The affiliate marketing agency market is expanding by the day. With the affiliate marketing industry expanding so quickly, agencies are popping up like it's cool.

There is plenty of affiliate marketing agencies that are doing great work out there…and there are many more that are just trying to make a buck. You can't blame them, but some of them are giving affiliate marketing a bad name. That is something I just hate to see and I'm not going to be shy about the folks I trust.

So here is the affiliate marketing agency list of trusted companies that I trust and what they specialize in. This list is not based on ranking, but is more dependent on the niche of your brand and the needs of your program.

But first, let's talk about what makes a good affiliate marketing agency.

What is an affiliate marketing agency?

An affiliate marketing agency, also known as outsourced program management (OPM), is a type of marketing firm that specializes in affiliate programs for clients. Typically they have a team of experienced partnership managers who can create a proper strategy and recruit new partners to the program. They will have a large book of partners that they can call on to join their client's programs.

Each affiliate marketing agency works with multiple brands and niches. They can dedicate anywhere from 5 to 20 hours per week to one program, depending on their number of clients and employees. Responsible agencies will add around 4 or 5 clients to one affiliate manager's portfolio, but a bad OPM might have 40 assigned.

What do affiliate agencies cost?

Every OPM in the industry has slightly different payment methods. Some are a straight service fee, while others will mix in performance incentives. There are mixed feelings on the “right way” of ethically charging customers, but the majority of agencies with need guaranteed money to ensure their employees are paid.

Do any agencies work on a performance basis?

I don't know of any active OPMs that do a full performance-based program. There were some who tried but never got it right. Most agencies will add in performance bonuses for the partners they recruit to the affiliate program.

Why don't agencies work on a performance basis?

In theory, since affiliate marketing is performance-based commissions, shouldn't agencies work on a performance basis? Here lies the issues:

1. Working on performance will encourage the agency to bring on lots of affiliates that will make the program look good, but might not be incremental traffic sources.
2. Agencies have to pay for employees to do the work and need a consistent flow of cash.
3. Brands could shut down the affiliate channel and destroy all the hard work the agency did.

*Quick note: if you book a call with any of these agencies, let them know I sent you and to hook you up with the “Dustin Discount.”

What affiliate agencies do I trust?

OPMs are difficult to judge when all you can see is what they share with you. But when you spend 14+ years in this industry, you get to know the lay of the land; you hear rumors and rumblings about companies that are good and bad for the industry. Then you have first-hand experiences with those companies and get a taste of how they operate.

Luckily I have been on the merchant, agency, and publisher side of this industry and have been able to learn how many of these companies operate. I'll give you an honest rundown of affiliate agencies I see providing the biggest results for their happy clients.

Best for e-Commerce – JEB Commerce.

JEBCommerce consistently ranks among the affiliate marketing industry's elite, earning numerous awards that validate its market-leading performance. These accolades reflect not just industry recognition, but measurable success in driving exceptional results for client campaigns.

JEBCommerce is my go-to choice for e-commerce for two big reasons:

1. their value of incremental sales within the affiliate program.
2. Consistent results with clients I refer their way.

Founded by industry legend Jaime Birch, JEBCommerce has helped hundreds of e-com stores drive sales through content partners. Jaime passed the torch to Jake Fuller who is taking the agency to the next level with a partnership-first mentality. Learn more about in my JEB Commerce review or click below to book a call.

See Jake in action:

Best for Huge Brands –PartnerCentric.

PartnerCentric has 15+ years in business with a great track record and a team of seasoned veterans. They have a great database of affiliate partners in the lifestyle brands niche and can hit the ground running with new clients. I'm especially impressed with their optimization of programs with their landing page designs and newsletter outreach to partners.

Check out more about PartnerCentric's methodology with my interview with executive Tom Rathbone:

Honorable Mention for Huge Brands – Acceleration Partners.

A staple in the industry for 15+ years, Acceleration Partners is the biggest name in the affiliate marketing agency game. They only take on deals with huge brands like Target, Dick's, and Traeger, but if your brand qualifies, they can drive incredible volume in affiliates and beyond.

Robert Glazer is the founder of Acceleration Partners. His vision has been instrumental to the forward progress of the affiliate marketing industry. Catch my interview with him on the future of partnerships:

Best for SaaS affiliate programs – All Inclusive Marketing (AIM).

All Inclusive Marketing (AIM) has created a name for themselves in the SaaS world working with a diverse group of business software brands, big and small, such as NetSuite, Asana, BigCommerce, Bambee, and more. With a growing team of experts, dedicated to Saas (both B2C and B2B), AIM can create custom-managed programs based on different goals and objectives — leads, free trials, free product tours, and white paper syndication. As one of the top five agencies for PartnerStack SaaS, and their long history of relationships with top influencers, comparison sites, bloggers, and other top lead gen partners, AIM is a credible and experienced agency to grow your SaaS affiliate program.

Charlie Calbrese is a talker and a huge affiliate nerd like me. Hear him in action:

Honorable Mention for SaaS affiliate programs – Affiverse.

Lee-Ann Johnstone is an absolute legend in the affiliate marketing world and has been an instrumental contributor in the acceleration of the affiliate channel. She manages her affiliate marketing agency out of the UK and specializes in SaaS products, iGaming, Gambling, and dabbles in e-commerce. Affiverse doubles as the biggest affiliate management educator and content site and she has an incredible affiliate marketing podcast to check out.

She joined me on my affiliate podcast as well.

Best for Lifestyle Brands – PartnerCentric.

Yeah, I know I put them on here twice…they are that good! They cover a lot of niches, but they have some exceptional success here.

OMG I LOVE Sarah Bundy so much! She is one of the nicest, smartest, and charismatic people in the affiliate industry.

Best for B2B brands – Partner Commerce

Best for D2C – Performance Partners

Performance Partners believes a successful affiliate program isn’t just about growth—it’s about scaling profitably. They have aunique Omni-Outbound Affiliate Program strategy that prioritizes recruiting and activating a diverse mix of affiliates to drive sustainable, scalable revenue growth. And I love Fred Jean-Bart, founder of Perforance Partners. He is making consistently good content out there and his rolodoz of media buyers is second to none.

Fred was one of the OGs of Affiliate Nerd Out.

Best for Digital Products – Lab6 Media.

With an incredibly balanced team of industry veterans, Lab6 has a very diverse portfolio of clients in both ecommerce and digital products. They have a knack for constructing, fixing, and evolving tracking attribution solutions for clients to maximize the value of the affiliate traffic.

I am consistently impressed with Lab6's moral responsibility to clients; they will not take on clients if they are not a great fit or if there is a conflict of interest with their existing clients. Integrity is a huge factor of trust and this agency is top-notch.

I LOVE Karen Garcia. Probably the biggest nerd in the affiliate industry.

Honorable Mention Diversified Portfolio – Adam Riemer Marketing.

Adam Riemer is an SEO and affiliate marketing known-it-all with 20 years in the industry. Adam Riemer Marketing specializes in top-funnel traffic generation and bringing value through genuine partnerships. Their content strategy brings customers to your business vs. allowing partners to take credit for sales you'd have without a program.

If you're looking for the best white hat agency, who can work across B2B, SaaS, retail, and consumer goods, they're ready to help. Best of all they don't take on competing companies, so you don't have to worry about your top partners getting attention from your competitors.

I love Adam because he is always himself and never holds back opinions.

Best for Integrations and Audits – Zaronology

Zaronology stands at the forefront of affiliate and influencer tracking solutions, specializing in system setup, education, and integrity audits. We’ve earned the trust of distinguished clients from e-commerce brands like BioTrust and Activation Products to filmmakers such as Revealed Films and Jeff Hays Films. Our extensive experience includes collaborating with YouTube legends Mr Beast and Mark Rober on the TeamSeas project, raising $30 million in 60 days. In short, we provide effective, tailored tracking solutions while educating clients to leverage technology, ensuring seamless reporting and robust system integrity.

This guy's tracking attribution knowledge is WAY over my understanding.

Best for Outdoor Products – BackBone Media.

Another agency that has cut its teeth in the PR world and is expanding into affiliates is Backbone Media. They focus on outdoor lifestyle brands and have a monstrous database of influencers and high-value content sites.

Best for Global Growth – Stratagem Agency.

A team of seasoned marketing professionals who have scaled businesses, grown teams, and exceeded expectations, through data-driven and transparent outcome-based marketing. Affiliate marketing is our expertise. Best of SaaS / Global growth partnerships with geo-targeted brands – based in the EU but working with globally focused brands. Our agency focuses on building partnership programs on the best SaaS platforms and establishing dynamic contracts for efficient spend and attribution.

Best for FinTech affiliate programs – The Partnership Collective.

Nick Marchese is a real one. This guy is super smart in the finance and fin-tech space. He knows how to connect people in the industry. Unfortunetly he is an embarrassing bowler. I hope that isn't a disqualifier for your fin-tech company needs for an affiliate program.

Nick is an open-book type of character. We talk industry best practices and pet peeves.

Best for Best for Incremental Partnerships – Imagine Marketing.

Founded in 2020, Imagine Marketing is a visionary affiliate-adjacent marketing agency that provides clients with first-of-its-kind growth strategies. It is a pioneer in what it calls “consideration marketing,” which leverages external affiliate partners, internal review sites, media buying, and strategic social whitelisting to acquire net new customers for its clients. Imagine specializes in high-consideration verticals like baby, pet, and health and wellness, delivering unprecedented long-term growth on Amazon and direct-to-consumer websites.

Joshua Kennedy is an up-and-coming voice in affiliate marketing. He stops by Affiliate Nerd Out to talk about his methods of growth.

Best freelance consultants.

Agencies can be great business growers, but there are some consultants who are doing amazing work in launching and servicing brands that are on a budget. Here are a few of my favorites that share my philosophy.

Christen Evans – Spark Partnerships.

One of my favorite people in the affiliate marketing industry. Christen Evans loves small, niche e-commerce brands and helping them find target influencers to promote their product. Catch her on episodes of Affiliate Nerd Out like this one.

Ann Hand – The Full Hand.

Ann ‘Small” Hand is a one-person band that specializes in ecom brands, Amazon affiliate, and TikTok shop influencers. She is incredibly well organized and super sharp with the execution of strategic plans. She stopped by for Real Talk Friday with me some time back in 2024.

Paddy McGill – Partner Pixel.

Nobody can put on a webinar like Paddy. This guy is incredible with connecting brands with influencers with an audience and producing a webinar that educated the audience and drives enormous sales for SaaS products. He is also extremely fun to work with and super savvy with partner recruitment, SEO, and strategic thinking. Check him out on the FIRST episode of Affiliate Nerd Out.

Wrapping up this Affiliate Agency trusted list.

That is my list and I'm sticking to it. With dozens of choices out there, I highly suggest you take demos and sales calls with three agencies to find the right fit for your brand and strategy. I hope this list will point you in the right direction; make sure you tell them Dustin Howes sent you!