Want access to thousands of the best affiliate programs, timely payouts, and support for scaling your affiliate marketing business?
Affiliate networks could be the answer, especially if you’re an affiliate marketing beginner.
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.
What is an affiliate network?
An affiliate network is a service that connects brands with publishers (affiliate marketers who create content for blogs, social media, podcasts, and other channels). The network acts as the coordinator so that publishers and brands offering affiliate marketing programs can find each other easily. Brands can recruit affiliates to promote their products and open up a new sales channel.
Brands often use affiliate networks when they:
- Need more outbound sales support
- Want to use their marketing budget efficiently
- 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. Publishers can discover and join dozens of programs, working with affiliate partners at scale versus signing up for multiple programs individually.
🌟 New to affiliate marketing? This beginner's guide can help you find an affiliate program, create affiliate links, and start earning as an affiliate partner.
How do affiliate networks work?
Affiliate networks exist to help marketers and brands manage their affiliate activities.
As an affiliate, you simply sign up for the network to receive access to available programs. Some networks have admission criteria for publishers. For example, networks like AvantLink and ShareASale require affiliates to own an active website or social media channel, and perform a human review of content.
In contrast to affiliate programs created and managed by individual brands, Affiliate networks allow publishers to communicate with multiple brands from one place.
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 to 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 Collabs is an affiliate network that helps content creators and influencers connect with successful brands that use Shopify. Eligible creators with at least 1,000 social media followers can use the network to find relevant brands, enter partnerships, and receive affiliate links, automatic payouts, gifts, and discount codes to promote to their audience.
- 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 can offer community-building opportunities like getting-to-know affiliate surveys and a discovery experience to strengthen the brand-affiliate relationship, and gain access to thousands of affiliates.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid: Automatic payments after a 30-day hold
- Payment method: PayPal or bank transfer
- Affiliate support: Yes
2. ShareASale
ShareASale is a free, reliable affiliate network with more than 1 million publishers and 30,000 brands to choose from. A large variety of product categories and affiliate products are hosted on the network, spanning a wide range of commission rates. Some programs may offer as little as 1% commission, while high-ticket affiliate programs offer as much as 150%.
Publishers can sign up with either a website or a social media account, which makes it a great option for beginner bloggers or influencers.
Affiliate network details:
- Getting paid: Every 1st or 15th of the month, depending on commission validation date
- Payment method: Bank account via Payoneer
- Affiliate support: Yes
3. AWIN
ShareASale owner AWIN hosts more than 25,000 brands in its network. According to affiliate marketer Robin Young of Fitness 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 I have found that they are especially good for the UK, and their customer service is 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 is another big affiliate network. Founded in 1998, CJ features more than 3,800 brands globally on its affiliate marketing 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. These include 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 has paid out more than $6 billion in commissions since 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.
ClickBank has a large selection of digital and physical products—more than 4,000 vetted items in total—so there are plenty of product categories to choose from. 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, or Payoneer.
- Affiliate support: Yes.
6. FlexOffers
With more than 10,000 advertisers, including household names like Samsung, Sephora, and Wayfair, FlexOffers provides an extensive affiliate network that includes partnership with other platforms and affiliate networks such as AWIN, ClickBank, and ShareASale.
Similar to other affiliate networks, FlexOffers accepts blogging websites, including WordPress, Wix, Blogger, and BlogSpot for traffic sources. 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 Network is home to 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 has more than 25,000 advertisers, publishers, and marketing agencies. For brands setting up affiliate programs, 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 include:
- 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
Impact was voted the best cost-per-sale affiliate network of 2024 in North America, offering affiliates the chance to partner with an array of brands, including Adidas, Fabletics, L’Oréal, and American Express. You can also find partnerships with technology brands such as Shopify.
The network has garnered more than 800 reviews on 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 network affiliaXe, 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, and email 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
GiddyUp is an affiliate network platform dedicated to helping you make money online, whether that’s from your website or social media platform. Since 2013, GiddyUp has paid more than $200 million in 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.
GiddyUp has 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
Start trying these top affiliate networks to see if they fit your content or brand. With these networks, affiliate marketers have many options for finding a partnership that works for their audience.
Your affiliate marketing efforts can prove to be a lucrative earning opportunity, but it’s worth spreading your options across affiliate networks and programs to give yourself the best chance of success.
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Affiliate networks FAQ
Which affiliate network is best for beginners?
Shopify Collabs has industry-leading reporting, management, and analytics tools to help you navigate affiliate marketing. Large platforms like ShareASale and Impact have easy sign-up processes and provide access to thousands of programs.
What is the biggest affiliate network?
The largest affiliate network is generally considered to be Amazon Associates, given Amazon's massive global reach and diverse product offerings. However, other major players like CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction), the eBay Partner Network, ShareASale, and Rakuten Advertising also have extensive networks and are significant contenders in the space.
What are the most popular affiliate networks?
- Shopify Collabs
- ShareASale
- AWIN
- CJ Affiliate
- ClickBank
- FlexOffers
- Avangate Affiliate Network
- Rakuten Advertising
- Impact
- affiliaXe
- GiddyUp
What are the highest paying affiliate programs?
The highest paying affiliate programs often come from industries like finance, software, and luxury products. Some examples include credit card affiliate programs, web hosting services like Bluehost, and high-end ecommerce platforms like Shopify, which can offer commissions ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per sale.
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