SaaS affiliate programs are a simple way for anyone-bloggers, content creators, or small businesses-to earn money online. 

If you talk about software, digital marketing, or tools for small businesses, joining a SaaS affiliate program can help you make passive income.

At VH Info, we help you understand the best ways to use affiliate marketing in the SaaS industry, so you can pick the right program and start earning with confidence.

What Is A SaaS Affiliate Program?

A SaaS affiliate program lets you earn money by promoting software companies and their products online. You get a special referral link (called an affiliate link). When someone clicks your link and signs up for a free trial or paid plan, you get a commission. 

SaaS affiliate programs are a part of affiliate marketing, where you help software companies reach more active users and get paid for your effort.

How SaaS Affiliate Programs Work?

Here’s how a typical SaaS affiliate program works:

1. Sign Up: You join the affiliate program for a software company.
2. Get Affiliate Links: The company gives you unique affiliate links.
3. Promote: Share these links on your blog posts, social media, or email marketing campaigns.
4. Earn Commission: When someone signs up or buys using your link, you earn a commission. This can be a one-time payment or a recurring commission (monthly, as long as the user stays subscribed).

You can track your affiliate sales and performance in your affiliate dashboard. Many programs have a dedicated affiliate manager or support team to help you.

Different Types of SaaS Partnerships

SaaS companies offer different ways to partner:

1. Affiliate Program: You promote the product and earn a commission for sales.
2. Partner Program: This can include affiliates, resellers, and agencies who help sell the software.
3. Referral Program: You refer friends or businesses and get rewards or cash.
4. Affiliate Network: A platform where you can find and join many affiliate programs.

Each type has its own rules, commission structure, and marketing tools.

Benefits of SaaS Affiliate Programs

Benefits For SaaS Companies

• Brand Recognition: More people learn about their software.
• Qualified Leads: Affiliates bring in users who are interested in their product.
• Cost-Effective: They only pay for real results (like a sale or free trial signup).
• Wide Range of Partners: They can work with many affiliate marketers and content creators.

Benefits For Affiliates

• Passive Income: Earn money for every sale or sign up.
• Recurring Commission: Many SaaS brands pay you every month as long as the customer stays.
• Flexible Work: Promote products anywhere- blog posts, social media, YouTube, or email marketing.
• Free Marketing Materials: Get banners, landing pages, and content from the software company.

Why SaaS Products Are Ideal For Affiliate Marketing?

• High Demand: Small businesses and digital marketers always need new tools.
• Free Trials: Easy to promote, as users can try before they buy.
• Various Products: There are SaaS tools for every niche-email marketing, website builder, social media management, and more.
• Long Cookie Duration: Many programs have a long cookie period, so you get credit even if the user buys later.

Top 12 SaaS Affiliate Programs in 2025

Here are the best SaaS affiliate programs for 2025. Each offers good commission rates, helpful marketing materials, and a strong brand.

HubSpot

HubSpot is a powerful marketing platform that helps small businesses and big companies with digital marketing, email marketing, and social media management.

Their affiliate program is very popular because you can earn up to $1,000 for every sale you make using your affiliate links. The cookie duration is 90 days, so if someone clicks your referral link and buys within three months, you get the commission.

HubSpot gives you a wide range of marketing materials, a dedicated affiliate manager, and access to an affiliate dashboard, making it easy to track your affiliate sales and performance. 

The brand recognition is strong, so people trust the product, which helps your conversion rate. HubSpot also supports affiliates with a support team and lots of resources, making it one of the best SaaS affiliate programs for both new and experienced affiliate marketers.

Shopify

Shopify is a well-known website builder and eCommerce platform used by many small businesses and content creators.

Their affiliate program pays up to $150 for each paid plan referred through your affiliate links. The cookie period is 30 days, so you have a month for your referrals to turn into sales.

Shopify makes affiliate marketing easy by giving you lots of marketing materials, a helpful support team, and a dedicated account manager. The affiliate dashboard helps you track your earnings and see which marketing strategies work best.

Shopify’s brand recognition and wide range of products make it easy to promote, and their customer service is always ready to help affiliates grow their passive income.

Semrush

Semrush is a top SEO and keyword research tool used by digital marketing experts and small businesses.

Their affiliate program is famous for its high payouts: $200 for every sale and $10 for every free trial signup. The cookie duration is 120 days, so you have plenty of time to earn from your referral link.

Semrush offers a recurring commission, so you keep earning as long as your referrals stay on a paid plan. They provide lots of marketing tools, an affiliate dashboard, and a dedicated affiliate manager to help you run successful marketing campaigns.

Semrush is trusted in the SaaS industry, and their marketing platform is always in demand, making it a great choice for affiliate partners who want steady, long-term income.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool for content creation, keyword research, and digital marketing.

Their affiliate program gives you a 20% recurring commission, which means you earn every month as long as your referral stays a customer. The cookie duration is 60 days, so you have two months to get credit for your affiliate sales.

Ahrefs is respected by industry experts, and their marketing materials are easy to use for blog posts, social media, and email marketing. The affiliate dashboard is simple, and you get support from a dedicated affiliate manager.

Ahrefs is a trusted software company, making it a smart pick for affiliate marketers who want lifetime commission and reliable payouts.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a website builder for online stores and eCommerce businesses.

Their affiliate program stands out because they pay 200% commission per sale, which is much higher than most other SaaS brands. The cookie period is 90 days, so you have a long window to earn from your affiliate links.

BigCommerce gives you lots of marketing materials, a dedicated account manager, and a strong support team. Their brand recognition is strong, and they cater to a wide range of small businesses and content creators.

The affiliate dashboard helps you track your performance, and the high commission rate makes it a great way to earn passive income.

ConvertKit

ConvertKit is an email marketing platform made for bloggers, creators, and small businesses.

Their affiliate program pays a 30% recurring commission, so you earn every month as long as your referrals stay on a paid plan. The cookie duration is 60 days, giving you a good chance to earn from your marketing campaigns.

ConvertKit provides lots of marketing materials, a dedicated account manager, and an easy-to-use affiliate dashboard. The brand is popular in the SaaS niche, and their customer support team is always ready to help.

ConvertKit is perfect for affiliate marketers who want steady income and strong support from the software company.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM tool for sales teams and small businesses. Their affiliate program pays a 33% recurring commission, so you get paid every month for as long as your referral stays a customer. The cookie period is 30 days.

Pipedrive offers a wide range of marketing materials, a helpful affiliate manager, and excellent customer support.

The affiliate dashboard is simple, and you can track your affiliate sales and monthly payouts easily. Pipedrive is trusted in the SaaS industry and is a good choice for affiliate marketers who want to promote a high-quality product with a strong support team.

Canva

Canva is a graphic design and social media management tool used by millions of active users. Their affiliate program pays up to $36 per paid plan, and the cookie duration is 30 days.

Canva gives you lots of marketing materials, a dedicated affiliate manager, and a friendly support team. The affiliate dashboard helps you track your performance and see which content marketing strategies work best.

Canva’s brand recognition is high, making it easy to promote to your target audience. Canva is great for content creators, bloggers, and anyone who wants to earn passive income through affiliate marketing.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks is accounting software for small businesses, freelancers, and agencies.

Their affiliate program pays $10 for every free trial signup and $200 for every paid plan referral. The cookie duration is 120 days, so you have a long time to earn from your affiliate links.

FreshBooks provides lots of marketing materials, a dedicated account manager, and an easy-to-use affiliate dashboard. Their customer service is strong, and the software company is trusted in the SaaS industry.

FreshBooks is perfect for affiliate marketers who want a high commission rate and a long cookie period.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is a drop builder for creating sales funnels and landing pages. Their affiliate program pays up to 40% recurring commission, so you earn every month as long as your referral stays on a paid plan.

The cookie duration is 45 days. ClickFunnels gives you lots of marketing materials, a dedicated affiliate manager, and a strong support team. The affiliate dashboard is simple, and you can track your affiliate sales and monthly payouts easily.

ClickFunnels is popular among digital marketers and content creators who want to earn passive income with a trusted software company.

Teachable

Teachable is a platform for online courses, helping creators and small businesses sell their knowledge. Their affiliate program pays a 30% recurring commission, with a cookie duration of 90 days.

Teachable provides lots of marketing materials, a dedicated account manager, and an easy affiliate dashboard.

The brand is trusted in the SaaS niche, and their support team is always ready to help. Teachable is great for content creators and bloggers who want to earn steady passive income by promoting online courses and digital products.

Frase

Frase is a content creation and SEO tool that helps with keyword research and writing blog posts. Their affiliate program pays a 30% recurring commission, and the cookie duration is 60 days.

Frase gives you helpful marketing materials, an affiliate dashboard, and a support team to answer your questions. The product is easy to promote to bloggers, content creators, and digital marketers.

Frase is a good choice for affiliate marketers who want to help their target audience with content marketing and SEO, while earning steady income from a trusted SaaS brand.

These SaaS affiliate programs are some of the best affiliate programs in 2025. They offer strong commission structures, helpful marketing materials, dedicated affiliate managers, and reliable support teams.

Whether you are a content creator, blogger, or digital marketing expert, these programs make it easy to earn passive income and help your audience find the best SaaS tools for their needs.

How To Choose The Right SaaS Affiliate Programs?

When looking at SaaS affiliate programs, think about a few important things.

1. Evaluating Commission Structures: Check if the program offers a one-time payment or recurring commission. Recurring commission means you earn every month, which is great for passive income. Look for a fair commission rate that matches your effort.
2. Analyzing Cookie Duration: Cookie duration is the time you get credit for a sale after someone clicks your affiliate link. Longer cookie periods (like 60 or 90 days) are better because users often take time to decide.
3. Assessing Product Quality and Demand: Promote SaaS brands that have good reviews, strong customer service, and lots of active users. High-quality products are easier to sell and keep conversion rates high.
4. Checking Promotional Resources and Support: Choose programs that give you marketing materials, a landing page, and access to a dedicated affiliate manager or support team. This makes it easier to run marketing campaigns and answer questions from your target audience.

Setting Up Your Own SaaS Affiliate Program

If you run a software company, starting your affiliate marketing program can help you get more customers.

1. Determining The Right Incentive Structure: Decide if you want to pay a one-time commission, recurring commission, or offer a free trial bonus. A good commission structure attracts more affiliate partners.
2. Creating An Affiliate Landing Page: Build a clear landing page that explains your affiliate program, commission rate, and how to join. Make it easy for affiliate marketers to sign up.
3. Recruiting Quality Affiliates: Look for content creators, bloggers, and digital marketing experts who reach your target audience. Attend industry events and join affiliate networks to find the best affiliate partners.
4. Tracking and Managing Affiliates: Use an affiliate dashboard to track affiliate sales, payouts, and performance. Assign a dedicated account manager or affiliate manager to help with questions and support.
5. Providing Resources For Affiliates: Give your affiliates marketing materials, banners, email templates, and social media posts. Good resources help them run better marketing campaigns.

Promoting SaaS Products As An Affiliate

Content Marketing Strategies

Content marketing is one of the best ways to promote SaaS products as an affiliate. You can write blog posts, product reviews, tutorials, or comparisons to show how the software helps solve real problems for your target audience.

Videos and infographics are also great for explaining features in simple words. Using real-life examples and customer stories in your content builds trust and helps increase your conversion rate.

Good content brings organic traffic to your website and helps you earn more affiliate sales with your affiliate links and referral links.

Social Media Promotion

Social media is a powerful tool for SaaS affiliate marketing. You can share tips, product demos, and quick reviews on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok to reach more active users.

Use eye-catching images and videos to grab attention, and always include your affiliate links or a landing page for easy sign-ups.

Social media management helps you connect with your target audience, grow your brand recognition, and drive more traffic to your marketing campaigns. Short, helpful posts work best, and you can answer questions quickly through comments or messages.

Email Marketing Techniques

Email marketing is a smart way to promote SaaS products to people who already trust you.

You can send newsletters, educational emails, or share success stories showing how the SaaS product helps small businesses or content creators. Make sure your referral link or affiliate link is easy to find in every email. 

Using an email marketing platform helps you organize your campaigns and track which emails get the most clicks. Email marketing is great for building long-term relationships and increasing your affiliate sales and passive income.

SEO Optimization For SaaS Affiliates

SEO optimization means making your blog posts and website easy for search engines to find. Use the right keywords, write helpful content, and add internal links to your other articles.

This brings more organic traffic to your site, which means more people see your affiliate links and landing pages. 

Good SEO helps you reach people looking for SaaS products, improves your conversion rate, and helps you stand out in the SaaS niche.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Dealing With Competition

There are many affiliate marketers promoting the same SaaS brands, so competition is high.

To stand out, share honest reviews, real-life experiences, and unique tips that help your target audience. Focus on building trust and showing why your advice is helpful. Using your own voice and style makes your content different from others and helps you get more affiliate sales.

Maintaining Conversion Rates

Getting clicks is good, but turning those clicks into sales is even better. Keep your conversion rate high by making your content clear and easy to understand, using strong calls to action, and targeting the right audience.

Show how the SaaS product solves real problems and use testimonials or case studies to prove it works. Always test different marketing strategies to see what works best for your audience.

Keeping Up With Industry Changes

The SaaS industry changes quickly, with new products and updates coming out all the time. Stay updated by reading blogs, joining webinars, and following industry experts. This helps you share the latest information with your audience and keeps your marketing materials fresh.

Being up-to-date also helps you stay ahead of other affiliate partners and keeps your content relevant.

Managing Affiliate Relationships

A good relationship with your affiliate manager or support team is important for success. Communicate often, ask for new marketing materials, and share feedback about what your audience likes. 

Use your affiliate dashboard to track performance and solve any problems quickly. Building strong affiliate partnerships helps you get better support, more resources, and higher payouts from your SaaS brands.

FAQ’s:

What Commission Rates Are Typical For SaaS Affiliate Programs?

Most SaaS affiliate programs offer a commission rate between 20% to 30% for each sale or subscription you bring in.

Some top programs even pay higher, especially for high-ticket products or recurring subscriptions, making it a great way to earn passive income with affiliate marketing. These rates are better than many regular affiliate programs, which usually offer lower percentages.

How Are Affiliate Commissions Paid In SaaS Programs?

Affiliate commissions in SaaS programs are usually paid out every month through methods like PayPal, bank transfer, or sometimes through an affiliate network. The affiliate dashboard lets you see your earnings and payout schedule. You get paid after your referral signs up for a paid plan or completes a free trial, depending on the program’s rules.

What’s The Difference Between One-Time and Recurring Commissions?

A one-time commission means you get paid once for each sale or signup you bring to the software company. A recurring commission means you keep earning money every month as long as your referral stays on a paid plan. Recurring commissions are common in the SaaS industry because most products use a subscription model, which helps affiliate marketers earn steady passive income.

How Long Do Cookies Typically Last In SaaS Affiliate Programs?

The cookie duration in SaaS affiliate programs usually lasts from 30 days up to 120 days, depending on the program.

This means if someone clicks your affiliate link and signs up within that time, you get the commission. Longer cookie periods give you a better chance to earn from your marketing campaigns.

Can I Join Multiple SaaS Affiliate Programs Simultaneously?

Yes, you can join and promote multiple SaaS affiliate programs at the same time. Many affiliate marketers do this to earn more income and offer a wide range of products to their target audience. Just make sure to follow each program’s rules and use your unique affiliate links for tracking.

How Do I Track My Affiliate Performance?

You can track your affiliate performance using the affiliate dashboard provided by the SaaS company.

The dashboard shows you important details like clicks, conversions, affiliate sales, and monthly payouts. This helps you see which marketing strategies and campaigns are working best for your audience.

What Promotional Materials Do SaaS Companies Typically Provide?

SaaS companies usually give you helpful marketing materials like banners, landing pages, email templates, blog post ideas, and social media posts. These tools make it easier for you to promote their products and increase your conversion rate.

Some programs also offer a dedicated affiliate manager or support team to help you succeed.

Are There Any Costs To Join A SaaS Affiliate Program?

No, joining a SaaS affiliate program is usually free. You don’t have to pay any fees to become an affiliate partner. All you need to do is sign up, get your affiliate links, and start promoting the software company’s products to your audience.

Conclusion

SaaS affiliate programs are a smart way for anyone-bloggers, small businesses, or content creators earn passive income online. With a wide range of SaaS brands and marketing tools, you can find the best affiliate programs that match your audience.

Remember to check the commission structure, cookie duration, and the support team before joining. At VH Info, we help you pick the top SaaS affiliate programs and give you the best tips for success in the SaaS industry. Start today and turn your content into real earnings!

Need expert help with SaaS affiliate marketing or link building? Reach out to VH Info for trusted advice and proven strategies.