Plain terms for a small, independently-run site. Last updated September 2026.
Forge Alone doesn't ask you to create an account, and doesn't run ads or sell your data. The main thing this policy covers is affiliate tracking: when you click certain links on this site to a company being reviewed, that company's affiliate network drops a cookie so Forge Alone can be credited if you go on to buy something. This page explains that in detail, plus the basic technical data collected by any website.
Like most websites, Forge Alone's hosting provider automatically logs standard technical information from every visit: IP address, browser type and version, device type, the page you came from (referrer), the pages you view here, and timestamps. This is used only to keep the site running, understand which reviews are actually useful to people, and detect abuse. It isn't cross-referenced with any other source to identify you personally.
Some links on this site — clearly marked, and explained in full on the disclosure page — are affiliate links. When you click one, you're redirected through an affiliate network (currently this may include Reditus, CJ Affiliate, Impact, or Awin, depending on the company being reviewed) before landing on the company's own site. That network places a cookie on your browser recording that the visit came from Forge Alone, so that if you make a purchase or sign up within the cookie's window, Forge Alone may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
These cookies are set and controlled by the affiliate network and the company being promoted, not by Forge Alone directly. Forge Alone does not receive your name, email, or payment information through this process — only aggregate data about clicks and, where reported back by the network, whether a resulting transaction occurred. Each network has its own privacy policy governing how it handles this data; for example, CJ Affiliate's is at cj.com/legal/privacy.
Forge Alone runs an optional quiz — the Solo Builder Stack quiz, linked from the homepage — built and hosted on involve.me, a third-party quiz and funnel platform. Taking the quiz means involve.me collects your answers in order to generate a personalized result. If you choose to provide your email address to receive that result, involve.me sends you a single automated follow-up email on Forge Alone's behalf containing your result and links to the matching reviews on this site.
Forge Alone doesn't sell or share this information with anyone else, and uses it only to send that one follow-up email. involve.me acts as the data processor for this feature and has its own privacy policy governing how it stores and handles this data, available at involve.me's privacy policy.
You can block or delete cookies at any time through your browser's settings — this may affect whether Forge Alone gets credit for a referral, but it won't affect your ability to read anything on the site or to buy from any company reviewed here. Forge Alone doesn't currently use its own first-party analytics or advertising cookies beyond what's described above.
Forge Alone doesn't currently have a newsletter, comment system, or account signup. If you email hi@forgealone.com, that message and your email address are kept only as long as needed to respond, and aren't added to any mailing list or shared with a third party. If that changes in the future (for example, if a newsletter is added), this page will be updated first. If you provide your email address to the Solo Builder Stack quiz, see "The Solo Builder Stack quiz" section above for how that's handled.
In short: operating and maintaining the site, understanding which content is worth expanding on, meeting Forge Alone's reporting obligations to the affiliate networks and companies it partners with, and nothing else. Visitor data is never sold.
Every company reviewed on this site, and every affiliate network mentioned above, has its own separate privacy policy governing what happens once you leave forgealone.com. Forge Alone doesn't control and isn't responsible for those practices — check the relevant company's own policy if you have questions about it.
This site isn't directed at children, and Forge Alone doesn't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.
Forge Alone doesn't sell personal information, as that term is defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act or similar state laws. If you're located in the EU, UK, or elsewhere with data protection rights and have questions about how affiliate tracking cookies apply to you, contact hi@forgealone.com and it'll be looked into directly, alongside checking the relevant network's own disclosures.
This page may be updated as the site adds features or affiliate relationships. Material changes will be reflected here with an updated date at the top.
Questions about this policy: hi@forgealone.com