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One of the main perks of affiliate marketing is that technically anyone can try it. As influencers already have a fairly large online following, they can make great affiliate marketers. Though, for influencers to take advantage of their following, the products that they market should appeal to their target audience. Plus, by sticking to the products that they actually enjoy (and possibly even use themselves), they don’t have to feel as if they’re damaging their reputation.
In this article, we explore over 26 high-paying affiliate programs. The vast majority of them operate independently of an affiliate network. We’ve also tried to group them together more or less by industry. You’ll notice that website builders, eCommerce platforms and web hosting services offer some of the best affiliate programs. As everyone nowadays basically needs a website (if not more than one), it can be a great place to start your search.
High-paying Affiliate Programs for Beginners:
- 1. BigCommerce
- 2. Refersion
- 3. Sandals
- 4. Amazon Associates
- 5. Brand24 Partner Program
- 6. BH Cosmetics
- 7. TripAdvisor
- 8. Teachable
- 9. Kajabi
- 10. Coursera
- 11. Elementor
- 12. Shopify
- 13. Wix.com
- 14. Liquid Web
- 15. SiteGround
- 16. Bluehost
- 17. Weebly
- 18. WP Engine
- 19. Hostinger
- 20. HubSpot
- 21. ConvertKit
- 22. GetResponse
- 23. SEMrush
- 24. Fiverr
- 25. Canva
- 26. eBay Partner Network
- Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference Between an Affiliate Network and an Affiliate Program?
An affiliate marketing network curates products from different brands and then works together with the affiliate marketers. In other words, it runs the affiliate marketing programs for many brands and acts like the middleman between the brand and the affiliate. Examples of well-known affiliate marketing networks are AWIN, CJ Affiliate, and ShareASale.
With an affiliate program, the brand oversees and runs the entire process. Instead, brands often use affiliate marketing software, like ReferralCandy or Refersion, to manage the program on their own. They can also appoint dedicated affiliate managers to liaise with the affiliates. One of the benefits of operating your affiliate program directly is that you don’t have to pay any affiliate network fees.
Top Affiliate Marketing Programs
1. BigCommerce
You can use BigCommerce to sell basically anything online. Plus, as there are many BigCommerce apps that can help you to boost your online earnings even further, it should be an easy sell.
Commission: Affiliates will earn 200% of the customer’s first monthly payment. For an enterprise client, you can earn as much as $1,500.
Payments: No information is available on their page. So, it’s best to contact them for more info about their payment schedule.
Resources and support: Affiliates receive pre-made banners and emails. To help them generate more sales, they also have direct access to a dedicated account manager who’s an expert in affiliate marketing.
Cookies: 90-day duration
2. Refersion
Refersion is a platform that e-commerce store owners can use to incentivize their customers for promoting their business. It allows merchants to design different types of offers, create links and coupon codes, customize commission structures, track sales, and integrate the software with their e-commerce solutions. Refersion integrates directly with major platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. It also has API keys available for customized integration with other programs.
The software enables merchants to quickly view how every affiliate contributes to their ROI through three key performance indicators—effective earnings per click, average order value, and total revenue per affiliate.
Refersion values continued engagement with its affiliates. Its dashboard has a Message tab, where brands can directly exchange messages with their affiliates. Through integrations with Mailchimp and Klaviyo, online sellers can email newsletters to update partners about new products, fresh creatives, or images to help market their brand or any changes to commissions.
Commission: The platform offers affiliates 15% for all referrals who register with the platform using their link or by responding to an email for a direct-billed Refersion subscription.
Payments: Users have three options for paying affiliates: via the integrated PayPal feature, gift cards sent to affiliates via email, and by check or deposit.
Resources and support: Refersion’s customer success and development team can help optimize their settings. To start, the Refersion Marketplace is a great place to find potential affiliates. Get discovered by over 8,000 affiliates when you place an offer here.
Cookies: The platform’s cookie length is flexible—merchants can choose between two days to two years.
3. Sandals
Another affiliate program that travel influencers and writers can check out is the program offered by the Sandals and Beaches brands. It’s ideal if you know your target audience is craving a Caribbean vacation. As the getaways are suitable for both couples and families, you’ll also be able to reach a bigger target audience.
Commission: Commissions start at 4% for all travel products. Affiliates can also win free trips and other performance bonuses.
Payments: The program is powered by the CJ Affiliate network. So, interested affiliates should reach out to them regarding their payout policies.
Resources and support: You’ll receive a library of hundreds of colorful banners. Promotions and offers will also be communicated by means of a monthly newsletter. To help and support you further, you’ll also be assigned a dedicated affiliate marketing manager.
Cookies: 60-day duration
4. Amazon Associates
Affiliate marketing can be a jungle out there. So, in some instances, it’s best to turn to the ones that you (and everyone else) know the best, especially if you’re a beginner. Amazon Associates is one of the biggest affiliate marketing programs in the world. It offers millions of products for affiliates to promote from baby products, clothing, kitchen, and outdoors to groceries, toys, supplements, technology, automotive and many others. It has helped bloggers and other types of content creators to monetize their traffic. Though, it shouldn’t be confused with the Amazon Influencer Program. Influencers with a sizable social media following can refer to this program and earn commissions on qualifying purchases.
Commission: You can earn up to 10% in associate commissions from qualifying programs and purchases.
Payments: No information is provided.
Resources and support: Amazon offers high-converting promotional and announcement banners. There’s a variety of standard banner sizes and shapes which means that you’ll be able to pick one that fits in with your branding.
Cookies: No information is provided.
5. Brand24 Partner Program
A highly profitable opportunity that digital marketers and entrepreneurs should certainly explore is the Partner Program presented by Brand24. It’s an ideal choice for those with audiences interested in effective online marketing tools, offering potential customers high-quality solutions for online monitoring, social media management, and competitor analysis.
Commission: The program ensures substantial earnings with a recurring 20% commission on all payments from paying customers referred by you. What’s even more appealing is that the commission continues to flow in every time the customer renews their subscription.
Payments: Payments are generally processed through PayPal and Stripe, with disbursements typically occurring on the 13th of each month.
Resources and Support: The Brand24 Partner Program provides support for its affiliates. This includes a range of ready-to-use marketing materials to aid promotion efforts. It also grants early access to high-quality materials and constant updates on product releases, ensuring that the affiliates are always one step ahead. Furthermore, professional support, helpful tutorials, webinars, and a personal manager are provided to assist affiliates in their journey.
Tracking: The program also features a powerful tracking system through a dedicated panel. It allows affiliates to effectively monitor their performance and keep a close eye on their referrals.
Cookies: Duration for 90 days.
6. BH Cosmetics
For beauty influencers, there’s the BH Cosmetics beauty affiliate program. Its products are cruelty-free and include countless vegan options so you won’t exclude anyone in your audience. Plus, as sustainability and vegan-based products are some of the retail trends that will shape 2022, its products can be worthwhile to promote.
Commission: You’ll earn 6% commission on all the sales generated via your site. The average order value is about $38.
Payments: No detailed information is provided.
Resources and support: You’ll receive a monthly newsletter, coupons, banners, and other captivating creatives.
Cookies: 90-day duration
7. TripAdvisor
Travel influencers and travel writers can check out TripAdvisor’s program. As there are no minimum traffic requirements, it’s ideal for beginners.
It works a little bit differently than most of the other programs on our list as no “sale” is needed. Instead, you’ll earn a commission when a user simply clicks out to one of its specific hotel booking partners. For example, an affiliate that sends 170 clicks to TripAdvisor can receive $60 per month.
One of the cons is that at the moment only hotels can earn commissions. With the boom in short-term rental properties, it would be nice to see affiliates getting rewarded for this type of accommodation too.
Commission: You can earn a minimum of 50% of the commissions that TripAdvisor receives from its hotel booking partners when a user visits TripAdvisor by means of your link and then clicks out to one of TripAdvisor’s partners.
Payments: Commissions are paid by Commission Junction or AWIN. So, affiliates need to refer to the Ts and Cs of whichever of the two partners they’ve selected.
Resources and support: TripAdvisor will give affiliates a selection of logos, text links, banners, buttons, and badges.
Cookies: No information is provided.
8. Teachable
If you prefer to earn a recurring commission, be sure to check out Teachable’s program. According to its website, affiliates earn on average $450 per month, while many make more than $1,000 every month.
Commission: You can earn up to 50% commission. Recurring commission will always be 30%.
Payments: Approved transactions are paid 10 days after the end of the day they’re invoiced.
Resources and support: Unlike most other programs, Teachable shares marketing language that managed to deliver results in the past with their affiliates. Affiliates will also receive monthly emails with platform updates.
Cookies: 90-day duration
9. Kajabi
Kajabi is a popular platform that helps you to create online courses, landing pages, marketing campaigns, and even a website. One of the most attractive features of its affiliate program is that it offers a whopping nine partner tiers. We love the concept of gamification and believe that it can be that extra motivation you need to become the best affiliate marketer.
Commission: You’ll receive 30% lifetime commission per new referral that remains active past the trial period.
Payments: Payouts are made on the 25th of each month, but there’s a 60-day hold on payouts. Also, if your referral is on an annual plan, the payout will only be yearly. All payouts are made via PayPal.
Resources and support: You’ll receive access to webinars and customizable email templates.
Cookies: No information is provided on its website.
10. Coursera
There are more than 4,000 courses and specializations on Coursera that you can market. Coursera Plus subscriptions are also eligible for commission. As affiliates can also earn commission from eligible purchases made by users who are already registered with Coursera, it makes it a good program for beginners. What’s more, affiliates can also earn multiple times from a single user when that user buys multiple products.
Commission: Commissions on eligible purchases range from 10% – 45%. Though, only the first month’s transaction will be commissioned.
Payments: For more detailed info about its payout schedule, interested affiliate marketers should contact Coursera.
Resources and support: Affiliates will receive banners, text links, and weekly newsletters.
Cookies: 30-day duration
11. Elementor
While they only turned 5 earlier this year, Elementor boasts more than 5 million active installations already, making it one of the top 15 WordPress plugins. Just like WP Engine, it’s a great affiliate program for influencers and bloggers whose audiences are interested in all things WordPress. As a matter of fact, according to its website, some of the Elementor affiliates earn over $10,000 on a monthly basis!
Plus, it’s one of the brands with the best branding. So, it will definitely not hurt your image to partner with them.
Commission: Affiliates receive 50% per sale.
Payments: Payouts are made in bulk of at least $200 via PayPal. Commission will only be paid within 30 days after a purchase has cleared the 30-day refund policy.
Resources and support: You’ll get exclusive access to a collection of Elementor logos and banners.
Cookies: 30-days
12. Shopify
If you own and manage an active website with an established audience and have worked with Shopify or another eCommerce platform, you can also check out the Shopify Affiliate Program. To join is free, but you must have a track record of creating original content.
Commission: You’ll receive a commission for merchants that you refer to one of Shopify’s paid plans using your affiliate link. For more information about how much, you’ll need to reach out to Shopify.
Payments: Payouts are made only via PayPal. Payouts are made twice a month for balances of at least $25.
Resources and support: It offers a Growth Center where you’ll find resources that will help you to develop content and optimize your performance. There’s also a library of ready-made lead magnets, product announcements. As an affiliate, you’ll also have your own personal dashboard that you can use to get detailed performance insights.
Cookies: 30-day duration
13. Wix.com
For influencers and bloggers who generate high traffic, there’s Wix’s affiliate program. Many small businesses turn to Wix when it’s time to create their company websites as it’s so easy to use. So, you’ll have a big pool of potential users to sell to.
While it pays a generous commission, it does have a minimal transaction requirement of $300 per month. In other words, if you don’t generate a commission of at least $300 per month, you could be booted out of the program. Another drawback is that you may not promote any special sales that Wix offers.
Commission: You can earn $100 when a referral buys a Wix Premium Plan.
Payments: Affiliate fees will get paid about 45 days after the end of each calendar month.
Resources and support: You can launch and keep track of your campaigns via a dashboard. Here, you’ll also be able to access detailed statistics and customize reports. Creative resources are also provided and get refreshed regularly.
Cookies: 30-day duration
14. Liquid Web
Liquid Web offers two partner programs. In addition to its affiliate program it also has a refer-a-friend program aimed at existing Liquid Web customers. For the sake of brevity, we’re only looking at the affiliate program.
All in all, it’s one of the top affiliate programs. Unlike some of the other programs, affiliates will also get exclusive sales and promotions as well as free giveaways that they can give to their audience. So, if you’re a beginner, these incentives can really help to get referrals.
Commission: You’ll earn 150% of the monthly hosting cost (with a minimum of $150). Pre-paid plans also have a 50% bonus.
Payments: Approved transactions will get paid 15 days after the end of the day they are locked.
Resources and support: You’ll receive a dedicated affiliate manager, custom landing pages as well as custom content and links.
Cookies: 90-day duration
15. SiteGround
SiteGround offers web hosting services for small businesses. While its pricing is slightly more than some of the other web hosting companies on our list, at about $14.99, it’s still good value for money which should help you to land many new sales.
There are two major benefits that make SiteGround’s affiliate program ideal for beginners. Firstly, they pay out once a week. Secondly, there’s no minimum payout threshold. So, you’ll basically get rewarded immediately. Also, we love that they increase the amount per sale that affiliates will earn if they manage to make more sales per month.
Commission: It uses a sliding scale to determine how much commission you’ll earn. For example, for 1 – 5 sales per month, you’ll earn $50 per sale. The amount per sale increases the more sales you clinch per month.
Payments: Weekly payouts. No minimum payout thresholds. Withhold period of 30 days.
Resources and support: A number of banners and helpful screenshot images are shared with affiliates. Affiliates also receive one month’s hosting on the house, while a custom landing page is also available for active affiliates.
Cookies: 60-day duration
16. Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the top eCommerce hosting providers and the host of choice for WordPress. As the plans are really cheap (they start at $2.95), you stand a very good chance of getting referrals to sign up. In fact, according to its website, it paid out more than $5 million in commissions in 2020 alone. One of the drawbacks of its affiliate program, though, is that you should have at least $100 in your account in order to receive a payout.
Commission: You can earn $65 for each qualified hosting purchase.
Payments: Commission fees get processed about 45 – 60 days after the end of the month. Affiliates have the option to get paid via PayPal, wire or ACH transfer.
Resources and support: As they offer a big selection of creative assets, you can use ads or banners that work well with the branding of your website. Affiliate managers are also available round the clock.
Cookies: 90-day duration
17. Weebly
Like WP Engine, Weebly’s affiliate program is also hosted by ShareASale and it also offers regular opportunities that affiliates can earn a bonus. It’s free to join and open to affiliates from across the globe. Though, one negative is that you’ll need to have at least $50 in commissions in your account before you can receive a payout.
Commission: You can earn 30% commission.
Payments: Affiliates are paid by means of check, direct deposit or Payoneer. Payouts are made once a month.
Resources and support: Weebly doesn’t make any special mention of which resources you’ll receive to help you. So, it’s best to reach out to them directly.
Cookies: 120-day duration
18. WP Engine
WP Engine’s affiliate program is an award-winning program that’s hosted by ShareASale. One of its perks is that it includes exclusive custom discounts and deals that you can share with your followers. Plus, you can also earn bonus commissions for sending at least 5 referrals per month. One con is that you don’t earn commission for add-ons or plan upgrades.
All in all, it’s one of the best-paying programs for content creators who focus on WordPress plugins and themes.
Commission: For each new purchase, you can earn a one-time payment. The minimum amount for WP Engine hosting plans is $200. The commission rate for a StudioPress theme purchase is 35%.
Payments: Payouts are made on the 20th of each month. Though, commission will only be paid if the new referral didn’t cancel within the first 62 days (for WP Engine hosting plans) or 60 days (for StudioPress theme purchases).
Resources and support: You’ll have a dedicated WP Engine affiliate manager. There are pre-designed banners and landing pages as well as custom co-branded assets.
Cookies: For WP Engine, the duration is 180 days, while for StudioPress theme sales it’s only 60 days (though, it’s still longer than most programs).
19. Hostinger
Bloggers who like to write about website management, web development or online business can check out Hostinger’s affiliate program. While its commission is some of the highest, the minimum payout is $100 and you have to wait 45 days. All in all, considering the level of support affiliates are offered, it’s one of the best affiliate programs for newbies.
Commission: You can earn at least 60% commission for every hosting package sold (one-month hosting plans are excluded). Commission is not paid for hosting upgrades or renewals.
Payments: Commissions are only paid out after 45 days. The minimum payout is $100 for transfers via PayPal and $500 for payouts via bank transfer.
Resources and support: You can easily keep track of your campaigns via the control panel or reach out to your personal affiliate account manager for support. Hostinger also shares marketing material, like banner packages, that’s customized to fit your style.
Cookies: 30-day duration
20. HubSpot
HubSpot is one of the leading CRM platforms. As their plans range anything from $50 to more than $3,000 per month, the earning potential is massive. According to its website, the average commission payout in 2020 was almost $300.
One of the advantages of its program is that it gives affiliates the freedom to choose if they want to receive a recurring commission or a flat rate. What’s more, it also doesn’t have any minimum sales requirements.
Commission: With the recurring-rate program, you can earn 15% monthly commission. With the flat-rate program, you’ll receive 100% of the first month’s revenue as a one flat-rate payment.
Payments: Interested affiliates must reach out to HubSpot directly for information about its payout schedule.
Resources and support: You’ll get access to a big creative inventory that include demo videos, banners, and even copy examples.
Cookies: 90-days
21. ConvertKit
Influencers and bloggers who get that email marketing is important and whose audiences would be interested in signing up for an email marketing tool can check out ConvertKit’s affiliate program. Unlike many of the other programs on our list, ConvertKit uses the recurring model. This means that you’ll earn the set commission every month for as long as the referral’s ConvertKit account is active. For example, if you have helped ConvertKit to get 10 accounts on its lowest monthly plan, you can earn almost $90 each month.
Commission: You’re paid a recurring 30% commission for every sale made via an affiliate link.
Payments: No information is readily available. Interested parties will have to reach out to ConvertKit for more information about how payments are processed.
Resources and support: Unlike most of the other programs, ConvertKit offers their affiliates a training course to help them get started. Then, to help them drive sales, affiliates get access to evergreen webinars, video, and graphics assets.
Cookies: 30-day duration
22. GetResponse
GetResponse’s free-to-join affiliate program is ideal for bloggers and content creators whose target audiences need an online marketing strategy. One of the attractive features of its program is that it offers two programs.
Commission: You can either opt to get paid $100 for each new sale that you refer or 33% of every referred customer’s payments. The latter approach can help to create a sustainable stream of long-term revenue.
Payments: Depending on the program that you pick, payouts will be once a month or 60 – 75 days from the time of referral.
Resources and support: You get access to free marketing materials like videos, sales copy, and banners. They also offer detailed referral statistics so that you can keep tabs on how much you’ve earned.
Cookies: 120-day duration
23. SEMrush
If you blog about content marketing, SEO, PPC, PR, and marketing in general, be sure to check out the affiliate program of SEMrush. What makes its affiliate program so attractive is that it offers you numerous ways that you can earn a commission. Unlike many of the other programs that reward you only for new sign-ups to paid plans, with this program, you can earn money for new trials too. Plus, the cookie duration is also a lot longer than most other programs.
According to its website, 25% of Fortune 500 companies use its tool. So, you can rest assured knowing that you’re in good company.
Commission: $200 for every new subscription sale, $10 for every new trial and $0.01 for every new sign-up
Payments: Approved transactions are paid only 20 days after the end of the month in which they were locked.
Resources and support: You’ll get access to exclusive SEMrush creatives. Account managers are also available to offer support.
Cookies: 120-day duration
24. Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the top marketplaces for freelance services. From design to writing, it offers a wide range of services. As its services include virtually any need, it doesn’t really matter who your target audience is.
With Fiverr’s affiliate program, there are actually a few products that you can promote, making it a good choice for beginners. These include Fiverr Logo Maker, And.co and, obviously, Fiverr itself.
Commission: Each commission is different for each product. Depending on which category is purchased, you can earn anything from $15 to $150.
Payments: You need to have $100 in your account before you can claim a payment. Payouts are made once a month via PayPal, Payoneer or wire transfer. The latter method is only available for payouts of more than $1,000.
Resources and support: You’ll get a dedicated affiliate manager and access to tutorials and a portfolio of creative assets. To help affiliates keep tabs on their campaigns, they can use the intuitive dashboard.
Cookies: 30-day duration
25. Canva
Just like Canva is one of the favorite graphic design tools among novices, its affiliate program is also one of the best programs for beginners. Not only is it free to join, but there are also no minimum sales. It’s ideal for design influencers or bloggers who are active in the design niche.
Commission: You can earn as much as $26 for each new subscriber that signs up for the Canva Pro plan ($12.99) using your affiliate link. If the user signs up for a monthly plan, you’ll earn a monthly commission of 80% for the first two months of the membership. If the user signs up for an annual plan, you’ll receive a one-off commission of 25%.
Payments: You can get paid by means of e-transfer or PayPal. Payments are processed monthly.
Resources and support: To help affiliates get started, Canva shares a how-to guide, ad templates, community tips, and news. They also offer round-the-clock email and live chat support.
Cookies: 30-day duration
26. eBay Partner Network
With more than one billion listings, just like Amazon, eBay’s affiliate program also offers influencers and bloggers a lot of opportunities to earn a commission. One of the advantages is that it includes both new and used products. So, if you know that your audience likes used products, this can be a good program to join. What’s more, if you drive a high volume of traffic to its platform, you can also possibly be invited to join its invite-only Premier program.
One of the main pros of eBay’s affiliate program is that it offers a variety of products to choose from to promote. Let’s say you are looking for a fashion affiliate program or maybe you’re up to some health and fitness affiliate program. You have all that on eBay, as this program covers many categories of products and your chances to find the right products for your niche are considerable.
Commission: Affiliates earn a percentage of the GMB for that purchase based on eBay’s category-level commission rates. For example, for fashion items, you can earn 4%.
Payments: Payments are made via PayPal or electronic fund transfer.
Resources and support: To help you monitor your performance and optimize results, eBay offers reporting tools. There are also deals that you can use to help drive traffic and access to logos and banners to create captivating branded content.
Cookies: A qualifying transaction occurs when a user makes a purchase within 24 hours after clicking on your affiliate link.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can affiliate marketing make you rich?
Affiliate marketing can make your rich, but it won’t happen overnight and it’s not a fast process. The top tier of affiliate marketers, known as “super affiliates,” often spend years building an audience to earn six-figure salaries.
Which affiliate program is the best?
These are the top affiliate programs to join to earn money:
1. Refersion
2. Canva
3. Fiverr
4. SEMrush
5. GetResponse
6. ConvertKit
7. HubSpot
8. Hostinger
9. WP Engine
10. Weebly
Who is the number 1 affiliate?
Robby Blanchard is widely known as the number one affiliate in the world. He has a free $26 Million Dollar Case Study to help others learn his craft.
What is the average affiliate commission?
Most affiliate commissions will be percentage commissions, which is the most common way to get paid in affiliate programs. Commission can range from 5% to 30%. If you only sell a few specific products, consider a fixed-amount commission.
Who is the richest affiliate marketer?
Pat Flynn is one of the most successful names in affiliate marketing. More than 80% of his income comes from affiliate marketing.
