If you want to start earning money online, affiliate marketing is the best way.
The first step is to join an affiliate program. But how to choose the best one that:
- pays the most
- gives you the longest cookie duration
- has the best products and services
- has the greatest potential to become your steady source of income?
We did the job for you and made a list of the 10 best affiliate programs for you to join today and start making money.
What Is An Affiliate Program?
An affiliate program is a deal where a business rewards affiliates for bringing in customers through their own marketing efforts.
Affiliates earn a commission for each sale or lead generated through their unique referral links. This allows businesses to expand their reach without upfront advertising costs.
In this deal, both parties win. The company makes more sales and drives profit, and the affiliate marketer earns commissions for every sale and referral.
Learn more about what is affiliate marketing, including affiliate marketing types, examples, and strategies to boost your affiliate efforts effectively.
Why do companies have affiliate programs?
Companies have affiliate marketing programs to expand their customer base and increase sales with minimal upfront investment.
Essentially, these programs use the marketing efforts of affiliates to the company’s advantage.
Affiliates are typically paid only when they deliver measurable results, such as a sale or lead, making it a cost-effective strategy.
Additionally, it taps into the trust and credibility affiliates have with their audiences, which easily leads to much higher conversion rates.
In summary, a company runs an affiliate program to:
- Cost-Effective Growth: Businesses only pay commissions for actual sales or leads, reducing upfront advertising costs and financial risks.
- Extended Reach: Affiliates promote to their own audiences, helping businesses access new customer segments without additional marketing effort.
- Increased Credibility: Affiliates often have established trust with their followers, leading to higher conversion rates when they recommend a product or service.
- Performance-Based Payment: Businesses reward affiliates based on performance, ensuring marketing spend directly correlates with results.
- Scalability: An affiliate program can easily scale by adding more affiliates, allowing for rapid growth without the need for proportional increases in marketing resources or budget.
Meanwhile, an affiliate also benefits, and here we explain the top benefits of affiliate marketing you want to know as a beginner.
10 Best Affiliate Programs to Join in 2025
1. lemlist is the best SaaS affiliate program for sales consultants, thought leaders, and content creators
lemlist is a powerful all-in-one outreach tool and sales engagement platform that gets you leads, helps to close deals, and drives revenue. It now has an awesome affiliate program with a revenue share commission model and offers a sustainable partnership for both sides.
Unlike many other top affiliate programs, lemlist affiliate program is dedicated to making this partnership work. They have rapid communication and are open to feedback at all times.
The best part is that the lemlist affiliate program offers you a 25% commission for your lemlist referrals.
The lemlist program works in a simple way:
- Apply and get your affiliate link
- Share with your network
- Get a dedicated affiliate dashboard and media kit to help create your content
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: 25% commission for 12 months when referring a customer to lemlist.
- Getting paid: Payments are verified 30 days after the purchase is made and paid out the month after.
- Payment method: Paypal, Stripe, or bank transfer via Partnerstack.
- Cookie duration: 30-day
The Verdict:
lemlist is a highly profitable SaaS affiliate program tailored for professionals in sales, business, growth, social selling, and marketing. It’s also an excellent fit for outreach and growth experts and software reviewers.
This affiliate program can be a substantial income source due to the product’s inherent value. Promoting lemlist is straightforward as it integrates seamlessly into your outreach efforts naturally.
2. Amazon Associates is the best affiliate program for ecommerce businesses
Amazon’s affiliate marketing program, known as Amazon Associates, is one of the largest in the world. With more than 900,000 affiliate partners, it’s the most popular affiliate program for influencers, content creators, bloggers and YouTubers.
Amazon affiliates get paid commissions based on the sales generated through their links, paid according to Amazon’s payment schedule.
Amazon’s affiliate program is the most popular among content creators and bloggers who run websites and YouTube channels, as well as social media influencers, review and comparison websites, and email marketers.
The fact that Amazon sells virtually everything makes it an excellent program for a wide range of affiliates who work in different niches.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: 1% to 20% commission, depending on product category. There is also flat commission rates for “special commission income.”
- Getting paid: Monthly, but you’ll receive payment for the current month about 60 days after the month ends. For example, you’ll get paid at the end of March for commissions earned in January.
- Payment method: Direct deposit, check, or Amazon gift certificate.
- Cookie duration: 24 hours for a customer to add an item to their shopping cart, then until the cart expires (around 90 days).
The Verdict:
Amazon Associates is a go-to affiliate program for bloggers, content creators, YouTubers, and influencers.
3. NordVPN is the best affiliate program for tech bloggers and online content creators
NordVPN is a VPN service that offers secure and private internet access. For those who want peace of mind on public Wi-Fi, it protects your online data with an encrypted connection. NordVPN offers military-grade encryption, a CyberSec feature for enhanced online security, secure streaming with over 4863 ultra-fast servers in 62 countries, and a strict no-logs policy.
NordVPN’s affiliate marketing program offers sign-up commissions of 30% to 100% that are one of the best in the industry.
It’s the best affiliate program for tech bloggers, YouTubers and streamers, social media influencers, and anyone who finds online security and privacy relevant to their audience and niche.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: Varies depending on which subscription plan a customer purchases: either a 40% or 100% commission for new sign-ups and a 30% commission on all renewals.
- Getting paid: $10 payout threshold. NordVPN uses CJ Affiliate and Impact, so its payout periods will be based on which network you decide to use.
- Payment method: PayPal or wire transfer.
- Cookie duration: 30 days.
The Verdict:
The NordVPN affiliate program is an excellent choice for those who write about technology, cybersecurity, and privacy and can effectively promote NordVPN to their readers.
Content creators on platforms like YouTube who produce videos about online security, privacy, or technology can also benefit from promoting NordVPN. Most importantly, this affiliate program offers some of the best payouts out there.
4. HubSpot has the best affiliate program for marketers
HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM platform known for its Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, CMS Hub, and Operations Hub.
Joining the HubSpot affiliate program is free and open to everyone, regardless of experience with HubSpot’s software.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced affiliate marketer, you can apply to participate.
Affiliates also gain access to a wide range of helpful resources that make it easier to create content for HubSpot’s various products.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: 30% recurring for 1 year
- Cookie duration: 180 days
- Getting paid: You get paid through the Impact platform as soon as your account reaches a minimum of $10
- Payment method: Direct deposit (EFT) or PayPal
- Minimum sales threshold: One sign-up
The Verdict:
The program is best for content creators who share content about marketing and operations for small businesses and individual professionals.
5. Shopify has the best affiliate program for e-commerce entrepreneurs
Shopify is an e-commerce platform designed to start, grow, and manage an online business easily. Shopify allows you to build and customize a store to sell online across various channels, from marketplaces to social media platforms.
Its ease of use and rich feature set have made it one of the most popular platforms for businesses looking to establish, grow, and scale their online stores.
Thanks to its reputation, Shopify affiliate program has become one of the most popular ones.
Affiliates can earn commissions by referring Shopify’s plans that are between $39 per month to $399 per month.
Shopify affiliates often create educational content like how-to guides, tutorials, and detailed reviews about setting up and managing online stores using Shopify.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: $150 USD for all full-priced plan referrals
- Cookie life: 30 days
- Payout methods: PayPal or direct deposit
- Minimum sales threshold: $10
The Verdict:
The program is best for e-commerce businesses and content creators who want to specialize in one-time purchases.
6. eBay Partner Network is the best affiliate program for a diverse selection of products
This list would not be full without mentioning an eBay Partner Network. The eBay Partner Network is very popular eBay’s affiliate marketing program.
By signing up and sharing their listings outside of eBay, affiliates earn money, diversify their revenue, and get credit for their final value fees when they share the item and it sells.
What’s particularly good about joining this program is the fact that eBay hosts millions of products across hundreds of categories. You will find the product that matches your niche and caters to your audience in no time.
The second main advantage of being an eBay partner is the global reach you get. There are over 135 million eBay users worldwide in 190 markets and the number keeps growing every year.
What’s more, there are 2.1 billion listings, and a whopping 90% have a “buy it now” option, so making people convert on eBay is somewhat easy.
If you drive traffic to eBay and the buyer purchases, you’ll receive a commission and an incentive credit to offset your final value fee for that sale.
As an eBay affiliate, you can earn commissions up to 4% of the item sale price. You can also earn for the traffic you drive to a specific item.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: 1% to 4% depending on the product category
- Cookie life: 24 hours
- Payout Methods: Direct deposit, PayPal, or eBay gift cards
- Minimum Sales Threshold Before Payout: $10
The Verdict:
eBay partner network is a great affiliate program that gives you countless opportunities to make conversions. With 135 buyers and 2.1 billion listings, this platform will fit almost any affiliate in any niche.
7. CJ Affiliate is the most trustworthy affiliate network to work with many brands
CJ Affiliate (known as Commission Junction in the past) is one of the oldest affiliate network companies.
The program has been live since 1998, and it is as old as ClickBank. It has a great reputation, and affiliates praise it for being trustworthy.
What sets CJ Affiliate apart from other affiliate networks in this list is its up-to-the-minute analytics. This means you never have to refresh the page because you can monitor your activity as it happens. As an affiliate, you get real-time quality data about, for example, which products work best for your audience.
The downside to joining CJ Affiliate is the fact that the program may not be suitable for beginner affiliates. Affiliates with less than 10k followers have expressed how hard, if not impossible, it is to earn money though their links.
The biggest pro of signing up for this program is the amount of brand partnerships you can choose from. Think of travel, finance, retail, home services, and many more. CJ partners with over 3,800 brands, including Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, and J.Crew, to name just a few.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: depends on the merchant
- Cookie life: depends on the merchant
- Payout Methods: Direct deposit, Payoneer, check.
- Minimum Sales Threshold Before Payout: $50 (Direct Deposit) or $100 (Check)
The Verdict:
CJ Affiliate is the best affiliate marketing network for affiliates of all niches who have an established audience of a minimum of 10k followers.
8. Rakuten is the best affiliate network for content creators and bloggers
Rakuten is a cashback site that gives consumers money for making purchases through its marketplace Rakuten has the second-largest market share of all affiliate networks, at 7.13%.
The Rakuten affiliate network is an intermediary between brands and affiliate marketers who promote the products to their consumers. What’s unique about Rakuten is that it has three different commission structures:
- Dynamic Commissions: Commissions are tailored and can differ by category. Brands may offer higher commission rates for specific product categories or based on customer status, such as for new customers versus returning customers acquired by affiliates.
- Coupon Codes: Brands establish rules regarding which affiliates can distribute coupon codes, the conditions under which these codes can be used, and the applicable products, along with the corresponding commission terms.
- Multitouch Attribution: This rewards the initial click in the marketing attribution process as users navigate through the sales funnel. Certain brands may provide exclusive offers to top-performing affiliates who have a proven history of initiating early engagements in the conversion journey.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: depends on the advertiser
- Payment method: Direct deposit, PayPal, check
- Cookie life: depends on the advertiser
Rakuten affiliate program vs CJ Affiliate: Which one is better?
Rakuten is a global network with a strong presence in markets such as Japan, Europe, and North America. CJ Affiliate program has a significant presence in the United States and Europe.
Rakuten tends to attract high-end and premium brands, particularly in fashion, travel, and retail. Their advertiser base includes many well-known, reputable brands, which can be appealing to affiliates seeking to promote top-tier products.
CJ has a vast and diverse range of advertisers across numerous niches, including retail, finance, technology, and services. But it’s much more focused on digital products.
When it comes to getting paid, CJ Affiliate has a minimum payout threshold of $50 for direct deposit and $100 for checks. Rakuten’s minimum payout threshold depends on the affiliate’s location and the payment method selected.
9. Webflow affiliate program is the best affiliate program for content creators and designers who want high commissions
Webflow is a no-code web design tool that also doubles as a hosting platform. It enables users to effortlessly design and edit websites, landing pages, and blogs.
Webflow affiliates earn 50% back for 12 months when a new customer subscribes using their referral link. This commission is valid for up to 12 transactions and applies to all subscription plans.
Webflow affiliate program is great for content monetization, and it’s particularly beneficial for bloggers, writers, and web developers. Affiliates can easily integrate their links into content such as Webflow templates and component listings.
If a user visits Webflow through your link and hasn’t previously visited the site, they’ll be tagged as referred by you for a 90-day cookie window. The onboarding is straightforward and simple.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: 50% for the first 12 months, valid for up to 12 transactions.
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Payout Schedule: Commissions are paid by the 15th of each month.
- Payment Methods: PayPal or Stripe.
The Verdict:
The Webflow affiliate program offers the best commissions and cookie duration out there and can easily become a significant income source.
10. Elementor affiliate program is the highest-paid program for marketers
Elementor is a plugin that enables users to effortlessly create professional WordPress sites through a drag-and-drop interface. It offers a free version with limited features, along with several premium plans ranging from $9.99 to $49.99 per year.
Affiliates can earn up to a 50% commission on each sale generated through their referral links.
Additionally, Elementor affiliate program provides a generous cookie duration of 90 days, giving ample time to earn commissions from referred users.
Affiliate program details:
- Commission: Up to 50% commission per sale.
- Getting paid: Payout is at the $200 threshold and is processed within 30 days.
- Payment method: Payment is made via PayPal, or another method agreed upon between the affiliate and Elementor.
- Cookie duration: 90 days.
The Verdict:
Elementor has the best affiliate program for marketers, and it offers the best payouts.
Which affiliate programs pay the most?
Not all affiliate programs are equal. SaaS affiliate programs like lemlist, NordVPN, Elementor, Wix, and so on pay the best because:
- they always focus on customer satisfaction
- they have the biggest profits (so they can offer higher commissions)
- they have sticky products
- they offer recurring commissions (that can last from a year to a lifetime)
- their cookie windows are much longer
- their products are high-ticket
Key Takeaways
An affiliate program is a partnership where a business rewards affiliates for bringing in customers through their marketing efforts.
Affiliates earn commissions for each sale or lead generated through their unique referral links, benefiting both parties. Companies use these programs to expand their reach and increase sales without upfront advertising costs, while affiliates earn commissions for successful referrals.
Typically, affiliates are paid only when they deliver measurable results, making it a cost-effective strategy for businesses. Moreover, affiliates often have established trust with their audience, leading to higher conversion rates.
This mutually beneficial arrangement allows for scalable growth, leveraging affiliates’ marketing strengths and credibility.
The best affiliate programs for beginners in 2025 are:
- lemlist Affiliate Program
- Amazon Associates
- NordVPN Affiliate Program
- HubSpot Affiliate Program
- Shopify Affiliate Program
- eBay Partner Network
- CJ Affiliate
- Rakuten Affiliate Program
- Webflow Affiliate Program
- Elementor Affiliate Program
