Whether you are a newbie or an expert in affiliate marketing, finding the right affiliate network can be a time-consuming task.
Different affiliate networks offer a different variety of affiliate programs, commission models, and approval policies, making the decision more complicated than it may seem at first.
We will list here the best affiliate networks, with the additional information needed to help you make an informed decision.
Best Affiliate Networks 2023
| Affiliate Network | Total Score (1-5) |
|---|---|
 | 4.9 |
 | 4.8 |
 | 4.8 |
 | 4.7 |
 | 4.7 |
 | 4.7 |
 | 4.7 |
 | 4.5 |
What Is An Affiliate Network?
An affiliate network provides website publishers and affiliate program managers the platform to connect, cooperate and manage payments.
Affiliate networks feature up to thousands of affiliate programs, from a large variety of categories, and allow website publishers to easily find and participate in affiliate programs that are relevant for their website and business model.
Some of the affiliate networks specialize in specific product categories, but the major networks usually handle multiple categories.
Affiliate Networks Vs. Individual Affiliate Programs
Some companies operate their own affiliate programs, some only work through affiliate networks, and some are using both channels.
There are a few factors to take into account when trying to choose whether to join an affiliate program directly or through an affiliate network:
- Some affiliate programs are not available through any affiliate networks, and some are available only through affiliate networks.
- Some affiliate programs offer on their direct affiliate programs better commissions the those they offer through affiliate networks.
- In case your business model is based on relatively small payments from multiple affiliate programs, working through affiliate networks can save a lot of time managing and tracking conversions and payments.
- Joining affiliate programs directly can take more time than through an affiliate network platform.
- Affiliate networks make it easier to get exposure to new affiliate programs.
Why Do E-commerce Sites Use Affiliate Marketing Networks?
According to marketing firm Custora, affiliate marketing now drives 16% of US e-commerce orders, which makes affiliate marketing one of the four largest sources of e-commerce orders, outperforming social commerce and display advertising.
Affiliate marketing enables e-commerce sites and other kinds of businesses to get more exposure to new markets and customers, without making significant investments, while paying only for actual sales.
What Should I Look for in an Affiliate Network?
The main factors you should take into account when choosing an affiliate network are:
1. The number of relevant affiliate programs
Relevant affiliate programs are, of course, the first and most important factor in choosing to join an affiliate network.
And bu relevant programs we don’t just mean programs in a specific category – the programs you are looking for should be those with the highest conversion rate, which usually means well known and trusted brands in the relevant category.
2. Ease of approval
Different affiliate networks have different approval policies. Some times you can apply to the same affiliate program on 2 different affiliate networks, just to find out that you have been accepted on one, and rejected on the other.
So unless you are a well-known brand or publisher – the ease of approval should be an important factor.
3. Ease of use
The user experience on the different affiliate networks varies significantly.
We have rated here the user experience on all the major affiliate networks, but we recommend signing up for a few of them for the first-hand experience.
4. Support
Good customer and technical support are important factors, especially when your money is at stake.
Some affiliate networks offer automated tools for monitoring the traffic you generate, identifying broken affiliate links, etc.