Who is Sterling Adler?
Sterling Adler is the pseudonym of a 38-year-old writer and reviewer who has spent over a decade dissecting websites tied to online transactions and niche platforms, including those like paypalporn.com. Hailing from a small town in Ohio, USA, he started as a freelancer in the mid-2000s, helping small businesses build WordPress sites and set up payment gateways like PayPal. It was then that he first encountered the shady side of the internet: scams, phishing, and sites promising one thing but delivering another. The turning point came in 2012 when Sterling, a curious self-taught techie, decided to dig deeper into the world of adult online platforms—not for the content, but to understand how they handle payments and whether they’re honest with users. He began posting short reviews on forums and a personal blog, which unexpectedly gained traction. This evolved into his mission: exposing dubious sites and helping people avoid losing money. Unlike other reviewers, Sterling doesn’t just “try” sites—he analyzes them as systems, from their technical foundations to the user experience.
Background and Expertise
- Years in the industry: 13 years (reviewing since 2012, working in online development since 2007).
- Sites tested: Over 700 platforms, including ecommerce, subscription services, and adult sites. Around 200 of them were checked specifically for PayPal support at checkout.
- Scams encountered: From hidden subscriptions and fake “free trials” to sites that collect card details and vanish. Sterling has also seen platforms use PayPal as bait, only to redirect payments through shady gateways.
- Rating system: He developed the site's 100-point methodology built on four weighted blocks: payment trust, content value, price value, and brand size. The full breakdown is on the how we rate page.
Approach to Reviews
Uniqueness: Sterling doesn’t write “reviews for the sake of reviews.” He tests sites as both a regular user (signing up, walking through checkout, poking at the interface) and an analyst (checking code, tracking payment flows, researching feedback). He’s not afraid to say “no” and never takes money for positive write-ups.
What he does: Creates test accounts, goes through checkout far enough to see which payment methods actually appear, checks refund policies, examines SSL certificates, and reads the fine print. He contacts support posing as a customer.
What he doesn’t do: Rely on rumors or second-hand opinions, or promote sites without personally verifying them.
Why trust him: His ratings follow the site's published scoring system, and every review carries the date it was last checked. He doesn't sugarcoat failures and calls it like it is.
Affiliate disclosure: He's upfront that this site earns affiliate commissions, like almost every review site. The scores don't know about that: they come from the published criteria, not from payout size.
Personality and Style
Sterling is straightforward, a bit cynical, but fair. His style is “tough but honest”: he tears apart sites that rip off users but praises those that deliver. This stems from a personal experience— as a teen, he fell for a scam site, losing his last $50 from a summer job, and has hated seeing people get conned ever since.
He reviews not for fame but to “clean up the internet’s garbage.” He’s a fan of strong coffee, old detective novels, and jokes that his hobby is “dissecting sites like Sherlock Holmes.” His writing often drips with sarcasm: “If a site promises paradise for $9.99, check if their servers lead to hell.”
