it.

What we are not

Ardlight is not a regulated financial adviser. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Nothing on this site constitutes regulated financial advice or a personal recommendation under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Our content is for educational purposes only.

If you need advice tailored to your personal circumstances, speak to a qualified independent financial adviser. You can find one through Unbiased or VouchedFor. For free, impartial money guidance, visit MoneyHelper — the government-backed free service.

Questions or concerns

If you believe any of our content is misleading, factually incorrect, or that an affiliate relationship has not been properly disclosed, please email us at hello@ardlight.com. We take editorial integrity seriously and will respond to all queries.