World’s Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Companies

Affiliate marketing is a concept that helps you make money even while you are asleep. This method of generating a passive income is very intriguing. After all, no one wants to remain stuck in a 9 to 5 job for life, isn’t it?

Let’s find out more about it.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a way of earning a commission by promoting someone else products. It can be a company, brand, or even an individual. You simply select a product that interests you and promote it. And once you generate a sale, you earn a commission.

Promotion is basically marketing a product through social media, search engines, and even paid traffic.

Every company, commonly known as the vendor in affiliate marketing, has a percentage of commission fixed. It can vary from 10% to 100% on the initial sale. Different affiliate networks pay differently.

For example, Amazon has a commission rate from 1% to 8% depending on the type of products you are selling. While others pay higher like ClickBank pays 75% – 100% on front-end sales, JVZoo pays 40-60%, and so on.

So, choosing a profitable product that would make you higher commissions would be a wise decision.

Advantages of affiliate marketing

The concept behind affiliate marketing is interesting and it is a win-win situation for brands as well as the affiliate marketer.

1. You don’t necessarily have to be in front of the computer all the time. In fact, with affiliate marketing, you can keep earning in the background even when you are sleeping. Additionally, you get performance-based rewards as well.

2. There is no need to deal with the customer’s complaints against the product sold through you; it is the seller’s headache. You simply recommend the product to the potential reader with your unique affiliate link. Once the sale is made, you can enjoy the commission.

3. You can work from home and schedule your work at your convenience. There are no restrictions and you can change your plan of action any time you want to. It’s like working from anywhere anytime!

4. The startup cost of affiliate marketing is quite low and almost anyone can start without worrying about heavy investment. You don’t have to pay any fee or manufacture a product.

So, if you are planning to start your online business, affiliate marketing is a sure-shot profitable bet.

Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Companies

1. Amazon Associates

This affiliate marketing program is backed by Amazon and it lets marketers monetize their blogs, websites, YouTube channels, and apps. You can add affiliate links of the products available in the Amazon Marketplace and if anything gets sold through your link, you earn a commission.

Amazon is definitely a huge name and the chances of you earning well after joining hands with Amazon associates are high.

Pros

• Apart from the product you are promoting, you will also get paid for the other purchases a buyer makes from Amazon (within 24 hours). This means, if your referral buys 4 to 5 more items apart from your recommended product, Amazon will pay a commission for them all too.
• Easy to get approved
• Offers over 1.6 million products from numerous sellers that you can advertise. With Amazon, the chances of buyers making multiple purchases are high.
• Offers a wide range of customization choices in terms of how your ads are displayed. You can choose among contextual links, automated ads, widgets, and even an Amazon store.

Cons

• You won’t earn when the purchase is made after the affiliate cookie lapses which is after 24 hours.
• The commission percentage is too low if you are starting out. It is a mere 4%. However, the more sales you make, the more the commission percentage becomes (maybe 20%)
• Commissions can only be received through bank account transfer if you are in the United States. And, if you someone outside of the U.S., then will be sent a check or Amazon gift card. There is no digital payment option.

Sign up for Amazon Associates/Affiliate Program!

2. eBay Partner Network

Another famous affiliate program is the one run by eBay. It is counted in the list of the oldest e-commerce sites and at the same time has a great reputation.

The program gives affiliate marketers the opportunity to earn by promoting its 1.4 billion product listings on eBay.

Pros

• It is one of the world’s largest and most diverse marketplaces with tons of products to promote.
• provides you with a host of incredibly useful tools that can help you enhance your campaigns
• they have a pretty low payment threshold
• Affiliate marketing rules are simple and easy to follow.
• You get a double commission in the initial 3 months.

Cons

• It is quite difficult to get approved at eBay partner network
• does not have flat commission rates
• have different commission percentages depending on where you live.
• does not have a phone, live chat, or even email support for the affiliates
• Even if you send the lead, you won’t earn money when an auction takes more than 10 days to end.

Sign up for the eBay Partner Network!

3. CJ Affiliate Publisher’s Program

CJ Affiliate by Conversant; previously known as Commission Junction, is an affiliate marketplace where you can find thousands of products to promote and make money.

It specializes in pay-for-performance programs and is part of a Fortune 500 company called Alliance Data Systems.
They have been in this field since 1998 and the vast experience they have is pretty visible in whatever they do.

There are products in various categories to choose from.

Pros

• Has an incredibly vast selection of advertisers. Compared to other affiliate networks, this one definitely has the upper hand when it comes to the number of available advertisers in various industry categories that you can partner up with.
• Have robust features for affiliates like deep link automation, deep link generator, product widgets,

Cons

• There is a lot of scrutiny of your affiliate marketing application because of the high standards of CJ Affiliate.

• You need to apply to each advertiser’s program individually. They may or may not approve an affiliate to promote their products.

Join as a CJ publisher program!

4. ShareASale Affiliates

Based in Chicago, IL, USA, ShareASale is a huge affiliate marketing network that was founded in 2000. It has 700,000+ affiliates right now and is one of the largest affiliate networks in the US. ShareASale offers a commission to affiliate marketers when a product sale is made.

Apart from affiliates, a network of merchants is also operated by it.

Pros

• The network offers real-time tracking and quality control for the merchant as well as the affiliate.
• There is an option of deep linking which means you can link directly to the registration page on the merchant’s site without having to go through the home page.
• They offer both standard and digital payment options. This is not quite common when compared to other affiliate companies.
• You get to choose from a wide selection of products.

Cons

• Affiliate marketers are not notified when a merchant’s program is closed down.

Join ShareASale affiliates!

5. ClickBank

It’s a very common name when it comes to doing affiliate marketing. ClickBank was founded in 1998 and is based in the US. It is a subsidiary of Keynetics Inc. The website has over 1,500,000 affiliate marketers, a majority of which remain active.

It is a wide and varied marketplace with different merchants to choose from based on your target audience. You can easily find products that you want to promote as the database is pretty easy to explore.

Pros

• Easy to get approved and start promoting
• The database is quite easy to navigate and you can find products you wish to promote.

Cons

• There is fierce competition.
• The product refund rate is high with ClickBank; normally 30 to 60 days.

Join the most famous and best affiliate networks ClickBank!

6. Target

Target is a well-known name in the US being the 8th largest retailer in the country. The parent company is Target Corporation. An affiliate program is run by Target which has been around for a long time.

The structure of the program is such that the more you sell the more commission you earn. However, not all product categories have an exciting percentage of commission to offer and it is up to you to choose a well-paying category.

The experience may not match Amazon or eBay but you can think of going ahead with it.

Pros

• The cookies last for 7 days. This means you will earn revenue for any order placed within 7 days of the click made by the customer.
• Your revenue increases with the number of sales you make which is a win-win situation for both Target and you as an affiliate marketer.

Cons

• Commission for health and beauty product categories is just 1% no matter how much you are able to sell.
• There is a tough competition with Amazon. Moreover, the products that are available on Amazon may not be at Target.
• There are limited categories to choose products from.

Create your affiliate account with Target!

7. FlexOffers

FlexOffers is a massive affiliate marketing network that helps in connecting bloggers and content creators with brands and advertisers of all sizes. It has a collection of 12,000+ affiliate programs.

With FlexOffers, you as an affiliate marketer can get payouts faster than the other contenders with advanced payment solutions offered by NET 7. You will also have access to tools to help you with your campaigns.

Different affiliate programs have been divided into various categories and you can choose what suits you the best. Apart from all this, FlexOffers has its own affiliate program wherein you can earn a commission through referrals.

Pros

• You get to reach out to an affiliate manager who provides you guidance throughout
• Real-time tracking is offered
• The payouts are quite fast
• You don’t have to wait for approval to promote products.

Cons

• Those living in the US are paid only through checks or direct transfers. PayPal and wire transfers are meant only for those who are outside the country.

Create a publisher account at FlexOffers!

8. JVZoo

My favorite! JVZoo was founded in 2011 and it is a SaaS (Software As A Service). It was named as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies in America for two consecutive years 2016 and 2017. The parent company is BBC Systems, Inc.

Their affiliate program is pretty good. As an affiliate marketer, you will get immediate payment via PayPal when an item is sold which is wonderful!

Pros

• You can make a good income as an affiliate marketer
• Instant payment is made without any payout threshold, unlike other affiliate marketing companies.

P.S. – It is completely up to the vendor to decide if he will make an instant payment or set a delay when paying the affiliate.

Cons

• You can get payments through PayPal only. There is no other payment option available which is not very convenient.
• You have to get approval prior to promoting the products of any vendor.
• The affiliate marketers will be asked to return the commission earned in case the buyer asks for a refund.

P.S. – I feel they do not have all the latest launches listed on their affiliate marketplace. Though, if you know about the product name, you can directly visit their JV page and sign-up to promote.

Sign up for the most trusted JVZoo affiliate network!

9. MaxBounty

Established in 2004, MaxBounty is a top performance-based CPA (cost-per-action) network. It focuses on increasing the ROI (Return On Investment) of advertisers as well as affiliates. MaxBounty has partnered with top-notch brands like Norton, McAfee, and T-Mobile.

They have managed to set themselves apart from the rest in a relatively shorter span of time. MaxBounty has a lot to offer to affiliate marketers.

Pros

• With MaxBounty, you get weekly payments unlike the fixed monthly payments of most affiliate programs.
• You can get a $1,000 bonus when you earn $1,000 each month for the first 3 months with them.
• They pay you digitally as well which is a huge advantage.
• In terms of earnings, you receive exciting rewards once you are on the top affiliate list.

Cons

• MaxBounty is not a very well-established name right now. Perhaps it needs more time to shine in the crowd.
• Sometimes it gets difficult to get approval on the network.

Sign up for the MaxBounty affiliate network!

10. WarriorPlus

Founded in 2006, WarriorPlus is a platform for buying and selling digital products online. Right from eBooks to software, you can find plenty of digital products on the platform.

If your niche is Internet Marketing, you can find plenty of products on WarriorPlus to promote on your website as an affiliate marketer. The info products listed are ones with added purchases (upsells) and offers.

Pros

• They pay you instantly via PayPal.
• You won’t just earn a commission on the actual product but also on the ones that are present in the sales funnel.

Cons

• Refund requests are higher than other affiliate networks because the audience that gets attracted by them comprises mostly those who want free stuff.
• Their image is pretty questionable when it comes to supporting.
• There is an absence of a dedicated affiliate manager.

Create your WarriorPlus affiliate account!

Bottom Line

Affiliate marketing is not at all difficult. If you have proper resources and know how exactly to earn commissions, you are a sure-shot winner. However, avoid making common mistakes and follow these tips to succeed as an affiliate marketer.

Also, go through the affiliate marketing networks beginners should not miss. That is it. I hope you find this post helpful. If you have questions, feel free to email me at askme@nishagarg.com.