At the core of every good affiliate program is a good affiliate manager and a solid affiliate network. This is the tracking solution that will be a source of truth for your brand and partners promoting it.
Affiliate marketing has been enjoying an upward trajectory in growth for over ten years.
From $10 billion in 2024 US affiliate spending to a projected 16 billion in 2026. Businesses that aren’t running affiliate marketing programs leave money on the table.
Lots of it.
To get in on the affiliate marketing action, you must know the best affiliate networks to leverage. But you must choose wisely; the wrong affiliate platform or affiliate network could ruin your chances of success from the start.
But don’t worry. I've used dozens of different platforms in my 15+ years in affiliate marketing and know what affiliate platforms are doing it right. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to tell which affiliate network is best for your brand.
What is an affiliate network?
An affiliate network is a group of associated companies that connects publishers (like blog owners or influencers) with merchants looking to promote their products or services. Affiliate networks are marketplaces that connect merchants with influencers and publishers interested in promoting their products.
Depending on the nature of your affiliate program and network, you can pay your affiliates a commission based on one of many payment models. The three most common are:
- Cost per acquisition (CPA). This is where an affiliate is paid a commission on every sale attributed to them. This is the most common practice in affiliate marketing and performance marketing.
- Cost per lead (CPL). In this model, affiliates are paid an agreed-on commission for the leads they drive to a business.
- Cost per Click (CPC). Here, merchants pay affiliates a commission for every click of a link.
For affiliates, this partnership is appealing as it’s a great way of earning passive income without the nuisance of actually owning a product or dealing with logistics.
The most significant advantage you get from an affiliate network as a merchant is exposure. Affiliate marketers promote your brand and products to their audiences. And since their audiences consist of people interested in your products, it’s easier to convert them into customers.
In essence, affiliate networks connect you to partners who can help you generate leads for your online business.
Some of the common examples of affiliate networks include CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction), Shareasale, AWIN, and many more.
What is the difference between an affiliate network and a private platform?
When running performance marketing campaigns, you’re bound to be caught in the affiliate network vs. private platform debate.
To know which to use, you must know the differences between the two.
But first, what is a private platform?
A private platform is software that enables you to create an in-house affiliate program through which you recruit, manage, and grow your affiliate network. Unlike an affiliate network, there are no middlemen — you interact directly with your affiliates. A good example is that of Walmart’s affiliate program. It’s an in-house affiliate program run by the company. Walmart is also a great example that retailers can also leverage affiliate marketing to drive up sales.
In short, private platform software just gives you the tools you need to create and manage your private affiliate program. The rest is up to you.
But what’s the real difference between affiliate networks and private platforms?
Are there any advantages of leveraging one over the other?
That’s what we’re going to discuss today as we briefly look at the differences that make the biggest impact on your online marketing and, ultimately, revenue.
Collecting tax information from affiliates.
One of the biggest operational differences between affiliate networks and private affiliate platforms is the collection of tax information from affiliates.
When you sign up for a private platform, you are responsible for all the headaches of collecting tax info from every affiliate. You’re also responsible for ensuring that all your affiliates are paid on time. These are major pains for affiliate managers as they take up a lot of time. As there’s so much repetitive work to be done, it also becomes difficult to scale your program in the long run.
However, with an affiliate network, they take care of all the tax issues and liabilities for you. The only caveat is that they’ll charge you service fees in the ballpark of 20% of each transaction’s commissions. While this may seem like a hefty price to pay, it’s definitely worth it as it saves you from the tedious hassle of collecting tax information from every one of your affiliates. The 20% service charge also won’t set you back as much as paying someone to take care of the tax and remuneration aspect of running an affiliate program on a private network.
Obtain access to thousands of affiliates with an affiliate network
Another major difference between affiliate networks and private platforms is reach.
With an affiliate network, you have access to thousands of affiliates. This makes it easier to find relevant partners to promote your products to the right audience. It also means the chances of your product reaching more buyers are higher.
A private network, on the other hand, falls short in this regard. You have to put in a bit of work to build your network of affiliates from scratch.
While both affiliate networks and private platforms have their pros and cons, affiliate networks would be your better option. The main reason is they’re easier to manage and give you better reach. With private platforms, you must know how to use the technology and tools needed to manage an affiliate program. You must also have extensive knowledge of creating and managing affiliate programs.
Best affiliate networks for affiliate managers.
As an affiliate manager, you’re probably wondering which affiliate networks will bring a better return on investment (ROI) for your brand. Let’s quickly look at some of the best affiliate networks you can leverage to drive sales and revenue.
Best Affiliate Networks for Your Company or Affiliate Manager to Use Compared
- Inflektion – Best Overall for Affiliate Manager Productivity
- Everflow – Best Enterprise-Grade Option
- ClickGo – Best for Fraud Detection & Multi-Network Programs
- impact.com – Best for Big Brands
- PartnerStack – Best for B2B SaaS Partner Ecosystems
- Awin – Best for Global Retail, Finance and Travel Brands
- Partnerize – Best for Brand-to-Brand Partnerships
- CJ Affiliate – Best for Brands That Want Managed Service Options
Private Platforms
- FirstPromoter – Best Overall for Subscription Businesses
- Rekomi – Best for Automated Payouts and Tax Compliance
- Trackdesk – Best for Growing Programs and Networks
- Rewardful – Best Budget Pick for Early-Stage SaaS
- Refersion – Best for Shopify and Ecommerce Brands
- OSI Affiliate Software – Best for First-Time Affiliate Managers
- Tune – Best for Building a Custom Platform With an API
1.Inflektion – Best Overall for Affiliate Manager Productivity
Inflektion is changing the game in affiliate marketing, Most affiliate platforms focus on just being a tracking solution. Inflektion has built the BEST affiliate tracking solution on the market, along with the great tech stack for affiliate manager productivity ever seen.
This AI-powered, data-driven affiliate network offers various services to help you reach your target audience and drive sales. With its advanced targeting capabilities, Inflektion can connect you with top-performing affiliates who fit your brand’s demographics and interests. Their performance-based commission model ensures that affiliates are motivated to promote your products and services effectively.
Here are some huge difference makers that Inflektion is doing better than their competition:
- High-converting co-branded landing pages designed to convert
- AI tech for affiliate management productivity
- Built-in recruitment platform to find partners inside and outside of the platform
- Robust automated reporting
- Internal partner asset database
One of the greatest features of Inflektion is the flexibility to work on any type of shopping cart system. Integration takes less than 2 weeks to get the program running and built for the future.
2.Everflow – Best Enterprise-Grade Option
Everflow is a powerful affiliate tracking platform designed to work seamlessly across various industries, such as software, B2B, and e-commerce. Recognized as an emerging leader in the affiliate space, it combines robust features, affordability, and scalability, making it a valuable asset for businesses aiming to grow their affiliate programs effortlessly.
Everflow took a major step in 2025 with a groundbreaking Skimlink partnership, delivering full transparency into sub-affiliate network traffic. This innovation provides unmatched insights, empowering brands with a clearer view of their campaigns’ performance.
Check out my Fireside chat with Everflow and Tony Cohn on performance partnership best tactics.
Key Features:
- Affordable Plans: Cost-effective solutions to support growth without straining budgets.
- Advanced Tracking: Gain detailed insights into clicks, conversions, and campaigns for optimized performance.
- User-Friendly Dashboard: Simplify campaign management with an intuitive and accessible interface.
- Reliable and Accurate: Dependable tracking across all affiliate channels ensures consistency.
- Scalability: Built to grow alongside your business without sacrificing functionality.
Pros and Cons of Everflow:
Pros
- Intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface
- Comprehensive tracking and detailed reporting
- Responsive and helpful customer support team
- Affordable pricing compared to competitors
- Mobile device compatibility for managing campaigns on the go
Cons
- Initial learning curve for navigating the platform
- Possible occasional bugs or API issues
- Manual intervention required for pausing campaigns with broken links
- Design could benefit from more modern visuals
- Advanced features may demand deeper technical knowledge
Pricing
Everflow offers tailored pricing to meet varied business needs, starting at $750 per month. A minimum 6-month commitment is required to allow sufficient time for scaling and achieving measurable results.
Why Choose Everflow?
Its combination of affordability, functionality, and scalability ensures Everflow stands out in the affiliate industry. Whether you're looking to strengthen your SaaS affiliate campaigns or drive growth in other verticals, Everflow’s comprehensive tracking tools and innovative solutions make it a dependable choice for affiliate managers aiming for success.
3. ClickGo – Best for Fraud Detection & Multi-Network Programs
First CJ was disrupted by impact.com, then impact.com was challenged by Everflow. Now, ClickGo is disrupting all three by offering top-tier technology alongside pricing designed to outperform every competitor.
ClickGo is an affiliate tracking platform built by people who have worked in the industry: former affiliate network operators, advertiser program managers, agency leaders and creator-economy pros. It’s built to help brands, networks and agencies grow their partner programs without the old problems that come with legacy platforms.
ClickGo stands out for real-time fraud protection. The platform watches traffic as it comes in and stops invalid clicks and bad traffic before they’re paid out, so commission budgets go to partners who actually drive results.
Rather than stopping at a single conversion, ClickGo tracks the whole funnel. You get one view of your partners, traffic sources and revenue streams. It also finds revenue lost to tracking gaps and user error, so partners get credit for the sales they drive.
ClickGo serves networks, advertisers, agencies and creators all in one place. Networks can manage affiliates and payouts. Advertisers can see where their budget goes. Agencies get reporting their clients can trust, and creators can see which partnerships actually pay. It also comes with API documentation and an SDK for custom setups.
4. impact.com – Best for Big Brands
impact.com was founded with one goal in mind, helping brands and publishers grow through strategic partnerships.
One of the main reasons you should consider impact.com for your affiliate network requirements is that they’ve built powerful tools to help you discover, recruit, and onboard new affiliates. You can also use their platform to discover which affiliates are driving the most traffic for your competitors. This aspect of competitive research is essential as it helps you target the right affiliates to partner with.
Once you’ve recruited your affiliates, keeping track of them and their performance is a cinch as impact.com has a powerful tracking and analytics dashboard. The platform also helps you identify and block fraudulent affiliates.
Each affiliate has a unique code embedded in the links they promote in their content that allows you to attribute each referral or sale to them. The software used by your affiliate network or your private platform keeps track of how each link performs and presents the metrics on your dashboard.
5. PartnerStack – Best for B2B SaaS Partner Ecosystems
Partnerstack is a leading partner management platform that helps businesses and affiliate marketers grow their revenue through partnerships. With Partnerstack, you have access to powerful features such as commission tracking, real-time analytics, and customizable program creation.
They also offer a wide range of integrations with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. This allows for seamless integration with your existing website or e-commerce store.
But what sets Partnerstack apart from other affiliate networks is their focus on enabling partnerships between companies rather than just individual affiliates. This means that they can help you build strategic partnerships with complementary businesses, opening up new avenues for growth and revenue.
In addition to their impressive technology and tools, Partnerstack also offers personalized support to help you maximize success.
6. Awin – Best for Global Retail, Finance and Travel Brands
With twenty years of experience, Awin (formerly Affiliate Window) has established itself as one of the world’s most extensive affiliate networks. It offers a global community of people, technology and business intelligence insights. No matter what type of partner, level of service, or tools your business needs, Awin provides solutions to drive sustainable growth.
With over 225,000 publishers (including big name brands like TechRadar, rewardStyle, Honey, Buzzfeed and ShopStyle), it’s no wonder over 16,400 retailers have chosen Awin as their network of choice. The network boasts a 16:1 ROAS for merchants’ marketing spend, tracked through their data-led, multi-touch attribution technology.
Besides experience, expertise, and reach, other reasons Awin is an attractive network for affiliate managers include:
- An intuitive and easy-to-use platform.
- Specialist account management team that offers personalized service.
- Powerful tools for optimizing your affiliate program.
- Multi-channel, multi-touchpoint and algorithmic attribution solutions.
- Strategic partnerships to help partners make informed marketing decisions.
- Innovative technology and solutions to attribute value.
- Flexible pricing and solutions for small to enterprise size businesses.
One significant difference you’ll notice with Awin is that they focus on four major categories, namely:
- Finance and Insurance
- Retail and Shopping
- Telecommunications and Services
- Travel partnersHowever, there are myriad sub-categories under each one, meaning your product can easily fit in and find quality publishers.
No matter what type of partner, level of service, or tools needed to achieve business goals, Awin provides solutions to drive sustainable, incremental growth for your brand.
7. Partnerize – Best for Brand-to-Brand Partnerships
Partnerize is another veteran affiliate network you, as a brand or affiliate manager, should consider. Founded way back in 2010, they’ve been around the affiliate marketing block a few times and have a proven track record to boot.
Formerly called Performance Horizon Group, Partnerize was born out of the desire to empower both merchants and publishers to maximize their connections. This led them to develop excellent technological and service-based solutions to help you optimize every facet of your affiliate program.
But one of the biggest benefits you'll probably enjoy is their extensive network of vetted affiliate marketers. You’ll also find their brand-to-brand partnership feature useful in bolstering your marketing campaigns.
8. CJ Affiliate – Best for Brands That Want Managed Service Options
CJ Affiliate is another veteran affiliate network with a massive roster of affiliates. Founded in 1998, its longevity in the game is a testament to the network’s reliability and profitability.
Personally, CJ will always have a little piece of my heart as they gave me my first job in the industry. But through the years, they have consistently dropped down my rankings since they don't evolve like the others.
One factor that makes CJ Affiliate an attractive affiliate network for brands and affiliate managers is its advanced technology and tools. An excellent example includes cookie-less tracking, an important feature as we head into a cookie-less future. Other examples include:
- Affiliate personalization, which helps you build valuable relationships with the right affiliates.
- Real-time reporting so you know what’s happening at any time of day.
- Affiliate customer insights that show affiliate customer shopping behavior and preferred channels.
Another reason CJ Affiliate is so popular with merchants is that they offer different levels of affiliate management services. You can choose to run your own program using their tools and technology or opt to work with an agency partner. You can also request a custom, white-glove service.
With a presence in over 250 countries and helping advertisers in almost every vertical, you’ll find a partnership with CJ Affiliate rewarding.
Other Affiliate Marketing Networks to Consider
Depending on the products or services you offer, other affiliate marketing networks you can consider include:
- Flexoffers
- Clickbank
- Cake
- MaxBounty
These are loved by bloggers and other publishers for their ease of use, excellent customer support, and reliable commission payouts. As a merchant, you won’t go wrong with them as they have a wide network of affiliates.
Best private platforms for affiliate managers
Are affiliate marketing networks not your cup of tea? Private platforms offer a white-label solution that could fit your needs.
The biggest PRO for choosing a private platform: cost savings. As mentioned earlier in this article, the major networks provide nice pool of affiliates, collect tax info, and handle all affiliate payments. This comes at a price though, usually to the tune of a percentage of commissions. If you don't mid doing that heavy lifting, there are some great private platforms that will fit your needs.
Let’s look at some of my personal favorites that you should consider.
1. FirstPromoter – Best Overall for Subscription Businesses
FirstPromoter is affiliate, referral and influencer software built for subscription businesses. It’s been around since 2016, and it’s one of the few platforms that tracks the full life of a subscription, not just the first sale.
If you run a SaaS or membership business, that difference shows up in your commission reports right away.
- Subscription-aware commissions: Commissions follow upgrades, downgrades, refunds and cancellations automatically.
- Flexible reward logic: Recurring, lifetime and multi-tier commissions, set up the way your program needs.
- Complete tracking: Referral links, coupon codes and sub-IDs, with native integrations for Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly and Braintree.
- Partner activation: A brandable affiliate dashboard that helps new partners start promoting quickly.
- Automated payouts: Mass payouts so you aren’t paying affiliates one by one.
Pricing starts at $49 per month, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required.
2. Rekomi – Best for Automated Payouts and Tax Compliance
Rekomi is affiliate and referral software for SaaS companies, ecommerce brands and digital product sellers.
What sets it apart is that it handles the paperwork most platforms leave to you. Its 3% payout fee covers partner payouts, tax form collection and 1099 filing, so a small team doesn’t need a separate payouts tool.
- Automated global payouts: Pays partners in 130+ countries, with W-9/W-8 collection and 1099 filing included.
- Flexible commissions: Per-sale, per-click and per-lead commissions, in any combination.
- Built-in fraud scoring: Real-time click and lead screening on every plan.
- Billing integrations: Connects with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Shopify, Lemon Squeezy and more.
Pricing starts at $29 per month, plus 3% of affiliate payouts. There are no overage fees, and there’s a 14-day free trial.
3. Trackdesk – Best for Growing Programs and Networks
Trackdesk is affiliate and partner management software for brands, SaaS companies and affiliate networks. It started as the in-house platform for an affiliate network, and today more than 3,000 companies use it.
Trackdesk’s biggest selling point is pricing that doesn’t punish growth. Clicks, conversions and affiliates are uncapped on every program plan, and Trackdesk takes no percentage of your sales.
- AI Postbacks assistant: Give it a platform and a URL and it builds a ready-to-use postback, with no developer needed.
- Traffic control and targeting: Block clicks or conversions with rules, and route traffic by device, country, region or city.
- Built-in fraud protection: Flags suspicious patterns before they cost you money.
- Affiliate ticketing system: A support inbox built for partner questions about payouts, links and missing conversions.
- Fast redirects: Built for very high click volumes, so affiliate traffic reaches your landing page quickly.
Pricing starts at $299 per month, with a 14-day free trial.
4. Rewardful – Best Budget Pick for Early-Stage SaaS
Rewardful is a popular choice for SMBs looking to create an affiliate program. Pricing starts at $49/month, but has incredible value at that price point.
I love the ease of use of this platform. Features like:
- Automated payouts with several vendor options
- Customizable commission structures
- Integration with popular platforms like Shopify and Stripe.
5. Refersion – Best for Shopify and Ecommerce Brands
Refersion is one private platform you must put at the top of your list of the best private platforms to consider. It was built from the ground up to make it easier for brands and affiliate managers to design, launch, and manage their own promotional network.
Some of the most notable features Refersion brings to the table include:
- Affiliate tracking. You can integrate your e-commerce platform and monitor clicks and conversions in real-time and across many promotional channels.
- Automation. Refersion allows you to automate affiliate approval, affiliate commission structures, orders, and a whole lot more. Just input your parameters, and the platform does the rest.
- Easy management of partnerships. From a personalized affiliate portal to transparency in commissions and payments and everything in-between, you have access to tools to help you discover, recruit, and build relationships with affiliates.
If a private platform is what your brand needs to build promotional partnerships, Refersion is one of the best on the market.
6. OSI Affiliate Software – Best for First-Time Affiliate Managers
If you’re looking for a flexible solution to creating your private affiliate platform, OSI Affiliate Software could be what you need.
With OSI Affiliate Software, you can be up and running in as little as 10 minutes. This and its overall ease of use make it a good option if you’re new to creating and managing affiliate programs. It’s also one of the best private platforms for newbie affiliate managers.
Besides features like real-time commission tracking and auto signup, you can also expect:
- Customizable reward structure (to incentivize top affiliates)
- Detailed commission and traffic reports
- Optional deep linking feature for affiliates
- Paypal mass commission payment
- Tons of integrations
- Landing page templates
Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, you can easily customize Omnistar to suit your affiliate marketing needs. And the best part is OSI Affiliate Software is feature-rich plans start at an affordable $67/month.is
7. Tune – Best for Building a Custom Platform With an API
Not happy with the features and functionalities of the private platforms you’ve looked at so far?
Then you need to consider Tune.
One of Tune’s selling points is that you can use the platform as a foundation to build your own—with the unique features and functions you’re looking for. With over 650 endpoints, Tune’s two-way API allows you to build the perfect private platform for your needs.
Another of Tune’s strengths is its robust data and analytics engine. Tracking campaigns across any digital channel (including app, mobile web, and desktop) has never been easier. With Tune, you'll also enjoy features like:
- Fraud detection
- Automated workflows and payments
- High-level data security
- Cookieless tracking
All these features (and more) come with a minimum price of $279/month.
If you’re looking to fine-tune your affiliate marketing, then Tune could be the platform that can help you do just that.
FAQ
Affiliate marketing is a great way to sell both digital and physical products. It’s one of the best digital marketing strategies you can use to generate sales without investing heavily in marketing and sales. Your affiliates do that for you.
I’m sure you’re reading this post because you’re interested in joining the affiliate marketing bandwagon. And I’m pretty sure you’ve got a couple of nagging questions you need answers to. Let’s get some of those answered, shall we?
How do you recruit affiliates to your program?
Affiliates are not easy to connect with. It takes hard work and dedication to find the right contact info for partners that will drive sales.
Luckily, Alfie is an AI-driven recruitment platform that handles the entire top-of-funnel workflow. It identifies potential partners, finds their contact details, and sends personalized sequences to get them interested in your offer.
Why I Recommend It
Alfie is the best choice if you want to remove yourself from the tedious work of prospecting and initial emails. It functions like an automated SDR (Sales Development Representative) for your affiliate program. It doesn't just give you a list; it actually handles the legwork of getting a response with an autonomous follow-up system that uses AI to respond to basic questions from prospects, which keeps the conversation moving without your intervention.
It’s a great tool for mid-sized brands and agencies that need tools for scaling affiliate programs without hiring more staff.
https://dustinhowes.com/alfie
Which affiliate network is best?
This is one of the most common questions asked by both merchants and publishers. The answer, however, is not straightforward. To pick the best affiliate network for you, consider the one(s) that align with your business goals and solve your biggest marketing challenge.
Just like any marketing platform, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to affiliate marketing networks. You must do your due diligence to research and discover those that have greater success in your industry.
What is the highest-paying affiliate program?
High-ticket affiliate programs are growing in number and are attracting a lot of attention from affiliates. A good example is Hubspot’s affiliate program which pays high commissions of up to $1000. For more high-paying affiliate programs, check out this blog post.
What companies offer the best affiliate programs?
The best affiliate programs are those that offer more than just a generous commission. They also offer:
- Excellent customer support
- Training
- Tools for both marketing and management
These are some of the hallmarks of good affiliate programs. Examples of companies that offer some of the best affiliate programs include ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, and Awin, among many others.
How do I track affiliate links?
Tracking affiliate links is one of the most common concerns both merchants and affiliates have. Fortunately, technology has made it easy to track affiliate links. Both affiliate networks and private affiliate platforms make this easy and transparent through their dashboards.
Each affiliate has a unique code embedded in the links they promote in their content that allows you to attribute each referral or sale to them. The software used by your affiliate network or your private platform keeps track of how each link performs and presents the metrics on your dashboard.
How do you measure the traffic from different affiliates?
Again, this is where a good affiliate network or private platform comes to the rescue. They have analytics and data functions that give you insight into the most crucial aspects of your affiliate program and every transaction that takes place.
This includes the traffic that your different affiliates drive to your program.
Whether it’s traffic that comes through blogging (on their affiliate site or otherwise), social media, or paid ads, your platform will be able to attribute and measure the traffic that comes from each of your affiliates..
Wrapping up best affiliate networks — an integral decision of your digital marketing strategy.
Whether you use an affiliate marketing network, a private platform, or both, one thing is sure—affiliate marketing should be part of your digital marketing strategy. Besides enabling you to have an army of independent sales reps to boost your sales, it also helps you reach audiences you would otherwise not be able to reach on your own.
But for that to happen, you must find and leverage the best affiliate marketing networks or private platforms.
That’s the tricky part.
And that’s why I decided to create this resource to help you.
So pick the affiliate network or private platform that resonated with you the most. Be sure to let us know which one it is in the comment section below.
These are some of the hallmarks of good affiliate programs. Examples of companies that offer some of the best affiliate programs include ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, and Awin, among many others.
