Make Money With Affiliate Marketing in 2026
You make money with affiliate marketing by recommending products to people who are about to buy, and earning the commission each program sets on the sales your links bring. What you keep depends less on the headline rate than on the terms around it: how long a click counts, how long the commission lasts, when it clears and how much you must earn before a payout. This guide shows each of those with real programs' terms, and makes no income promises.
How we make money: some links on this page are tracked so we can see which programs readers choose. Rankings are never paid for.
Where the money comes from
A commission is a flat amount per sale, a share of the first payment, or a share of every payment for a set period or for the customer's lifetime. Some programs add tiers that rise with your sales. The program sets which one you get, in its terms.
What the registry shows
- Pay a recurring commission
- 391 of 576
- Pay for the customer's lifetime
- 141 of 576
- Pay once per sale
- 131 of 576
- Publish a cookie window
- 338 of 576
- Median cookie window
- 60 days
- Middle half of cookie windows
- 45 to 90 days
- Approve every applicant automatically
- 66 of 576
- Review applications by hand
- 257 of 576
- Pay by PayPal
- 264 of 576
What decides what you actually earn
Programs with the same headline rate can pay very differently. These are the terms to compare:
How long a click counts
A sale counts only within the program's window after the click. HeyGen, for one, credits a referral only when it buys within a set time after clicking.
Programs with a long cookieHow long the commission lasts
HeyGen pays for the first months of a subscription, Better Stack for a customer's first year and DashThis for as long as the client stays. The same rate is worth more the longer it lasts.
Lifetime commission programsWhen a commission clears
Many programs hold a commission through a refund or money-back period. Better Stack pays only after its money-back period, and HeyGen's commissions clear a holding period before payout.
How much you must earn before a payout
A payout minimum keeps small balances waiting. DashThis pays once you pass its threshold and send an invoice, and DeskTime pays on request once you reach its minimum.
Programs with no payout minimumWho counts as a referral
Conditions can rule sales out. DeskTime pays only once you have referred more than one customer, excludes current and former customers, deducts refunds, and voids commission not withdrawn within a year.
Choosing what to promote
Pick products your audience already needs and keeps using, so a recurring commission keeps paying. Then compare programs for the same kind of product by their full terms, not by the rate alone.
Programs to start with
The programs used as examples above, with the terms we verified and the day we last checked them.
HeyGen
Best for video creators
HeyGen is an AI video platform that turns text into videos with realistic AI avatars, in many languages and with a custom brand voice. It pays a share of each subscription for its first months when the referral buys within a set time after the click, and each commission clears a holding period before payout.
Not for: Bloggers and search ads: it is open to creators with a minimum following on at least one platform, accepts original video content only, and does not allow SEO or blog-only promotion, paid search or self-referrals.
- You earn
- 35% recurring for 3 months
- Cookie
- 30 days
- Payout
- Net 60, $100 minimum
- Runs on
- Its own program
Better Stack
Best for developer and DevOps audiences
Better Stack, formerly Better Uptime and Logtail, combines uptime monitoring, log management and incident response for developers. It pays a share of the net revenue, after processing and platform fees, from each referred customer for their first year, and pays only after its money-back period.
Not for: Spam: no spam or other activity that harms its reputation.
- You earn
- 25% of net revenue, recurring for 12 months
- Cookie
- Not published
- Payout
- $100 minimum
- Runs on
- Its own program
DeskTime
Best for remote team and productivity content
DeskTime is automatic time tracking software for teams, with app and website tracking, project time tracking, AI daily and weekly summaries, shift scheduling and an absence calendar, and a free trial. Its own program pays a share of each referred customer's payments for a set period after their first payment, by PayPal in US dollars on request once you reach the minimum.
Not for: A single referral: you must refer more than one customer to be paid, current and former customers do not qualify, self-referrals earn nothing, and commission not withdrawn within a year is voided.
- You earn
- 30% recurring for 9 months
- Cookie
- 30 days
- Payout
- On request, $25 minimum
- Runs on
- Its own program
DashThis
Best for agency and marketing reporting content
DashThis creates marketing dashboards and reports for digital marketers and agencies. Its program on FirstPromoter pays a share of referred customers' purchases, subscriptions and add-ons included, for as long as they remain clients, monthly through PayPal once you pass its threshold, and you must send an invoice to be paid.
Not for: Paid media: no paid media using the affiliate link, and no self-referrals, family referrals or referrals to your employer.
- You earn
- 20% recurring for life
- Cookie
- 90 days
- Payout
- Monthly, $150 minimum
- Runs on
- FirstPromoter
Rules that trip people up
Rules from the programs above that can cost you a commission, in their own terms:
- HeyGen: original video content only, with no SEO or blog-only promotion, paid search or self-referrals. Terms
- DeskTime: no groups or pages in social communities created to publicize DeskTime offers, and no promotion on coupon sites. Terms
- DashThis: no unapproved promotional materials, coupons or incentives. Terms
Disclose every affiliate link
In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides say that a connection your audience would not expect, such as being paid for a sale, must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Their own example is a blogger whose reviews include affiliate links: the reviews should clearly and conspicuously disclose the compensation. Source: FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR § 255.5.
FAQ
How much do affiliate marketers make?
There is no honest single figure: earnings depend on your audience, on how well a recommendation fits it, and on each program's terms. What we can show is how programs pay: the registry figures on this page and each program block give the commission, how long it lasts and when it pays.
How long does it take to get paid?
Even after a sale, the first payment can take weeks: many programs hold a commission through a refund or money-back period and pay only once you pass a minimum. The program blocks show each one's terms.
Is a higher commission rate always better?
No. A high rate for a short period can pay less than a lower rate that lasts for the customer's lifetime, and a long cookie window can matter more than the rate for products people compare before buying. Compare the full terms.
Can I make money without a big audience?
Some programs approve new affiliates automatically and pay on the first sale; others set audience requirements, like HeyGen's minimum following. Start with programs whose terms fit the audience you have.