Affiliate marketing is not going anywhere. Since its fast growth during the 2010s, affiliate marketing is still a leading strategy for driving sales and generating passive income.
Affiliate marketing spending is projected to hit USD 8.2 billion by 2022 in the U.S. alone.
In fact, 80% of brands use affiliate marketing programs.
And 64.48% of affiliate marketers get most of their traffic from high-quality blog content.
If that doesn’t sound like a great opportunity, I don’t know what else is.
You may be wondering, so, what are some of the best affiliate marketing programs to get me started on this passive income journey?
I compiled a list of the best programs in different categories so you can choose easily.
Web Hosting Affiliate Programs
1. Bluehost
Bluehost is among the world’s biggest web hosting providers. The company pays a commission rate of $65 per sale for starters. But this can increase to $130 depending on the referred sales volume.
Bluehost has a highly responsive support team.
2. Hostgator
This company hosts over eight million sites on its servers. The commission rate starts at $65 for the first five sales and goes up to $100 as the purchases soar.
You may go for a hybrid commission model or a performance-based one.
3. Hostinger
As an affiliate, you can earn at least 60% commission per sale.
Hostinger offers massive discounts (75% to 85%) on their hosting plans to boost conversions.
4. Cloudways
The managed hosting platform provides you with two attractive commission structures so you choose your preference.
I like their fixed one-time commission that starts at $50 per sale up to $150 based on sales volume.
There’s also the hybrid method that entails a $30 commission for each sale in addition to a 7% lifetime commission.
5. Kinsta
The company is known to provide lightning-fast hosting, optimized backups, SSL support, and more.
With Kinsta, you get up to $500 per referral (based on plan value) plus 10% recurring lifetime commissions every month.
6. WP Engine
The giant WordPress hosting provider sells super fast hosting plans to established businesses and bloggers looking for reliable hosting.
The commission starts at $200 per sale plus there are bonuses for more sales.
7. WPX Hosting
I like WPX Hosting because they provide dedicated hosting at competitive rates. The commission earned depends on the number of sales made.
You earn $70 per referral for the first 25 referrals, $85 per referral for the next 25 to 100 referrals, and $100 per referral for more than 100 referrals.
8. A2 Hosting
I would recommend this web host to my audience for their lightning-fast servers.
You earn between $55 and $125 per referral. But remember, your commission should reach a $100 threshold.
Once the commissions reach or exceed this amount, you should expect a PayPal payment on the 15th of the following month.
Website Affiliate Programs
After hosting a website, the next step is to build a website, customize it with themes, and market services or products. Here are high-paying affiliate programs to look out for.
9. Shopify
As the world’s leading eCommerce web builder, Shopify boasts 400,000 merchants and pays affiliates a whopping 200% commission (two times the referred customer’s monthly plan price after the customer pays for two months).
Whenever I’m stuck as an affiliate, I turn to their website for useful FAQ guides and promotional ideas.
10. Wix
Wix is a top-tier website builder with 100 million users. As an affiliate, you should look forward to $100 per sale as a start.
Wix features tons of beautiful landing pages to be used in multiple languages.
11. BigCommerce
This SaaS eCommerce platform has more than 60,000 merchants. It boasts advanced functionality and built-in features.
They pay a generous 200% commission rate, which means, you can earn $1500, $250, $160, or $60 per paying customer.
12. ClickMeter
This website link tracking tool will pay you a commission of up to 90% per sale. You have the opportunity to earn up to $891 per sale.
I included them on this list because of their generous commission rate and helpful affiliate support team.
13. Weebly
This simple website builder has an insane 40 million-plus user base.
While it may not be the most advanced web builder out there, most users think the drag and drop interface makes it easy to set up a quick website.
Here’s the interesting part: you earn a 30% recurring commission provided the customer remains active.
14. Superb Themes
Not only does this company provide exceptionally designed WordPress themes, but they also write valuable content on WordPress topics.
So, if you’d like to promote themes to your WordPress audience, you may earn up to 60% in commissions per sale. Moreover, you can get a recurring annual commission.
15. AliDropship
The eCommerce platform is for dropshipping. It features an online store and a section for plugins, themes, and addons.
Alidropship affiliate program gives you trial access to content templates, plugins, banners, and a 30-day cookie window.
You can get up to 50% in commissions, which may mean up to $869 from one sale.
16. Sellfy
If you like selling physical goods, subscriptions, and digital products online, you can do it through Sellfy.
The platform’s affiliate program rewards you with a 25% monthly recurring commission.
17. ReferralCandy
This tool is what eCommerce merchants need to create attractive deals for their customers, such as 5% off for just you, or 15% off for your friends.
For every store you refer to ReferralCandy, you earn $20.
18. 3dcart
The rapid-growing eCommerce platform offers an insane 300% commission per paying customer.
I like them for their reliable affiliate managers who’re always ready to assist. The platform has high conversion rates as well.
Email Marketing Affiliate Programs
Here are the top emailing marketing programs you can cash in with:
19. Constant Contact
Not only does Constant Contact come with eye-grabbing templates, but it also lets you share emails with subscribers and track the stats in real-time.
What I find interesting about this affiliate program is that it gives affiliates $5 per customer who signs up for the 60 days trial.
If a free trial customer upgrades their plan, you receive $105 extra. For direct paying customers, you’ll earn $105 in commission.
20 Get Response
Get Response is an all-in-one digital marketing platform with marketing automation, opt-in forms, surveys, CRM, webinar software, landing page builders, and more.
As an affiliate, you can earn a 33% recurring commission per sale as long as the user continues to pay for the subscription.
21. ActiveCampaign
The email marketing automation software fits B2B companies, B2C companies, and eCommerce stores. It has easy targeted newsletters and messages sent out per campaign.
The starting commission is 20% per referral and increases up to 30% on a recurring basis.
22. Aweber
What makes Aweber perfect for marketing teams and businesses, in general, is its design features and email templates.
Aweber pays 30% recurring commissions for as long as the referral stays subscribed.
23. Drip
As a blogger, Drip lets me perform A/B tests, set up email marketing automation, and earn an affiliate commission.
Drip pays 30% recurring payments per sale each month.
24. ConvertKit
The hottest email marketing provider is created by bloggers for bloggers, podcasters, and small businesses in general. The tool simplifies the lead capture process, improving sales.
For each customer you refer, ConvertKit pays a 30% recurring commission (payable every month).
25. Omnisend
Looking for the best affiliate program targeting eCommerce stores? Omnisend is the go-to application.
It lets you automate emails, push notifications, and SMS to boost sales.
This platform offers a massive 300% commission per referral who signs up for a paid plan. Omnisend’s paid plans start from $16.
26. iContact
This simple and affordable email marketing app is great for list management, email autoresponders, and more.
For each (paid) customer you refer, you earn a commission of 30% for the customer’s lifetime.
27. Leadpages
Over 40,000 marketing professionals use this tool to generate leads and increase revenue.
Leadpages pays you up to 50% for each customer you refer.
28. Moosend
Both Fortune 500 companies and small businesses use Moosend as their email marketing and automation tool.
I like their user-friendly interface, short learning curve, and powerful tools that make it easy to create landing pages, email newsletters, and subscription forms.
For every successful sale, you get a 30% recurring commission for the customer’s lifetime.
29. Keap
It’s a marketing automation tool you can use to manage your marketing, sales, CRM, payments, and email marketing.
Keap’s commissions include $10/lead for demo signup, $25/lead for trial signup, and $300/sale for trial conversion.
SEO Tools Affiliate Programs
If you’re a blogger or digital marketer, you can earn by promoting:
30. SEMRUSH
SEMRush offers tools that make it easy to do keyword research and boost search engine rankings.
The platform pays $10 per new trial, $200 per new sale, and $0.01 for each new sign-up.
31. Serpstat
Here, you earn more depending on the number of referrals.
You can earn up to 30% commission for every first and recurring customer sale.
32. SE Ranking
Like SEMRush and Serpstat, the tool helps you to run site audits, monitor backlinks, track keyword rankings, analyze traffic, and more.
Their affiliate program pays a 30% commission per subscription sale on a lifetime basis.
33. Mangools
This 5-in-1 keyword research tool lets entrepreneurs and marketers find backlinks, check the competition’s site authority, find keywords, track rankings, and more.
They pay you a 30% commission throughout the customer’s lifetime.
34. Grammarly
Grammarly is a punctuation and grammar checker that helps you create quality content, which is an essential part of SEO.
Grammarly’s commission rate is 14% or a $20 flat rate for each sale. The payment threshold is $50.
Best WordPress Affiliate Programs
35. Elementor
The drag and drop page builder lets you create beautiful pages with a visual editor.
While the free version is useful, the premium one has more and better-advanced features that users will be willing to purchase.
Elementor offers a 50% commission per sale. They have a dedicated team to answer your questions.
36. Elegant Themes
The platform has released approximately 87 WordPress themes, including popular themes like Divi and Extra.
They also have plugins to complement the themes.
Promote these products and earn a 50% commission as long as the referred customer continues paying.
37. WP Rocket
The caching plugin speeds up a WordPress website’s loading times.
As an affiliate, you earn 20% per successful sale.
38. OptinMonster
The plugin generates more subscribers, leads, and sales from your site’s traffic.
The commission rate is 20% per sale generated through your referral link.
39. Monster Insights
With at least 3 million active installations, Monster Insights is a popular and easy-to-use Google Analytics plugin.
You can earn 20% in commission for each sale.
40. ShortPixel
To increase your site’s loading speed, compress the images using this plugin.
When you promote the plugin, you earn 30% of the entire new sales (including any recurring income).
Best Creative and Design Tools Affiliate Programs
41. Adobe Affiliate Program
As a blogger, you can promote Adobe Stock, Adobe Document Cloud, and Adobe Creative cloud in exchange for attractive commissions.
Here are the commissions:
Document Cloud and Creative Cloud: 85% of the first month’s payment (for monthly subscriptions) and 8.33% of the first year’s subscription for annual subscriptions.
Adobe Stock: Monthly subscriptions attract $72 in commission. A one-time payment for a single purchase earns you an 8.33% commission.
42. Canva
The graphic design tool has about 18 million users.
Canva pays you up to $36 for each new user that signs up for Canva Pro.
43. 99 Designs
The platform connects freelance graphic designers with suitable clients. The commission starts at $60 per sale and grows to $80 once you bring over 25 paying customers on board.
And 50-lifetime sales earn you a commission of $100 per sale.
VPN Affiliate Programs
Since 2013, approximately 25% of internet users across the world have used a VPN on a monthly basis. The VPN market grows every year.
You can benefit by joining these programs:
44. PureVPN
The company provides you with a logo, text links, and banner ads to be placed on your blog so you earn a commission when visitors click and purchase the VPN.
Their monthly plan attracts 100% commission for the One Month Plan and 40% for Yearly Plan or Seasonal Deal Plan.
45. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a popular tool that offers one-time payouts depending on the plan users sign up for.
Commissions: $36 for 12 months, $22 for 6 months, and $13 for 1 month.
46. Surfshark VPN
The tool lets you access unavailable and blocked content globally.
Promoting Surfshark gets you a 40% cut per sold subscription.
47. NordVPN
The VPN provider’s payouts depend on the customer’s subscription plan, which includes 40% for two years, one year, and six-month plans, and 100% for one month.
48. IPVanish
IPVanish is among the world’s VPN services with attractive payouts.
One-month package: 100% followed by 35% recurring.
A three-month package: 40% followed by 35% recurring.
One and two-year packages: 40% followed by 30% recurring.
49. StrongVPN
Founded in 2006, StrongVPN has one of the most popular affiliate programs.
Each month, they pay up to 200% in commissions.
Best Fitness Affiliate Programs
50. ACE Fitness
ACE is a trusted source of fitness and health information for millions globally.
You earn 8% of the sales generated through your referral link.
51. Bowflex
The platform sells a wide range of top-tier fitness equipment, from home gyms and treadmills to bikes.
The commission is 7% of the sales and the average order volume is $2,000.
52. Horizon Fitness
The company has been providing durable exercise equipment for over 35 years.
You can promote their products and earn an 8% commission for each sale. The average order volume is more than $800.
53. Titan Fitness
The American fitness equipment distributor offers free shipping. I also like their one-year warranty on product defects.
The affiliate commission is a 5% sale through a referral link.
54. Life Fitness
The company creates fitness solutions for both exercisers and facilities.
Promote their products and earn 8% per sale. The average order volume is over $3,000.
55. Lifespan Fitness
This company offers high-quality workplace, gym, and home fitness equipment like exercise bikes, treadmills, and more.
The commission rate is 6% but high-performing affiliates can earn more.
High-ticket items range from $99 to $2,500.
56. TRX Training
TRX and functional training are becoming increasingly popular. That means you can earn from the TRX affiliate program.
The commissions start at 10% per sale.
57. Workout Anywhere
The program consists of workout videos, meal recipes and plans, mobile coaching, rewards, creating and tracking goals, and more.
Their commission is generous: 30% to 50% per successful referral.
58. Bodybuilding.com
The popular fitness website has over 19,000 fitness articles from industry experts, over 3,000 exercise videos, and over 100 fitness plans.
Promote their products to get an 8% commission on a new purchase plus a 3% payout on return purchases.
59. Wahoo Fitness
As a fitness coach or blogger, you can promote the website’s products and earn up to 10% commission.
They sell fitness devices, including bike computers, cycling sensors, bike trainers, heart-rate monitors, and more.
60. Reebok
This global brand creates and markets fitness and sports products for women, men, and children.
Their commission rate is 7% on all sales plus $5 for every approved affiliate referral.
Best Fashion Affiliate Programs
61. NewChic
The leading fashion store provides premium but affordable products to both women and men.
The baseline affiliate commission rate is 18% but volume affiliates can earn 50% of sales generated through their affiliate links.
62. Revolve
The fashion brand offers shoes, clothing, beauty products, and accessories. They call upon anyone obsessed with their store to sign up for the affiliate program.
Their commission is 7% of all orders that their readers make after clicking on your affiliate links..
63. Browns Fashion
The fashion store sells clothing items for kids, men, and women.
As an affiliate, you earn 7% per sale.
64. ShoesPie
The fashion store supplies the trendiest products at reasonable prices.
You earn a commission of 11% on all referred sales. The commission can go up to 15%.
65. Zaful
The popularity of Zaful’s fashion affiliate program continues to rise for two reasons: generous payouts and high-quality fashion accessories that attract sales.
The commission rates range from 15% and 30%.
66. J.McLaughlin
J.McLaughlin pays a 15% commission for each sale.
Their website is user-friendly and the affiliate program is easy to understand, which makes it good for beginners.
67. AllSaints
The brand is among the UK’s fastest-growing fashion retailers.
As a fashion blogger, you can earn 7% per sale in affiliate commissions.
68. Dresslily
This popular clothing company features plus-size clothes, swimwear, home items, and accessories.
Their affiliate program is for individuals, influencers, and agencies. The commission is 8% to 12% per sale.
69. Bellelily
The fashion website sells shoes, clothing, accessories, swimwear, and other fashion products.
To be an affiliate for Bellelily, join an affiliate network like ShareASale, Impact, Admitad, or Commission Gains, and sign up with Bellelily.
Music Affiliate Programs
70. MasterClass
The platform provides online classes on music and other hobbies.
As an affiliate, you can cash in 25% per referred sale on all purchases.
71. Singorama
Singorama offers online tuition to people looking to hone their singing skills.
If you blog about music, you can earn between 40% and 70% per sale.
72. Pianoforall
The platform has over 300,000 students. The caliber of customer testimonials boosts conversions.
Pianoforall pays affiliates a generous 60% commission for each sale.
73. Guitar Tricks
Are you looking for the best music affiliate program with the longest cookie duration?
Guitar Tricks is here with a 5 years cookie window and a commission rate of $25 to $30 per sale.
74. JamPlay
The website offers guitar and bass lessons. They have a team devoted to A/B testing to ensure a smoother path to purchases.
They pay affiliates $40 per sale.
75. Piano in 21 Days
Founded by Jacques Hopkins, this site teaches you to master piano playing in a record 21 days.
To prove that it works, the courses have a waitlist.
The commission is 30% per sale on the average order value of $400. I think that comes to a sweet $120 per sale.
76. Playground Sessions
This platform offers music tuition and also sells keyboard bundles and virtual sheet music.
The commission rate is between 5% and 22%.
Best Recurring Affiliate Programs
77. Scaleo
Scaleo is a B2B tool for tracking, optimizing, and analyzing your affiliate business.
You get a 20% commission per recurring payment, 25% for 20 or more customers, and 30% for 30 or more customers.
78. Shopify
Other than paying you a 200% commission (100% of the customer’s first two payments), Shopify also pays 20% as a recurring commission per paid monthly subscription.
79. Elegant Themes
As a freelancer or business owner, you can recommend the famous Divi web builder and other ready-to-use premium designs to your audience.
You’ll earn a 50% recurring commission when customers renew their fees every year.
80. DreamHost
With the web hosting provider, you earn a commission based on the discount you provide to your clients.
In other words, a higher discount means a smaller commission and vice versa.
If you choose not to offer any discount, you’ll get a 50% on the referred customer’s billing cycle.
81. Thinkific
I have learned a lot from this online course platform.
They offer recurring commissions of 30% to their affiliates.
82. Pabbly
Pabbly is an all-in-one tool for email marketing, subscription billing, form building, and more.
They pay 30% as a lifetime commission per sale.
Best Saas Affiliate Programs
83. LeadJet
The LeadJet extension lets you link your CRM to LinkedIn so you can find qualified emails, sync LinkedIn conversations, and enrich your contacts.
You earn a 20% recurring commission on all active subscriptions.
84. Planable
This tool simplifies social media content workflow. With this tool, you can access content feedback and tagging in real-time for seamless team collaboration.
The commission rate is 20% for the first six months of referred customer subscriptions.
85. Shift
Whenever I want to access my multiple Microsoft and Google accounts, I use Shift. This app removes the chaos by streamlining all the accounts, workflows, and apps.
You earn a commission of 25% on Silver, 20% on Bronze, and 30% on Gold.
86. Monday.com
This project management workflow app makes it easy to organize, collaborate, and work with your team.
Affiliates can earn up to 100% commission of each customer’s first year’s sales.
Online Jobs Website Affiliate Programs
87. Fiverr
Fiverr is among the world’s greatest freelance service marketplaces for consultants, creatives, and independent contractors.
Signing up for their affiliate program can make you earn between $15 and $150 for each first-time buyer. The commission rate can rise to $1,000 per sale.
88. SolidGigs
SolidGigs scours the internet for the top freelancing jobs and sends them to freelancers via email.
They pay a commission of 35%. Note that the affiliate program is privately run. You can email the founder, Preston Lee, at preston@millo.co.
89. Contena
The platform connects freelance writers with clients interested in hiring remotely.
I like that Contena’s also lets writers publish their work and showcase it to clients.
Promoting Contena attracts a commission of up to $200. become an affiliate by filling out a form.
Best CBD Affiliate Programs
90. Just CBD
With over 18,000 customer reviews, this site offers high-quality CBD products.
Promoting their products gets you an 18% commission.
91. CBD Medic
The company markets a wide variety of products as a solution to typical sporting ailments, such as the back, foot, and muscle pain.
I find their commission rate of up to 40% to be generous.
92. CBDFX
The CBD products from CBDFX are USA-made from the finest hemp plants. They come with a 60-day guarantee and are cruelty and solvent-free.
The commission rate for promoting the products is 25%.
93. CBD Pure
Their CBD oil comes from non-GMO organic hemp and doesn’t contain any additives or contaminants.
What I find most impressive about their affiliate program is its lucrative commission rate.
You earn a 40% commission on all their retail sales.
94. SabaiDee
The platform offers broad-spectrum oils along with CBD creams and balms.
You can promote their products on your website and earn at least 30% in commission.
95. CBD Essence
Customers like CBD Essence, which is why they have a 4.7 rating on Trustpilot and over 900 positive reviews.
It’s a one-stop-shop for cannabidiol needs and pays up to 40% in affiliate commissions.
96. Joy Organics
The brand offers USDA-certified full spectrum and organic broad CBD oil tinctures.
They pay 25% commissions twice a month plus lots of bonuses.
97. Pure Relief
The brand manufactures and retails naturally derived CBD products, including, gummies, CBD oils, and smokeable.
Their commission starts at 20%.
Travel Affiliate Programs
98. TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor provides vacation offers, booking of hotels, and allows you to make reservations in restaurants.
A successful referral earns you a spectacular commission rate of 50%.
99. Booking.com
Booking.com gives access to over 2.2 million properties. They offer services on rentals, airport taxis, and hotels. The affiliate commission is 25% per stayed booking, but it can go up to 40%.
100. Travelpayouts
They offer top travel affiliate programs, such as hotels, car rentals, flights, insurance, tours, and more.
Their affiliate program offers incredible commissions of up to 80%.
Summing Up
When looking for the best affiliate program, consider whether the commission rate is one-time or recurring.
You also need to go with programs that match your interests.
Now is the right time to choose from the list above and start making passive income.
Scott L. Macarthur is a marketing consultant and an online author. He is mostly engaged in providing his expertise to startups and SMBs. He is also an author on TheNextWeb.