Most well-known eCommerce giants, like Walmart and Amazon, have their own affiliate programs. Many successful affiliate marketers earn thousands of dollars every month.
Software-as-a-service or SaaS affiliate programs are a great choice for affiliate marketers in 2024. This is because they have a higher lifetime value per customer, on average, generating passive income for months or even years after the initial purchase. This niche is less known, too, making it easier for you to tap into the potential.
Don’t know what to look for in an affiliate program? Don’t worry; we have got you covered.
Table of Contents
What Makes for a Great Affiliate Program?
It’s better to avoid promoting everything you get your hands on. Instead, you should promote products and services that you believe in. Many marketers get into affiliate marketing for a quick buck and promote shady products for commissions.
That’s not you, is it?
Now, let’s discuss some of the factors you need to consider when choosing an affiliate marketing program.
Brand transparency
Promoting companies that provide a clear purview of their terms and conditions is important. Since trust and open communication make the backbone of affiliate marketing programs, you need to go for transparent brands with their affiliates.
For example, you should easily calculate commissions, contact support in case of need, and understand the contract by which you are bound. Good affiliate marketing programs also offer detailed and transparent commission structure.
Brand recognition
This one is simple: As an affiliate, you earn when customers purchase something through your affiliate link.
A brand with good reach and recognition can bring more customers. On the other hand, a newer brand with a truly innovative product or service can attract customers, driving more customers to buy them.
Hence, try to find the balance between recognition and innovation. Find out how active the brand is on social media. Do they regularly engage with their social audience and promote their services?
Check if the brand has testimonials in favor of its products and services. Figure out its annual revenue and growth potential.
Cookie duration
What’s a cookie?
Cookies are text files with small pieces of data stored on your computer. These identify your computer over a network and allow websites to track user actions, mainly for marketing purposes.
All cookies have a lifespan.
Hence, keep an eye on the affiliate program’s cookie lifespan. A one-month cookie lifespan means you will receive a commission only if the visitor purchases within one month after clicking on your affiliate link.
Sometimes, people need to purchase the first visit. Look for programs that have longer cookie lifespans.
As a rule, don’t go for programs with cookie lifespans of less than a month.
Commission rates
Not all product vendors offer the same commission rates.
Different merchants will offer different rates to their affiliates. For the SaaS industry, the general rate is about 20%.
Since affiliate marketing requires time and resources, avoid those offering low commission rates. The highest-paying affiliate programs are usually the best ones.
Technical details
This is an essential factor to consider. Before choosing an affiliate program, look for the following technical features:
- Product/service data: This provides all the brand’s products and specifications, thus helping you promote them better.
- Alternate tracking: Nowadays, browsers are implementing tracking protection. Cookieless tracking uses scripts to monitor website visitors.
- Deep linking: This enables you to create an affiliate link to any page or part of the page instead of just the landing page.
- Postback tracking mechanism: Security systems can flag a tracking pixel as suspicious. With postback tracking, the user data is stored in the brand’s server.
- APIs: Application Program Interfaces or APIs let multiple platforms work seamlessly, making it easier for vendors and affiliates.
3 Impressive Affiliate Marketing Examples to Inspire You + Tips
How Do Top Saas Affiliate Programs Stack Up Against Other Niches?
Can you make money from SaaS affiliate programs? They are on par, if not better, than most other niches like health and wellness, education, or lifestyle. Here’s why:
Better commissions
SaaS affiliate programs offer recurring commissions based on a percentage of monthly payments, renewals, and upgrades over long periods. It can go as high as 30%.
Most other niches will only offer one-time commissions per sale, meaning they have lower earning potential than SaaS.
Long-term returns
SaaS is a subscription model, meaning customers will likely wait to switch to it. There’s a learning curve sometimes, and changing workflows often isn’t easy.
Since commissions continue as long as customers pay, you’re assured a steady income on a SaaS affiliate program.
Low barrier to entry
Almost anyone can apply to a SaaS affiliate program, which may not be true with other niches like health and wellness, education, etc. Only a few brands require affiliates to be active users of their products.
Growth potential
As businesses move to agile, cloud-based workflows, the SaaS industry (and, by extension, SaaS affiliate programs) is expected to grow exponentially.
Dropshipping Affiliate Marketing 101: a Step-by-step Guide
How to Start Software Affiliate Marketing
Before you apply to a bunch of saas affiliate programs, consider the following:
Brand fit
Your audience will associate you with the brands you promote. So it would be best if you kept their preferences and interests in mind as well as your own.
In other words, test every product yourself and be selective about who you promote.
Eligibility criteria
Some SaaS brands may screen affiliates based on their monthly traffic, email list size, number of followers, engagement rate, location, etc. Some SaaS affiliate program managers may even want to interview you before signing up.
Ensure you know these criteria to increase your chances of getting accepted.
Terms and conditions
Brands often have specific terms and conditions that affiliate marketers must comply with. For example: Sharing of commissions with others (offering cash back), or self-referrals go against the policy guidelines of most SaaS affiliate programs.
Competition
You may be up against content creators and influencers with large followings for sales. This is why, you need to identify the best strategies and tactics to differentiate yourself from the rest—for example, add explainer videos to blogs or use social media polls and quizzes with affiliate links.
We’ll discuss specific tactics in the next section.
Read more: 9 Reseller Marketing Strategies to Stand Out From the Crowd
SaaS Affiliate Marketing Case Studies for Inspiration
If you’re just getting started on a SaaS affiliate program, here are some case studies to help build your strategy around:
Leveraging blogs and SEO to drive traffic and build awareness
Pat Flynn, founder of Smart Passive Income, has turned affiliate marketing into a fine art. He promotes a range of SaaS products like ConvertKit, Leadpaes, and AWeber. Pat’s time-tested approach is simple yet effective.
It includes:
- Testing each product firsthand so he knows they would help his audience, too
- Using educational blog posts to teach readers how to solve specific problems and adding affiliate links contextually. This means readers naturally click on those links and often end up purchasing
- Making YouTube demo videos and even integrating them into his blog posts. This strategy provides better value for readers and increases search rankings over time
Takeaway: Evergreen long-form pillar content with explainer videos can be optimized over time for related keywords.
Alternatively, dedicated landing pages or posts for related topics can be created and interlinked with each other, as well as the main pillar page, to build site authority and improve accessibility for readers.
Building a list using opt-in email marketing
Successful affiliate marketers don’t think in terms of one sale. For them, it’s always about customer lifetime value. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner swears by this approach.
As a personal finance and online business expert, she uses free e-books to get people to subscribe to her email list. She then nurtures subscribers via email newsletter before making a sales pitch via promotional emails.
This strategy brought her over $10,000 in affiliate commissions from ConvertKit in under 30 days. She offered her subscribers an exclusive discount, which paid off well.
Using dedicated landing pages for repeat sales
Another successful affiliate marketer, Niel Patel, recommends using dedicated ‘squeeze pages’ to answer possible objections prospects may have before directing them to the sales page. For affiliate marketers, this can increase the conversion rate significantly.
This can include a short video, testimonials, reviews, and even a gift. You can also include links to in-depth comparison guides on your blog or website.
This can help your audience make informed decisions and build trust with them. Save time and effort with EngageBay’s dedicated landing page builder– you’ll get beautiful, responsive landing pages in minutes.
60 of the Best SaaS Affiliate Programs for 2024
Program | Commission Percentage | Payout frequency | Cookie Duration (days) | USP |
EngageBay | 30% | Recurring | 30 |
High retention rate, long-term income stream 24×7 customer support |
Hubspot | 30% | Recurring (up to 1 year) | 180 | Free training resources and brand assets |
Moosend | 30- 40% | Recurring | 90 | Free training resources |
Semrush |
$10 per trial $200 per sale
|
One-time | 120 |
Promotional materials Performance dashboard
|
Pabbly | 30% | Recurring | 30 |
Customer support Real-time reporting |
ClickFunnels | 20-40% | Recurring | 30 | Dedicated customer support |
Freshbooks |
$200 per sale $10 per trial |
Recurring | 120 | Dedicated customer support |
Instapage |
50% one time 30% recurring |
Both | 120 | Real-time reporting |
SurveySparrow |
25% per sale $500 bonus for sales over $5000 per month |
Recurring | 90 |
Dedicated account manager Free promotional material
|
BigCommerce |
Regular plans – 200% per sale (first payment) Enterprise plan – $1500 per sale |
One time | 90 days |
Reporting dashboard Dedicated account manager |
SocialBee |
Tool – 20% Agency services -10% additional |
Recurring | 30 days |
Dedicated account manager Product training, Free promotional material
|
Baremetrics | 20% | Recurring | 60 days |
Reporting dashboard Free promotional material |
Leadpages | 10-50% (Tiered) | Recurring | 30 days | Special promotions, private Facebook groups, dedicated support, early access |
Shopify | Up to 100% (of first two payments) | Fixed | 30 days |
Free affiliate marketing training Dedicated account manager |
Coursera | 15-45% (Tiered) | One-time | 30 days |
Free promotional material Daily product updates |
Sage |
Tool – 7% per sale Free trials -GBP5 |
One-time | 30 days |
Dedicated support team Real-time reporting |
Pipedrive |
20%
|
Recurring (1st year) | 90 days |
Reporting dashboard Free promotional material |
Sellfy |
25%- 40% (Tiered)
|
Recurring | 90 days | Dedicated support team |
Weebly | 30% per sale | Recurring | 120 days |
Dedicated account manager, free promotional materials, access to knowledge base Reporting Dashboard |
Canva | $25 per sale | One time | 30 days | Dedicated support team, reporting |
Time Doctor | 30% per sale | Recurring | 183 days |
Free promotional material, Dedicated support
|
Mangools | Up to 35% | Recurring | 30 days | Free promotional material |
Drip | 15-25% | Recurring | – | Demo account, dedicated account manager |
Social Pilot | 20% | Recurring (for 1 month) | 90 days |
Free promotional material Real-time performance tracking Dedicated support |
Zoho CRM | 15% | Recurring (for 1st year) | 90 days | Dedicated support, free promotional material |
WP Engine | $200-$290 per sale | 1st year | 180 days | Free promotional assets, dedicated support team |
Folderly | 15%- 20% (3 tiers) | Monthly | 30 days | Real-time reporting dashboard, customer support |
Wix | $100 | One-time | 30 days | Customer support |
Adobe |
Creative Cloud and Document Cloud -8.33% (one-time or -85% per sale (1st year) Adobe Stock -8.33% (one-time) or -85% (1st year) OR -$72 (for 1st year)
|
Both | 30 days |
Customer support Promotional material Real-time reporting |
Jasper | Up to 30% | Recurring (for 1st year) | 45 days | Free promotional material, product training |
GetResponse |
$150 per sale (one time) 50% per sale(recurring) |
Both | 120 days |
Free promotional material, Reporting data |
Unbounce | 25%-35% | Recurring (for 1st year) | 90 days | Dedicated support team, Custom dashboard, Free promotional material |
Mailmodo | 20% | Monthly | 60 days |
Dedicated support team, Free promotional material |
Keap | 20%-30% (multiple programs) | Both | – | Free promotional material, dedicated support team |
Leadpages | 10-50% (based on tier) | Recurring | 30 days | Dedicated support team, free content, private Facebook group |
Omnisend | 20% | Recurring | 30 days | Dedicated support team, free promotional material |
ConvertKit | 30% | Recurring(up to 24 months) | 90 days | Product training, free promotional material, reporting dashboard |
Constant Contact | Up to $80 | One time | – | Free promotional material, dedicated support team, reporting analytics |
ActiveCampaign | 20-30% | Recurring | – | Free promotional material, product updates, members-only social media groups, reporting dashboard |
AWeber | 30-50% | Recurring | – | Free promotional material, reporting data, customer referral newsletter |
Hunter | 30% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | – | |
Freshworks | Up to 25% (+bonus based on performance) | Recurring (for the 1st year) | – | Reporting dashboard, free promotional material |
Freshlearn | 30% | Recurring | – | |
Colossyan | 25-50% (tier levels) | Recurring | 90 days | Reporting dashboard, free promotional material, dedicated support team |
SignWell | 25% | Recurring | ||
OneUp | 20% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | ||
NeuralText | 30% | Recurring | 60 days | Promotional assets, product updates, reporting analytics |
MemberSpace | 50% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | 60 days | Reporting dashboard, promotional content |
Systeme | 60% | Recurring | Promotional content | |
Recruit CRM | 20% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | – | Promotional content, dedicated support team |
Podia | 20% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | – | Promotional content, dedicated support team |
EmailOctupus | 30% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | 31 day | Dedicated account manager |
Astra | 25% | Recurring | 60 days | |
SmartTask | 25% | Recurring | Promotional material, partner support | |
Jebbit | Recurring (for the 1st year) | Dedicated support, regular product updates | ||
Lubenda | GBP50 Amazon voucher | |||
My AskAI | 25% | Recurring (for the 1st year) | 60 days | Promotional material, dedicated support team |
Userback | 35% | Recurring | 28 days | Promotional material, dedicated support, performance analytics |
Heyzine | 20% | Recurring | 60 days |
Now, let’s check out some of the best SaaS affiliate programs with great commissions, beginning with our very own.
1. EngageBay
Our first pick on this list is EngageBay.
EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and service software with free CRM. We have an outstanding affiliate program.
You can earn a 30% commission every month from each referral.
Also, the first-click attribution model ensures that the commission goes to the affiliate whose link the customer clicks on first.
EngageBay is super flexible and affordable when it comes to pricing. Our product has all the marketing automation and CRM features that a startup or small business can request, and we offer 24/7 user support.
More than 80,000 businesses worldwide have used and loved EngageBay. This means you have a great product with little effort and industry-best commissions. With us, there’s trust, a recurring revenue source for your business, and a fast-growing market share.
- Program name: EngageBay
- Commission: 30%
- Cookie duration: 30 days
2. HubSpot
HubSpot offers an excellent affiliate program. You can earn a 30% recurring commission for every new paid customer you refer. HubSpot’s pricing ranges from $20 to over $4,000, so there’s much earning potential.
In addition to the high payouts, HubSpot affiliates enjoy:
- 180-day cookie lifespan
- Hundreds of ready-to-use marketing materials
- Performance tiers that enable you to earn more
Of course, HubSpot’s brand recognition and positive reputation make it easy for affiliates to win more customers for its products.
- Program name: HubSpot
- Commission: 30% recurring (up to 1 year)
- Cookie duration: 180 days
3. Moosend
Moosend is a SaaS tool that focuses on email marketing. It is known for great features, marketing automation, and an award-winning user interface.
Its built-in campaign editors help you manage multiple email campaigns and lists, in addition to templates for newsletters. This is a good option for potential affiliates.
Their affiliate marketing program offers a 40% recurring commission to affiliates. The program is easy to understand, and you can track your earnings on an easy-to-access dashboard.
The 40% commission increases whenever your referral upgrades their plan as well. There is a 90-day cookie window, which is also good. This is suitable particularly for content marketers.
- Program name: Moosend
- Commission: 30- 40% recurring
- Cookie duration: 90 days
4. Semrush
The SEO star Semrush offers one of the best affiliate marketing programs.
A 40% commission on affiliate subscriptions is super hard to beat. Oh, and it’s recurring, too. This means you can earn an average of $160 monthly for each paying referral you make.
Like EngageBay, Semrush’s first-click model ensures that the commission goes to the affiliate whose link the customer clicks on first, even if the purchase is made through a different affiliate.
- Program name: Semrush
- Commission: 40%
- Cookie duration: 120 days
5. Pabbly
Pabbly is a marketing automation software with email marketing, form builder, and billing support bundled into one platform.
Its affiliate program lets you earn a 30% recurring commission for every referral that pays. Pabbly’s easy-to-use dashboard, monthly payouts, and 30-day cookie period are great for newbie affiliate marketers.
- Program name: Pabbly
- Commission: 30% recurring
- Cookie duration: 30 days
6. ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels lets businesses create awesome sales funnels to convert leads into customers.
As an affiliate for ClickFunnels, you can earn a 20% recurring commission on ClickFunnels subscriptions.
After you’ve earned $1,000 in commissions a month, you can become an approved affiliate with a recurring commission rate of 30%.
What’s more, if you have 40 active ClickFunnels customers registered for a monthly membership, your recurring commission can be increased to 40%!
- Program name: ClickFunnels
- Commission: 20-40% recurring
- Cookie duration: 30 days
7. Freshbooks
Freshbooks offers another excellent affiliate program. Interestingly, this brand even offers a commission of up to $10 for free trial referrals. Once they upgrade to a paid plan, you can earn up to $200 per sale made.
Also, Freshbooks’ cookie lifespan is 120 days. Its affiliate program is maintained through Sharesale, a world-renowned affiliate marketing network.
- Program name: Freshbooks
- Commission: $200 per sale, $10 per trial
- Cookie duration: 120 days
8. Instapage
Instapage is a landing page builder that helps businesses increase their conversion rates.
Instapage also offers an enticing affiliate program, with affiliates earning a 30% to 50% recurring commission on their paid plans. Instapage pays a 50% recurring commission for the first year and a 30% recurring commission for the subsequent years.
Plus, InstaPage has a cookie lifespan of 120 days.
- Program name: Instapage
- Commission: 50% one-time, 30% recurring
- Cookie duration: 120 days
9. SurveySparrow
SurverySparrow markets itself as an omnichannel experience management platform.
As an affiliate marketer for SurverySparrow, you get a 25% recurring commission for each sale you bring. Also, high performers who bring over $5,000 a month of revenue get a $500 bonus on their commissions.
SurverySparrow’s cookie lifespan is 90 days.
- Program name: SurveySparrow
- Commission: 25% per sale, $500 bonus for sales over $5,000 per month
- Cookie duration: 90 days
10. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a haven for affiliate marketers — the commission is a whopping 200% of the consumer’s first payment. Additionally, you can enjoy higher commission rates as you bring in more referrals.
In 2020 alone, BigCommerce paid more than $1.5 million in commissions to its affiliates.
- Program name: BigCommerce
- Commission:
- Regular plans – 200% per sale (first payment)
- Enterprise plan – $1500 per sale one time
- Cookie date: 90 days
11. SocialBee
SocialBee is a social media management tool for authors, freelancers, startups, and coaches.
You can earn a 20% recurring commission on their tools and a 10% on their concierge services plans. SocialBee even discounts their products if you can drive in a large audience.
Their cookie lifespan is 90 days.
- Program name: SocialBee
- Commission:
- Tool – 20%
- Agency services – 10% additional
- Cookie duration: 30 days
12. Baremetrics
Baremetrics is a subscription analytics software that helps businesses get the insights they need to understand performance and revenue. Top companies like Todoist, ConvertKit, and Product Hunt use Baremetrics for analysis.
The Baremetrics affiliate program offers a 20% recurring commission every month. In addition, the customers you referred will get a 50% discount for the first month.
- Program name: Baremetrics
- Commission: 20% recurring
- Cookie duration: 60 days
13. Leadpages
Leadpages is an all-in-one SaaS platform for online marketing, payments, and other integrated tools. Their USP is building code-free websites through their platform.
It helps you publish conversion-optimized web pages, alert bars, pop-ups, and live chat and even allows you to run A/B tests. All of this can be integrated with your CRM.
The Leadpages affiliate marketing program is a good option for small businesses. They offer up to 50% commission on all first-time and recurring sales. There are three tier levels for affiliates and a cookie lifespan of 30 days.
For each new account, upgrade, or in-app purchase conducted by the customers, the system looks back over the previous 30 days. If the total new customer revenue exceeds $50, you get a commission of 40%.
If the new customer revenue exceeds $3,000, you get a 50% commission.
- Program name: Leadpages
- Commission: 10-50% (tiered) recurring
- Cookie duration: 30 days
14. Shopify
Shopify is a cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform that caters to businesses of all sizes. This SaaS product allows sellers to create and manage their stores across various channels. This includes web, mobile, pop-up, brick-and-mortar, and social media.
Shopify SaaS affiliate marketing program is known for its high commissions. For each referral who signs up for their paid plan, you can receive up to 100% commission for the first and second payments.
The sales attribution starts when your referral signs up for a 30-day free trial. You will earn a commission if the user buys a plan after 30 days. The cookie lifespan for this affiliate program is 30 days.
In addition, Shopify also offers an affiliate marketing course for beginners. You can log in and enroll in the affiliate marketing fundamentals course. The course takes just under an hour to complete.
They also have an affiliate manager who can help you with queries or issues.
- Program name: Shopify
- Commission: Up to 100% (of first two payments)
- Cookie duration: 30 days
15. Coursera
Coursera is one of the world’s most trusted and leading e-learning websites.
Launched by two professors from Stanford, it offers educational courses through its academic partnerships with elite universities and corporations worldwide.
With the rise of online learning after the pandemic, the Coursera affiliate program might be a good fit for you.
Their affiliate program has a baseline commission of 10%, which is higher than the average in educational SaaS affiliate programs. It pays up to 45% commission, with additional bonuses for high performers.
The program has a cookie lifespan of 30 days. They also offer support for their SaaS affiliates and have full-time staff. The only drawback is that degrees and MasterTrack certificates are not eligible for the affiliate program.
- Program name: Coursera
- Commission: 15-45% (tiered) one-time
- Cookie duration: 30 days
16. Sage
Sage is a well-known leader in the integrated accounting, payroll, and payment systems industry. It caters primarily to small and medium enterprises.
As an affiliate marketer, this might be the program you have been looking for. The Sage affiliate program offers commissions on all sales and free trials generated from your site.
It is a global affiliate program, and payment is made to you in the currency of your choice. They also have a good affiliate network. No matter the size of your business, you will be eligible to sign up. It offers a cookie lifespan of 30 days.
- Program name: Sage
- Commission:
- Tool – 7% per sale
- Free trials – One-time payment
- Cookie duration: 30 days
17. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a cloud-based sales software company. Its USP is that it is an all-in-one sales platform and CRM that prioritizes the needs of salespeople.
The Pipedrive affiliate program is for coaches, influencers, and content creators interested in recommending great CRM software with a low-touch approach.
As a potential affiliate with Pipedrive, you are likely to earn up to 33% in recurring commissions for the first year of the customer contract. There are no upper limits to how much you can earn.
The cookie life window is 90 days, higher than the industry average.
- Program: Pipedrive
- Commission: 20% recurring (1st year)
- Cookie duration: 90 days
18. Sellfy
Sellfy is an eCommerce platform that allows digital content creators to sell their works online. The platform handles everything from hosting the products online to delivering the products to the customers.
Sellfy SaaS affiliate program offers instant payouts to its affiliates through PayPal.
You can earn a 25% recurring commission on each sale for a year. If you can make more than 100 monthly sales, they even have an option to create a custom plan for you. The cookie’s lifetime length is 90 days.
They offer full-time support for their SaaS affiliates and the usual affiliate perks.
- Program name: Sellfy
- Commission: 25%- 40% (tiered) recurring
- Cookie duration: 90 days
19. Weebly
Weebly is a drag-and-drop website builder. They offer many customizable templates and step-by-step guides for creating websites.
The Weebly affiliate marketing program garners a commission of 30%.
It has a higher-than-average cookie lifespan of 120 days, which will help you even when customers make a purchase and convert. There are also regular bonuses for high performers.
- Program name: Weebly
- Commission: 30% per sale recurring
- Cookie duration: 120 days
20. Canva
Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design platform. It allows graphic designers to create designs, templates, and other documents.
The Canva affiliate program is relatively new. As a Canva affiliate, you can make $25 on each CanvaPro subscription purchased through your referral.
The cookie lifespan is 30 days. Also, you will get access to their marketing and promotional material. This is suitable for professionals working in design with a larger audience.
- Program name: Canva
- Commission: $25 per sale one time
- Cookie duration: 30 days
21. Time Doctor
TimeDoctor is a productivity and time-tracking tool for employees. As a time doctor affiliate, you can earn a 30% recurring commission for five years. The program offers monthly payouts through PayPal.
Their cookie timespan is 183 days, which is higher than the average. This will be especially useful if your referrals take more time to convert. Over a period, the recurring revenue could be large.
- Program name: Time Doctor
- Commission: 30% per sale recurring
- Cookie duration: 183 days
22. Mangools
SEO and SEO PowerSuite tools are now essential for every business to thrive. Mangools is an SEO platform that is a compilation of five SEO tools. KWFFinder is their most popular SEO tool.
The Mangools SaaS affiliate program allows you to refer customers to any of their five SEO tools. You will receive instant approval once you apply to be an affiliate, which is rare.
You will receive a 30% recurring lifetime commission on each sale made. They also include promotional material for your use. In addition, the cookie expiration is 30 days.
- Program name: Mangools
- Commission: Up to 35% recurring
- Cookie duration: 30 days
23. Drip
Drip is an email marketing tool that allows you to send automated emails to customers on your mailing list. This is a good option, especially if you are a content creator.
If your platform can be integrated with Drip, they also have an integration partnership program.
As a Drip agency affiliate, you will earn a commission of 15% for each sale made.
- Program name: Drip
- Commission: 15-25% recurring
24. Social Pilot
Social Pilot is a social media marketing tool that helps you create, manage, and schedule your social media marketing activities.
In the Social Pilot affiliate program, the promised commission is 30% for every customer through your referral. You will also earn a commission when a client renews their subscription.
Also, every affiliate application is pre-approved. This means that you won’t have to wait to join their program. It is also free to join. Their cookie timespan is 60 days.
- Program name: Social Pilot
- Commission: 20% recurring (for one month)
- Cookie duration: 90 days
25. Zoho CRM
Zoho is one of the better-known CRM software on the market today. Zoho has one of the best affiliate programs for SaaS products.
The Zoho affiliate program gives you a monthly commission of 15% for each qualified sale you generate. But, after 12 months, you will not get a commission from the same customer.
Zoho has a large inventory of marketing materials and also offers good support for its affiliates. The cookie lifespan window is 90 days. All your qualified referrals also get $100 in their Zoho Wallet Credits.
The good news is that they have no limit on your commissions. You also have no minimum sales requirement to continue on the program.
- Program name: Zoho CRM
- Commission: 15% recurring (for 1st year)
- Cookie duration: 90 days
26. WP Engine
If you are a blogger, a freelancer, or a digital marketing agency, the WP Engine affiliate program might be the perfect fit for you.
WP Engine is a digital experience platform that allows you to create websites and apps using WordPress. The company also acquired StudioPress, which means you can also promote StudioPress themes from the same affiliate program.
WP Engine has one of the highest payouts for their affiliates, with a flat $200 for each sale! They also have a monthly bonus payment for more than five sales. You’ll get a $100 bonus for five sales in a month. If you make more than 60 monthly sales, you get a bonus of $1,500.
The cookie lifespan is 180 days for WP Engine and 60 days for StudioPress themes. They also offer various seasonal promotions, like Thanksgiving discount coupons, that you can market.
- Program name: WP Engine
- Commission: $200-$290 per sale for the 1st year
- Cookie duration: 180 days
27. Folderly
Folderly is a SaaS solution dedicated to email marketing focusing on email deliverability. The Folderly SaaS affiliate program is a new initiative by the company.
You can take home a 15% monthly recurring commission for every successful affiliate link as an affiliate partner. There is no upper limit on the affiliate commission you can earn.
- Program name: Folderly
- Commission: 15%- 20% (3 tiers) monthly
- Cookie duration: 30 days
28. Wix
As far as SaaS affiliate programs go, Wix is a good bet. It’s a great way to start making some passive income. Wix is a SaaS company that allows easy creation of websites for people with less technical knowledge.
The Wix affiliate program pays its referral partners a flat $100 for each referral. Joining the program is completely free.
You also get access to various marketing materials when you sign up. The cookie’s lifespan is 30 days, and you also get the usual affiliate tracking software.
- Program name: Wix
- Commission: $100 one-time
- Cookie duration: 30 days
29. Adobe
You can watch a video about the Adobe SaaS affiliate marketing here.
The Adobe affiliate program allows you to promote the following:
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Adobe Stock
- Adobe Document Cloud
You have the option of a monthly or a yearly subscription. The commission for creative cloud and document cloud is 85% of each referral. This is for the first month.
Yearly subscribers get an additional commission of 8.33% on the referrals for the year. The cookie lifespan is 30 days. There are also regular incentives and exclusive promotional deals for their affiliate marketers.
- Program name: Adobe Creative Cloud and Document Cloud
- Commission: 8.33% (one-time) or 85% per sale (1st year)
- Program name: Adobe Stock
- Commission: 8.33% (one-time) or 85% (1st year) or $72 (for 1st year)
- Cookie duration: 30 days
30. Jasper
Jasper is an ‘AI copilot’ for marketing teams that offers AI-assisted content, analytics, insights, and more. Jasper’s insights can help businesses produce better-quality blogs faster, reduce content production costs, and improve website traffic.
The affiliate program, though closed for new applications, will open later this year. Jasper’s affiliate program offers a 25% recurring commission, and the cookie duration is 45 days.
- Program name: Jasper
- Commission: Up to 30% recurring (for 1st year)
- Cookie duration: 45 days
31. GetResponse
GetResponse is a robust email marketing software for professionals designed to help businesses generate and nurture leads.
You can earn revenue by promoting GetResponse and signing up for their affiliate program. The best part is that it allows you to customize your offer and recommend the most popular solution, increasing your chance to earn faster.
You can earn up to 22% commission with 24/7 support available. Enroll for the GetResponse affiliate program in three simple steps – get a link, promote a product, and earn revenue.
32. Unbounce
Unbounce helps brands build high-converting landing pages and grow their business. It is used by agencies, eCommerce, and SaaS websites too.
Unbounce’s affiliate program allows you to earn up to 35% commission on referrals in the first 12 months for a payment threshold of $50 for every customer that you refer to Unbounce.
It also offers an affiliate dashboard and a dedicated partner coach who guides you at every step.
- Program name: GetResponse
- Commission: $150 per sale (one time) or 50% per sale(recurring)
- Cookie duration: 120 days
33. Mailmodo
Mailmodo is a popular email marketing software that promises a high deliverability rate. The Mailmodo affiliate program allows you to earn a 20% recurring monthly commission for every paid customer you refer.
Moreover, it offers dedicated support to help you establish your business and provides a pre-made affiliate kit to help you get started. Please keep track of your referrals in real-time on their dashboard.
- Program name: Mailmodo
- Commission: 20% monthly
- Cookie duration: 60 days
34. Keap
Keap offers a CRM platform for small businesses to help them build long-lasting customer relationships.
The Keap affiliate program is designed for agencies, consultants, and other sales professionals looking to help clients with better CRM and scale their business. It enables you to earn 20-30% commission on app sales.
- Program name: Keap
- Commission: 20%-30% (multiple programs)
35. Leadpages
As the name suggests, Leadpages offers a robust set of tools that help with lead generation. From landing pages to website builders and other conversion tools, you can grow your leads with +8% conversion rates.
Leadpages gives up to 50% recurring commissions on all sales, including one-time purchases, renewals, and upgrades.
You get a dedicated affiliate support team, early access to features, periodic special promotions, and exclusive group access to connect and network with other affiliates.
- Program name: Leadpages
- Commission: 10-50% (based on tier)
- Cookie duration: 30 days
36. Omnisend
Omnisend is a powerful email and SMS marketing tool that claims to have helped its customers make $72 for every dollar they spent in 2022.
By joining the Omnisend affiliate program, you can earn at least 20% monthly recurring commissions for every new paid customer. They offer 3+ integrations with the leading eCommerce platforms, 80+ integrations with eCommerce apps, and five channels for full omnichannel support.
- Program name: Omnisend
- Commission: 20% recurring
- Cookie duration: 30 days
37. ConvertKit
ConvertKit is another email marketing platform that helps you list and sell products online.
You get a 30% commission for 24 months for every paid customer on ConvertKit through your affiliate link. Besides, you get graphics and video assets to create your content, evergreen webinars to use as a funnel, and a dashboard to track your progress.
- Program name: ConvertKit
- Commission: 30% Recurring(up to 24 months)
- Cookie duration: 90 days
38. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is a digital marketing tool that lets you target ads online, automate social postings, and enable advanced email automation.
It is one of the highest-paying affiliate programs – you earn $105 for every paid customer through your referral link. You can refer as many users as you want; there’s no limit on commission.
Their affiliate reporting system is also robust – you can track the number of referrals who signed up for a demo, how many leads convert to sales, and how much you earn.
- Program name: Constant Contact
- Commission: Up to $80 one time
39. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign offers a comprehensive set of tools required to run a business – marketing, sales, and CRM software.
Every time someone signs up for ActiveCampaign using your affiliate link, you earn 20-30% commission. The average affiliate makes $1,350 per referral, and influencers earn thousands of dollars every month through ActiveCampaign affiliate programs.
When you sign up, you get to join their affiliate community and access their latest product updates.
- Program name: ActiveCampaign
- Commission: 20-30% recurring
40. AWeber
AWeber is a marketing automation platform that offers a wide range of tools, including email marketing, landing page builder, eCommerce pages, etc.
AWeber offers an Advocate Program, the same as an affiliate program. Here, you can earn up to 50% of recurring referral payments for the lifetime of an AWeber Pro account.
They also offer a handful of valuable resources to help you get started. And most importantly, it’s free to join!
- Program name: AWeber
- Commission: 30-50% recurring
41. Hunter
Hunter is an all-in-one email outreach platform used by top companies like Microsoft, Canva, Gartner, etc.
Hunter affiliate program allows you to earn 30% recurring revenue for every customer you bring in. It’s easy to join – apply, generate links, and start selling. It was also featured in HuffPost, The Guardian, and more.
- Program name: Hunter
- Commission: 30% recurring (for the 1st year)
42. Freshworks
Freshworks offers various products, from customer service suites to sales and marketing tools.
Freshworks affiliate program earns a 15% commission on the monthly deal value of a customer you refer. They offer a 90-day cookie window, meaning you still get paid if the referral signs up within 90 days of clicking your referral link.
They have over 20,000+ affiliates and claim to have already paid $1,000,000+ in commissions.
- Program name: Freshworks
- Commission: Up to 25% (+bonus based on performance) recurring for the 1st year
43. Freshlearn
Freshlearn is a no-code platform that helps you create and sell courses online under your personalized storefront.
With the trend of online courses, promoting Freshlearn is the right time that can help you earn good revenue. The FreshLearn affiliate program enables you to earn a flat 30% lifetime commission for every creator you send their way. They empower you by offering many resources to help you maximize your revenue.
FreshLearn affiliate program is easy to set up and start earning!
- Program: Freshlearn
- Commission: 30% recurring
44. Colossyan
Colossyan is an AI-based video platform that creators AI videos from text within minutes. The platform can also translate content to multiple languages with a button. Colossyan offers dozens of prebuilt video templates for various occasions.
Colossyan’s affiliate marketing program offers a 25% commission on all paid plans, and the cookie duration is 60 days.
Program: Colossyan
- Commission: 25-50% (tier levels) recurring
- Cookie duration: 90 days
45. SignWell
SignWell is an electronic signature application that aims to simply how you sign digital documents. SignWell helps you easily acquire legally binding signatures as it complies with US and international e-signature laws.
SignWell’s affiliate program offers a 25% recurring commission for every person you refer to SignWell.
- Program duration: SignWell
- Commission: 25% recurring
46. OneUp
OneUp is a simple social media scheduling and management SaaS software with over 80,000 users worldwide.
You can join OneUp’s affiliate marketing program and receive a 20% commission on all the payments from customers you refer – available for up to one year. Remember that you need to be a paying user of OneUp to sign up for this program.
- Program name: OneUp
- Commission: 20% recurring (for the 1st year)
47. NeuralText
NeuralText is an all-in-one content marketing platform with interesting tools like the paragraph generator, content online, product description generator, AI-based content briefs, keyword and SEO analytics, and more.
After the user signs up, NeuralText’s affiliate program offers a 30% recurring commission for life. The cookie duration is 60 days.
- Program name: NeuralText
- Commission: 30% recurring
- Cookie duration: 60 days
48. MemberSpace
MemberSpace is a platform that lets you sell memberships and digital products and is perfect for professionals, entrepreneurs, and creators.
MemberSpace’s affiliate program offers a 25% recurring commission when a referral joins their Professional plan. In addition, the referral gets a 10% discount for the first year.
- Program name: MemberSpace
- Commission: 50% recurring (for the 1st year)
- Cookie duration: 60 days
49. Systeme
Systeme is an all-in-one marketing platform with many features, including sales funnels, email marketing, campaigns, landing pages, tagging, newsletters, and more.
Systeme’s affiliate program offers a 60% lifetime commission for every systeme.io subscription. You can also refer to their online courses and earn money.
- Program name: Systeme
- Commission: 60% recurring
50. Recruit CRM
Recruit CRM is a staffing agency recruitment software that offers ATS, CRM, automation, integrations, analytics, and more. This is one of the best solutions for HR managers and recruitment companies.
Recruit CRM’s affiliate program offers a guaranteed commission for every qualified lead through your allocated referral link, and the rewards start from $100.
- Program name: Recruit CRM
- Commission: 20% recurring (for the 1st year)
51. Podia
Podia offers email marketing, digital products, and more – all under one roof.
Podia’s affiliate solution offers a 30% recurring monthly commission through the Refer-a-Creator program. The cookie duration is 30 days.
- Program name: Podia
- Commission: 20% recurring (for the 1st year)
52. EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus is a simple yet powerful email marketing software with custom templates and a drag-and-drop builder. The tool offers segmentation, landing pages, email sequences, automated workflows, and more.
EmailOctopus’s affiliate program offers a 30% recurring commission on every referral. The program also offers a dedicated affiliate manager to help you succeed. The cookie duration is 31 days.
- Program name: EmailOctupus
- Commission: 30% recurring (for the 1st year)
- Cookie duration: 31 days
53. Astra
Astra is a comprehensive security pentesting application that helps users identify security loopholes and fix them quickly. Their scanner offers 8,000+ programs, including CVEs, OWASP Top 10, SANS 25, and more.
Astra’s affiliate program offers a 25% recurring commission for each new signup for a lifetime (as long as the customer is subscribed). The cookie duration is 60 days.
- Program name: Astra
- Commission: 25% recurring
- Cookie duration: 60 days
54. SmartTask
SmartTask is an all-in-one marketing, sales, customer success, hiring, and project-tracking SaaS software for businesses. It offers multiple project tracking, time tracking, intuitive dashboards, custom fields, client onboarding, and more.
The affiliate program offers a 25% recurring commission for all paid conversions.
- Program name: SmartTask
- Commission: 25% recurring
55. Jebbit
Jebbit is an online quizbook, forms, surveys, and quiz creation software to help businesses connect with their audience on multiple channels. It’s a no-code design software with dozens of prebuilt templates.
Jebbit’s affiliate program offers payments on all sign-ups and even increases earnings for referrals that upgrade to a paid plan.
- Program: Jebbit
- Commission: NA
56. Iubenda
Iubenda is an attorney-level solution that makes websites and applications compliant with local and international laws and legislation. 100,000+ users from all over the world use Iubenda’s 360-degree solution to keep their digital elements compliant.
Iubenda’s affiliate marketing program has stricter guidelines than other affiliate programs.
They do not mention the cookie duration or commission rates on their website. You have to contact them for more information.
- Program: Lubenda
- Commission: £50 Amazon voucher per sale
57. Timetastic
Timetastic is a staff holiday planner for teams and small companies and offers a central record of all absences – thus improving workplace productivity.
Timetastic’s affiliate program is managed through Rewardful and offers a £50 Amazon voucher for every customer you refer.
- Program: Timetastic
- Commission: £50 Amazon voucher per sale
58. My AskAI
My AskAI is an affordable AI customer service software to help support teams save money and time through instant, conversational chats and answers for any customer queries about the business’s products and services.
The affiliate program offers a 25% recurring commission for every new customer for up to one year. The cookie duration is 60 days.
- Program name: My AskAI
- Commission: 25% recurring (for the 1st year)
- Cookie duration: 60 days
59. Userback
Userback is a feedback management software that offers visual feedback forms, precise bug and issue tracking, feature validation, and more.
Userback’s referral program offers a 35% recurring commission for every sale for one year. The cookie duration is 28 days.
- Program name: Userback
- Commission: 35% recurring
- Cookie duration: 28 days
60. Heyzine
Heyzine is a flipbook maker application that converts PDFs to flipbooks with realistic page flipping and coverflow effects. You can also create interactive publications for free without ads or watermarks.
The affiliate program offers a 20% recurring commission for every new subscription, and the cookie duration is 60 days.
- Program name: Heyzine
- Commission: 20% recurring
- Cookie duration: 60 days
Affiliate Marketing 101 for Ecommerce Business Owners
How to Optimize Affiliate Marketing for SaaS Products
Here’s how to leverage different channels effectively to market SaaS products effectively, and drive sales:
Content marketing
SaaS buyers often use search terms like ‘compare’ or ‘alternatives’ when they are close to making a decision. If they enter completely different keywords, Google may rank different pages in search results based on the keyword used and not the intent behind it.
If those keywords are similar, two or more pages may compete with each other in search rankings.The solution is to create dedicated pages for semantically-related keywords,
For example: ‘time tracking’ vs ‘timesheet template’. This helps you increase topical relevance and click-through rate. However, you must:
- Interlink them into a single pillar page that covers all aspects of the product category, etc.
- Add internal links to other related topics so the reader can navigate easily between pages.
- Build dedicated landing pages to answer last-minute objectives before directing them to the sales page.
Pro-tip: Use a landing page builder to create your pages. This allows you to replicate the design or layout changes you make on one page to all others in one click.
Focus on being accurate and helpful
When creating content, make sure any product descriptions or specifications are technically accurate. This is especially true for comparison pages, round-ups, etc.
Most SaaS affiliate programs offer product manuals, FAQs, webinars, and branding guidelines you can use to learn more about the product, use-cases, etc.
Use paid ads strategically
When you’re just getting started, Google ads can be a great way to drive traffic and capture leads. To retarget clickers, use Facebook ads to drive sales.
The right combination can help you drive affiliate sales and revenues faster than the competition. The key is to monitor metrics like CTR, conversion rates, etc, and optimize different elements based on A/B testing.
Share how-to content on social media
The key to standing out on social media as a SaaS affiliate marketer is to demonstrate products and build social proof. For this, you can leverage unboxings, product comparisons, explainer videos, etc.
User-generated content like testimonials can add credibility to your messaging and help you drive sales. If you’re one of the many B2B SaaS affiliate programs, join relevant LinkedIn groups to engage with high-intent groups.
To increase your reach, run paid ads on LinkedIn.
Capitalize on video content
Given how popular TikTok and other platforms are, video content deserves special mention. Consider re-purposing blog posts, presentations, or product descriptions into short ‘how-to’ videos, success stories, product updates, etc.
This should give you a variety of content for use across different channels you are active on.
Focus on search intent, not just search volume
Long-tail, low-volume can help drive qualified leads to your page and promote sales. They represent in-market buyers (people closer to making the buying decisions).
This means opportunities to rank at the top for specific keywords.
For example, “fitness routines for increasing muscle mass and conditioning’ vs ‘fitness routines’.
Emerging Trends in SaaS Affiliate Marketing
In general, affiliate marketing is evolving with new technologies going mainstream. Here’s what that means for you as a SaaS affiliate marketer:
Voice searches
Voice search is a top source for organic traffic today. To capitalize on this trend, affiliate marketers must include data on voice search when pulling reports.
With these insights, you could optimize keyword strategy, content formats, etc. For example, optimizing long-tail keywords based on spoken language can help improve search rankings and engagement.
Domain and niche expertise
Like other industries, SaaS brands increasingly seek to work with domain experts. They prioritize engagement over audience size as it offers better returns on investment.
This means micro-influencers (under 100,000 followers) are now in demand. As a SaaS affiliate marketer, you need to focus on a specific product category or industry where you have some expertise.
If you’re just starting, focus on providing value and building relationships with your audience. This can give you an edge over established content creators with a bigger but less engaged audience.
Increase the use of AI
AI can help scale content creation across channels while maximizing personalization. Leveraging AI-powered marketing analytics tools also provides deeper insights into customer preferences.
This enables you to identify the right campaign ideas and create hundreds of copy or creative variations for specific customer segments. It can help you overcome time and resource constraints and expand to new formats and channels.
Hybrid revenue models
SaaS affiliate programs now offer their affiliates multiple compensation options for customer actions like subscriptions, trial sign-ups, sales, renewals, or upgrades.
For example, some brands may offer a flat rate per trial sign-up and a percentage of the proceeds from each confirmed sale. This means better returns for marketers as these revenue models continue to evolve.
7 Best Ai Affiliate Programs to Supercharge Your Hustle (2024)
Conclusion
Now that you know the best SaaS affiliate programs, it is time to take action. About 90% of advertisers report that affiliate marketing is crucial to their digital marketing strategy!
This offers you an enormous opportunity to make money while promoting the products you believe in. One of the best ways to promote any SaaS product is to create good content that tells your audience how these products can help them.
The 60 top affiliate programs featured here are truly awesome for any affiliate marketer’s business.
Choose the one that works best for you, and get started today!
FAQs
What are SaaS affiliate programs?
Saas affiliate programs provide an opportunity for content creators, influencers, and small businesses (in the case of B2B affiliate programs) to promote SaaS products for individual brands or affiliate platforms on a commission basis.
SaaS affiliate programs differ primarily based on commission percentage, payout frequency, program structure (tiered, flat rate, etc), and cookie duration.
What percentage do SaaS affiliates get?
Most SaaS programs offer a fixed percentage on the sale value, either for a fixed period of time or for life (based on future renewals, upgrades, etc). You could also have performance tiers with varying rates based on meeting certain thresholds.
Depending on the brand, the commission percentage can hover between 10% and 50%.
How do I find affiliates for SaaS?
By far, the easiest way to find SaaS affiliates is to utilize social media. Reach out to content creators that align with your brand and product.
Alternatively, you can also get on affiliate platforms that curate listings from influencers and marketers looking for affiliate marketing opportunities.
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