Method
How Ancaster verifies a figure
Every number on this site traces to something an advertiser published, on a date. This page says exactly what that means and where it stops.
Three evidence tiers are used and they are stated per claim, not per page. Verified means read from the advertiser's own published material, with the date recorded. Inferred means it follows from a verified capability but the advertiser does not state it. External means a third party said it, such as a competitor's published pricing.
Why fields are left blank
An unresearched field is shown as not researched and stays in the table. Removing the row would imply the term does not exist, which is a different claim and an unresearched one. Most affiliate directories omit what they do not know, which reads as completeness.
Nothing is estimated. During prototyping four invented figures were caught, including a payout that was actually an internal scoring value rendered as dollars. A plausible number is a liability on a site whose pitch is verification.
Why contradictions are recorded rather than resolved
Where an advertiser's own documentation contradicts their own marketing page, both go in and the disagreement is stated. beehiiv's support article says 50% while its partner page advertises up to 60% — both are beehiiv's own material. Picking a winner silently would discard the most useful thing on the page, which is that the advertiser is inconsistent.
Why every figure carries a date
Affiliate terms change without notice and directories do not revisit them. Descript is still widely listed at “15% recurring” when their own page says $25 flat. A figure without a date cannot be checked, so every page here states when it was read, and each offer page carries a single sentence under 150 characters containing the brand, the figure and the date together — short enough to survive being quoted in full.
Where this stops
Ancaster reads published material. It does not have access to private partner dashboards except where noted, it does not negotiate rates, and it cannot see terms an advertiser only discloses after approval. Where a figure came from a login-gated dashboard with no public URL, that is said plainly rather than linked to a marketing page that does not contain it.