November 30, 2023
This page contains affiliate links, and we may earn commissions for purchases on other sites.
Let’s understand how recurring affiliate programs work before you begin to make passive income and commissions for life. Then, in this post, let’s review the best recurring affiliate programs for beginners, bloggers, and social media marketers.
A recurring affiliate program pays a commission indefinitely, and commissions come from ongoing customer payments. For instance, a customer pays $60 monthly to a digital marketing software company, and the affiliate gets a 40% monthly commission rate, resulting in $24. Naturally, recurring affiliate programs can be very profitable for marketers.
Software and SaaS companies dominate the recurring commission program category. That’s because many software companies charge monthly and annual subscription fees, allowing them to share revenue with affiliates. By contrast, non-software companies like Fiverr offer recurring commissions through repeat customer purchases.
Best Recurring Affiliate Programs
Unlike some bloggers, I won’t waste your time with unproven merchants that won’t make you money. By contrast, my list features reputable and established merchants that pay recurring commissions of at least 15% for a minimum of 12 months (one exception is web hosting companies). Many recurring commission programs qualify as high-paying affiliate programs.
GetResponse
GetResponse is an all-in-one digital marketing platform offering email campaigns, landing pages, website builders, conversion funnels, webinar hosting, opt-in forms, web push notifications, live chat, and other marketing automation tools. It helps to generate leads, increase sales, sell knowledge, and engage customers. GetResponse is an excellent alternative to ClickFunnels, Mailchimp, and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue).
GetResponse’s affiliate program pays a 33% recurring commission and has a 120-day cookie period. Accrued commissions are processed around the 20th of each month with a payment threshold of $50. Payment options include PayPal, USD check, ACH, and Eurotransfer.
Systeme.io
Systeme is a complete digital marketing platform that allows you to launch an online business. It offers various tools, including sales funnels, email campaigns, website builders, webinars, affiliate program management, content management, and marketing automation. Systeme is an excellent alternative to ConvertKit, Kartra, Kajabi, and Teachable.
Systeme affiliates get a 60% recurring commission and a lifetime cookie window. Commissions are sent around the 10th of every month once a commission threshold of $30 is reached. Learn more about Systeme’s affiliate program.
MailerLite
MailerLite provides the latest email marketing features to help you grow subscribers and build stronger relationships, including design editors, templates, opt-in forms, and marketing automation. It also offers website and blog builders, landing pages, and e-commerce solutions. If you’re searching for an alternative to ActiveCampaign, Campaign Monitor, or Constant Contact, MailerLite is a great option to consider.
MailerLite offers a 30% recurring commission and a 30-day referral window. The payout minimum is $50, and affiliates must request payment for processing. Learn more about MailerLite’s affiliate program.
EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus provides email marketing that’s simple, intuitive, and affordable to help grow your audience and sales. It gives you everything you need to build a list, create impactful campaigns, and get results.
The EmailOctopus affiliate program pays a 30% recurring commission for up to 12 months and has a 31-day referral period. They pay affiliates on the 5th of every month via PayPal or bank transfer. The payout threshold is $50.
EngageBay
EngageBay is an all-in-one SaaS platform combining customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation. It helps small businesses generate sales, reduce marketing costs, and build a brand. EngageBay is an excellent alternative to HubSpot.
EngageBay affiliates get a 30% recurring commission and a 90-day conversion period. Affiliate commissions are approved before the 3rd of every month and made before the 5th. Apply to EngageBay’s affiliate program.
Mangools
Mangools is a 5-in-1 SEO toolkit for business owners, marketers, bloggers, and agencies. It supports keyword research, SERP analysis, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and other SEO activities.
Mangools offers a 30% recurring commission, a 30-day conversion window, and a payout minimum of $150. Affiliate registrations have no approval, so you can start promoting immediately. Join Mangools’ affiliate program.
Omnisend
Omnisend is an e-commerce-centric email and SMS marketing automation platform built to help agile teams drive more revenue without increasing their workload. Its features include marketing automation, email campaigns, user segmentation, and lead generation forms.
Omnisend’s affiliate program is on Impact. On offer is a 20% recurring commission and a 90-day cookie. Affiliates can access an ample supply of marketing resources.
Moosend
Moosend‘s email marketing services are used by small businesses, bloggers, and entrepreneurs worldwide. Moosend offers email marketing automation, A/B testing, analytics, pop-ups, CRM, and e-commerce integrations to grow your business.
Moosend has an affiliate program on PartnerStack. Affiliates can earn a 40% recurring commission through a tiered bonus structure. Also, you’ll get a 90-day cookie window and PayPal and Stripe payment options.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a CRM and lead platform that salespeople build for sales and marketing professionals. Its visual and fully customizable app enables users to get leads, manage sales, automate communications, and more.
You’ll find Pipedrive’s affiliate program on PartnerStack. The program pays a 20% recurring commission and has a 90-day cookie duration. A large inventory of marketing creatives is available.
SocialPilot
SocialPilot is a social media scheduling and marketing tool for social media professionals, digital marketing agencies, bloggers, and individuals who want to increase their social media presence. Its features include social media scheduling, content curation, analytics, and team management. SocialPilot is a terrific alternative to Hootsuite and Buffer.
SocialPilot uses FirstPromoter for its affiliate program. It pays a 20% recurring commission for up to one year and has a 90-day referral period. The previous month’s commissions are sent on the 13th of the following month.
VidIQ
VidIQ offers AI-driven growth tools to help creators and marketers grow their channels and brand awareness. Its Chrome browser extension features video scoring, SEO, keyword research, tag management, analytics, and more.
VidIQ’s affiliate program has a tiered recurring commission structure of up to 25% and a 120-day referral window. Accrued commissions are processed around the 4th of every month with a payment threshold of $10.
TubeBuddy
TubeBuddy is a browser extension, website, and mobile app that integrates with YouTube. It offers 60+ channel and video optimization tools, including video SEO, keyword research, tag management, analytics, productivity, bulk processing, marketing, and more.
TubeBuddy affiliates get up to 30% in recurring commissions and a lifetime referral period. Commissions are sent around the 2nd of every month once a commission threshold of $10 is reached. Learn more about TubeBuddy’s affiliate program.
Copysmith
Copysmith is an AI copywriting tool that uses large language models to generate high-quality copy for various purposes, including product descriptions, marketing emails, social media posts, and ad copy. It is powered by GPT-3. Copysmith’s other apps include Frase, Rytr, and Describely.
Copysmith’s affiliate program runs on Post Affiliate Pro. Marketers can make a 30% recurring commission and get a 30-day conversion period.
Frase
Frase AI helps you research, write, and optimize high-quality SEO content in minutes instead of hours. Frase also uses your Google Search Console data to give actionable insights about content opportunities. SEOs, content marketers, and marketing agencies can benefit from using Frase.
Frase’s affiliate program pays up to 40% recurring commissions (Premium Tier) and offers a 60-day conversion window. Payouts are made via PayPal when commissions exceed $100. Every affiliate makes a $50 cash bonus when they refer 100 new customers.
Writesonic
Writesonic helps you create SEO-optimized and plagiarism-free content for your blogs, ads, emails, and website. It offers 100+ features for writers, e-commerce sellers, marketing teams, and entrepreneurs.
Writesonic uses FirstPromoter to manage its affiliate program. Partners can earn a 30% recurring commission alongside a 30-day cookie. The payout minimum is $25.
TextCortex
TextCortex is an AI writing assistant that helps you create high-quality content faster and easier. It is powered by a large language model, allowing TextCortex to generate coherent and grammatically correct text.
TextCortex uses Rewardful affiliate tracking software. Its program pays a 30% recurring commission, supported by a 30-day cookie period. Affiliates must meet the $25 commission threshold for payment.
Fiverr
Fiverr is the largest online marketplace for freelance services starting at $5. Also, thousands of freelancers offer marketing, business, graphic design, website design, writing, translation, video, and programming services. Fiverr Business, Pro, Studios, Logo Maker, and Workplace round out the full suite of services for SMB customers.
Fiverr uses Cellxpert affiliate tracking software. It pays $10 on the first purchase and 10% on repeat purchases for up to 12 months. The cookie window is 30 days, and the payout threshold is $100. Affiliates must request payment. Join Fiverr’s affiliate program.
Debutify
Debutify is a top-rated, user-friendly, and high-converting free Shopify theme with 55+ premium add-ons to increase your e-commerce sales. Launch your e-commerce product, build a dropshipping business, or expand your retail presence online with Debutify.
Debutify’s program is on Impact. On offer is a 25% recurring commission and a 90-day referral period. Apply to Debutiy’s affiliate program to promote its top-rated Shopify theme and integrations.
Spocket
Spocket helps dropshippers discover high-quality products from US and EU suppliers. It integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce, AliExpress, and other e-commerce apps for quick setup.
Spocket’s affiliate program is on various networks, including Impact, ShareASale, and PartnerStack. Affiliates can earn a 30% recurring commission, supported by a 90-day referral window. Payout thresholds range from $10 to $50.
NordVPN
NordVPN is a top-rated VPN offering military-grade online security and protection applications. It provides numerous benefits, including secure internet, strict no-logs policy, servers worldwide, malware blocking, and more. NordVPN routinely outperforms ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN, ZenmateVPN, and Private Internet Access in third-party tests.
Affiliates can apply to NordVPN’s affiliate program on Impact, CJ Affiliate, and Tune. The program pays a 30% recurring commission and has a 30-day conversion window.
Proton
Proton is a privacy-focused company that is committed to protecting user data. Their products are used by millions of people globally, including journalists, activists, and businesses. Proton’s products include Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.
Proton uses Tune for its affiliate program. It pays 18% to 30% recurring commissions with a 30-day conversion period. The payment threshold is $100 for direct bank transfers and $1,000 for PayPal accounts.
Atlas VPN
Atlas VPN is a freemium VPN service that was founded in 2019. It is a relatively new VPN provider, but it has quickly gained popularity due to its affordable prices and robust security features. Additionally, Atlas VPN offers a free plan to get started.
Atlas VPN uses Tune and Impact. Marketers can earn a 30% recurring commission and have a 30-day cookie period. It also has an influencer program. Learn more about Atlas VPN’s affiliate program.
IPVanish
IPVanish spans 40,000+ IPs on 1,900+ servers, allowing you to surf anonymously and block websites from around the globe.
IPVanish has an affiliate program on CJ Affiliate. Affiliates can earn a 50% recurring commission, supported by a 45-day cookie. The network’s payment threshold is $50.
PureVPN
PureVPN specializes in helping internet users reinforce their online security and privacy by using a virtual private network.
PureVPN’s affiliate program is on Impact and CJ Affiliate. The program pays a 40% recurring commission and has a 60-day cookie window.
HideMyAss
HMA helps millions of people safely and securely surf the internet and preserve their fundamental right to choose how and when they share personal information.
HMA uses Tune for its affiliate program. It pays a 40% recurring commission with a 30-day conversion window. The payout threshold is $50.
Thrive Themes
Thrive Themes offers robust WordPress plugins, themes, and tools to build websites, market products, and increase sales. For instance, users can create landing pages, funnels, online courses, membership sites, quizzes, and scarcity campaigns. Thrive Themes outperforms and offers more tools than Elegant Themes and Elementor.
Thrive’s affiliate program uses iDevAffliate software. Marketers get a 25% recurring commission and a 2-year referral period. Twenty dollars is the payout threshold.
Carrd
Carrd offers simple, fully responsive one-page sites for pretty much anything. Users can build sites for free or upgrade to premium features.
Carrd’s referral program pays a 30% recurring commission and has a non-expiring cookie window. Affiliates can also promote their unique referral codes for customers at checkout.
Cloudways
Cloudways is a cloud platform that offers an effortless way to monitor and manage high-performance applications. It provides complete freedom coupled with simplicity and agility in every process.
Earn $30 per sale and a 7% recurring commission with the Cloudways affiliate program. A 90-day referral period supports your marketing activities, and a sub-affiliate program is available, paying 10% on downstream sales. The payout minimum is $100.
Kinsta
Whether you run a website, online shop, agency, or enterprise, Kinsta‘s premium managed WordPress hosting offers optimal performance and reliable support. Also, Google’s cloud platform powers Kinsta to ensure lightning-fast load times.
Kinsta affiliates get a 5% to 10% recurring commission plus a one-time commission between $50 to $500. The referral window is 60 days, and payments exceeding $50 are made via PayPal between the 15th and 20th of each month. Join Kinsta’s affiliate program.
Leadpages
Leadpages enables you to create landing pages, build websites, capture email addresses, and nurture leads with marketing automation. In addition, Leadpages integrates with 100+ third-party apps to expand your online ecosystem.
Leadpages affiliate program is on PartnerStack. If accepted, you’ll earn 40% on initial sales and 10-50% on recurring purchases of your referrals. Affiliates get a 30-day conversion period.
Webflow
Webflow empowers designers to build professional, custom websites in a visual canvas with no code. It uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for a fast, reliable, and hassle-free hosting experience. As a result, you launch new projects faster, optimize your site, and connect to marketing tools for performance insights.
Webflow also has an affiliate program on PartnerStack. Marketers can earn 50% recurring commissions, supported by a 90-day conversion window.
Tidio
Tidio is an all-in-one customer service app that improves your customer support and helps generate more sales. Its live chat widget makes your business available 24/7, while AI-powered chatbots engage your customers in real-time.
Affiliates can join Tidio’s program on Impact, CJ Affiliate, or Tune. The Impact offer is a 30% recurring commission with a 30-day cookie window.
1Password
1Password helps simplify your online life by automatically filling, storing, and securing passwords, personal data, and credit cards. It provides solutions for individuals, families, teams, and developers.
1Password’s affiliate program is on PartnerStack, featuring a 25% recurring commission and a 90-day cookie. The payout threshold is $5. Alternatively, the CJ Affiliate program pays $2 per lead and 25% per sale.
Appointlet
Appointlet is an appointment-scheduling app for marketers, salespeople, business owners, and recruiters. It helps you turn more prospects into customers by letting them book you immediately. Appointlet is a terrific substitute for Calendly and Acuity Scheduling.
Appointlet’s affiliate program pays a 20% recurring commission and offers a 30-day cookie period. It runs on Tapfiliate and has a $50 payment threshold.
Deep Art Effects
Deep Art Effects is a software program that uses artificial intelligence to transform photos into works of art. It is available for both desktop and mobile devices. It analyzes the content of an image and then applies a specific art style to it, such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Abstract.
You will find the Deep Art Effects affiliate program on CJ Affiliate. The program pays a 25% recurring commission and has a 120-day cookie window. Affiliates get an ample supply of marketing banners and text links.
Depositphotos
Depositphotos is a stock content marketplace that provides access to a vast library of photos, vectors, illustrations, music, videos, and sound effects. Also, use its background remover for free.
Depositphotos uses Tune to manage its affiliate program. Marketers can earn a 15% recurring commission alongside a 180-day referral window. Accrued commissions are sent when they reach $50.
LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds offers an online course platform for creating, selling, and promoting your online classes. Additionally, users can monetize their skills, experiences, and audience with continuing education, compliance training, and employee/customer onboarding content. LearnWorlds is an excellent alternative to Teachable.
LearnWorlds affiliate program is on PartnerStack. On offer is a 30% recurring commission and a 90-day referral period. The program is also available on CJ Affiliate and ShareASale for one-time commissions.
Podia
Podia helps thousands of creators earn money with an all-in-one website builder to sell courses, webinars, downloads, community, and more. Its user-friendly platform doesn’t require technical skills, allowing you to start selling fast. LearnWorlds is an excellent alternative to Thinkific.
Podia has an affiliate program on Impact. Affiliates can earn a 20% recurring commission, supported by a 30-day conversion period. Impact has a low payment minimum of $10 and supports bank transfers and PayPal.
VEED
VEED is a cloud-based video editing platform that allows you to create and edit videos without downloading software. It offers many features, including video editing, screen recording, subtitles generation, transcription, and collaboration. VEED also has AI capabilities for script and image generation.
VEED also has an affiliate program on Impact. Affiliates can earn a 25% recurring commission and receive a 7-day conversion window.
Crypto Companies
Many crypto and bitcoin programs pay high recurring commission rates. For example, Binance pays up to 70% affiliate commissions on referral trading fees. Learn more about Binance and the best cryptocurrency affiliate programs.
Start Earning
Recurring affiliate programs are a beautiful thing. First, you’ll keep earning as long as your referrals keep paying. That equation can lead to making significant monthly passive income. Secondly, many recurring program merchants pay 10% to 50% commission rates. However, merchants that pay 5% to 10% could also be worth promoting. For example, I’ve made money with Printify, which pays a 5% recurring commission. Its main competitor, Printful, also has a recurring affiliate program paying 10%.
What are the best niches for recurring affiliate programs? There are several top categories, including digital marketing and online business software.
| Niche | Commission Example |
| Business apps | 30% per sale |
| E-commerce apps | 35% per sale |
| Marketing apps | 50% per sale |
| Email marketing apps | 30% per sale |
| Software apps | 50% per sale |
| VPN apps | 40% per sale |
| Web hosting | 10% per sale |
How to Promote Your Affiliate Links
In affiliate marketing, more is more, not less. Should you embrace that philosophy, your mission is to distribute as many links as possible to attract enough clicks, conversions, and sales. Publishers who make four, five, and six figures monthly get a lot of traffic and thousands of clicks on their affiliate links. Also, they promote reputable and high-converting merchants that offer in-demand products and services. Let’s review the most common ways to promote and distribute affiliate links.
Blog or Website
A blog is a standard place to do affiliate marketing. I like it because I own and control what happens on Digital Fodder. By contrast, I’m at the mercy of social and content platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Medium, etc.
A blog allows marketers to add links in multiple places, such as primary and secondary menus, widgets, pages, posts, banners, and footers. For instance, my website/copyright info section has an affiliate link to my web hosting company (SiteGround). The only thing limiting affiliate links on your site is your creativity.
Success in affiliate marketing requires the flexibility to experiment, which some content platforms don’t provide. Content publishing platforms like Medium and Blogger aren’t suitable for affiliate marketing because users can’t tinker with the software. Case in point: You can’t add opt-in forms and widgets to deploy links. You can only include links in your articles, which is limiting. For those reasons, millions of bloggers and site owners use WordPress.
Landing Page
For marketing purposes, a landing page is a one-page website or page for a specific purpose, for example, a webinar registration page. It generates leads and promotes a product, service, webinar, course, or giveaway. You can also use it to promote merchants like you would with a blog or website. GetResponse and Thrive Themes are two top-rated landing page providers.
YouTube
YouTube is a favorite for many publishers and marketers. Affiliates can add links to their descriptions, comments, community tabs, and about-page channel links. While those areas are enough for most creators, YouTube is somewhat limiting.
Some merchants and websites will trigger strikes and violations. For instance, I got a strike for adding a link from VidIQ, a YouTube-certified partner. There was no valid reason for the penalty, so it must have been a “system error.” I appealed the strike, but YouTube’s nameless and faceless humanoids rejected my request. Such is life when dealing with big tech.
Still, YouTube is a promising platform for generating affiliate commissions. Also, TubeBuddy and VidIQ are excellent apps to grow your channel, views, and subs.
Social Media
Like YouTube, Facebook is a content superhighway with billions of users. In addition, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest have sizeable user bases. Of course, each platform has pros and cons regarding affiliate marketing, but they’re worth exploring because of how many people use them.
Of the options, Facebook is the most promising for making money because it’s multifaceted with profiles, pages, and groups. Twitter is useful because it encourages users to click and leave the site. Publishers somewhat underestimate LinkedIn, but it’s a global platform of engaged members. It’s also where I frequently post affiliate links.
Consider using a social media marketing and management tool to save time and post content simultaneously across platforms. You might also consider using a link landing page or reference tool like Bitly, LinkTree, or Linkinbio to showcase multiple links to your audience.
Social networks are a breeding ground for spammy and suspect affiliate marketing activities and tactics. Unfortunately, some marketers seek to make a quick buck by punching out links as if humanity is about to end. That creates a distrustful atmosphere where nobody gains. Therefore, create a plan, be cautious, and avoid spamming to keep your account in good standing. Moreover, consider the benefits and drawbacks of using marketing automation tools to post on your behalf.
Email Marketing
Email marketing goes hand-in-hand with a blog/website, a standard accessory in a marketer’s toolkit. The goal is to convert traffic into subscribers to “build a list.” Then, upon subscription, an autoresponse sequence can deliver your content and links.
Manual email blasts and monthly campaigns can support your marketing objectives, too. An overlooked area is the email footer, but you should update/replace the provider’s link with your affiliate link if possible.
People use opt-in forms to collect email addresses and user info. Opt-in form types include:
- Pop-up
- Smart, header, footer, or ribbon bar
- Floating bar
- In-line
- Slide-in
- End of content/post
- Exit intent
- Widget
- Screen overlay and fullscreen
- Content lock/protected
- Scroll mat
- Quiz/test
- Survey
- Coupon wheel
- Countdown timer
Given the options above, a common mistake is to bombard visitors with too many forms. It happens to me occasionally, which makes for an unpleasant experience. I keep things simple with one pop-up at the end of each post. My autoresponse sequence has a few emails that go out over weeks.
GetResponse and MailerLite are excellent email service providers. Also, explore Thrive Themes for a suite of robust WordPress marketing plugins.
Digital Media or Webinars
Digital media includes online courses, ebooks, and pre-recorded webinars/videos. Combining digital content with affiliate marketing allows you to earn passive income twice with one product. For example, suppose you teach a marketing course on Skillshare. You could create a lesson about marketing tools and link them in the text field. Ebooks are no different than blog posts, so there are opportunities to send traffic to merchants. Lastly, a webinar allows you to collect email addresses and prospects to market to them later through email marketing.
Communities and Forums
There are communities and forums for all walks of life on the internet. While Facebook Groups support millions of users, Reddit, Quora, and Stack Overflow offer high engagement for various topics. However, most platforms have policies concerning affiliate marketing, so understand them before posting links.
Livestreams and Live Chat
Posting links on a live stream might be worthwhile, depending on the speed and flow of user comments. Still, it’s a low-probability way to make significant earnings. You might also consider distributing links through chatbots and follow-up emails.
Paid Ads (PPC)
Using paid ads to promote affiliate offers seems counterintuitive, but it can work under the right scenarios. For example, suppose you can bid $0.10 for a keyword that will position you at the top of page-one search results on Bing Ads. One hundred clicks will cost $10. The merchant you promote converts at 1%, 1 out of 100, and pays a $20 commission. Under that situation, paid ads would result in a $10 profit ($20 – $10 = $10).
Unfortunately, most merchants don’t convert at 1%, and cookie durations of 30 days or less work against you. Secondly, most advertisers have policies restricting affiliates from using paid ads and specific keywords. Advertisers implement those policies to avoid competing and bidding against themselves. Finally, third-party links from affiliate networks won’t work with paid ads because search engines don’t allow redirects. Therefore, you must use first-party links from high-converting merchants that permit paid ads, which can be hard to find.
