Transparency

How we make money

Last updated: 7 May 2026

We think any publication recommending products and services should be open about how the lights stay on. Leavely is funded by two distinct revenue streams. Neither one influences our editorial decisions.

1. Leave-management software subscriptions

Our primary product is Leavely, a leave-management SaaS platform for UK SMBs. We charge employers £8 per active user per month after a 14-day free trial. This is the majority of our revenue, and it is paid by employers — not employees — for software access.

Sector-specific discounts of 25–50% apply for charities, education, NHS, social enterprises and startups. See pricing.

2. Affiliate commissions on the perks directory

Leavely Perks — the public directory of UK employee discounts on this site — is funded by affiliate commissions from partner merchants. When a reader clicks through to a merchant via one of our links and completes a purchase, the merchant pays us a small fee. This never costs the reader more than they would otherwise pay.

Affiliate commission typically ranges from:

  • 1–4% of basket value on supermarkets, fuel and household categories
  • 3–8% on tech and electronics
  • 5–15% on subscription services (gym apps, meal kits, software trials)
  • 2–10% on travel bookings
  • Flat fees of £5–£40 on financial products like business banking, energy switching and insurance

Commission rates vary by network and merchant. We never disclose specific rates per merchant because the contracts typically prohibit it, but the ranges above are representative.

What we do not do

  • We do not accept paid placement. A merchant cannot buy their way onto Leavely Perks, into a featured slot or higher in category rankings.
  • We do not accept gifts or hospitality from merchants in exchange for coverage. Standard launch press samples for review are accepted, but they do not commit us to writing positively or at all.
  • We do not let merchants approve copy. Reviews, category guides and offer write-ups are not shared with merchants for sign-off before publication.
  • We do not sell reader data. We never pass personally identifying information to a merchant or affiliate network. The networks set referral cookies that record the click — that is the extent of the data exchange.

Conflicts of interest

From time to time we link to our own services:

  • Leavely's leave-management software (this site)
  • Compare The Networks — a sister company, also owned by the same parent business, operating in UK business mobile and broadband

Where a piece of editorial content links to one of our own services, we say so explicitly in the offer description. We hold ourselves to the same value bar — we will not feature our own services in a comparison if a competing third-party offer is genuinely better for the reader.

Editorial independence

The editorial team is small and is organisationally separate from the commercial team. Editorial decisions are not informed by commission rate or commercial relationship. Read the full editorial guidelines.

Questions

If you have a question about a specific affiliate relationship, an undeclared partnership or anything else covered on this page, email editorial@leavely.online. We respond within five working days.