How BotOrNot works, and how it makes money
BotOrNot is an independent reference for people deciding whether to trust a trading bot. We only publish what we can link to a public source.
Methodology
- Bot fact sheets come from each bot’s own pricing, exchange and documentation pages, plus regulator notices and reputable reporting for incidents. Every fact links its source. Third-party sources are labeled. If we couldn’t verify something, we say “not verified yet”.
- The scam watchlist lists SEC and CFTC enforcement actions involving trading bots or “AI” trading, plus every entry in the California DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker. Every entry links the official record. We don’t add names on our own judgment.
- The Hyperliquid leaderboard is computed from Hyperliquid’s public vault data and info API. The ranking rule is fixed: 30-day PnL in dollars, open vaults with at least $100k deposited.
- Report cards follow published rules applied to the sourced facts on each bot page.
- Refresh schedule: an automatic daily refresh (06:15 PT) pulls the Hyperliquid leaderboard, the California DFPI tracker and SEC/CFTC release feeds and logs changes to the changelog. Bot fact sheets are re-checked monthly or when a submission flags a change. Each page shows its check date.
Affiliate & referral disclosure
BotOrNot is funded by referral and affiliate commissions, clearly labeled ads and sponsorships, and paid services (see Advertising & paid services). Every referral link is labeled “Referral link” right next to the link. If you sign up through one, BotOrNot may earn a commission or reward at no extra cost to you. Links we use today:
- Hyperliquid (app.hyperliquid.xyz/join/AMPLIFY). Not available to US persons. Hyperliquid's terms list US residents as restricted. Check your local eligibility. Program terms ↗
- Gemini (exchange.gemini.com/register?referral=95zy9wu7&type=referral&unified=true). Per Gemini's referral terms (dated Jan 20, 2026), new US users who verify their ID and trade at least $100 within 30 days get $50, and so does the referrer. Gemini can change or end the offer at any time; availability depends on your jurisdiction. Program terms ↗
- Coinbase Advanced (advanced.coinbase.com/join/B3VAR2L). Coinbase's terms exclude residents of the UK, Philippines, Turkey and Canada from this referral program. Program terms ↗
- Altrady (altrady.com?a=57H3CyMHjxPFuT3p). Program terms ↗
We only place a referral link where the program’s own terms allow it on a website. Programs we are not using a referral link for, and why: Coinbase (Coinbase's basic referral terms don't address public websites, and they say not to send referral links to UK or Turkey residents, which a public page can't control. Held until Coinbase confirms, or the Coinbase Affiliates (Impact) program approves the site.) Kalshi (Kalshi's referral terms say the program is for personal use only and may not be used for any commercial purpose. Plain links only until Kalshi approves an affiliate arrangement.) Kalshi Perpetuals (Same Kalshi referral terms (personal use only).) Pionex.US (Waiting for the owner's Pionex.US referral link. US visitors must use Pionex.US, not pionex.com.) Those pages use plain links.
Every other outbound link on the site, including every bot’s “Visit” button, is a plain link with no affiliate code unless it is labeled.
Ratings are never influenced by payouts. Commissions, sponsorships and partnerships never change a listing, a report card, the order of the directory (alphabetical), the leaderboard (on-chain data with a fixed rule), or any warning or incident. We don’t sell listings, report cards, badges or rankings, and we don’t take payment to remove or soften anything. We do sell clearly labeled ad spots and paid services, described below.
Advertising & paid services
We sell a few ad spots and services: featured spots for bots, one sponsor per newsletter issue, one sponsor slot each on the leaderboard and scam watchlist, fast-track reviews and paid API keys. The rules:
- Every paid unit is labeled “Ad · Featured” or “Ad · Sponsored” above its headline, and its links use rel="sponsored".
- Payment never changes a report card, a ranking, a warning or the alphabetical order of the directory. Featured ads show the advertiser’s real report card.
- Bots with a regulator red flag (report-card rules R1, R2 or Y2 within 5 years), a Closed card, or a domain on a regulator scam list can’t buy placement.
- Fast-track reviews buy speed, not a result, and are noted on the fact sheet. Paid API keys get the same data as the free tier. API and MCP responses never contain ads.
- Current ads: none. Machine-readable list: /api/advertise.json.
Not investment advice
Nothing on BotOrNot is investment, financial, legal or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or use any asset, bot or service. Automated trading can lose money quickly, including more than you deposit when leverage is involved. Past performance, including on-chain vault performance, does not predict future results. Do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Corrections
If a fact is wrong or out of date, send a correction with a source. We review corrections within a week and note material changes on the page. Companies named on the watchlist should contact the regulator that published the record; we mirror official sources and update when they change.
Privacy
If you subscribe or watch a bot, we store your email address, what you asked to follow and the date. Alert emails require you to confirm your address first (double opt-in), and every alert has a one-click unsubscribe. We don’t sell your address. Text you paste into the website checker is scanned in memory and not stored. Bot submissions are stored for review. No ad trackers run on this site.