The Amazon affiliate network can feel pretty limiting.
Ever since they slashed commission percentages way back in 2020, people have been searching for alternatives.
With most categories offering low commissions, you need to generate a huge volume of sales to make any real money.
The good news?
There are plenty of other affiliate programs out there.
In this guide, we’ll explore 11 of the best Amazon affiliate program alternatives.
These programs offer higher commissions, recurring income, and the potential for long-term earnings.
They’re perfect for SEO agencies, freelancers, or tech/business bloggers but, really, they’ll work for anyone looking to make extra money.
What Is An Affiliate Program?
An affiliate program is a marketing scheme where a merchant offers a commission to publishers for every sale they make through their unique affiliate link.
It’s a performance-based model: the more referrals or sales you generate, the more you earn.
The commission can vary depending on the affiliate program. And the Amazon Associates Program is notorious for being on the low side.
But there are plenty of alternative affiliate programs out there that offer much more generous payouts.
The Best Affiliate Programs in 2024
You won’t find the eBay Partner Network, Walmart Affiliate Program, or CJ Affiliate on this list.
These alternatives focus mainly on digital products.
That’s because digital items usually have better margins than physical products and offer higher payouts to affiliate marketers.
Here’s a rundown of the best Amazon affiliate alternatives in 2024:
FATJOE – 10% Lifetime Recurring Commission
It seems this is the perfect opportunity to introduce our very own affiliate program. Since launching in 2018, it’s been a massive hit.
What sets our program apart?
We offer a 10% lifetime recurring commission on any referrals you make to FATJOE.
That means for every order your referral places, you earn 10%. Not just on their first purchase but on everything they buy. For life.
We don’t promote it much, but FATJOE has an affiliate program that pays 10% LIFETIME commissions.
With agencies spending between £1000 and £50,000+ per month, there is some hefty commissions to be had.
— Joe Davies (@fatjoedavies) February 24, 2023
Key Benefits:
10% Lifetime Recurring Commission
You’ll earn 10% on every order from a referred client, month after month, year after year. With the average client spending over $1,000 a month, it’s one of the most lucrative SEO affiliate programs out there.
No-Hassle Payouts
Forget about managing invoices or chasing down payments. FATJOE automatically sends your earnings to your PayPal account every month, with real-time tracking right in your affiliate dashboard.
Perfect for SEO or Marketing Blogs
This affiliate program is suitable for anyone. But it’s a perfect fit if you already run or write for an online marketing blog, an SEO blog, or anything broadly marketing-related, as your audience is highly likely to convert.
Looking for more SEO affiliate programs? We’ve produced a round up of the top SEO affiliate programs here.
Semrush – $200 Per Sale + $10 for Free Trials
Semrush is one of the top SEO tools used by marketers, businesses, and agencies worldwide. It’s a go-to resource for keyword research, competitor analysis, and pretty much every SEO task. We use it ourselves here at FATJOE.
Key Benefits:
$200 Per Sale:
Semrush offers one of the highest affiliate payouts in the industry. You’ll earn $200 for every sale made through your affiliate link. With just a few conversions, you can start generating significant income.
$10 for Free Trials
Even if a visitor doesn’t make an immediate purchase, you can still earn $10 for each free trial sign-up. This means you get rewarded even if the referral tries the tool and doesn’t end up buying.
High Conversion Rates
Semrush is a trusted name in SEO. That means more people are likely to convert. And the free trial offer makes it easier for your referrals to take the first step – resulting in more commissions for you.
ActiveCampaign – 20-30% Recurring Commissions
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing platform with over 185,000 users. It’s one of the most well-known email marketing tools for small businesses. This affiliate program has serious earning potential if your audience is into email marketing.
Key Benefits:
20-30% Recurring Commission
ActiveCampaign’s affiliate model is all about recurring income. You’ll earn between 20% and 30% on your referrals’ monthly subscriptions – for as long as they’re a customer. This can turn into a consistent, long-term revenue stream.
High Retention Rates
Businesses stick with email marketing tools like ActiveCampaign once they get their automations going. It’s known for high user retention, meaning more reliable monthly commissions for you.
Perfect for B2B and Marketing Blogs
If your content focuses on email marketing, business growth, or marketing automation, ActiveCampaign’s affiliate program is a perfect match.
HubSpot – 30% Recurring Commissions (Up to 1 Year)
HubSpot is an all-in-one inbound marketing, sales, and CRM platform. It’s a popular tool that’s used by a huge number of businesses.
And their affiliate program offers generous recurring commissions. You can earn significant earnings if you target larger enterprises or growing businesses.
Key Benefits:
30% Recurring for 1 Year
You’ll earn a 30% recurring commission for the first 12 months of each referred customer. This can add up fast. HubSpot’s tools are priced at a premium level. For example, HubSpot’s Enterprise Marketing Hub costs $3,600 per month.
Done-For-You Content to Promote
HubSpot’s affiliate program gives you access to a ton of promotional resources. You’ll find everything from banners to landing pages designed to help you convert more visitors.
High Customer Lifetime Value
Once a business has chosen a CRM, they tend to stick with it. That makes it easier for you to retain referrals and earn repeat commissions.
Bluehost – Up to $100 Per Sale
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting affiliate marketing programs. If you’ve searched for “how to build a website,” chances are you’ve seen Bluehost as a recommended hosting provider. It is an easy-to-promote platform with a strong reputation and generous commissions.
Key Benefits:
Up to $100 Per Sale
Bluehost offers 70% commissions per sale, capping at $100 per sale. If you refer ten people a month, that’s potentially up to $1,000 in commissions.
Wide Audience Appeal
Web hosting is a necessity for anyone building a website. This gives you a large audience to target. You can narrow in on ecommerce sites, freelancers, and larger businesses to increase your chances of generating sales.
High Conversion Rates
Bluehost is a trusted brand with a solid reputation. It’s often the go-to host for new bloggers and small business owners.
Elegant Themes – 50% Commissions + Recurring Income
Elegant Themes is the creator of the popular Divi theme. If you create content on website building or blogging, it’s a great affiliate marketing opportunity. It offers high upfront and recurring commissions.
Key Benefits:
50% Commissions on New and Renewing Memberships
Elegant Themes offers 50% commissions on new membership sign-ups and renewals. Since many customers renew their subscriptions, you can earn reliable, recurring income.
15% on Marketplace Sales
You can also earn 15% commissions on any Divi Marketplace products. With thousands of third-party themes, plugins, and tools available, there’s a good chance your referrals will make an additional purchase.
Strong Affiliate Support
Elegant Themes provides affiliates with extensive promotional materials to help you generate sales. You can use pre-built banners, landing pages, and detailed tutorials.
Kinsta – Up to $500 Per Sale + 10% Recurring Commissions
Kinsta is a premium managed WordPress hosting provider known for its fast performance and customer service. They’ve built a reputation as a high-end solution for businesses, developers, and agencies.
And their affiliate program is one of the most generous in the industry. You can earn upfront commissions of up to $500 per sale with recurring income.
Key Benefits:
Up to $500 Per Sale
Kinsta pays affiliates between $50 and $500 per sale depending on the WordPress hosting plan a referred customer chooses. This makes it one of the highest-paying affiliate programs in the hosting industry.
10% Recurring Commissions
You’ll also earn a 10% recurring commission for as long as the customer stays on a Kinsta plan. Kinsta has a good reputation for retaining customers, so this can turn into a consistent income stream.
Free Migrations
Kinsta offers free migrations for customers moving their sites from other hosts. This removes one of the biggest barriers to switching hosting providers. It makes it easier for you to convince your audience to make the jump to Kinsta.
Shopify – Up to $150 Per Sale
Shopify is one of the biggest ecommerce platforms in the world. Over a million businesses use the platform to create and manage their online stores. It’s a strong brand with a huge global audience. And you can earn up to $150 per sale as an affiliate.
Key Benefits:
Up to $150 Per Sale
Shopify offers up to $150 for every referral who signs up for a full-priced merchant plan. This means even with just a few conversions, you can earn substantial income.
Trusted Brand
You’ll be promoting a well-known and trusted ecommerce platform. This makes it easier for you to promote.
Well-Designed Sales Funnel
Shopify provides a ton of educational webinars and tutorials to help users get started. As an affiliate, you don’t need to push a hard sell. You just have to guide people into the Shopify sales funnel and let their content do the rest.
Grammarly – $0.20 for Free Sign-ups, $20 for Paid Accounts
Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps users improve their grammar, spelling, and overall writing style. You can use it for emails, product descriptions, academic writing, and more. It’s a product with a huge target market.
It also offers a free plan, so the barrier to conversion is low. As an affiliate, you can earn $0.20 for free sign-ups and $20 for paid plans.
Key Benefits:
$0.20 for Free Accounts
Grammarly offers $0.20 for every free account sign-up. While that’s not a huge amount, it can quickly mount up if you generate a large number of sign-ups.
$20 for Paid Accounts
If your referral upgrades to a premium Grammarly account, you’ll earn $20 per sale. This higher payout helps balance the lower commissions for free accounts.
Easy to Promote with a Freemium Model
Grammarly’s freemium model means you don’t have to push for an immediate sale. Just get people on board with the free plan. Then, the platform does the work of converting them to premium.
NordVPN – 40% Commission on New Subscriptions
A recent survey revealed that 85% of people are looking to take extra steps to protect their online privacy. NordVPN is designed to meet that demand.
With millions of users worldwide, NordVPN provides security and privacy solutions for anyone looking to safeguard their internet activity. As an affiliate, you can tap into this growing market and earn commissions through NordVPN’s affiliate program.
Key Benefits:
40% Commission on New Subscriptions
You’ll earn a 40% commission for every new subscription to NordVPN. It’s one of the highest commission rates in the VPN industry.
30% Recurring Commission
After the first year, you’ll earn 30% recurring commissions on subscription renewals. Over time, you can generate a reliable stream of passive income.
Global Reach
NordVPN is popular around the world. That means you can target a huge international audience and increase your chances of generating conversions.
Bonus: Skillshare Affiliate Program – Earn Up to 40% Commission
Skillshare is a leading online learning platform. You’ll find expert-taught lessons on everything from graphic design and photography to business and technology. There are even some great SEO courses. So you can easily find something that aligns with your niche.
Key Benefits:
Earn Up to 40% Commission on Referrals
Skillshare offers up to 40% commission on each new member who signs up for a premium subscription. With annual subscriptions priced at $168, you can generate just over $67 per conversion.
Free Trial Increases Conversions
Skillshare offers a free trial to allow users to test the platform before committing to a premium membership. This reduces the barrier to entry and usually leads to a paid subscription – users need to upgrade to receive a certificate for courses they complete.
Growing Demand for Online Learning
As the demand for online education continues to grow, more people are turning to platforms like Skillshare to develop new skills. You can tap into that growing market by promoting Skillshare.
Final Takeaway
Amazon’s affiliate program might be the most well-known, but it’s nowhere near the most lucrative option.
The other affiliate networks and programs in this guide offer much higher commissions, recurring payouts, and better long-term earning potential.
Ready to level up your affiliate earnings? Start with these affiliate programs.
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