The Short Answer
- Best for beginners: ShareASale
- Best for physical products: Amazon Associates
- Best for SaaS and recurring commissions: PartnerStack
- Best for CPA and lead-gen offers: MaxBounty
- Best for European and global affiliates: Awin
- Best for premium brands: Rakuten Advertising
- Best ClickBank-style digital marketplace: Digistore24
Keep reading for the standardized comparison table and the 11 networks reviewed head to head. If you want the deeper "what is an affiliate network and how do I choose one" foundation, start with our guide to affiliate networks.
Why Consider a ClickBank Alternative?
ClickBank built its reputation on one thing: making it ridiculously easy to find digital products with fat commissions. For the right affiliate in the right niche, that's still valuable. You can read our full breakdown in our ClickBank review and our deeper lesson on ClickBank affiliate marketing.
But ClickBank isn't a great fit for everyone. The common reasons affiliates start looking elsewhere:
- Product quality is uneven. The marketplace is open, which means brilliant offers sit next to hyped-up ones. Curating takes time.
- Refund rates can be high in some categories, which eats into your effective earnings per click.
- Recurring commissions are rare. Most ClickBank offers are one-shot.
- Physical products are limited. If your niche lives in a Target aisle or an Amazon warehouse, ClickBank won't serve it.
- Premium brands are missing. You won't find Nike, Sephora, or Dell on ClickBank.
- Geography can be awkward. EU and APAC affiliates sometimes hit payment or tax friction.
None of this makes ClickBank "bad." It makes it specialized. The point of this page is to help you find the network that fits your business model, your traffic, and your audience.
How We Scored These 11 Networks
Every network on this page is judged on the same eight criteria, with data verified against each network's current public terms as of April 2026:
- Commission type (CPS, CPA, CPL, or recurring)
- Typical commission range
- Cookie duration
- Minimum payout threshold
- Payout schedule and methods
- Approval difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard)
- Best traffic-source fit (content, paid, email, social)
- Regional availability
We only included networks we would personally recommend to our own members. We left out networks with unresolved complaints, frequent payment issues, or shrinking merchant bases. Affilorama has helped over 300,000 affiliates build their businesses since 2006, and this list reflects what actually works in 2026, not what ranked well five years ago.
Comparison Table: 11 ClickBank Alternatives at a Glance
| Network | Best For | Commission Type | Typical Rate | Cookie | Min Payout | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Associates | Physical products, beginners | CPS | 1% to 20% | 24 hrs | $10 | Easy |
| ShareASale | Broad beginner choice | CPS | 5% to 50% | 30 to 90 days | $50 | Easy |
| CJ Affiliate | Big-brand mainstream | CPS, CPA | 3% to 50% | 30 to 120 days | $50 | Medium |
| Impact | SaaS, premium brands | CPS, CPA, recurring | 5% to 50% | Varies | Varies | Medium |
| Awin | EU and global | CPS, CPA | 5% to 30% | 30 to 90 days | $20 | Medium ($5 app fee) |
| Rakuten Advertising | Premium and luxury brands | CPS | 3% to 20% | 30 to 90 days | $50 | Hard |
| Digistore24 | EU digital products | CPS | 30% to 70% | 60 to 180 days | €10 | Easy |
| JVZoo | Digital products, IM niche | CPS | 30% to 100% | Varies | $50 | Easy |
| PartnerStack | SaaS recurring revenue | Recurring, CPS | 20% to 50% | 30 to 90 days | $5 | Medium |
| MaxBounty | CPA and lead-gen | CPA, CPL | $1 to $100+ per action | 30 to 60 days | $100 | Hard |
| FlexOffers | Aggregator, fast approvals | CPS, CPA | 3% to 50% | Varies | $50 | Easy |
Rates and terms vary by individual merchant. Treat this as a directional guide, not a contract.
The 11 Best ClickBank Alternatives, Reviewed
1. Amazon Associates
Best for: Affiliates in physical-product niches who want easy approval and a trusted checkout experience.
Amazon Associates is the default starting point for most new affiliates, and for good reason. Approval is fast, the product catalog is basically every physical product ever made, and your audience already trusts the brand. You can promote anything from a $10 book to a $3,000 espresso machine in the same account.
The trade-off is commission. Rates range from 1% to roughly 20%, and most categories sit between 1% and 4%. The 24-hour cookie is also short. Your reader needs to buy the same day.
Amazon rewards volume and intent-driven content. Buying guides, product comparisons, and review sites thrive here. If you want a deeper walk-through, read our guide to Amazon affiliate marketing.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: You get physical products, brand trust, and universal audience recognition. Watch out for: Short cookie, low commission rates, strict operating agreement. Our guide to avoiding Amazon bans is worth reading before you start.
2. ShareASale
Best for: Beginners and intermediate affiliates who want one dashboard across many merchants.
ShareASale (owned by Awin) is where a lot of serious affiliates cut their teeth. It sits between ClickBank's open marketplace and the harder-to-enter enterprise networks, giving you access to thousands of mid-size merchants across fashion, home, food, SaaS, and lifestyle niches. Approvals are fast, reporting is clean, and the merchant mix is genuinely diverse.
Commission rates vary wildly by merchant, from 5% to well over 40%. Some programs offer bonuses for top performers. The $50 payout threshold is fair, and payments are reliable.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: More niches, better merchant quality, and a payout system you can actually trust long term. Watch out for: You still need to apply to each merchant individually, so plan your first batch of applications around a specific content plan.
3. CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction)
Best for: Affiliates in mainstream niches who want to promote household-name brands.
CJ is one of the oldest and largest networks, and it's where you'll find brands like Lowe's, Priceline, GoPro, and Overstock. If your content lives in travel, home improvement, electronics, or retail, CJ likely has the brands your readers actually recognize and trust.
The downside: CJ is pickier than ClickBank or ShareASale. New affiliates without traffic sometimes struggle to get approved by higher-tier advertisers. Once you're in, the reporting is excellent and the commission rates are competitive.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Brand recognition drives higher conversion rates on cold traffic. Watch out for: Advertiser-by-advertiser approvals and a $50 minimum payout. Some merchants also deactivate inactive affiliate accounts, so stay in the dashboard.
4. Impact
Best for: Affiliates promoting SaaS, fintech, or premium B2B/B2C brands.
Impact has quietly become the network of choice for modern, performance-first brands. You'll find SaaS heavyweights, fintech apps, subscription services, and DTC ecommerce brands here. The platform itself is the slickest in the industry, with genuinely useful creative management, contract negotiation, and first-party tracking.
Commission structures are flexible: CPS, CPA, hybrid, recurring, and tiered. Several programs offer real recurring income, which is rare elsewhere.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Better brands, better tracking, and modern commission structures including recurring. If recurring revenue is your goal, read our lesson on recurring commission. Watch out for: Approvals are merchant-by-merchant and some advertisers want to see traffic before accepting you.
5. Awin
Best for: European affiliates and anyone targeting global audiences.
Awin is the dominant network in Europe and has a strong UK and APAC presence. It also acquired ShareASale, so together they cover almost every major region. If you write for a European, British, or Australian audience, Awin is usually the right first choice. Merchants include Etsy, AliExpress, HP, and thousands of regional brands that don't appear on US-only networks.
Awin charges a $5 application fee (refunded after your first commission), which weeds out tire-kickers.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Stronger regional merchant coverage, smoother international payouts, and genuine merchant diversity. Watch out for: The small application fee, and the need to apply per merchant.
6. Rakuten Advertising
Best for: Affiliates promoting premium, luxury, and well-known retail brands.
Rakuten is the quiet giant. It hosts programs for Walmart, Macy's, Sephora, New Balance, and many premium DTC labels. It's harder to get into than most networks on this list, and the interface feels dated, but the merchant quality is exceptional.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Premium brand access and higher AOVs, which means more commission per conversion even at modest rates. Watch out for: Stricter approval, quarterly-ish payout timing for some merchants, and a steeper learning curve on the UI.
7. Digistore24
Best for: Affiliates selling digital products in Europe.
Digistore24 is the closest structural cousin to ClickBank, especially for European marketers. It handles digital products, courses, e-books, and info offers with ClickBank-style commission rates that often reach 50% to 70%. VAT and EU tax handling are built in, which is a huge headache saver for European sellers and affiliates.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Better EU compliance, localized payment options, and strong digital-product selection. Watch out for: Smaller marketplace than ClickBank, and product quality varies just like any open network. Our breakdown of finding profitable affiliate programs will help you vet options.
8. JVZoo
Best for: Affiliates in the "make money online," internet marketing, and digital tools niches.
JVZoo is where digital launch culture lives. Software, plugins, courses, templates, and digital tools get launched here constantly, often with instant commissions and aggressive commission tiers. If your audience is other marketers, creators, or small business owners, JVZoo has offers that convert.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Faster, more frequent product launches and instant commission payouts on some vendors. Watch out for: Quality varies. Vet vendors carefully. Some offers have high refund rates.
9. PartnerStack
Best for: Affiliates who want real recurring revenue from SaaS products.
PartnerStack is the best single network for recurring SaaS commissions. It hosts programs for Notion, Monday.com, Webflow, and hundreds of other SaaS tools. Many programs pay you every month for the lifetime of the customer, which compounds beautifully over time.
If recurring income is your goal, you'll want to pair this with our lessons on higher affiliate commissions and affiliate marketing models.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Recurring commissions, higher lifetime value, and a modern dashboard. Watch out for: SaaS churn means your "monthly commissions" aren't guaranteed forever. You'll want diversified recommendations.
10. MaxBounty
Best for: Affiliates running paid traffic, lead-gen, or CPA-focused campaigns.
MaxBounty is built for performance marketers. Commissions are structured as CPA or CPL, meaning you get paid when your reader completes an action (fills out a form, submits an email, installs an app) rather than making a purchase. Some offers pay $50 to $150 per qualified lead.
If CPA is new to you, read our primer on CPA and CPL networks first.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Lead-gen offers convert at rates sales offers can't match, especially on cold paid traffic. Watch out for: Approval is rigorous, and the $100 payout threshold is higher than average. Compliance rules are strict.
11. FlexOffers
Best for: Affiliates who want fast approvals and access to thousands of programs in one place.
FlexOffers is an aggregator. It partners with other networks and direct advertisers to surface over 12,000 programs in one dashboard. It's particularly useful if you're new and want quick access to a broad set of mid-tier merchants without applying to each individual network.
Why it beats ClickBank for this user: Breadth and speed. You get one login to a wide swath of the affiliate internet. Watch out for: Because FlexOffers layers on top of other networks, commission rates are sometimes slightly lower than going direct. Payments can also take 60 days.
Which Alternative Fits Your Business Model?
The fastest way to pick is to start from your business, not the network.
If you run a content site in a physical-product niche (home, kitchen, fitness gear, pets, outdoors): Start with Amazon Associates for trust and breadth, layer in ShareASale or CJ for higher-margin direct merchants.
If you run a content site or YouTube channel in a digital niche (self-improvement, online courses, software): Keep ClickBank if it's working, add JVZoo for the IM niche, or Digistore24 if you're European.
If you target SaaS, tech, or B2B audiences: Impact and PartnerStack should be your first two stops. The recurring commissions compound into real businesses.
If you run paid traffic or cold email: MaxBounty, and secondary accounts on Impact for hybrid offers.
If you're in Europe or targeting European readers: Awin, Digistore24, and Rakuten. Awin especially.
If you want premium brand placements: Rakuten and CJ. Expect harder approvals and higher conversion rates.
If you're a beginner and don't know your niche yet: Start with Amazon Associates plus ShareASale. They're easy to join, cover almost every niche, and give you time to figure out what works before you move to pickier networks. Then, if you want a structured path from zero to your first commission, our Pathway to Passive course walks you through it.
Still working out which niche to choose? Start with our guide to choosing the right niche before you worry about networks.
How to Switch From ClickBank Without Losing Income
If you already have a site running ClickBank offers and you want to migrate, don't rip everything out at once. Here's the transition playbook:
- Audit your top ten pages by affiliate revenue. Identify which pages depend on ClickBank and how much each one earns per month.
- Find the equivalent offer on your new network. Use the "best for" framework above. If you're replacing a ClickBank health product, look at Digistore24 or Impact first.
- A/B test, don't cold-swap. On your highest-revenue page, split-test the new offer against the ClickBank version for two to four weeks. Watch EPC (earnings per click), not just conversion rate.
- Migrate the winning offers page by page. Start with your biggest pages. Keep ClickBank live on smaller pages until you're confident the new network is equal or better.
- Redirect old affiliate links cleanly. Use a link-management plugin so you never have to hunt through old posts again. Our lesson on creating affiliate redirects covers this step by step.
Two to four weeks of testing usually tells you everything you need to know. Keep ClickBank on pages where it still wins. The best affiliates aren't loyal to networks; they're loyal to EPC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not really, and that's the point. "Better" depends on what you sell. Digistore24 is the closest structural clone for digital info-products. JVZoo is similar for the internet marketing niche. For every other niche, a different network wins.
Amazon Associates, ShareASale, JVZoo, Digistore24, and FlexOffers all approve new affiliates quickly. You can be live in under 24 hours on most of them.
JVZoo and Digistore24 often pay 50% to 70% on digital products. PartnerStack's recurring SaaS commissions compound into higher lifetime payouts. MaxBounty pays flat dollar amounts per lead that can beat percentage commissions on volume.
Yes. PartnerStack and Impact both host recurring SaaS programs. A few Digistore24 and JVZoo vendors also offer subscription products.
Awin (dominant in Europe), Digistore24 (built for European digital products), and Rakuten (strong UK presence) are your best starting points.
Amazon Associates and ShareASale. Both approve you fast, cover most niches, and give you time to learn without blocking your progress.
Amazon Associates: minutes to 24 hours. ShareASale, JVZoo, Digistore24, FlexOffers: usually same-day. CJ and Impact: network approval is fast; individual advertiser approval takes 1 to 14 days. MaxBounty and Rakuten: 1 to 2 weeks.
Yes, and you should. Most successful affiliates run three to five networks simultaneously so they can match the right offer to each piece of content. Diversification also protects your income if one network changes its terms.
Your Next Step
Here's what to do with this page.
If you already know which network fits, stop reading and go apply. You'll learn more in a week of testing than in another hour of research.
If you're still not sure, the fastest way to figure out which offers actually match your audience is to do proper program research, not more Googling. AffiloTools includes an affiliate program finder that lets you filter programs by commission rate, network, and niche, so you can shortcut the "which merchants are even available in my niche" question.
And if you're earlier in the journey, where you haven't picked a niche, built a site, or driven traffic yet, starting with a free Affilorama membership gets you the step-by-step training 300,000+ affiliates have used since 2006, at zero cost. When you're ready to commit to a structured path, Pathway to Passive gives you the full roadmap with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Pick a network that fits, test it for two weeks, and measure the result. That's how every successful affiliate you've ever heard of got started.
Make $10,000 per month as an affiliate?
Mark Ling
View all 101 comments (Currently displaying latest 50)
Viola Olah • 17 years ago
william eckard • 17 years ago
Paul, you are going to feel overwhelmed because the info that Affilorama is giving us all is overwhelming!
If you are very new, I suggest you first forget about making money quickly and set yourself up to obtain all the knowledge you can possibly get. All that knowledge is contained in this Affilorama site. Work through the whole site step-by-step, even if it takes you a couple of weeks. The picture will soon become clearer and when you are ready to start the process and you still get stuck, use an appropriate forum to get help. Nobody will laugh at you.
Also consider signing up for Affiloblueprint or premium membership which will give you more guided and step-by-step instructions and plenty of tools to use. I can assure you it is worth every penny.
Good luck
William
Gregory Parke • 17 years ago
Don Bengert • 17 years ago
Nickolove Lovemore • 16 years ago
Vojislav Gligorijevic • 16 years ago
Sandra Johnson • 16 years ago
Paul Hooper | Consumer Wealth System • 16 years ago
For me CJ and ShareASale are great places to find products to promote. But I will now also have a look at some of the other places mentioned in this post.
Dave • 16 years ago
Thanks dude.
Trey • 16 years ago
sue sebastian • 16 years ago
Sid Vixay • 16 years ago
• 15 years ago
anonymous • 15 years ago
That aside, great list and thanks for the advice. :D
andre • 15 years ago
harjit singh • 15 years ago
har.
Afiliados Top • 15 years ago
I use Clickbank, but I want to expand to other options.
Bill Nieporte • 15 years ago
Robert McLean • 15 years ago
I have for sites, relatively professional that I have published and have started ClickBank on one of them.
Not a sniff. Nothing. Not one sale. I am beginning to think that this "affiliate market" promise is another hoax perpetuated by the few savvy, first to the trough marketers.
I called Click Bank several times and each time I am more disappointed that the time before.
I repeatedly ask the question, "Are there any sites owned by successful Affiliate Marketers that I may go to to see what works regarding text and page layout with ClickBank Affiliate Product Ads?"
Each time I get the response, "I don't know, we don't track the successful sites."
I then have asked the question, "Do you have record of some of the very successful Vendors and Affiliates?" and "Are there some Affiliates and Vendors that are very successful?"
Then, is there examples of how there have become successful?
Again, no.
Very strange.
This evening I typed into the Google Search Bar "example websites of click bank affiliate websites."
What is given is page after page of sites offering to sell you a "Sure Fired" 47 or 29 site affiliate package that will net six figure passive income annually.
Just Hype and Buullshiit.
Thoughts?
Sincerely,
Robert McLean
apcrepairz • 14 years ago
Adam • 14 years ago
Robert Kilonzo • 13 years ago
• 13 years ago
Jazz Mian • 13 years ago
Learn to Affiliate, Learn to Earn
learn-to-affiliate.blogspot.com
Yons • 13 years ago
Its very similar to clickbank
www.yons.in
Angelique Berger • 13 years ago
Vivian • 13 years ago
james • 13 years ago
Melissa Johnson • 13 years ago
Gonzalo Canal • 11 years ago
Godspower Fezy • 9 years ago
Please what exactly is the reason why Clickbank doesn't allow affiliate marketers in Nigeria cos I find it a bit unfair....?
Secondly, I don't have a website, which affiliate market sites will be best for me?
Thanks!
Justin Golschneider • 9 years ago
Luckily, with Nigeria becoming a bigger player in the international market, a lot of companies are trying to take them back into the fold; for example, eBay is working with Mall for Africa to set up extra-secure payment methods and allow Nigerians to buy from eBay again. Let's hope companies like ClickBank follow their example.
For our tips on affiliate marketing without website, see this article: https://www.affilorama.com/introduction/affiliate-marketing-without-a-website
Good luck!
sachin panchre • 9 years ago
thank you
Lorenzo Bailey • 9 years ago
Justin Golschneider • 9 years ago
Punascha • 9 years ago
What your study report say how much a average website can earn with daily 200 traffic?
Justin Golschneider • 9 years ago
krishna kumar • 9 years ago
hi great website.Really great and informative post
TIRTHA RAJ TIWARI • 9 years ago
nepal pokhara city
009779856029442
Cecille Loorluis • 9 years ago
These will help you get started.
All the best!
Oz1 • 8 years ago
Cheers!
Lea Smith • 7 years ago
Jishnu • 7 years ago
Sneed Properties • 7 years ago
Anthony Garces • 7 years ago
Sam Nelson • 6 years ago
Cecille Loorluis • 6 years ago
The above list contains the more popular affiliate networks that Mark has, at one point or another, tried. There are plenty more others, like WarriorPlus, but the above are the 10 most popular that we have experience with.
All the best!
Broch Ayo • 6 years ago
Cecille Loorluis • 6 years ago
You may check each of the above-mentioned affiliate networks as not all of them operate or are available in the same countries.
All the best!
Yhong Lacson • 6 years ago
Isuamfon Offiong • 6 years ago
However, one of the promising sites is Tapfiliate. Like, impact Radius, the site is clean and it's worth checking out for news affiliates.
Frank Morrison • 6 years ago
• 5 years ago
Thank you for sharing the valuable information about affiliate programs. The affiliate program that I'm using is LinkedCamp Affiliate alternative to Clickbank. Apart, from all this, I must say that the content is well optimized and worth reading.
Many thanks!
Saleh • 5 years ago
wish coworker • 4 years ago
selena • 1 year ago
sweta saha • 11 months ago
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