17 Best Software Affiliate Programs (From Brands You’ve Heard Of)
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There are a ton of software options out there, with several SaaS tools to choose from for whatever your goal is. But only some of them fall under the category of having the best software affiliate programs.
Not only can the following tools help you and your audience members meet your marketing and sales goals, not to mention streamline admin, but you can earn money by encouraging signups. Best of all, you don’t have to be a user yourself for a lot of these affiliate programs.
Adobe
The Adobe Affiliate Program has marketers promote Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Document Cloud, Adobe Express and Adobe Stock on various outlets — blogs, social media platforms and websites.
The tracking cookie is 30 days, which is a lot of time to convert those who are interested in Adobe products. You’ll get access to banners and link texts that are publish-ready, and there are also exclusive promotions that publishers regularly hear about. Plus, you’ll always know the latest about product launches and new releases.
Commissions for Adobe Creative Cloud and Document Cloud are:
- 85% for the first month of monthly subscriptions
- 85% for the first month of yearly subscriptions with a monthly payment
- 8.33% of yearly subscriptions with an annual payment
Commissions are a bit different for Adobe Stock:
- $72 for monthly subscriptions
- $72 for yearly subscriptions with a monthly payment plan
- 8.33% of a single purchase
- 85% for the first month of a monthly plan to get 3 standard assets
Marketers will also be able to offer their audience bundles, discounts, student offers and other special offers.
AWeber
AWeber is an email marketing platform that lets users design emails, newsletters, landing pages and more. It’s also integrated with Canva, and you can use the design tool right in the AWeber builder.
The AWeber referral program pays up to 50% to affiliate marketers. After signing up as an AWeber Advocate, you’ll get a unique referral link that you can promote to your audience. You’ll then earn as much as 50% per month for as long as a new paid account is active.
The way that you get that 50% commission is by referring 50 or more new paid accounts over a 12-month period. Otherwise, marketers can make 30% commissions on new paid accounts. By referring 10 or more within 12 months, that commission rate is bumped up to 40%.
AWeber offers affiliates persuasive articles and ads to post. You’ll also get a newsletter that gives you tips for successfully marketing AWeber products, along with resources that your audience will find helpful.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a major e-commerce platform that offers a SaaS tool to retailers. Users can create and optimize online stores, and additional features including hosting, marketing and security.
The BigCommerce Affiliate Program pays up to 200% per plan price for a new customer’s first monthly payment. You can also earn $1,500 for each new enterprise customer. There are no minimums to hit or commission caps that will limit how much you earn. The website also says that “the more referrals you drive through the program, the higher your commission tier can go.”
BigCommerce has pre-made banners and emails that marketers can use along with their affiliate links. You can also connect with an affiliate marketing expert if you want more help reaching your goals.
Brand24
Brand24 is a social listening tool that helps businesses with marketing, reputation management and customer service.
The Brand24 Partner Program pays a 20% commission when you refer new paying customers. Plus, every time a customer renews their subscription, you’ll earn a commission, too. The tracking cookie duration is 90 days.
Marketers also get early access to product updates, professional support and tutorials, and marketing materials for promotions.
There are actually three programs to choose from. The Affiliate option is for content creators with loyal followings. There’s also the Referral option, which is for Brand24 users, and the E-Learning option for marketing educators.
The Affiliate and E-Learning programs don’t require marketers to also be Brand24 customers.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is an email and digital marketing platform that brands use to create campaigns. Users are able to find new leads with Instagram and Facebook ads, increase donations via email marketing, use e-commerce tools in their online store, and integrate with tools like Leadpages to collect contact information.
The Constant Contact Affiliate Program pays $105 whenever a new customer pays for an account. There’s no cap on commissions, so you can refer as many people as possible and continue earning.
Constant Contact also offers marketers a host of promotional resources, including creative assets like ads and banners.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is a marketing platform aimed at creators. The ConvertKit Affiliate Program pays a recurring 30% commission for as long as 24 months when a new user signs up.
Marketers don’t need to be ConvertKit customers in order to join the affiliate program and start promoting products. And by joining the program, you’ll get marketing training and creative assets to use in your promotional content.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is web-based accounting and invoicing software for small and medium-sized businesses. Its affiliate program pays up to $200 per sale through the ShareASale affiliate network. You’ll also get paid $10 each for trial signups.
The FreshBooks Affiliate Program has a long cookie duration of 120 days, giving you lots of time to nurture leads. You can post your affiliate link anywhere, including in articles and blog posts, in forums, in emails, and on social media.
When you join the program, you’ll also get access to marketing advice, like article ideas, social media strategies and email marketing tips.
HubSpot
The affiliate program for the popular HubSpot CRM tool pays a 30% recurring commission for up to one year and gives marketers access to more than 400 assets to help with promotions. The cookie duration is 180 days, allowing you to maximize earnings and nurture leads. Note that you’re not required to be a HubSpot customer to join the affiliate program.
Depending on your performance, you may also be able to level up to the next affiliate tier and earn even more. Marketers in the Super Affiliate tier — meaning you generate 100-200 signups per month — are eligible for bonuses on top of the standard commission. There’s also an Elite Affiliate tier for over 200 signups per month, and that commission is customized to the marketer.
Intuit QuickBooks
Intuit QuickBooks is accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses. It has two affiliate programs.
First, the QuickBooks Business Affiliate Program lets you offer your audience members a discount on QuickBooks Online, which can improve the chances of them converting.
Marketers will also be able to use the resource library to find marketing guides and templates. Plus, affiliates can use brand logos and website banners to promote products.
There’s also the affiliate program that’s run through Commission Junction, which allows bloggers and owners of other types of e-commerce and content sites to monetize using affiliate links.
Kinsta
Kinsta is a cloud-based platform for WordPress hosting. Affiliate marketers who refer new customers to Kinsta can earn between 5% and 10% in monthly commissions for the lifetime of the WordPress package. Additionally, you can earn a one-time commission of $50 to $500 for new signups. The tracking cookie lasts for 60 days.
The flat payout rate depends on the total income received from the referred customer. For example, if the customer pays $50 to $99.99, you’ll receive a $50 commission. The other tiers are $100 and $150, capping out at $500 for income generation of $1,000 or more.
There’s a useful affiliate income calculator on the program’s landing page that lets you plug in the type of plan and how many people you’ll get to convert so you can see how much you could potentially make.
To promote Kinsta products, you can use branded banners, and there are also guides and tips you’ll be provided to help you encourage more sales.
Leadpages
Leadpages is a drag-and-drop landing page and website builder aimed at users who don’t want to write code.
The Leadpages Affiliate Program pays up to 50% in commission when you drive new signups or upgrades. You can also get recurring commissions for plan renewals.
Every sale has a minimum lifetime commission of 10%. If you refer at least $50 in new sales, which Leadpages says is one to two accounts, you’ll qualify for a 40% commission rate. After that, if you generate $3,000 or more in sales, you’ll be in the top tier, which receives a 50% commission.
As a Leadpages affiliate, you’ll also get access to the private Facebook Group, where you can connect with other marketers to share tips. Moreover, Leadpages gives marketers access to special promotions throughout the year, and you’ll also get free content to help with your promotions, like guides, training videos and webinars.
You can even use copy provided by Leadpages for your email and social media marketing if you’re not sure how to write the content yourself. Plus, you’ll have early access to new features and templates so that you can use them and get up to speed before promoting them to your audience.
NordVPN
NordVPN is an online service that encrypts your internet traffic, hides your IP and generally offers privacy and security for you when you’re online.
The affiliate program from NordVPN has commissions that range from 30% to 100%. Here’s how the rates break down:
- One-Month Offer: 100% commission for signups and 30% for renewals
- One-Year Offer: 40% commission for signups and 30% for renewals
- Two-Year Offer: 40% commission for signups and 30% for renewals
The tracking cookie duration is 30 days, and Nord will provide you with collateral to use in your marketing content.
You may also be able to promote other Nord products via affiliate links. The website says to get in touch if you’re interested.
Omnisend
Omnisend is an all-in-one marketing automation platform for e-commerce. The affiliate program for Omnisend pays 20% or more in monthly recurring commissions when you encourage new signups to paid plans (and they go through with payment).
To help you get started marketing right away, Omnisend will provide you with ads, banners and other types of marketing content to add to your campaigns.
Podia
Podia is an online platform for creators of digital downloads, memberships and online courses. Through its affiliate program, you can earn up to 30% in recurring commissions for as long as the customer stays with Podia.
Also, when you become a Podia affiliate, you’ll also be automatically added to the Refer-a-Creator program. When you refer new Podia customers, you can earn rewards and credit.
Semrush
Semrush is a SaaS marketing platform used for everything from competitive analysis and backlink tracking to keyword research and website auditing.
The Semrush Affiliate Program pays $200 for every sale and $10 per free trial signup. The cookie duration is generous at 120 days, and you can use pre-designed marketing materials in your promotions. There are also bonuses offered to affiliates based on performance.
Shopify
Shopify is an e-commerce platform for designing online stores so that retailers can sell products. If your audience is made up of or includes e-commerce shop owners, consider joining the Shopify Affiliate Program.
The program pays out an (undisclosed) fixed rate when a referral signs up for a full-price plan, and there’s no cap on how much you can earn. Marketers can access the Shopify creative library with lead magnets to encourage sales, too.
Unbounce
Unbounce is a platform for building landing pages, and its Partner Program pays a recurring commission of 20% for each referral. Plus, when a customer uses your affiliate link to purchase an Unbounce plan, they’ll get 20% off their first three months. This can make it even easier to encourage those signups.
Once the referral pays for their account, you’ll get 20% of every transaction for their membership lifetime. You can also use promotional assets and templates in your marketing content, and there are training materials to help you make the most of your promotions.
Wrapping Up
Selecting the best software affiliate programs for you and your audience could mean earning income every single month thanks to recurring memberships and renewals. With so many great options, make sure that the ones you go with align with your audience’s needs and interests. By putting your effort into the affiliate programs that will garner the most interest, you could drive so much traffic there to make each one a bonafide income stream.