Affiliate marketing has matured from a simple side hustle into a multi-billion dollar industry. For content creators, bloggers, and marketers, it’s a powerful way to monetize their audience by recommending products they trust. For businesses, it’s a performance-based channel to drive real growth.
But success in affiliate marketing depends entirely on the programs you choose. Promoting a low-converting product with a poor commission structure is a waste of your valuable traffic and effort. The key is to partner with reputable brands that offer high-quality products, competitive commissions, and strong support for their affiliates.
This guide breaks down the top affiliate programs for 2025, from beginner-friendly networks to high-ticket independent programs, to help you build a profitable affiliate income stream.
Top Affiliate Programs: Quick Comparison
| Program / Network | Commission Rate | Cookie Duration | Type |
| ShareASale | Varies (per merchant) | Varies | Network |
| Impact | Varies (per merchant) | Varies | Network |
| Amazon Associates | 1% – 10% | 24 hours | E-commerce |
| WP Engine | Up to $200/sale | 180 days | High-Ticket |
| Bluehost | Starts at $65/sale | 90 days | High-Ticket |
| Astra | Up to $210/sale | 60 days | High-Ticket |
| HubSpot | 30% recurring or 100% flat | 180 days | Recurring / High-Ticket |
| Semrush | $200/sale, $10/trial | 120 days | High-Ticket |
| ConvertKit | 30% recurring | 90 days | Recurring |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | €100/sale + €5/lead | 90 days | High-Ticket |
| Teachable | Up to 30% recurring | 90 days | Recurring |
Part 1: Best Affiliate Networks for Beginners
Affiliate networks are marketplaces that connect you (the affiliate) with thousands of brands (merchants). They are the best place to start because they provide access to a huge range of products from a single dashboard.
1. ShareASale
Acquired by Awin, ShareASale is one of the oldest and most trusted affiliate networks. It hosts over 25,000 merchants across virtually every category, from small businesses to major brands like WP Engine, OptinMonster, and Reebok.
- Commission: Varies by merchant.
- Cookie Duration: Varies by merchant.
- Why You Should Join: Its user-friendly interface, reliable payments, and massive selection of merchants make it perfect for beginners. You’re almost guaranteed to find relevant products for your niche.
- Our Expert Take: ShareASale is our top recommendation for new affiliates. Its reporting is straightforward, and the sheer volume of reputable programs, especially in the WordPress and software space, is unmatched.
2. Impact (Impact.com)
Impact is a modern and powerful affiliate platform that is trusted by many of the world’s top SaaS and tech companies, including HubSpot, Semrush, and Brevo. It’s more of a “partnership management platform,” focusing on direct relationships.
- Commission: Varies by brand.
- Cookie Duration: Varies by brand.
- Why You Should Join: For access to premium, high-paying affiliate programs, particularly in the tech and SaaS industries.
- Our Expert Take: While ShareASale is great for variety, Impact is where you’ll find many of the top-tier, exclusive affiliate programs. Its tracking and reporting are best-in-class, making it a favorite among professional affiliate marketers.
3. Amazon Associates
As the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon’s affiliate program is the most popular choice for beginners. You can promote millions of products and earn a commission on anything a user buys within 24 hours of clicking your link.
- Commission: 1% – 10%, depending on the product category.
- Cookie Duration: 24 hours.
- Why You Should Join: Unmatched product selection and massive brand trust, which leads to high conversion rates.
- Our Expert Take: The 24-hour cookie and relatively low commission rates are a downside. However, everyone trusts Amazon. This makes it incredibly easy to get conversions, especially during peak shopping seasons like Prime Day or Diwali. It’s a numbers game, and Amazon plays it best.
Part 2: Top Independent Affiliate Programs (By Niche)
These are high-performing programs run directly by the brands, often through a network like Impact or ShareASale.
Best Web Hosting Affiliate Programs
Hosting is one of the most lucrative affiliate niches due to high demand and generous commissions.
4. WP Engine
WP Engine offers premium managed WordPress hosting. Its affiliate program is legendary for its high payouts and is a favorite of professional bloggers. The program also includes commissions for StudioPress themes.
- Commission: $200 per hosting sale or 100% of the first month’s payment (whichever is higher). 35% on StudioPress theme sales.
- Cookie Duration: 180 days.
- Our Expert Take: WP Engine is a high-ticket offer. While converting a premium hosting plan is harder than a budget one, a single sale can earn you more than 10 smaller commissions. Their long cookie duration is a huge advantage. (Managed via ShareASale).
5. Bluehost
Recommended officially by WordPress.org, Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting providers for beginners. This brand recognition makes it much easier to promote and convert.
- Commission: Starts at $65 per sale (can increase with volume).
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Our Expert Take: For bloggers with an audience new to building websites, Bluehost is one of the easiest hosting programs to promote. The brand is trusted, the price point is low, and the flat-rate commission is generous and predictable.
Best WordPress Theme & Plugin Affiliate Programs
6. Astra
Astra is one of the fastest and most popular WordPress themes on the market, with millions of users. It’s made by the trusted developers at Brainstorm Force.
- Commission: 30% commission, up to $210 per sale for their Agency Bundle.
- Cookie Duration: 60 days.
- Our Expert Take: Promoting a product you love is the best affiliate strategy. Astra is a fantastic theme, making it an easy and authentic recommendation. The high-ticket potential of their bundles makes this a very attractive program.
7. GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a lightweight, performance-focused WordPress theme beloved by developers and SEOs for its speed and stability.
- Commission: 30% of the initial sale.
- Cookie Duration: 30 days.
- Our Expert Take: This program appeals to a more technical audience. If your readers care about site speed, Core Web Vitals, and clean code, promoting GeneratePress will resonate well and build trust.
Best Marketing & SEO Tool Affiliate Programs
These SaaS programs often offer recurring commissions, meaning you get paid every month your referral remains a customer.
8. HubSpot
HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM, marketing, sales, and service platform. Its affiliate program is one of the most generous in the industry, with options for recurring revenue or a high one-time payout.
- Commission: Choice of 30% recurring for up to a year, or a 100% flat-rate payout of the first month’s revenue.
- Cookie Duration: 180 days.
- Our Expert Take: HubSpot is a high-ticket, high-trust brand. Promoting it positions you as an authority in the marketing space. The recurring commission model can build a stable, predictable monthly income stream. (Managed via Impact).
9. Semrush
Semrush is an industry-leading, all-in-one SEO and digital marketing toolkit. Its affiliate program is extremely popular due to the tool’s strong reputation.
- Commission: $200 for every new subscription sale, $10 for every new lead (trial activation), and $0.01 for new sign-ups.
- Cookie Duration: 120 days.
- Our Expert Take: The old Semrush program was recurring. The new bounty-based model (run on Impact) is different but still powerful. Earning $10 just for a trial signup is a fantastic way to monetize your traffic, even if they don’t buy immediately.
10. Kit (ConvertKit)
Kit (ConvertKit) is an email marketing platform built specifically for content creators (bloggers, YouTubers, etc.). This targeted focus makes it a very authentic product to promote to a creator audience.
- Commission: 30% recurring commission for as long as the referral is a customer.
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Our Expert Take: This is a top-tier recurring program. Email marketing is sticky; once a creator is set up, they rarely leave. This means a single referral can pay you every month for years. It’s the perfect program for building long-term passive income.
11. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is an all-in-one marketing platform offering email, SMS, chat, and more. Its affiliate program is attractive because it pays for both leads and sales.
- Commission: €5 for every free user who signs up, plus an additional €100 if that user buys a subscription.
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Our Expert Take: The hybrid model is Brevo’s standout feature. You get paid even if your referral just signs up for a free account, making it easier to generate income while you work on converting them into paying customers.
Best Online Course Platform Affiliate Programs
12. Teachable
Teachable is a popular platform that allows creators to build and sell their own online courses.
- Commission: Up to 30% recurring commission.
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Our Expert Take: This is another excellent recurring program. If your audience consists of experts, coaches, or creators looking to monetize their knowledge, promoting Teachable is a natural fit and can lead to a stable monthly income.
13. Thinkific
Thinkific is a direct competitor to Teachable, offering a powerful platform for creators to build, market, and sell online courses and membership sites.
- Commission: 30% recurring commission.
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Our Expert Take: Offering both Teachable and Thinkific as options can be a great strategy. You can write comparison posts and capture commissions regardless of which platform your reader chooses. Their recurring model is just as strong as Teachable’s.
Other High-Performing Affiliate Programs
14. Grammarly
Grammarly is the world’s leading AI-powered writing assistant, used by millions. Its widespread brand recognition makes it an incredibly easy product to promote.
- Commission: Small bounty ($0.20) for a free account registration and a larger bounty ($20) for a premium plan purchase.
- Cookie Duration: 90 days.
- Our Expert Take: Almost every writer, student, or professional can benefit from Grammarly. Its universal appeal means you can promote it to virtually any audience and earn commissions from both free and paid sign-ups.
15. KWFinder (Mangools)
Mangools offers a suite of 5 user-friendly SEO tools, with KWFinder being the most popular. The tools are known for their great design and affordable pricing, making them ideal for beginners.
- Commission: 30% lifetime recurring commission.
- Cookie Duration: 30 days.
- Our Expert Take: Mangools hits the sweet spot between functionality and affordability. This makes it an easier sell than expensive tools like Semrush, and the 30% lifetime recurring commission is very generous.
How to Choose the Right Affiliate Program
- Relevance to Your Audience: The best product in the world won’t convert if your audience doesn’t need it. Always choose products that solve a problem for your readers.
- Commission Type (Recurring vs. High-Ticket): Recurring programs (like ConvertKit) build stable, passive income over time. High-ticket programs (like WP Engine) offer large one-time payouts. A healthy strategy includes both.
- Cookie Duration: A longer cookie duration (30+ days) gives your readers more time to make a decision after clicking your link, increasing your chances of getting credited for the sale.
- Your Own Experience: The most authentic and effective promotions come from products you use and genuinely love. Your personal experience is your biggest asset.
Conclusion
Success in affiliate marketing comes from building trust with your audience and partnering with reputable brands that offer real value. Start by joining a major network like ShareASale to explore different merchants. Then, identify a few core independent programs like ConvertKit or Astra that you can champion as a true fan.
Focus on creating helpful content that solves problems, and integrate your affiliate recommendations naturally. By prioritizing your audience’s needs, you can build a sustainable and profitable affiliate marketing business.
FAQs on Affiliate Marketing Programs
What is affiliate marketing?
It’s a performance-based marketing model where you (the affiliate) earn a commission for promoting a company’s product or service and generating a sale, lead, or click through your unique tracking link.
How much can I earn with affiliate marketing?
Earnings can range from a few dollars to tens of thousands per month. It depends on your audience size, engagement, the niche you’re in, and the commission structures of the programs you promote.
What’s the difference between an affiliate program and an affiliate network?
An affiliate program is run by a single company to promote its own products (e.g., the Bluehost affiliate program). An affiliate network (e.g., ShareASale) is a marketplace that hosts programs for thousands of different companies.
Do I need a website to be an affiliate marketer?
While a website or blog is the most common platform, you can also do affiliate marketing through social media, YouTube channels, email newsletters, and podcasts, as long as the program’s terms allow it.
