What you’ll learn
An affiliate program pays you a commission when someone buys or signs up through your link. Which one you pick decides whether that commission is $2 or $300, whether it comes once or every month, and how long you wait to see it.
This page puts the best affiliate programs side by side, so you can see the commission, the cookie length and how you get paid before you apply.
No audience yet? Start with how to make money blogging, then come back when you have posts to put these links in.
The Best Affiliate Programs at a Glance
- Best for beginners: Systeme.io (free, no application) and Amazon Associates (needs a qualifying website or app).
- Best recurring commission: Systeme.io at 60% for as long as the referral stays subscribed. Kit and HubSpot also pay recurring.
- Highest pay per sale: Semrush, up to $450 per sale. Shopify pays up to $150 per qualified referral.
- Most brands from one signup: Impact, CJ and Awin.
- Fastest payouts: ClickBank lists twice weekly payments, and MaxBounty can move you to weekly after your first payment.
How We Picked These Affiliate Programs
Every number on this page comes from the program’s own affiliate page or terms. Each program gets the same four checks: commission, cookie length, minimum payout and how you get paid.
When a page doesn’t state something, the table says Not stated. When a page wouldn’t open, the numbers are left out.
The programs aren’t ranked by what you can earn. None of them publishes what an average affiliate makes, so they’re grouped by what each one does best.
Best Affiliate Programs Compared
Seven programs you can apply to directly. Networks, where you join once and then apply to individual brands, come further down.
| Program | Best for | Commission | Cookie | Minimum payout and how you get paid | Sign up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Beginners and recurring income | 60% on every sale, recurring while the referral stays subscribed | Lifetime | $30 minimum. Monthly on the 10th by PayPal or wire | Join |
| Amazon Associates | Beginners with a site or app | Up to 10%, set by product category (4% for categories not listed) | 24 hours (up to 89 days if the item goes in the cart) | $10 minimum by direct deposit or gift card, $100 by check. Paid about 60 days after the month ends | Join |
| Kit | Creators with an email list | 50% for 12 months, then +10%, +15% or +20% at Bronze, Silver or Gold | Not stated | Not stated | Join |
| HubSpot | Software reviewers and educators | 30% recurring for up to 1 year | 180 days | $10 minimum balance. Direct deposit (EFT) or PayPal | Join |
| Semrush | SEO and marketing audiences | $50 to $300 per sale at the basic tier, up to $450 at higher tiers, plus $10 per trial | 120 days | Minimum not stated. Electronic funds transfer or PayPal | Join |
| Shopify | Ecommerce and entrepreneurship content | Up to $150 per qualified referral | 30 days (up to 400 days for free trials) | $10 minimum. Paid monthly on the 22nd by direct deposit or PayPal | Join |
| Hostinger | Website and hosting content | Starts at 40% per eligible sale and grows with sales volume | Not stated | Not stated | Join |
The cookie is how long a purchase still counts as yours after someone clicks your link. Longer means more time for you to get credit.
Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners
Systeme.io
Systeme.io is a tool for building funnels, email lists and online courses. Anyone can join for free. There’s no application, no purchase, and you don’t have to be a customer.
You get 60% on every sale for as long as the referral stays subscribed, and the cookie is lifetime. The minimum payout is $30, paid monthly on the 10th by PayPal or wire transfer. Confirm the minimum in your dashboard before you count on it.
It’s the easiest place to start if you want recurring income and don’t want to wait on an approval.
Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates pays a percentage of whatever someone buys after clicking your link. The rate depends on the product category, up to 10%, and 4% applies to categories not on its rate table. You get credit for purchases within 24 hours of the click, and an item added to the cart can still count for up to 89 days.
Direct deposit and gift cards pay from $10, checks from $100. The money arrives about 60 days after the end of the month you earned it. The details are in Amazon’s program policies.
Bloggers, publishers and content creators with a qualifying website or mobile app can join. The rates are low, so it works best for topics where your readers buy something every week.
Best Recurring Affiliate Programs
Recurring programs pay you again each month the customer stays, which is why they add up faster than one-time bounties. Systeme.io is the strongest on this list at 60% with a lifetime cookie. These two are next.
Kit
Kit is email software for creators. It pays 50% of what each referred customer pays for the first 12 months. After that, Bronze (10 or more paying referrals a year), Silver (50) and Gold (100) status add +10%, +15% or +20% indefinitely.
Referrals from paid ads, like pay per click, don’t count toward status. You apply through PartnerStack. Cookie length, minimum payout and payment method are Not stated.
HubSpot
HubSpot pays 30% recurring for up to one year, with a 180 day cookie. You need a $10 balance before you can withdraw, and you’re paid by direct deposit (EFT) or PayPal.
You don’t have to be a HubSpot customer, and there are no minimum sales. Applications are reviewed within 2 to 3 business days. It suits software reviewers, creators and educators.
Highest Paying Affiliate Programs
These pay the most for a single sale. Semrush and Shopify pay a flat dollar amount, Hostinger a percentage.
Semrush
Semrush pays per sale, not a percentage. At the basic tier that’s $300 for Semrush One and $200 for the SEO Toolkit, down to $50 for the Social and Local toolkits, plus $10 for each trial activation.
The per-sale amount rises with your partner tier, to as much as $450. The cookie is 120 days, and payments go out by electronic funds transfer or PayPal. The minimum payout is Not stated.
Shopify
Shopify pays up to $150 per qualified referral when someone signs up for a paid Basic, Grow or Advanced plan. The amount varies by the referral’s location. Referrals are tracked for 30 days, or up to 400 days if they start with a free trial.
Commissions post once a month on the 22nd. You need a $10 balance to withdraw, by direct deposit or PayPal in most countries.
Not every application gets in. Shopify wants an active website, an established audience and original content about commerce or entrepreneurship. It usually answers within 24 hours.
Hostinger
Hostinger pays a commission that starts at 40% per eligible sale and grows with your sales volume. Sign-up takes under a minute, then there’s a verification step. Cookie length, minimum payout and payment method are Not stated.
Affiliate Networks: One Signup, Lots of Brands
A network doesn’t have one commission rate. You join once, then apply to individual brands, and each brand sets its own rate and cookie. MaxBounty’s agreement and Aragon’s terms both put rates offer by offer.
That’s why this table compares how the networks pay instead.
| Network | Best for | How you get paid | Sign up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact | Browsing a product marketplace | Not stated | Join |
| CJ | Getting paid twice a month | Two payouts a month. Direct deposit in 150+ currencies, or Payoneer. Minimum not stated | Join |
| Awin | Anyone who would have used ShareASale | Not stated | Join |
| FlexOffers | Adding one more network | Not stated (its site wouldn’t open for this check) | Join |
| ClickBank | Trying offers for free | Twice weekly payments listed on its site. Free to join. Minimum and methods not stated | Join |
| MaxBounty | Performance offers with weekly payouts | Monthly by default, about 15 days after month end. Weekly after your first payment if approved. $100 minimum or a higher amount you ask for | Join |
| Aragon Premium | Experienced affiliates with their own site | Monthly once your balance passes $100, through a third-party payment provider | Apply |
Impact
Impact is a platform where brands run their affiliate programs. Publishers earn commission on every conversion they drive, and there’s a product marketplace you can search. Minimum payout, timing and methods aren’t on the public page.
CJ
CJ is an affiliate network for publishers. It pays out twice a month, by direct deposit in over 150 currencies or through Payoneer. A minimum payout and a cost to join aren’t stated.
Awin
ShareASale used to be on this list. It’s now part of Awin, and new customers are invited to launch directly with Awin instead. The old ShareASale address sends you to Awin.
Awin‘s publisher page doesn’t state a cost to join or payment terms.
FlexOffers
FlexOffers is another network that’s been on this page for years. Its site wouldn’t open for this check, so there are no numbers here. Read its terms before you apply.
Performance Networks for Finance, App and Lead Offers
These pay when someone completes an action, like a sign-up, a lead or a call. They offer faster payouts, and they’re pickier about who gets in.
ClickBank
ClickBank is an affiliate marketplace, and it’s free to get started. It supports both revenue share and cost per action commissions. The rate depends on the product you promote, and ClickBank doesn’t give one.
Payments are listed as twice weekly. Minimum payout and payment methods are Not stated.
MaxBounty
MaxBounty is a cost per action network, so you earn when someone completes an action the advertiser defines. Payments run monthly by default, about 15 days after the last business day of the month.
After your first payment and payment setup, you can move to weekly, though MaxBounty can take weekly away. The minimum is $100 or a higher amount you request. Every application is reviewed, and MaxBounty can reject one for any reason.
Aragon Premium
Aragon Premium calls itself the network experienced affiliates graduate to. The offers on its application are mobile app, lead gen, ecommerce and pay per call. Commissions are paid monthly once your balance passes $100, through a third-party payment provider.
The application asks about your traffic sources and monthly affiliate volume, and you need a working website on its own domain. It isn’t a first stop for brand new affiliates.
How to Get Approved for an Affiliate Program
- Have what they ask for. Amazon wants a qualifying website or mobile app, Shopify wants an active site and an audience, and Aragon wants a working website on its own domain. Systeme.io needs nothing.
- Describe how you’ll promote. Aragon’s application asks for your traffic sources, targeting and promotion methods, and MaxBounty can reject any application for any reason. Be specific and honest.
- Read the terms on paid ads before you spend. Kit, for example, doesn’t count referrals from pay per click ads toward your status.
- Plan for a short wait. Shopify usually answers within 24 hours, HubSpot reviews within 2 to 3 business days, and Aragon says extra materials like traffic screenshots can speed approval by 24 to 48 hours.
- Publish first, apply second. A site with a few useful posts gets a better look than an empty one.
How to Pick the Right Affiliate Program
Start with what your readers already buy. A program that fits your audience beats one with a bigger number that doesn’t.
Then check the cookie. A 24 hour cookie, like Amazon’s, only counts purchases made right after the click. HubSpot’s 180 days and Systeme.io’s lifetime cookie give people time to decide.
If the product is a subscription, go recurring. 60% from Systeme.io or 30% from HubSpot keeps paying as long as the customer stays.
Look at the payout minimum and timing too. Shopify and HubSpot need $10, Systeme.io $30, MaxBounty and Aragon $100. Amazon pays about 60 days after the month ends, while Shopify pays on the 22nd.
And start with one or two programs, not ten. Put them in posts that already get visits, then add more. If you need more visits first, see how to increase blog traffic.
Want other ways to bring in extra income while the posts grow? Try these side hustles, passive income ideas or ways to make money from your phone.
Affiliate Programs FAQ
Systeme.io and Amazon Associates are the easiest starting points on this list. Systeme.io is free to join with no application, and pays 60% recurring. Amazon Associates needs a qualifying website or mobile app, and pays up to 10% depending on the category. HubSpot is another easy one to try, since it reviews applications within 2 to 3 business days and doesn’t require you to be a customer.
By dollars per sale, Semrush pays the most here: up to $450 per sale at its top tier, and $300 per sale for Semrush One at the basic tier. Shopify pays up to $150 per qualified referral. By percentage, Systeme.io pays 60%, Kit pays 50% for the first 12 months, and Hostinger starts at 40%. A higher percentage doesn’t always mean more money, because it depends on the price of what you’re promoting.
Systeme.io pays 60% for as long as the referral stays subscribed. Kit pays 50% for the first 12 months, then adds 10%, 15% or 20% at Bronze, Silver or Gold status. HubSpot pays 30% recurring for up to one year.
None of the programs on this list pays daily. ClickBank lists twice weekly payments, and MaxBounty can move you to weekly payments after your first payment and payment setup. Most of the others pay monthly: Shopify on the 22nd, Systeme.io on the 10th, and Amazon about 60 days after the month ends.
It depends on the program. Amazon Associates needs a qualifying website or mobile app, Shopify wants an active website and an audience, and Aragon requires a working website on its own domain. Systeme.io lets anyone join for free with no application.
None of these programs publishes what the average affiliate earns, so any number you see for that is a guess. What you earn comes down to how many people click your link, how many buy, and the commission on each sale.
Systeme.io and ClickBank are both free to join. HubSpot doesn’t require you to be a customer. Impact, CJ, Awin and FlexOffers don’t list a cost to join on their public pages, so read the sign-up terms before you apply.
Related:
Cheers! To cash flow! Thank you for the article. I have tried some of the ones you mentioned. With Impact I didn’t have a very good experience. So I’ll share Travelpayouts, which I now use for all my travel-related content.
Travelpayouts is a network of travel affiliate programs. They have big brands like Booking and Kiwi, as well as like 50 smaller ones. They pay based on a CPA modeland the commission is quiet generous in most offers. I also really like that their cookie lifetime is 30 days for most programs. This alone generates me a lot of income.
Thanks for sharing!