Want access to thousands of thebest affiliate programs, timely payouts, and support for scaling youraffiliate marketingbusiness? Affiliate networks could be the answer, especially if you’re anaffiliate marketing beginner.
An indicator of affiliate marketing programs’ popularity: More than80% of advertisersrun them—and it’s a top customer acquisition channel.
So what does that mean for social media content creators, bloggers, and other publishers? More opportunities tomake money online. This guide will help you understand what affiliate networks are, how they differ from standalone programs, and the benefits they offer to brands and publishers.
Table of Contents
What is an affiliate network?
An affiliate network is a service that connects publishers (affiliate marketers who publish on platforms like blogs and social media) with brands. The network acts as the “middleman,” so that both publishers and brands offering affiliate marketing programs can find each other easily. Brands can recruit and contract affiliates to promote their products and open up a newsales channel.
Brands often use affiliate networks when they:
- Need more outbound sales support
- Have a small advertising budget
- Want to reach a new audience
Affiliate networks are useful for publishers because they provide a way to find programs and organize affiliate commission payouts. For brands, they streamline the process of finding and working with affiliates. For creators, they can discover and join thousands of programs, allowing the creator to promote products and earn affiliate sales at scale versus signing up for multiple programs individually.
Learn more:16 Affiliate Marketing Tips & Strategies to Earn More Money
How do affiliate networks work?
Affiliate networks work by connecting affiliate marketers with brands and help both parties manage their affiliate activities.
As an affiliate, you simply sign up for the network to receive access to products available on the market. Some networks have strict requirements for affiliates to join and can deny you access. For example,AvantLinkchecks for site ownership and conducts a human review. Still other affiliate marketing networks, likeShareASale, are good for beginners, due to capabilities such as quick signups to start making sales within minutes.
Some affiliate programs might look like affiliate networks at first, such asAmazon’s affiliate program. But your relationship is only with the marketplace brand, not the sellers. With an affiliate network, you apply to work directly with an advertiser or seller on a dedicated landing page. They then assign you a unique affiliate ID to track sales attributed to your affiliate marketing efforts.
✏️ Note:The difference between an affiliate network and an affiliate program is that a program typically relates to a single brand.Affiliate marketing softwareare tools that make affiliate networks easier to use.
11 best affiliate networks for marketers
- Shopify Collabs
- ShareASale
- AWIN
- CJ Affiliate
- ClickBank
- FlexOffers
- Avangate Affiliate Network
- Rakuten Advertising
- Impact
- affiliaXe
- GiddyUp
With more businesses turning toward affiliate marketing to promote their products, affiliate networks have developed their offerings to meet demand. Each affiliate network differs in terms of their benefits for affiliate marketers and brands. Explore the top affiliate networks, and the marketing tools and resources they have to offer.
1. Shopify Collabs
Shopify Collabsis an app-based marketing tool and affiliate network that helps brands seamlessly connect with content creators, influencers, and other affiliates. This affiliate network does the heavy lifting by simplifying the workflow process: collect affiliate applications; stay organized with “send & track” gifting capabilities that easily integrate through Shopify; and customize affiliate links and codes, among other features. Shopify Collabs also works with other platforms, whether marketing onInstagram或promoting on YouTube.
Creators who meet certaincriteria—including at least 1,000 followers on public social media accounts, sales of $10,000 or more within a 12-month period; being based in the US, UK, or Canada, and accepting automatic payouts—have the opportunity to apply for theCollabs Network. The network streamlines the affiliate network for both sides:
- Creators gain ready access to their favorite brands, the ability to create their own affiliate links without approvals, and receive immediate commissions upon onboarding.
- Brands become more accessible through shared brand profiles, can offer community-building opportunities like getting-to-know affiliate surveys anddiscovery experienceto strengthen the brand-affiliate relationship, and gain access to thousands of affiliates at low cost to drive sales.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Automatic paymentsafter a 30-day hold.
- Payment method:PayPal or bank transfer.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
2. ShareASale
ShareASalehelped its parent company generate$1.3 billionin revenue for publishers (and $17 billion for advertisers). This reliable affiliate network is free to join, as is applying for programs.
The platform has more than270,000 publishersand 25,000 brands (or advertisers and sellers) to choose from. There are a variety of product categories and affiliate products to choose from, as well as—due to the range of brands—a variety of commission rates. Some programs may offer as little as 1% commission;high-ticket affiliate program productsas much as 150%.
Publishers cansign upwith either a website or a social media account, which makes it a great option for beginner bloggers or influencers.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:1st or 15th of the month, depending on commission validation date.
- Payment method:Bank account via Payoneer.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
3. AWIN
ShareASale ownerAWIN(formerly known as Affiliate Window), was voted the best CPS (cost per sale) network of 2022 in North America. With more than 25,000 brands in the AWIN network, there are many merchant options from which to choose.
According to Robin Young ofFitness Savvy, “Their site is easy to navigate. Creating product feeds and custom links is super easy to do, they feature many top advertisers—across the world, but especially good for the UK, I have found—and theircustomer serviceis really great.”
Similar to ShareASale, you can sign up with either a website or social media handles, though you do need to pay a small $5 deposit to join the network. You get the deposit back after reaching your first payment threshold.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Twice monthly, on the 1st and 15th of every month for the previous month’s commissions; there is a $20 minimum payment threshold.
- Payment method:BACS, international wire transfer, or ACH.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
4. CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate(formerly known as Commission Junction) is also one of the biggest affiliate networks, with a market share of 7.12%. Founded in 1998, CJ features more than 3,800 brands globally on its platform.
To create an account and become an active member, you’ll need to complete several steps, including filling in your contact information and adding your “promotional property,” meaning your website or social media accounts.
CJ Affiliate has an open developer portal for API (app programming interface) access, which contains more technical resources and tools to help publishers carry out tasks such as personalizing customer offers, accessing credit card information, and conducting targeted link searches by keyword or category.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Commissions are generally paid on the 20th or 28th, based on currency.
- Payment method:Direct deposit or Payoneer.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
5. ClickBank
One of the oldest and most reliable affiliate marketing networks,ClickBank已经支付了超过60亿美元的佣金年代ince 1999.
Signing up and getting verified on ClickBank doesn’t require you to provide a website or social media handle. Instead, you simply provide your contact information and you can start browsing the affiliate marketplace and generate links right away.
Take note: ClickBank has a large selection of digital and physical products—more than 4,000 total—so there are plenty of product categories to choose from, especially if you’re an influencer who is promoting across one of its top-performing areas of health and fitness. ClickBank also offers sales tracking tools and a resource center for ongoing affiliate support and opportunities to bolster revenue through upsales.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Weekly or bi-weekly.
- Payment method:Check, direct deposit, wire transfer, orPayoneer.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
6. FlexOffers
With more than 12,000 advertisers (including names like Samsung, Sephora, and Wayfair) and 75,000 publishers,FlexOffersprovides an extensive affiliate network that includes partnership with other platforms and affiliate networks such as AWIN, ClickBank, and ShareASale.
Similar to other affiliate networks, FlexOffersacceptsfree blogging websites, including WordPress, Wix, Blogger, and BlogSpot for traffic sources. And it offers a cookie duration of 30 days.
FlexOffers is a good option for those who want to promote big brands, but it’s also a great option if you want to include smaller brands as part of your marketing strategy to maximize partnership opportunities.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Standard payouts are net 60; an advanced payment option is available but may incur a fee.
- Payment method:Bank transfer, Wire transfer, ACH, Check, or PayPal.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
7. Avangate Affiliate Network
Founded in 2006,Avangate Affiliate Networkis one of the newer platforms, with more than 1,200 affiliates. If your niche focuses on software or digital products, this network can help you build passive income from product promotion. Note that Avangate requires affiliates to have a website.
What helps set Avangate Affiliate Network apart from its competition is that it offers publishers the ability to use a geo-targeted shopping cart. That means if you’re trying to reach a specific market location, you can “deep link” them directly to a localized cart.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Monthly, 20 days from the end of the month for which the commission is due.
- Payment method:Wire transfer, check, PayPal, or Avangate Mastercard (in partnership with Payoneer) after reaching a $100 threshold.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
8. Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising(formerly Linkshare) has more than25,000 advertisers, publishers, and marketing agencies. For brands, the affiliate marketing network offers innovative tools such as Affiliate Conversion Journey, which provides transparency in the user journey through the funnel and conversions. Meanwhile, publishers gain access to tools such as Audience Engine, which supports personalizing for your audience to drive more sales.
Participating brands
- Hilton
- Ashley Furniture
- JanSport
- ASICS
- AllSaints
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Net 60 days.
- Payment method:Direct deposit, check, or PayPal.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
9. Impact
Impactis one of the newer networks, and has partnered with an array of brands, such as Adidas, Fabletics, L’Oréal, and American Express, to offer more than nine million products. You can find partnerships withtechnology brands如公司HubSpot Salesforce Shopify,和朋友rtunities with SaaS and SEO brands like Semrush.
It has garnered more than600 reviewson G2, which include callouts for its partnership development. Another plus for Impact and its network? There is a Mobile App Partner Marketplace to help publishers optimize for mobile traffic and bolster revenue. It also offers a suite of automation tools to help affiliates manage their partnerships.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Customizable by day or threshold., or on the 1st or 15th of the month.
- Payment method:Direct deposit, BACS (bank transfer), or PayPal.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
10. affiliaXe
Marketing affiliate networkaffiliaXe, a global network, offers affiliates tools to strengthen their rankings and get insights into their traffic. The affiliate dashboard tracks clicks, conversions, invoices, and more.
Approved affiliates also gain access to a dedicated affiliate manager that can help curate the best programs for them, based on their audience. Brands receive support through the network’s vast offerings of anti-fraud systems and screening tools to ensure campaign integrity—and collaborations include experienced affiliates.
AffiliaXe offers diverse traffic monetization options, such as pay per view,pay per click, social media, andemail marketing/feeds.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Bi-weekly, on the 15th and end of the month, with a payout threshold of $100.
- Payment method:PayPal, Payoneer, ACH, checks, or bank wire via Tipalti.
- Affiliate support:Yes
11. GiddyUp
GiddyUpis an affiliate network platform dedicated to helping you make money online, whether that’s from your website orsocial media platform. Since 2013, GiddyUp has paid more than$200 millionin commissions to its affiliate partners.
As a new affiliate, GiddyUp can help you maximize your earnings with innovative tools and real-time data. An affiliate partner manager will also help answer all of your digital marketing questions. You’ll get access to fresh creative assets such as videos, images, and campaign copy, no matter what channel you’re driving traffic from.
GiddyUphas completed more than 150 direct-to-consumer (DTC) product launches across a variety of verticals. So if you’re interested in promoting physical products, GiddyUp may be a good fit.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid:Request information from GiddyUp.
- Payment method:ACH, check, or foreign bank transfers.
- Affiliate support:Yes.
Affiliate networks help you start earning today
Now that you know what sort of affiliate networks are out there and who would benefit from them the most, you can start trying these top affiliate networks out for yourself. Affiliate marketers have several options for finding an affiliate network that’s right for their business and audience.
Affiliate marketing can prove to be a lucrative earning opportunity, but it’s worth spreading your options across both affiliate networks of your choice and thebest affiliate marketing programsto give yourself better chances of success.
Affiliate networks FAQ
Which affiliate network is best for beginners?
If approved, GiddyUp has industry-leading reporting, management, and analytics tools to help you navigate affiliate marketing. However, ShareASale has the easiest (and quickest) sign-up process, to help you customize your program and generate links right away.
What are the most popular affiliate networks?
- Shopify Collabs
- ShareASale
- AWIN
- CJ Affiliate
- ClickBank
- FlexOffers
- Avangate Affiliate Network
- Rakuten Advertising
- Impact
- affiliaXe
- GiddyUp
How do I find affiliate networks?
You can find affiliate networks by:
- Searching for affiliate networks on Google
- Browsing affiliate directories
- Searching directly on a brand’s website