How OpenAffiliate lists and ranks programs

Maintained by Affitor. Listings are free; rankings are never paid.

Where does the data live?

Every program is one YAML file in the public GitHub repository. This site, the API, the MCP server and the markdown pages all read program data from those files, and every change lands as a public pull request.

What does verified mean?

A verified program had its terms checked against its own affiliate page. Affitor, which maintains this site, also runs a marketplace: programs listed on it are verified from the terms the brand publishes there, read by a daily sync that opens a pull request for any change. Program pages show the check date when one is recorded; a list shows the latest among its verified programs. 218 of 812 live programs are verified.

What about unverified programs?

They are community-submitted. Their commission is marked unconfirmed, and their cookie window, payout and approval are hidden everywhere until checked. Lists tag them “not verified”. Check the brand's own terms before promoting one.

What if a brand has no affiliate program?

Its page says so and lists no terms, with the check date when one is recorded. Such a brand is never ranked.

How are lists ranked?

Verified programs come first. Within each group, the topic lists under /best and the category pages order by commission, read from structured fields, never the free-text rate: a single percentage, or a flat amount stated in US dollars. On those pages, tiered and mixed deals come after single rates, and referral rewards paid in credit or gift cards are not counted as cash. The main best affiliate programs list is different: it ranks verified programs by Affiliate Score, which weighs commission, cookie window and how long commission lasts. Programs that publish no rate are left out of every /best list and placed last in their group on category pages.

Can a program pay for a better position?

No. Listing is free, and only the rules above set a program's position. Programs on the Affitor marketplace follow the same rules as every other program.

How do I add or correct a program?

Open a pull request that adds or edits its YAML file, or use the submit form, which writes the file and opens it on GitHub. To report an error, open an issue with the program's slug and what is wrong, or send it through the feedback form.