7 SaaS Affiliate Programs to Boost Your Passive Income in 2024
In the dynamic landscape of software solutions, Software as a Service (SaaS) has emerged as a revolutionary model, transforming the way businesses access and utilise software. In the last 7 years, the SaaS industry has increased by over 500%.
With more and more businesses relying on SaaS applications to streamline operations, an avenue of opportunity has opened up for individuals and businesses alike – SaaS affiliate programs.
SaaS affiliate programs offer a unique partnership opportunity where affiliates can earn commissions by promoting and marketing SaaS products. With each successful referral, affiliates make money.
With an ever-expanding list of affiliate programs, it can be daunting trying to find the right fit. We’ve gone over some of the highest-paying and easiest-to-promote SaaS affiliate programs to help you decide.
We’ll also review some real-life examples of affiliate posts to help give you an understanding of the earning potential.
The Top SaaS Affiliate Programs
Wix Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 30 days
Commission: $100 per sale
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: Bank transfer or wire transfer
Wix is a world-renowned web publishing platform. The software provides tools for creating HTML5 websites and mobile sites using online drag-and-drop editing. With over 250M users worldwide, Wix can be used for selling products online, starting a blog, running an events company, and a range of other options.
The Wix Affiliate Program is designed to reward affiliates with competitive payouts for every conversion. They provide you with all the tools you need to promote Wix on your website and earn top commissions, such as attractive marketing materials, banners, landing pages and templates to work with.
One thing I love about the Wix Affiliate Program is there are zero limits on referrals. Often, programs block the earning potential of affiliates by setting limits on possible commissions. But Wix does no such thing, opening up the door to the possibility of high profits.
With a 30-day cookie lifespan and up to $100 per sale per premium user, you can begin to see the earning potential. As crazy as it sounds, if you managed to refer 100 different clients from one of your posts, you’d make $10,000. That’s quite a bit of money for a simple blog post.
You can also easily track and manage your campaigns via the user-friendly dashboard where you have access to detailed statistics on traffic and sales. To get started, all you need to do is head to the website and apply.
So how much can I earn as a Wix affiliate?
Let’s take a look at the example above. The affiliate marketer uploaded a video promoting Wix that has so far reached 189K views in 11 months.
Now, if we assume that about 1% of total views leads to a conversion, then this equates to 1890 conversions. That’s a lot of conversions.
So, with no limits on referrals, how much money is that? With the Wix Affiliate Program, you earn $100 per sale. This may be a little hard to believe, but if we operate on those assumptions, the above affiliate earned approximately $189K from one video in 11 months. A truly astonishing amount of money.
QuickBooks Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 90 days
Commission: Up to 10%
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: PayPal
QuickBooks is one of the most popular accounting software packages in the world. The product is geared towards small to medium-sized businesses as an alternative to manual bookkeeping.
The user-friendly platform simplifies complex financial tasks such as invoicing, expense tracking, payroll management, and tax preparation. With QuickBooks, you can save time, improve efficiency, boost accuracy and provide valuable insights into your company’s financial performance.
The QuickBooks Affiliate Program is an exciting opportunity for both experienced and beginner affiliate marketers. They do the work of taking and shipping orders and handling customer service. All you need to do is place Intuit-approved marketing materials on your website.
Part of what makes the Quickbooks Affiliate Program a great opportunity is the range of discounts and vouchers available for affiliates to use. Everybody loves a special, and having discount codes on hand can make the whole process of finding new customers much easier.
You’re also provided with highly recognised QuickBooks logos and guided through the process of adding content, banners, and links to make things easier for you.
So how much can I earn as a QuickBooks affiliate?
So what is the actual earning potential here? In the above example, an affiliate has uploaded a tutorial video with 1.6M+ views.
If we again work on the assumption that around 1% of all views lead to conversions, this would be an almost unbelievable 16K conversions.
QuickBooks affiliates earn up to 10% per sale. For the sake of our example, let’s assume that all 16K conversions were for the essentials bundle priced at $60 per month. This would be around $6 commission per sale.
This means that the affiliate who posted the video made around $96K in the two years since the video was posted. These are incredibly high numbers for what’s normally considered passive income.
Monday.com Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 90 days
Commission: Up to 25% revenue share
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: PayPal, Stripe
Monday.com is a cloud-based platform that gives users the freedom and ability to create their own applications and project management software.
As one of the leading and most trusted SaaS companies in the world, its affiliate program is a golden opportunity for affiliate marketers to turn affiliate income into limitless profit potential.
With the tiered commission model, you earn 25% recurring commissions on sales. As long as your referral stays subscribed, you keep making money.
The more customers you generate, the more money you earn. Payments are made monthly, but you’ll need to have earned at least $25 in commissions before you’re eligible to get paid.
You’ll also have access to a comprehensive suite of marketing materials such as banners, social posts, and links from inside the platform. A standout feature is the access to support from marketing experts through the instant chat feature.
With 150K+ active users, The Monday.com Affiliate Program is an exciting chance for individuals and businesses to promote an already-popular product.
So how much can I earn as a Monday.com affiliate?
The affiliate in the above example uploaded a tutorial video about Monday.com that has since reached 302K views. At a 1% conversion rate, this equates to 3020 conversions.
Since Monday.com affiliates earn 25% per sale, the profit potential is high. The most popular pricing option is the standard tier at $36 per month, so we’ll work off that.
25% of $36 is equal to $9 per sale. $9 x 3020 conversions is equal to $27,180 made within the 3 years since the video was posted. But remember, this is a recurring commission.
If we assume that each referral keeps the subscription for at least a year, this would bump the commission up to a whopping $326 160.
AWeber Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 365 days
Commission: 50% recurring
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: PayPal
AWeber is an email marketing and automation platform designed to help small businesses and individuals create, manage and optimise email marketing campaigns. With AWeber, businesses can effortlessly attract new customers and find new revenue streams through effective email marketing.
The AWeber Affiliate Program, also known as the Aweber Advocate Program, is one of the best around when it comes to earning potential. A cookie lifespan of 365 days is by far the longest we’ve seen, and a 50% recurring commission rate sounds almost too good to be true.
As an affiliate, you’ll also have access to marketing tools to build a landing page and email lists, as well as a host of video ads and banner ads to help with promotions.
The recurring commission rates are what sets the AWeber Affiliate Program apart. Whenever a referred client renews their subscription, you earn a commission. As long as your referral keeps the subscription, you’ll keep earning.
Your profits are paid out monthly via PayPal, or a cheque in the post, depending on your preference. A payout trigger of $30 means you won’t need to wait for extremely high profits before you start enjoying the fruits of your labour.
So how much can I earn as an AWeber affiliate?
Let’s take a look at the above affiliate’s post for AWeber. Once again it’s a tutorial, and it sits at about 2537 views. While this is not a crazy amount of views, the recurring nature of the payments means profits can still be lucrative.
A 1% conversion rate would equate to 25.37 conversions. The most popular pricing tier is priced at $20 per month. 50% of $20 is $10 per month.
If we assume that each referral keeps a subscription for about 12 months, each conversion will earn the affiliate $120. Based on that, the above video would have made around $3000 in commissions, which is more than a dollar per view.
For affiliates with bigger audiences, this is an incredible opportunity to turn affiliate income into one of your most profitable revenue streams.
AppSumo Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 7 days
Commission: Up to $50
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: PayPal or ACH
AppSumo was originally founded in 2010 as the brainchild of Noah Kagan. It has since become the go-to platform for many digital entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking innovative software solutions.
The dynamic marketplace offers a curated selection of software deals, lifetime access offers, and invaluable resources for business growth. With a range of discounted offers on unique software solutions, the AppSumo Affiliate Program presents a lucrative opportunity for affiliate marketers.
Bloggers, influencers and digital marketers who are passionate about promoting cutting-edge software are a perfect fit for the AppSumo Affiliate Program.
A generous commission structure of up to 100% commission on first sales (capped at $50 per order) with no sign-up fee, and no minimum payout threshold makes this a great opportunity for affiliates. You also get 5% of sales on returning customers.
Payouts take place via PayPal or ACH; making the program a convenient option for affiliates worldwide.
The downside? A 7-day cookie lifespan means sales must be generated within a week of referral to earn a commission. This can be tough to get right for affiliates new to the game.
The AppSumo Affiliate Program is open to both experienced and beginner affiliates and digital marketers.
So how much can I earn as an AppSumo affiliate?
In the above example, an affiliate uploaded a review of AppSumo that currently sits at 9636 views. At a 1% conversion rate, this is 96.36 conversions.
The AppSumo yearly plan is priced at $99 per year. Based on the commission rates and payout limits, let’s assume you’re making $50 per sale. At this rate, the above video would equal $4818 in affiliate income.
For a video that has under 10K views, profits of $4818 are incredibly impressive.
Adobe Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 30 days
Commission: 85% of the first month or 8.33% of the first year
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: PayPal
Adobe is a U.S.-based multinational computer software company. The innovative software specialises in the creation and publication of content like graphics, photography, illustration, animation, multimedia/video, motion pictures, and print. Adobe is one of the leaders in software for graphic design and photography.
The Adobe Affiliate Program allows marketers to promote Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Express, Adobe Stock and Adobe Document Cloud in exchange for high commission rates.
The Adobe Affiliate Program is free to join and easy to sign up for, and commission rates go up to 85% of the first month or 8.33% of the first-year subscription for Creative and Document Cloud options. When it comes to promoting Adobe Stock, you can earn a commission of $72 for bringing each new monthly subscription.
Affiliates get access to a comprehensive suite of attractive marketing banners and text links for each product. They’re also provided with links to offer discounts, student offers, and desirable bundles that may help drive sales.
Adobe is one of the most widely used software applications in the world, and most people who work on a PC have some idea of what it is. This generally makes life easier as promoting an already-established brand is far easier than trying to convince people to sign up for something they’ve never heard of.
So how much can I earn as an Adobe affiliate?
The affiliate in the above video uploaded a tutorial that currently sits at 77,734 views. At a 1% conversion rate, the video would have led to 777.34 conversions.
For the sake of the example, let’s assume that the conversions were for the yearly Creative Cloud subscription. Priced at $413.88, affiliates would earn $34.48 per sale. With that in mind, the above affiliate made around $26, 799 in only two years of having the video up.
Surfer Affiliate Program
Cookie lifespan: 90 days
Commission: 25%
Payout frequency: Monthly
Payout method: PayPal or Stripe
Surfer is an all-in-one SEO-based platform for keyword research, content creation and page optimisation. The software helps businesses improve online content to boost visibility and rankings on search engines through SEO-focused content strategies.
All payments are verified and paid out during the month after your commission is earned. PartnerStack (the network) gives affiliates access to promotional tools and banners to help attract new customers.
Whether you’re a blogger, influencer, creator or digital marketing expert, the Surfer SEO Affiliate Program is a great way to monetise your knowledge.
To join the program, you’ll need to apply and wait a few days for approval or denial. Once in, you’ll have access to the dashboard and can start earning affiliate income instantly.
One thing to note is that if customers return products, the commission earned is reversed as no sale ultimately took place.
So how much can I earn as a Surfer affiliate?
The above tutorial video for Surfer sits at 3348 views. If we apply the same method and assume a 1% conversion rate, this would be 33.48 conversions.
Since the commission rates for Surfer are recurring, we’ll operate under the assumption that most conversions lead to a year-long subscription. The most popular tier is the Scale tier, priced at $1192 if you choose an annual subscription.
Since affiliates earn 25% commission, that’s around $298 per sale. As such, we can assume the above affiliate made around $9, 977 from the video.
What to look for in a SaaS affiliate program?
With so many different SaaS affiliate programs available, how do you choose? Consider the following factors before joining a SaaS affiliate program.
Relevancy
Your audience should guide you when choosing a SaaS affiliate program. The product that you promote should fit your niche and interest your audience.
For example, if you generally tend to post about productivity, efficiency and project management, it would make sense for you to promote software within that lane such as for Monday.com or QuickBooks.
If you suddenly start promoting a product outside of your expertise or niche, your audience is unlikely to engage.
Commission
Of course, the commission potential is a huge factor when it comes to affiliate programs. It wouldn’t make sense to spend an exorbitant amount of time promoting a product or service that doesn’t offer high returns. This doesn’t mean you should only aim for massive commissions.
You should, however, consider how popular the brand is and how easy it is to promote, and balance that with the rate of commission. Lower commissions make sense if you’re confident you can easily secure referrals.
Don’t forget to review any limits on earning potential. A high commission rate per sale means nothing if you’re getting capped at $100 per month.
Brand reputation
Only promote high-quality products from trusted sources. In general, you should only ever promote a product that you’re using or would use yourself.
If you promote a poor product, you’ll lose the trust of your audience and damage your reputation as an expert or creator within the field. Your values should align with the values of the brand and you should feel confident partnering up with them.
Promotional content
Plenty of SaaS affiliate programs provide resources and promotional materials such as banners, landing pages, videos, email templates, and more to assist you in your efforts.
With quality assets and marketing materials, it’s much easier for you to get started and earn commissions.
Final word
The world of SaaS affiliate programs presents an incredible opportunity for creators, professionals, influencers and businesses looking to capitalise on the booming industry of software solutions.
From website builders to project management software, the best SaaS affiliate programs not only offer lucrative financial rewards but also provide an option to align with innovative and cutting-edge technology.
Whether you’re a seasoned affiliate marketer or someone just beginning to explore this avenue, there are plenty of profitable SaaS affiliate program options.
At The Affiliate Monkey, we’ve gathered hundreds of affiliate programs to help you review, compare and decide on the right fit for you. If you’d like to find out more, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Have you ever been a part of a SaaS affiliate program? We’d love to hear about your experiences. Please leave us a comment below.
