Quick Answer: An affiliate is a person or company that promotes another company's product and earns a commission on the results, such as sales or sign-ups, that come through a unique tracked link. The same word also has a corporate meaning: a business linked to another by ownership or control. In marketing, an affiliate program is the merchant's offer, and the affiliate is the partner who joins it.
Summary in short
- In marketing, an affiliate is a partner who promotes a merchant's product and is paid a commission for tracked results.
- An affiliate is not the same as an affiliate program: the program is the merchant's offer, the affiliate is the person who joins it.
- The tracking link and the cookie decide who gets credit for a sale; attribution rules (last click or first click) decide what happens when more than one partner is involved.
- Commission models are per sale, recurring, revenue share and per lead. Our directory lists 457 live programs and 188 pay per sale, 189 pay recurring, 41 pay revenue share and 16 pay per lead.
- Some programs run on a network such as Impact or PartnerStack, and 125 run their own in-house system.
- You must tell readers and viewers about the financial relationship, and some programs restrict brand bidding, paid ads or coupons.
- Affiliates are independent partners, not employees, and income is never guaranteed.
What is the affiliate definition in marketing?
In marketing, an affiliate is an independent partner who promotes a company's product or service and is paid a commission when people take an agreed action through the affiliate's tracked link. That action is usually a purchase, a paid subscription or a sign-up. The company is often called the merchant or advertiser, and the partner is often called the affiliate or publisher.
So when someone asks "what is an affiliate", the short version is: a seller of other people's products who is paid only for results. A blogger who reviews hosting and links to a plan, a YouTuber who shows a tool in a tutorial and a newsletter writer who recommends a service are all affiliates if they are paid through a tracked link.
What is affiliate marketing, then?
Affiliate marketing is the system that connects the two sides. The merchant publishes the terms: the commission, the cookie length, the payout rules. The affiliate promotes the product, and software records which visits and sales came from which partner. Our directory of affiliate programs lists 531 programs, of which 457 are live (status Active, Paused or Invite only), so you can see how widely the terms differ.
The other meaning of affiliate
Outside marketing, "affiliate" usually means a company that is connected to another through ownership or control. A subsidiary and its parent are affiliates, and so are two companies under common control. The US Securities Act rules, for example, define an affiliate as a person that "directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by, or is under common control with" another person, as quoted in 17 CFR 230.405. That is a legal and corporate sense, and it has nothing to do with commissions. This guide uses the marketing meaning.
Affiliate vs affiliate program: who does what
People mix up the two terms all the time. The affiliate program is the offer. The affiliate is the person or business that takes it up. One merchant has one program (sometimes several), and one affiliate can join dozens of programs.
The parts of the system
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Merchant (advertiser) | The company that sells the product and pays the commission. |
| Affiliate (publisher) | The partner who promotes the product and earns the commission. |
| Affiliate program | The merchant's published offer: rates, cookie, payout rules and restrictions. |
| Affiliate network | A platform that hosts many programs, tracks results and pays affiliates, such as Impact or PartnerStack. |
| Tracking link | A unique URL that identifies the affiliate when a visitor clicks it. |
| Cookie | A small file stored in the visitor's browser that remembers the referral for a set number of days. |
| Attribution | The rule that decides which affiliate gets credit: last click (the most recent link wins) or first click (the first link wins). |
| Commission | The payment the affiliate earns, as a percentage or a fixed amount. |
| Payout threshold | The minimum balance an affiliate must reach before a payment is sent. |
| Sub-affiliate | A partner recruited by another affiliate; the recruiter may earn a share, if the program allows it. |
Attribution in the directory
Attribution matters when a visitor clicks two different affiliate links before buying. Among the live programs in our directory, 55 state that they use last click and 8 state first click, and the rest do not state a model in a standard form. Semrush, for example, is recorded as last click. Always read the program terms, because the answer decides who is paid.
How the money flows, step by step
The flow is the same in almost every program.
- You join a program and receive a tracking link.
- You place the link in a review, a video description or an email.
- A visitor clicks it. The click is recorded and a cookie is set.
- The visitor buys or signs up, within the cookie window.
- The merchant or network confirms the sale, usually after a refund period.
- The commission is paid once you pass any payout threshold.
Three real examples from the directory
The three programs below use different models, so you can see how the same steps look in practice. Terms are taken from the program records as of October 2026.
- Semrush pays per sale. The directory records $50-$450 per sale plus $10 per trial, a 120-day cookie, last click attribution and the Impact network. The minimum payout is not disclosed. Transactions lock 27 days after the month ends and are paid 21 days after the month in which they locked, so a sale can take well over a month to reach you.
- Kinsta pays recurring commission. It records a one-time $50-$500 plus 10% of the monthly plan fee for the lifetime of the customer, a 60-day cookie, an in-house program, a $50 minimum payout and payment by PayPal or Kinsta account credit.
- ElevenLabs pays 22% recurring for 12 months on its main paid plans, runs on PartnerStack and pays at the end of the third month after the commission is earned. Its cookie length is not disclosed.
Three programs, three different timelines. This is why the payout schedule matters as much as the rate.
Commission models: per sale, recurring, revenue share and per lead
The directory classifies each live program by how it pays. The counts below are live programs only.
| Model | Live programs | How it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Per sale | 188 | A fixed amount or a percentage once per purchase. |
| Recurring | 189 | A percentage of every billing cycle while the customer stays subscribed, or for a set period. |
| Revenue share | 41 | A share of the revenue the referred customer generates, such as trading fees or ongoing sales. |
| Per lead | 16 | A fixed amount for a sign-up, a trial or a qualified lead. |
The remaining live programs are marketplaces and networks (21 programs) or have no model recorded (2).
Recurring: 12 months or lifetime
The duration of a recurring commission changes the value a lot. In the directory, 83 live programs state 12 months, 12 state 24 months and 73 state lifetime. Kinsta pays 10% for the lifetime of the customer, while ElevenLabs pays for the first 12 months of each referred subscription. Acoust pays 30% recurring for 24 months. "Lifetime" always means as long as the customer stays active and the program keeps running, so it is not a promise of payment forever. Our guide to lifetime vs 12-month recurring compares the two with the maths.
Programs, networks and in-house programs
A merchant can run its own affiliate system or list its program on a network that handles tracking, reporting and payment. Both approaches are common.
- In-house: the merchant runs it directly. The in-house hub lists 125 programs, including Kinsta and Amazon Associates.
- Impact: 63 programs, including Semrush and Bitdefender.
- PartnerStack: 58 programs, many of them SaaS tools.
- Awin: 16 programs, including Brizy.
- CJ: 13 programs, including Booking.com Partner.
Other hubs cover Rewardful and FirstPromoter, which many software companies use for their own programs. A network gives you one login for many programs and a single payment, but each merchant still sets its own rules. Compare them in our guide to the best affiliate networks.
Who can be an affiliate and where affiliates promote
Almost anyone can apply, but approval is not automatic everywhere. Of the live programs, 35 are recorded as automatic approval and 303 as manual review, so a program may look at your site or channel before accepting you.
Affiliates promote in many places:
- Blogs and comparison sites, where reviews and guides rank in search.
- YouTube and short video, with the link in the description.
- Email newsletters.
- Social posts and communities, as the program rules allow. Our guide to Instagram affiliate programs covers one platform.
Restrictions you should check
Many merchants limit how you promote. In the directory, 147 live programs forbid brand bidding (bidding on the merchant's own name in search ads), 36 forbid paid ads and 43 forbid coupons. Semrush forbids bidding on its brand and misspellings and requires pre-approved PPC campaigns. Kinsta forbids bidding on its trademarks, affiliate links in paid ads that impersonate the brand, and coupons. Brizy records no bidding on trademark terms and no PPC campaigns. Binance sets audience minimums for influencers and communities. Read the terms before you spend money on ads.
Disclosure: tell people about the connection
Affiliates must disclose the financial relationship. The US Federal Trade Commission says in its Endorsement Guides FAQ that a blogger who earns commissions through links should disclose the relationship clearly and conspicuously, with wording such as "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post", placed close to the link. The same page says that "Affiliate link" alone is not enough. Other countries have their own rules: see the compliance sections of our country guides for the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Kenya.
How to start: five practical steps
- Pick a topic you already know. Programs are easier to promote when they fit your audience. Browse categories such as software and SaaS or web hosting, or run Program Match to narrow the field.
- Shortlist programs. Use the full programs list and filter by commission, cookie and network.
- Compare the terms. Put two or three side by side in the compare tool and check the cookie, payout threshold and restrictions.
- Apply and get your link. Our guide on how to get an affiliate link walks through it. If you are new, see the best affiliate programs for beginners.
- Publish honest content with a disclosure. Add the disclosure near each link, then track which pieces lead to clicks.
Check how you will be paid before you join. A PayPal payout is common, but some programs also pay by Wise or bank transfer. Browse programs by category: AI tools, web hosting, travel, apps and mobile and accounting and finance.
Common misunderstandings
- An affiliate is not an employee. You are an independent partner with no salary, and you choose how to promote.
- Affiliate marketing is not MLM by definition. Most programs pay for your own referrals only. A few allow sub-affiliates, but the product is sold to the end customer, so check the terms for any recruiting element.
- Income is not guaranteed. Commission is paid only when the tracked action happens, and refunds can reverse it. ClickBank, for example, records that revenue-share commissions are reversed on refunds.
- A cookie is not forever. The directory has 173 live programs with no published cookie length, so do not assume a window.
- A bigger percentage is not always better. Compare the duration, the cookie and the payout schedule too.
Frequently asked questions
What is the affiliate definition in simple words?
An affiliate is a person or company that promotes someone else's product and earns a commission when a visitor buys or signs up through a tracked link. The merchant pays only for results. It is performance-based promotion.
What is the difference between an affiliate and an affiliate program?
The affiliate program is the merchant's offer, with its rates, cookie and rules. The affiliate is the partner who joins that program and promotes the product. You can think of the program as the job offer and the affiliate as the person who takes it.
What does affiliate mean in business?
In corporate language, an affiliate is a company connected to another through ownership or control, for example a subsidiary. That is a separate meaning from the marketing one. The context tells you which is meant.
Do I need a website to be an affiliate?
Not always, but many programs ask for a website, channel or audience in the application. Some set minimums, such as followers or monthly visitors. Semrush, for instance, records 1,000 monthly unique visitors or 1,000 organic followers.
How do affiliates get paid?
Affiliates are paid by the merchant or the network once the commission is confirmed and any minimum payout is reached. Methods include PayPal, bank transfer and Wise. The schedule varies, from weekly to several months after the sale.
Is affiliate marketing the same as MLM?
No. Affiliate marketing pays for referred sales or leads, and most programs have one level. MLM is built around recruiting and a downline. Read each program's terms for any multi-level element.
Is affiliate marketing legal, and do I have to disclose?
It is legal, and you must disclose the relationship to your audience. The FTC explains the US rules, and other countries have their own. Check the rules where you and your audience are located.
Conclusion
An affiliate is a partner paid for results through a tracked link. The system has a few parts: a merchant, a program, a network or in-house tracker, a link, a cookie and a commission. The details that matter most are the commission model, the cookie, the payout threshold and the restrictions. Read them before you join.
Actionable next steps:
- Choose one topic and shortlist three programs.
- Compare cookie, commission duration and payout threshold in the compare tool.
- Check the restrictions on brand bidding, paid ads and coupons.
- Apply, get your link and add a clear disclosure next to it.
- Track your clicks and sales for a few months before you spend on ads.
Earnings are never guaranteed, and program terms change, so confirm the current terms on each program's official page before you join.