Some advertisers run their own affiliate programs. Others let an affiliate network handle everything for them.
When searching for advertisers to promote, you’ll find as an affiliate, that many of those searches will end up taking you to an affiliate network. That’s because there are many benefits for both the advertiser and the affiliate to partner through affiliate networks.
From timely payments to having a centralized place to work with advertisers and discovering more opportunites, affiliate networks offer a lot of benefits to affiliates.
To get you started, this article will introduce you to how affiliate networks work and then give you the 10 best affiliate networks to join in 2025.
What Is An Affiliate Network?
Affiliate networks provide an invaluable service to two parties – brands and affiliate marketers. It serves as a middleman allowing the two parties to find each other in one place.
For affiliates, sometimes called publishers or creators on some networks, affiliate networks are essential and provide a number of benefits.
Brands work with affiliate networks because they can get a set of different benefits, like cutting their marketing costs and getting targeted traffic. But they know that the above benefits can also work in their favor.
How Do Affiliate Networks Work?
To begin working with an affiliate network, you’ll need to fill in a registration form which will usually be reviewed so that your website and business practices can be pre-screened at the network level.
You’ll have to agree to the network’s terms and conditions and set up a profile so that brands can learn about your business before deciding to work with you.
Some brands will need to vet affiliates they work with so applying to their program will require approval. Others will automatically approve you so that you can start placing your links and promoting their products.
On a network, you can access links, banners and other promotional material to place on your website.
The affiliate network will track your links and credit commissions for any sales you make. You will be able to see analytics and reports on your performance.
Affiliate networks usually have a particular date when they pay commissions. Once you’ve satisfied the payout criteria, you’ll get one consolidated payment for all the brands you work with.
This is how affiliate networks work in a nutshell. Some networks can have different processes that may be unique to them or just not typical of all affiliate networks.
10 Best Affiliate Networks Right Now
Now that you know how you can benefit from working with affiliate networks, here are the 10 best ones to join in 2025.
1. Shareasale
The name of this affiliate network defines what affiliate marketing is all about. Shareasale is probably my favorite affiliate network for a lot of reasons.
The network is home to a lot of big recognizable brands in a lot of categories and niches. You will find big names to partner with on Shareasale such as:
Shareasale has been around for a long time, is very trustworthy, and one of the most popular networks among affiliates. According to their website, about 260 affiliates join their network everyday and they paid out over $1.3 billion in affiliate commissions last year alone.
To get started with Shareasale, you’ll need to have a website or blog that has good content on it. You’ll then need to fill in the registration form with the required information which includes how you’d like to be paid.
Once approved, you can log in and start joining programs relevant to your niche or website topic.
Shareasale is very easy to work with. Some brands require approval while others instantly approve you so that you can start adding links.
Analytics and other info are displayed on your dashboard so that you can easily see your performance.
To get paid, you’ll need to get at least $50 in commissions for the pay period. You will usually get paid around the 20th of the month via your selected payment method.
No matter your website topic, you’ll find brands and advertisers to promote on Shareasale. It is one of the best affiliate networks you will find to work with as an affiliate marketer.
2. CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate was at one time called Commission Junction. Similar to Shareasale, this network also has a lot of big, trusted, and highly recognizable brands.
On CJ Affiliate, you’ll find big names like:
This network has been in operation for more than 20 years making it one of the oldest and most popular affiliate networks in existence today. According to their publisher page, they pay out more than $1.8 billion annually.
On CJ Affiliate, an affiliate is known as a publisher. To sign up, you’ll need to visit the publisher page and fill out the registration form. They’ll ask you to verify your email address, accept legal terms and provide banking and tax info in order to keep the network quality high.
You’ll also need to fill out your profile for partner visibility. This will include your websites and a description of your business model. Advertisers can see your network profile and extend their offers to you.
When applying to programs in CJ Affiliate, it can sometimes be difficult getting approval since some advertisers set up filters to automatically decline some applications. Others go through a manual review process while few offer automatic approval.
CJ Affiliate is a great affiliate network but more suited for affiliates who have a bit of experience. It’s easy to use although the search interface could use an overhaul.
3. Impact
Impact is another great affiliate network with a lot of trusted and well-known brands. You’ll instantly recognize a lot of the brands available to promote on Impact. Some of these include:
Impact was launched in 2008 so it’s not as old as some of the other networks mentioned in this post. It previously went by the name of Impact Radius but rebranded to the simpler name they’re currently using.
The signup process for affiliates to join Impact is very simple. You just need to have a website with some great content on there in order to successfully apply for an account. This will also be useful for when you’re applying to brands.
The Impact dashboard is very easy to use and has a very modern design. It’s certainly easier to use than some of the other networks mentioned here like CJ Affiliate.
The average commission rates on Impact run from about 5%-20% although you’ll find some that go above this. Some programs also give you a flat rate or “dollar amount” per sale.
In terms of payout, Impact offers a variety of different ways so it doesn’t matter which country you’re working from, you’ll be able to choose a method that best suits you. PayPal is offered, which is convenient for most as well as direct deposits into your bank account. The payment threshold is low at just $10 but you can change it to other amounts up to $10,000.
I like Impact because a lot of brands I wanted to work with have their affiliate programs there. So I ended up joining not because I wanted to join Impact but because I wanted to establish or maintain a partnership with particular brands.
4. Flexoffers
FlexOffers is another popular affiliate network with thousands of advertisers and offers for affiliates to promote. Just like the other networks mentioned before, they have a lot of big recognizable brands as well.
You’ll instantly know some of these names.
What’s unique about FlexOffers is that they work with advertisers from 65 other affiliate networks so that affiliates can find them in 1 network. You’ll notice that a lot of the advertisers have their main affiliate program on another affiliate network.
The downside is that the commissions from the FlexOffers program are usually lower since FlexOffers is sharing their split of each transaction with you.
FlexOffers has some great features including short links, info on how much advertisers earn per click, custom urls, sub-id tracking, datafeeds, and a program called FlexCash where you can earn for telling other affiliates about Flexoffers.
Another thing I love about this network is that they’ll send you email digests throughout the week alerting you about new advertisers you can promote.
Flexoffers is responsible for the quality of traffic they allow so you’ll need to add each website you want to promote offers on.
In terms of payout, there are enough options for you to find one that works for you and the threshold is just $25. You’ll have to submit your tax info before you can get paid but once that is done everything goes smoothly.
5. PartnerStack
PartnerStack is a little different from the other networks mentioned so far. There are no big-name clothing brands here. All the advertisers in PartnerStack are business-to-business sfotware-as-a-service brands.
These brands deliver all of their solutions digitally. Many of them have free trials to get started and you can have access to the service immediately on signup.
You may know some of these brands if you’ve ever needed a digital solution for business. Here are some of the advertisers you can find to promote in PartnerStack.
For affiliates who choose to work with PartnerStack, there are a host of benefits. SaaS products often have subscription fees, which translates to repeat commissions for the lifetime of the customer. Brands on PartnerStack pay very well – up to 40% commission per sale.
Free trials, which are common-place for SaaS products can help boost conversion rates making it easier for you to make sales.
PartnerStack’s dashboard is easy to navigate and find areas such as reporting, programs you’re promoting, the marketplace to find more brands to promote, and your account settings.
You can find brands in the marketplace to promote by filtering through different categories like accounting, e-commerce, marketing, productivity, and more.
On PartnerStack, commissions are known as rewards. These are paid out around the 13th of each month once they have passed the pending stage. You can choose to withdraw your rewards to a PayPal account, Stripe, or get a direct deposit to your bank account.
Partnerstack is a great choice if you’re looking for recurring commissions or programs with free trials for easier conversions.
6. Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising is another great affiliate network comparable to Impact and CJ Affiliate. They were previously known as Linkshare before and after Japanese shopping portal, Rakuten acquired the network in 2005.
The new Rakuten Advertising interface is completely different from the old Linkshare interface. It features a more modern look, easier navigation and a more useful layout.
Affiiates can work with big brands that are instantly recognizable and trusted. Some examples of advertisers using Rakuten Advertising are:
It’s very easy to sign up with Rakuten Advertising. All they ask is that you already have your website established and getting traffic so you might want to follow the affiliate marketing steps and get your website going before you join.
In your dashboard, you can see detailed info about each advertiser including description, contact info, terms, commission info, links, policies and more. You can then choose to apply to promote the brand. Most advertisers require approval before you can start promoting so it’s important that you fill out your publisher profile.
Regarding payments, commissions usually go through a holding period by each advertiser and is normally paid out 60 days after they’re earned. Rakuten Advertising consolidates all payments and transfers them via check, PayPal or direct bank deposit. A threshold of $50 must be earned to trigger payments although you can manually set this amount higher.
Rakuten Advertising is great for affiliates with all size businesses, whether it’s a small personal blog or a large media site.
7. Amazon Associates
Amazon’s affiliate program, called Amazon Associates, isn’t really an affiliate network but it’s worth the mention.
The reason for this is that no matter what niche you’re working in, you can always find something to promote that your visitors can get on Amazon.
Amazon is a house-hold name and a very trusted brand with millions and millions of shoppers. It should be easier to make sales sending your visitors to Amazon compared to lesser known brands you might find on other affiliate networks.
Lots of big-name media sites like The New York Times and Good House Keeping regularly produce content sharing products from Amazon and using Amazon Associates to earn commissions.
Besides familiarity, there are some great things about Amazon Associates and there are some downsides.
There are millions and millions of products to recommend in hundreds of categories. And one good thing about linking to Amazon is that you earn commissions on everything a referred customer buys within 24 hours of clicking on your link.
Cookie duration isn’t an affiliate network thing, but Amazon Associates doesn’t exactly fall into that classification. The 24 hour referral period is somewhat of a downside as most programs will have a referral period of 15 – 180 days so you can make the sale.
Commissions are also tiny with the default rate for most categories being 4% per sale. Some categories go down to 1% while few go up to 10%. Amazon will pay a flat rate called a bounty for getting people to sign up to some of their memberships and services like Prime, Baby Registry, and Amazon Business.
It’s easy to get started with Amazon Associates, but it’s also easy to fall out of compliance and get booted. As an affiliate, you’ll need to be familiar with the rules of the Operating Agreement and keep up-to-date with any changes as it is regularly updated.
Earnings are paid 60 days after the end of each calendar month once you make he threshold for your chosen payment option. Luckily the threshold for each option except for check is just $10. If you choose to get a check, you’ll need to make $100 in commissions before you’re paid.
Amazon Associates is a great alternative to traditional affiliate networks for affiliates which works best if you promote physical products. Normally, brands that are on Amazon have their own affiliate programs as well and will usually pay better. However, if you’re having difficulty getting accepted by certain affiliate programs, you can just find them on Amazon and link to their products from there.
8. ClickBank
The first affiliate network I ever joined was Clickbank. It is known to be very beginner-friendly with an easy signup process and the majority of sellers don’t require an approval process.
Clickbank’s affiliate marketplace is filled mainly with digital products such as informational products and services, courses, Saas applications, and digital downloads. Some of the best performing products though, are physical products in the form of herbal supplements.
There are no huge, recognizable brands to promote on Clickbank. This sometimes gives Clickbank a bad reputation for having products of questionable quality in its marketplace. Still, there are a lot of great products available to promote across 30+ niches. Some of the more recognizable products are:
One of the appeals of using Clickbank for affiliates is the generous commission rates you can get from sellers. You can typically get up to 75% commission on each sale. Many products offer upsells which means you can even make hundreds of dollars in commissions on a product where the first offer costs $49, for example.
Payment is offered via checks, direct deposit or Payoneer for affiliates who direct deposit isn’t available for. Check payments are paid every two weeks while you can get direct deposits and Payoneer payments every week as long as you reach your chosen payment threshold.
On Clickbank, the default threshold is $100 but each affiliate can change their threshold to the minimum of $50 or more up to $1,000,000.
Clickbank is great for beginners, especially those who incorporate email marketing into their promotional strategy. Since there are no instantly recognizable brands, you’ll have to put in the extra effort to gain buyer confidence.
9. Avangate
If your website is more geared to recommending software or downloadable products then Avangate might be for you. This network only has advertisers that provide software solutions.
Here are a few examples of some advertisers I could find, that I knew, while logged in.
It’s easy to sign up with Avangate and get started sharing links immediately. Of the 1200 available merchants available on the network, about 450+ offer automatic approval so that you can just partner with them and start adding links to your content.
The user interface of Avangate looks dated but you can easily find advertisers, marketing tools, get links and see reports you’ll need to see how you’re performing. Avangate also sends a monthly newsletter to update you on network news, promotions, new advertisers and contests they’re running.
On the first of every month, they’ll also send affiliates a report of your performance for the previous month. Commissions are paid in Euro currency via check, wire transfer, PayPal or Avangate Mastercard (powered by Payoneer). You’ll need to get your commissions balance up to a total of 100 EUR before payment is released.
10. AWIN
AWIN is another big affiliate network which is similar to other networks like Shareasale, CJ Affiliate and Impact in terms of offerings. AWIN actually stands for Affiliate Window, which was the same they used when the network was founded in 2000.
The UK-based company is more popular among European affiliates, particularly in Germany, United Kingdom, and France. They have a lot of recognizable brands that operate internationally and in the UK.
Here are some of the brands that you can promote on AWIN.
The registration process to join AWIN as an affiliate is very simple but there is one part of the process that isn’t too fun. You’ll need to pay a $1 deposit before you submit the application. This deposit is refunded when you get your first payment so it’s still free to join AWIN as an affiliate.
AWIN is very easy to use with a modern interface and easy navigation. You can easily find advertisers, linking tools and reports as well as manage your account. There’s a useful WordPress plugin you can use to build affiliate links right from your dashboard and even manage relationships with advertisers.
Payments are made every two weeks on the 1st and 15th of the month once you’ve met the $20 threshold. PayPal and check options aren’t available, limiting your options to international banking. You can get a Payoneer account and link your banking information from there though if the available options aren’t doable as the are for you.
The number one option on this list, Shareasale, is owned by AWIN but operates as a totally separate entity.
AWIN is a good choice if you’re looking for UK-based advertisers or if you’re a European-based affiliate. Still, it doesn’t hurt to sign up if you want to find other offers to recommend to your audience.
Which Affiliate Network Should You Use?
The affiliate network that you choose depends on your strategy and the niche you’re working with.
For example, if you’re doing reviews of home products, you’ll want to choose an affiliate network that carries brands that sell physical products. Amazon, CJ Affiliate, Rakuten and Shareasale are good choices.
If you’re writing content about solving a particular problem, and a digital product is the solution, then Clickbank, Avangate or even PartnerStack might make more sense.
It can also depend on the merchant you choose to promote and which affiliate network that brand is using. There are also a lot of other affiliate networks as well as thousands of sellers who run their own affiliate programs independently.
There is no right or wrong affiliate program to join. You can join them all if it makes sense to do so.
FAQ About Affiliate Networks
In this section, you will find the answers to some commonly asked questions about affiliate networks.
The affiliate network you choose will depend on your niche and the brands you want to work with. Some networks are easier to work with than others.
Some of the easiest affiliate networks to use include Clickbank and Shareasale which both and easy signup processes and better chances of getting approved by individual sellers.
There is no cost for affiliates to join affiliate networks. You join for free and are able to connect with brands and promote their products. Most of the time, there is no processing fee when payments are made.
So how to affiliate networks make money? This comes from the advertiser’s side where they will pay a setup fee and overrides on all affiliate commissions. Overrides are typically 20-30% of affiliate commissions. As an example, if you’re earning $10 per sale, the seller is paying the network $2 (20% of $10) for every $10 commission you receive.
There are specialized affiliate networks for everything. If you’re promoting software, then you can try Avangate (#9 on the list) or Partnerstack (#5 on this list).
