What commission should you offer affiliates?
Pick your category and planned rate to see how you compare with 140 real SaaS and AI affiliate programs. Free tool for founders.
- Programs compared
- 140
- Median commission
- 25%
- Pay recurring
- 71%
- Median cookie
- 60 days
At 20%, you pay more than 8% of the SaaS programs listed on AffiDex. You are below the median (25%): affiliates comparing programs will likely pick a competitor.
Highest commissions in this category
- Helium 10: 100% hybrid
- Surfer: 75% tiered
- flowfeed: 70% recurring
- Systeme.io: 60% recurring
- Designrr: 50% hybrid
SaaS affiliate commission benchmarks by category
Across the 140 programs listed on AffiDex, the median commission is 25% and 71% of programs pay recurring commissions.
| Category | Programs | Median commission | Recurring | Median cookie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI | 29 | 25% | 79% | 60 days |
| E-commerce | 9 | 25% | 67% | 30 days |
| SEO Tools | 13 | 30% | 77% | 60 days |
| No-code | 9 | 35% | 89% | 90 days |
| Marketing | 49 | 25% | 63% | 75 days |
| Productivity | 7 | 20% | 86% | 90 days |
| Design | 3 | 25% | 67% | 75 days |
| Developer Tools | 3 | 20% | 33% | 30 days |
| Other | 18 | 30% | 67% | 60 days |
How to use these numbers
Affiliates compare programs side by side. Matching the median keeps you in the race; going above it, with a recurring payout and a cookie of 60 days or more, makes your program the easy choice. Once your terms are set, list your program on AffiDex so affiliates can find it.
FAQ
What commission should a SaaS affiliate program offer?
Most SaaS programs on AffiDex pay between 20% and 40% (see the live median by category on this page). Recurring commissions are the norm: they attract creators who make long-lasting content.
Is a recurring or one-time commission better for a SaaS?
Recurring commissions are more attractive to affiliates because one good review keeps paying them. One-time payouts work for high-priced annual plans or when cash flow matters more than affiliate appeal.
How long should my affiliate cookie last?
Many SaaS programs use 30 to 90 days. Longer cookies help when buyers compare tools for weeks before they subscribe.
Where does this data come from?
From the programs listed on AffiDex, using the commission, structure and cookie length shown on each program's official affiliate page. The numbers update as new programs are listed.
Looking for programs worth promoting?
Compare commission rates, cookie lengths and payouts of SaaS and AI affiliate programs, all in one place.
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