Affiliate marketing infrastructure shifted dramatically in 2025. ShareASale merged into Awin. First-party tracking became mandatory. New platforms like Dub Partners emerged to challenge legacy networks. The old playbook—join a network, grab links, collect commissions—no longer works reliably.
The critical issue: Safari and iOS users represent 25-30% of US web traffic. Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention limits JavaScript-set cookies to 7 days. Platforms using outdated third-party cookies lose those conversions entirely. Your tracking technology choice now matters more than commission rates.
This guide covers 12 platforms across traditional networks, SaaS specialists, and e-commerce solutions—with specific recommendations based on your content type and audience.
The Tracking Technology Problem
Before comparing platforms, understand why tracking matters:
Third-party cookies are dying. Safari blocks them entirely. Chrome is phasing them out. Firefox and Brave block by default. Legacy affiliate platforms built on third-party cookies lose 15-30% of conversions.
First-party cookies have limits. Safari ITP caps JavaScript-set cookies at 7 days. If someone clicks your affiliate link but purchases 8 days later, you lose credit.
Server-to-server (S2S) tracking bypasses browsers entirely. The affiliate platform communicates directly with the merchant’s server. No cookies required. No browser restrictions.
The hierarchy of tracking reliability:
- Server-to-server (S2S): Most reliable. Immune to browser restrictions.
- True first-party (no redirect): Cookies set on merchant’s domain. Very reliable.
- First-party with redirect: Detection hop can be flagged by browsers.
- Third-party cookies: Increasingly unreliable. Avoid.
When evaluating platforms below, tracking technology often determines real-world earnings more than advertised commission rates.
Traditional Networks
Awin (Now Includes ShareASale)
The 2025 merger: ShareASale officially closed October 6, 2025. All 9,500+ advertisers and 250,000 publishers migrated to Awin. Existing ShareASale tracking links transferred automatically.
Awin now operates the largest affiliate network with 30,000+ merchants spanning retail, travel, finance, and SaaS globally.
Commission rates: 2-50% depending on merchant. Most consumer products at 5-15%. Digital services reach 20-50%.
Tracking technology: MasterTag provides first-party cookie tracking that mitigates Safari ITP. Server-to-server tracking captures an additional 12.6% of conversions that browser-only solutions miss.
Payouts:
- Frequency: Twice monthly (1st and 15th)
- Minimum: $20 (industry-low)
- Methods: Direct deposit, ACH, SEPA, wire
- No PayPal support
Publisher requirements: $1 refundable deposit during signup for identity verification. Must apply separately to each advertiser program.
Best for: Retail, fashion, travel affiliates. International publishers needing global brand access.
Limitations: Interface more complex than legacy ShareASale. Steeper learning curve for beginners.
CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate is the premium choice for household-name brands. Zappos, Verizon, Barnes & Noble, Lowe’s—the enterprise relationships here don’t exist elsewhere.
Network size: 20,500+ advertisers with emphasis on quality over quantity. Reaches 1 billion+ digital consumers monthly across 240+ countries.
Commission structures: 3-50% depending on advertiser. Many programs offer two-tier commissions where you earn from recruited sub-affiliates.
Content Certified Program: Pre-approved access to 600+ premium brands for publishers exceeding 10,000 monthly pageviews. Dedicated support team and premium commission rates.
Tracking: Proprietary “Universal Tag” for first-party cookies plus server-to-server options. Cookie durations vary by advertiser (typically 7-90 days).
Payouts:
- Frequency: Monthly (Net-30)
- Minimum: $50 (direct deposit), $100 (check)
- Methods: Direct deposit, Payoneer (150+ currencies)
- No PayPal support
Best for: Experienced affiliates wanting enterprise brand access. Finance, travel, and B2B categories.
Limitations: Individual program approvals can take weeks. Inactive accounts (no sales in 6 months) risk deactivation. Customer support receives mixed reviews.
Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten focuses on premium brand partnerships rather than volume. Approximately 1,000 carefully vetted merchants including Macy’s, NordVPN, and Microsoft.
Commission rates: Typically 3-7% for products. Services and lead-gen programs offer more.
Attribution: Supports first-touch, last-touch, and multi-touch attribution models with AI-powered partner recommendations.
Payouts:
- Frequency: Net-60 (longer than competitors)
- Minimum: $50
- Methods: Direct deposit, PayPal (unlike Awin and CJ)
Best for: Publishers focused on premium retail and luxury brands.
Limitations: Limited selection compared to Awin or CJ. Support handled primarily at advertiser level—challenging for beginners seeking centralized assistance.
Tech-Forward Platforms
Impact
Impact has become the technology benchmark for affiliate networks. The platform serves 2,500+ global brands including Walmart, Shopify, Airbnb, and Uber across 190 countries and 135 currencies.
Commission structures: Fully brand-determined. SaaS programs commonly offer 20-30%. E-commerce ranges 5-15%. Dynamic Payouts enable multi-touch attribution—rewarding upper-funnel partners for awareness, not just last-click conversions.
Tracking technology:
- Universal Tracking Tag (first-party cookies)
- Server-to-server options eliminating browser restrictions
- ITP compliance verification with green indicators for Safari-safe programs
- Processes 87% of Safari conversions within 24 hours
Payouts:
- Minimum: $10 (industry-low)
- Methods: Direct deposit, PayPal (2% fee, capped), wire, check
- Caveat: Inactive accounts (6+ months without payout) incur $10-25 monthly maintenance fees
Pricing (for brands):
- Starter: $30/month
- Essential: $500+/month
- Pro: $2,500+/month
- Free for publishers
Partnership Experience Academy (PXA): Free comprehensive courses and certifications—significant resource advantage over competing networks.
Best for: DTC brands, SaaS companies, creators wanting sophisticated tracking and attribution.
Dub Partners
Launched August 2025, Dub Partners represents a fundamentally different approach to affiliate tracking. Built on Dub’s link management infrastructure, the platform processed $16M+ in commissions and drove $318M+ in partner revenue within its first six months.
The technical differentiator: True first-party tracking without redirect hops.
Unlike Impact’s Universal Tracking Tag (which still uses a redirect “bounce hop” through a tracking domain), Dub stores cookies directly on brand domains. The platform script detects the dub_id query parameter and stores it as a first-party cookie.
Why this matters: Modern browsers (Safari, Firefox, Brave, Chrome with restrictions) automatically flag and block tracking redirect hops. Dub’s approach is invisible to ITP, ad blockers, and privacy tools—nothing gets blocked because tracking appears native to each website.
Commission structures:
- Percentage-based, flat-fee, and recurring models
- Bounties: Performance bonuses (e.g., “Drive 50 leads = $1,500”) and submission bounties (e.g., “Create YouTube video = $150”)
Notable brands: Framer ($500K/month in affiliate payouts), Superhuman, Perplexity, Cal.com
Payouts:
- Automatic at $100 balances (no fees)
- Custom withdrawals at $10+ for small fees
- Via Stripe Express
- Automatic W-9, 1099, W-8 compliance handling
Fraud protection: Uses Fingerprint—same technology used by Binance, Western Union, TikTok, Dropbox.
Best for: SaaS promoters, tech-focused creators, anyone with iOS-heavy audiences.
Limitations: Narrow focus on SaaS (no retail, travel, finance). Smaller merchant pool than established networks.
SaaS Affiliate Specialists
PartnerStack
PartnerStack operates the largest B2B SaaS affiliate marketplace with 600+ companies and 131,000+ active partners. For publishers seeking recurring commissions from software products, it’s the market leader.
Notable programs:
- Notion: Lifetime recurring commissions
- Monday.com: 20% recurring
- ClickUp: Up to $25/workspace
- Unbounce: 25% first-year + $200 per customer
- PandaDoc: 25% recurring
- Webflow: 50% for 12 months
- ActiveCampaign: 25% recurring forever
- Manychat: Up to 50% recurring
Tracking: First-party cookies with 90-day standard attribution window—longer than most networks, reflecting B2B buying cycles. Webhooks integrate with Stripe, Chargebee, and Recurly for accurate subscription tracking.
Key advantage: Unified dashboard eliminates need for separate logins across programs.
Payouts:
- Frequency: Monthly (manual trigger for security)
- Fees: $3-3.50 withdrawal fee
- Methods: PayPal, Stripe, ACH
Marketplace impact: Vendors see 64% average lift in partner-sourced revenue. Partners in marketplace programs see 192% increase in commissions.
Best for: B2B content creators, agencies, review sites focused on SaaS.
Rewardful and FirstPromoter
Both platforms serve as white-label solutions for SaaS companies rather than centralized marketplaces. Publishers must find and apply to programs individually.
Rewardful:
- Stripe-native integration with two-way sync (adjusts commissions for upgrades, downgrades, refunds)
- Coupon code tracking—critical for YouTube and podcast promoters
- Payouts via PayPal and Wise mass payouts
- 60-day typical cookie duration
FirstPromoter:
- Built-in email marketing automation
- One-click bulk PayPal payouts (Business plan+)
- 190 currency support
- Fraud protection (self-referral detection, ad-traffic flagging)
- Case studies: Submagic scaled to €1.6M, CustomGPT generated $1M+
ITP consideration: Both face limitations when using JavaScript-set cookies (Safari’s 7-day cap applies). Coupon code tracking becomes essential for iOS-heavy audiences.
Best for: Publishers promoting emerging SaaS companies running their own affiliate programs.
E-commerce and Digital Product Platforms
Levanta
Levanta transforms Amazon affiliate economics by connecting publishers directly with brands selling on Amazon.
The comparison:
| Metric | Amazon Associates | Levanta |
|---|---|---|
| Commission rates | 1-10% | 15-50% (avg 20%) |
| Attribution window | 24 hours | 14 days |
| Brand relationship | None | Direct |
How it works: Amazon’s Brand Referral Bonus gives sellers ~10% credit for external traffic. Sellers share this with affiliates as higher commissions. Some brands offer 100% rates, offset by the Amazon bonus.
Publisher access: 50,000+ vetted publishers in the Creator Marketplace. Requires approximately 5,000+ followers/subscribers for acceptance.
Tracking: Tag-driven attribution system. Add attribution tag to Amazon link—no special redirects required.
Notable results: Grace & Stella generated $350K+ in affiliate sales. Ella Bella achieved $1.5M in one year across 510K clicks.
Pricing (for sellers):
- Standard: $150/month + 5% of affiliate revenue
- Gold: $750/month + 3.5% of affiliate revenue
- 20% annual discount available
Key advantage: Can earn from both Levanta AND Amazon Associates simultaneously on the same products—effectively stacking commissions.
Best for: Amazon product reviewers, YouTube creators, bloggers covering products available on Amazon.
Limitations: Stripe-only payouts. Requires application approval.
ClickBank
ClickBank remains the dominant marketplace for digital products with 4,000+ offerings across health, business, and self-improvement niches.
Commission rates: 50-75% standard. Up to 90% for whitelisted top performers.
Cookie duration: 60 days—exceeds most competitors.
Payouts:
- Frequency: Weekly or bi-weekly options
- Minimum: $10 (direct deposit)
- Track record: Never missed a payout in 20+ years
The quality problem: The open marketplace approach means low-quality “get rich quick” and “miracle cure” products persist alongside legitimate offerings. Refund rates on some products reach 10-30%. ClickBank links are frequently flagged or blocked on social platforms.
Best for: Experienced affiliates who can vet product quality. Digital product promoters in health and business niches.
Limitations: Product quality varies dramatically. Requires careful vetting before promoting. Social platform restrictions on links.
Refersion
Refersion serves 60,000+ e-commerce brands including Amika, ColourPop, and Pura Vida with deep Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce integrations.
The standout feature: Cookieless tracking.
Refersion uses local storage and unique cart IDs rather than traditional cookies—immune to Safari ITP and ad blockers. Multiple conversion triggers: links, coupon codes, customer email, SKU matching.
Shopify status: Certified Shopify Plus App Partner with “Built for Shopify” badge as of April 2025.
Payouts:
- Unified Payments automate monthly distributions
- 2nd of month funding, 10th payout
- Fees: $1 domestic, $1 + 3% international
- Tax reporting (1099s) included
Pricing:
- Launch: $39/month
- Growth: $129/month
- Scale: $599/month
Best for: E-commerce affiliates, Shopify brand promoters, influencers working with DTC brands.
Tapfiliate
Tapfiliate excels for SaaS companies with configurable cookie windows from 1 to 365 days—the longest in the industry.
Tracking: Server-to-server tracking bypasses iOS restrictions. 30+ plug-and-play integrations.
Commission flexibility: Zero transaction fees across all plans. Multi-level marketing (MLM) structures and bonus incentives available.
Best for: SaaS companies running their own programs. Publishers seeking long attribution windows.
Platform Comparison Table
| Platform | Min Payout | Payout Frequency | PayPal | Cookie Duration | Tracking | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awin | $20 | Twice monthly | No | 30 days (varies) | First-party + S2S | Retail, fashion, global |
| CJ Affiliate | $50 | Monthly (Net-30) | No | Varies | First-party + S2S | Premium brands, finance |
| Rakuten | $50 | Net-60 | Yes | Varies | Server-side | Premium retail |
| Impact | $10 | Flexible | Yes (2% fee) | Brand-set | First-party + S2S | DTC, SaaS, creators |
| Dub Partners | $10-100 | Auto at $100 | Limited | Brand-set | True first-party | SaaS, tech products |
| PartnerStack | None | Monthly | Yes | 90 days | First-party | B2B SaaS, recurring |
| Rewardful | ~$50 | Monthly | Yes | 60 days | First-party + coupon | SaaS startups |
| FirstPromoter | Varies | Bulk PayPal | Yes | Customizable | First-party + coupon | Subscriptions |
| ClickBank | $10 | Weekly/bi-weekly | No | 60 days | Cookie + API | Digital products |
| Refersion | Varies | Monthly | Yes | 30 days | Cookieless | E-commerce, Shopify |
| Tapfiliate | Varies | Varies | Yes | 1-365 days | First-party + S2S | SaaS, e-commerce |
| Levanta | Auto | Monthly | No (Stripe) | 14 days | Amazon Attribution | Amazon products |
ITP Handling Comparison
Best ITP handling (most reliable for iOS audiences):
- Dub Partners: True first-party, no redirects
- Impact: S2S option available
- Refersion: Cookieless tracking
Good ITP handling:
- Awin: MasterTag + S2S
- CJ Affiliate: Universal Tag + S2S
- PartnerStack: First-party
Requires workarounds (use coupon codes for iOS):
- Rewardful
- FirstPromoter
Vulnerable:
- ClickBank: Traditional cookies
- Some legacy networks
Recommendations by Creator Type
YouTube Creators
Primary: Impact (professional creator tools, strong SaaS roster), Levanta (Amazon products at 5-25x Associates rates)
Secondary: YouTube Shopping’s native affiliate integration (requires 10K+ subscribers). ClickBank for digital courses (requires careful vetting).
Tracking note: Coupon codes bypass link-click limitations. Prioritize platforms supporting code tracking.
Bloggers and Content Publishers
Primary: Awin (30,000+ merchants), CJ Affiliate (Content Certified program at 10K+ pageviews unlocks 600+ pre-approved brands)
Secondary: Refersion marketplace for niche DTC brands. PartnerStack for SaaS reviews.
Tracking note: Long-form content readers often research before purchasing. Prioritize platforms with 30+ day cookies.
SaaS and Recurring Commission Seekers
Primary: PartnerStack (unified marketplace, single login, 90-day cookies)
Secondary: Dub Partners (superior tracking for tech audiences), Rewardful/FirstPromoter (emerging SaaS companies)
Tracking note: B2B sales cycles extend beyond consumer purchases. 90-day attribution matters.
Beginners
Start with: Amazon Associates (instant approval, universal products), Awin ($1 deposit, extensive training resources)
Avoid initially: ClickBank (product quality concerns require experience to navigate)
High-Volume and Experienced Affiliates
Leverage: CJ Affiliate enterprise relationships, Impact attribution sophistication, direct brand partnerships for negotiated rates above standard tiers
Strategy: Diversify across PartnerStack (SaaS) + Impact (DTC/retail) + Levanta (Amazon) for maximum coverage with tracking redundancy.
The Bottom Line
The most significant shift in affiliate marketing isn’t commission rates—it’s tracking reliability. Platforms investing in first-party and server-side solutions capture conversions that cookie-dependent networks miss.
PartnerStack dominates SaaS with its unified marketplace and 90-day cookies. Levanta disrupted Amazon economics with 5-25x higher commission rates. Dub Partners, despite its youth, offers tracking technology that outperforms legacy networks.
Traditional networks remain essential: Awin’s global reach serves international publishers, CJ Affiliate provides enterprise brand access, and Rakuten offers premium partnerships.
The winning strategy: Diversify across platforms to maximize coverage. PartnerStack (SaaS) + Impact (DTC/retail) + Levanta (Amazon) captures most opportunities while ensuring tracking redundancy.
The days of joining a single network ended when browsers started blocking third-party cookies. Success in 2026 requires understanding which platforms actually track your traffic—not just which ones promise the highest commissions.