How to Check if an Affiliate Program Is Legit
Before you spend time or money promoting a program, check how and when it pays. This checklist takes about 15 minutes. The programs below state both a payout minimum and a payment schedule on their official pages.
1. Read the official terms, not a review site
Find the company's own affiliate page or agreement. Review sites and forums can be out of date or paid. Every listing here links to the official page we checked, so you can read it yourself.
2. Find the money rules before you post a link
- Commission and cookie window: what you earn and how long after a click a sale still counts.
- Payout minimum: how much you must earn before they pay you.
- Payment schedule: how often they pay, and how many days they hold a commission first.
- Rules before you can be paid: some programs require a number of sales or referrals before cash payouts start.
If the official page leaves any of these out, ask the company in writing before you start, and keep the reply.
3. Watch for warning signs
- Payouts that look far too high for very little, like a big amount for an email sign-up.
- A required number of leads or sales before you're allowed to withdraw anything.
- No company name, address or registration details anywhere on the site.
- Commission terms you can only see after you sign up.
- Support that never answers a simple question before you join.
4. Start small and keep your own records
Promote the program lightly at first. Use your own short links or QR codes so you can compare your click counts with the company's reports. Save your links, codes and dates in one place, like the free My Programs organizer.
5. Get paid regularly and watch for changes
Request a payout as soon as you're eligible instead of letting a balance build up. Terms can change without notice, so recheck them now and then. We recheck every listing at least every 30 days and post changes on our change log.
Every program below was checked on its official page, most recently on October 26, 2026. Sorted by name, never by what pays us. Terms change, so confirm with the company before you apply.
| Program | Commission (company's terms) | Cookie |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Associates ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026 | Up to 10% (varies by product category) | not stated |
| B&H Photo ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 2% base; 8% on 3,000+ products from select brands (landing page) | not stated |
| Bookshop.org ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 10% on book sales you refer (30% for bookstore affiliates) | 2 days |
| Castos ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 25% of referrals' payments for the first 12 months (10% on production and launch services) | 30 days |
| Circle ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% recurring on Standard plans (10% on Plus) for as long as they stay | 90 days |
| Cloudways ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | Up to $125 per sale, or $30 per sale + 7% for life | 90 days |
| Descript ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | $25 per new subscriber | not stated |
| DreamHost ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | Varies by plan, up to $1,000 per approved referral (e.g. $50 for a 1-year starter hosting plan) | not stated |
| eBay Partner Network ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026 | 1% to 6% of the item sale price, by category (caps per transaction) | 1 days |
| Elegant Themes (Divi) ✓ Verified Oct 22, 2026Beginner-friendly | 50% of new purchases and all renewals | 30 days |
| Elementor ✓ Verified Oct 21, 2026Beginner-friendly | 45–55% of the first purchase, by product | 45 days |
| ElevenLabs ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 22% of payments for the first 12 months | not stated |
| Expedia ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | Hotels 4%, activities 4%, vacation rentals 2%, packages 2%, cars 1.5%; flights and cruises not commissioned | 7 days |
| Fiverr ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 25% of first order + 10% of the buyer's purchases for 12 months (Logo Maker: $30 + 10%) | not stated |
| Frase ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026No website needed | 30% recurring for 12 months | 60 days |
| Hostinger ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | At least 40% per eligible sale (rises with volume) | not stated |
| HubSpot ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% recurring for up to 1 year (Starter tier) | 180 days |
| Hunter ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 30% recurring for the first 12 months | 30 days |
| Kinsta ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | $50–$500 one-time bonus + 10% monthly for life | 60 days |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 50% of the first 12 months; 10–20% after that with status tiers | not stated |
| Leadpages ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% recurring per referral | 90 days |
| Libsyn ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 25% of the referral's monthly plan price for each of their first 6 paid months | 60 days |
| MailerLite ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% of every payment, for as long as the customer stays | 45 days |
| Mangools ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 25%-35% lifetime recurring, tiered | 30 days |
| Metricool ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 25% recurring (up to $100 per user); 50% (up to $300) at Partner tier | not stated |
| Moosend ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30–40% recurring (rises with paid accounts referred), for as long as the customer pays | not stated |
| NordVPN ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 40–100% of new sign-ups (by plan) + 30% of renewals | 30 days |
| OpusClip ✓ Verified Oct 26, 2026 | 25% recurring for the first year of each new subscriber | not stated |
| Pabbly ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% recurring for as long as the customer stays active | 365 days |
| Payhip ✓ Verified Oct 22, 2026Beginner-friendly | 50% of what referred sellers generate (fees and plans), for as long as they earn | not stated |
| pCloud ✓ Verified Oct 22, 2026Beginner-friendly | 20% on Lifetime plans (one-time) or 20% recurring on subscriptions | 45 days |
| Podia ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% for 12 months | 90 days |
| Printful ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 10% of referrals' sales for 12 months + $25 per first Growth subscription | not stated |
| Rank Math ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026Beginner-friendlyNo website needed | 30% on premium plans (EUR 17-149 per sale) plus EUR 0.20 per free sign-up | 60 days |
| Restream ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | $10 per referred user who buys a paid plan | not stated |
| Rytr ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 30% recurring for 12 months, plus small milestone bonuses | 60 days |
| SE Ranking ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% of each subscription sale | 120 days |
| Shopify ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | Up to $150 per qualified referral (varies by location) | 30 days |
| SpyFu ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 40% monthly recurring for the life of the account | 365 days |
| Surfshark ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026Beginner-friendlyNo website needed | 40% of new sales | 30 days |
| Synthesia ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 25% of net payments on Starter and Creator plans | 60 days |
| systeme.io ✓ Verified Oct 21, 2026Beginner-friendly | 60% lifetime recurring | not stated |
| Tailwind ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | Up to $120 per new customer, depending on plan | not stated |
| Teachery ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 25% recurring on subscriptions (one-time on Lifetime deal) | 30 days |
| Tella ✓ Verified Oct 26, 2026 | 30% recurring on whatever referrals spend, with no end date | 60 days |
| Thinkific ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 30% lifetime recurring ($150/month on Plus plans) | 90 days |
| Thrive Themes ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026 | 35% of new sales | 60 days |
| Transistor ✓ Verified Oct 24, 2026No website needed | 25% recurring for as long as the customer pays | 30 days |
| vidIQ ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 15% lifetime recurring (20% at 11+ sales, 25% at 51+) | 90 days |
| Visme ✓ Verified Oct 22, 2026Beginner-friendly | 25% of every transaction for 12 months | 60 days |
| Writesonic ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendly | 20% recurring for 12 months | 60 days |
| Zoho ✓ Verified Oct 25, 2026Beginner-friendlyNo website needed | 15–20% of qualified sales for 12 months (rate depends on your tier) | 90 days |
Who pays: each company sets and pays its own commissions. Green Gator Affiliator does not pay, hold or guarantee any earnings. Most affiliates earn little at first.
Keep track of the programs you join
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