Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

VPSRated.com ("VPSRated", "we", "us") is an independent hosting comparison platform founded and operated by Jaouad Tijani. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit vpsrated.com, create an account, leave a review, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us.

We're committed to transparency. This policy is written in plain English. If something isn't clear, email us at info@vpsrated.com and we'll explain.

2. What data we collect

We only collect data that's necessary to operate the service and improve your experience.

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Account data — username, email address, and hashed password when you register.
• Review content — any text, ratings, and display name you submit with a review.
• Contact form messages — name, email, subject, and the message body you send through our contact form.
• Newsletter subscription — your email address if you subscribe to updates.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Technical data — IP address, browser type, OS, device type, and referrer URL.
• Usage data — pages visited, time on page, and search terms used within the site.
• Approximate location — country and city, derived from your IP using a geolocation API.

2.3 Information we do NOT collect

• We never collect payment card details — purchases happen on the provider's own checkout.
• We don't fingerprint devices or use invasive tracking SDKs.
• We don't scrape your inbox, social accounts, or anything outside the site.

3. How we use your data

Your data is used for specific, limited purposes:

4. Cookies & tracking

We use the minimum number of cookies required to run the site:

• Session cookie (PHPSESSID) — keeps you logged in. Expires when you close your browser.
• Analytics cookie (vps_sid) — an anonymous session ID used for first-party traffic analytics. Expires in 30 days.
• Theme preference (vpsrated_theme) — remembers whether you chose light or dark mode.
• Compare list (vpsrated_compare) — remembers plans you added to the comparison bar. Stored in localStorage, not a cookie.
• CSRF token — protects form submissions from cross-site request forgery. Session-only.

We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party advertising tracker that follows you across other websites.

5. Affiliate links & advertising

Some outbound links to hosting providers contain affiliate tracking parameters. When you click one and make a purchase, the provider may pay VPSRated a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps fund our independent testing and content.

Affiliate tracking is handled on the destination provider's side — we don't set third-party tracking cookies on your browser. Affiliate payouts never influence our rankings. Paid placements are always visibly marked as "Sponsored" on the card and in the listing.

6. Who we share data with

We don't sell or rent your data. We share it only with the service providers strictly needed to operate VPSRated:

• Transactional email provider (e.g. SendGrid, Amazon SES, or Mailgun) — to deliver account emails and newsletters you subscribed to.
• Server hosting provider — to host the application and its database.
• IP geolocation API — to determine approximate country/city for analytics. Only your IP is sent; no personal data.

We will also disclose data if legally required by a valid court order from a jurisdiction with appropriate authority.

7. Your rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Regardless of where you live, you have the following rights over your personal data:

• Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Correction — update inaccurate information (you can edit most of it yourself in your dashboard).
• Deletion — request full deletion of your account and all associated data.
• Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable (JSON) format.
• Objection — object to specific processing activities (e.g. unsubscribe from our newsletter).
• Withdraw consent — opt out of any consent-based processing at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email info@vpsrated.com with the subject "Data rights request". We'll respond within 30 days.

8. Data security

We use industry-standard security measures:

• TLS encryption for all data in transit (HTTPS-only).
• Passwords hashed with bcrypt — we never see your actual password.
• Prepared statements everywhere to prevent SQL injection.
• CSRF protection on every authenticated form.
• Strict input sanitization and XSS filtering.
• Admin accounts protected with bcrypt-hashed passwords and role checks.

No system is 100% secure, but we take this seriously. If you believe your account was compromised, contact us immediately.

9. Data retention

We keep your data only as long as it's needed:

• Account data — until you delete your account or request deletion.
• Reviews — published reviews remain until you delete them or request deletion.
• Contact form messages — kept for 12 months, then purged.
• Analytics records — anonymized and aggregated after 13 months.
• Email subscribers — until you unsubscribe.

10. Children's privacy

VPSRated is a professional tool for developers and IT buyers. Our services are not intended for children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If you believe a minor has created an account, email us and we'll delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we'll notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect, and we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

12. Contact us

Questions, concerns, or data rights requests — reach us at:

• Email: info@vpsrated.com
• Telegram: @jaoaudtijani
• LinkedIn: Jaouad Tijani
• Contact form: vpsrated.com/contact

Data controller: Jaouad Tijani, operating VPSRated.com.