Clickbank Review (Pros & Cons)

Table of Contents

Clickbank Review (Pros & Cons) – 7 Worthy Upsides And 7 Risky Downsides

April 5, 2024

ClickBank's online reviews are mixed. On the Better Business Bureau (BBB), ClickBank holds a low rating of 1.64 due to numerous payment-related complaints. However, there are still 11 five-star reviews praising its customer service. On Trustpilot, ClickBank has a much better rating of 4.0 with 3,043 five-star ratings. Users appreciate ClickBank's fast customer service but note account creation and affiliate link generation issues.

Reddit and Quora also feature both positive and negative ClickBank reviews. One Reddit user mentions earning a $40 commission in just three days, while others on Reddit suggest focusing on high-ticket affiliate marketing instead of low-ticket products on ClickBank. Similarly, some Quora users praise ClickBank for its high commission rate and good customer service, while a few suggest that JVZoo is a better choice than ClickBank.

In this ClickBank review, we will highlight the pros and cons of ClickBank that you should consider before signing up for their affiliate program. Additionally, we've gathered insights from various online sources to provide you with a broader perspective on what the online community is saying about ClickBank. This article will also address common questions about ClickBank, such as its cost, legitimacy, and overall value. Finally, we'll introduce an alternative business model you may find more appealing than joining the ClickBank affiliate program.

7 Worthy Pros Of ClickBank

1. ClickBank Has Low Barriers To Entry

ClickBank is great because it's easy to get started. You don't need any special qualifications or experience. Anyone can sign up, whether you want to sell products or promote them as an affiliate. Here's how simple it is: Go to ClickBank's sign-up page and provide basic information like your name, contact number, country, and email. Once you've done that, you'll be taken to your dashboard, and you can start exploring the ClickBank marketplace right away. You can find products that match your interests.If you already have a nickname, you can create your unique link to promote products and earn commissions. That's all there is to it. You're ready to start. However, you'll need to put in hard work to create top-notch content that's related to the products you're promoting. You also need research skills to make your content useful and appealing to potential buyers and earn commissions.

2. ClickBank Offers High Affiliate Commissions

ClickBank is known for offering attractive commissions to its affiliates. The standard commission rate is 75%, and some products even allow you to earn a full 100% commission. For example, if you can successfully sell products with a 75% commission, you could make up to $100 a day, as per information on LinkedIn. This means if you sell 4-5 products with this commission rate, you could reach that income.

ClickBank provides two types of commissions:

Revenue Share: This is a commission based on a percentage of the sale. If you're an affiliate with this type of commission and the sale is refunded, you won't keep the commission. Many sellers on ClickBank prefer this type and often structure their affiliate programs to encourage affiliates with increased commission percentages.
CPA (Cost Per Action): With CPA, affiliates receive a fixed fee for each conversion, not a percentage of the sale. This applies to the first sale in a funnel, and there's no additional commission for subsequent sales or subscriptions. CPA rates are set individually, and you must contact the seller to discuss your specific CPA rate.

For you to gauge the potential commission, look at the "Avg $/conversion" box in ClickBank's listings.

3. ClickBank Provides Robust Statistics And Reports

ClickBank offers powerful statistics and reports that help you choose the right products to promote. ClickBank's detailed statistics and reports help affiliates make informed choices about the products you want to promote. You can see potential earnings, profitability of the product, and the financial benefits of promoting both initial and recurring products. This information allows you to optimize your marketing strategies and select products that align with your goals.

Avg $/Conversion: This number tells affiliates the average commission they can earn for each successful sale, including earnings from initial sales, upsells, and refills. It helps them understand the overall earning potential of a product.

Gravity Score: ClickBank's unique gravity score shows how many affiliates have earned commissions by promoting a product in the last 12 weeks. Higher scores indicate products currently popular among affiliates. It suggests good sales potential. However, a high gravity score can also mean more competition.

Initial $/Conversion: You can know the average commission you earn for the initial sale, including any extra income from upsells or order bumps linked to the first sale. This doesn't include earnings from subscription products. This info is especially valuable if the seller offers recurring products.

Recurring $/Rebill: For products with recurring billing, like memberships or subscriptions, this number shows affiliates with the average commission they earn for each rebill payment.

4. ClickBank Has Large Marketplace For Vendors

ClickBank offers extensive marketplace for vendors. ClickBank's marketplace has 276 different categories and over 21,000 products available for promotion. To put it simply, there are a lot of products to choose from. Additionally, ClickBank boasts a large customer base of 200 million people spread across 190 countries. This means that if you become a seller on ClickBank, you have access to a wide and diverse audience for your products.

What's even more impressive is that ClickBank constantly adds new products to its marketplace. In fact, they claim to add a new product about every six minutes. That's 240 new products every day, 1,680 every week, and 87,600 every year. This information is from 2013, so it's likely that there are even more products available in 2023. Furthermore, ClickBank already has over 117,000 active affiliates, and this number is still growing. This means that there are many individuals who will promote your products to their audiences. It might increase your sales.

5. ClickBank Has A Solid Reputation On Paying On Time

ClickBank has a solid reputation for paying commissions for their affiliates on time . ClickBank has a proven track record of paying out over $6.1 billion in commissions with no missed payments for over 25 years. In a survey conducted by BloggingX, 65% of merchants reported that they earn 5-20% of their annual revenue through affiliate marketing. For these affiliates, receiving payments on time is crucial to their financial stability.

ClickBank excels in providing reliable income sources for its affiliates. This means that if you choose to partner with ClickBank as an affiliate, you can count on receiving your earnings promptly. It is essential for your financial success in the affiliate marketing business.

6. ClickBank Gives Customers Generous Refund Period

ClickBank is good for customers because it offers a generous refund period. By default, you have 60 days to get a refund, but sometimes, this can be extended up to 364 days, depending on the seller. This is the longest refund period you can find in any marketplace. This is good for customers because, according to Forbes, 66% of consumers check the return policy before making a purchase. Having a long refund period gives customers peace of mind, knowing they have a lot of time to return a product if it doesn't meet their expectations.

Moreover, research from Narvar, as reported by Marketing Land, shows that 95% of consumers would buy from a brand again if they had a satisfactory return experience. With ClickBank's extended refund period, customers have a greater chance of having a positive return experience.

7. ClickBank Offers Affiliate Marketing Education

ClickBank offers affiliate marketing education through its program called "Spark." This program costs $47 per month, and it's designed to teach beginner how affiliate marketing works.

Here are some information about Spark:

Successful Track Record: Since the launch of Spark in October 2020, over 1.3 million people have trusted it as their affiliate education platform. This means many people have found it valuable.
Higher Success Rates: Students in Spark are 222.86% more likely to make their first sale compared to the average ClickBank user over the last 12 months. This education program increases your chances of success.
Impressive Sales: Spark students have generated over $7.7 million in sales on ClickBank's platform. This shows that the education provided can lead to actual results.
Average Earnings: Students with sales on Spark make an average of $3,543.49.
Quick Earning Potential: After the new curriculum was launched, over 40% of Spark students are reaching their first paycheck and making money on ClickBank’s platform. This means you can start earning relatively quickly.
Supportive Community: There's a vibrant community with over 1,500 active members on Discord, so you can get help and advice from other users.

In summary, ClickBank's Spark program offers a valuable education that can help customers learn about affiliate marketing, increase their chances of success, and start earning money. However, take note that it is not free.

7 Risky Cons Of ClickBank

1. ClickBank Has Tons Of Weak Products

ClickBank has a problem with many weak products. These are products that either have no gravity score or are not selling well. When you sign up for ClickBank's affiliate program and search for products to promote, you want to find those with high gravity scores. A gravity score tells you how well a product is doing in sales. ClickBank's marketplace has 2,028 product listings, but only 28 of them have gravity scores above 100. That's a tiny number. Over 1,000 products on ClickBank either don't make any sales or have gravity scores less than one. This means that over half of the products are not strong sellers. If you decide to promote products with higher gravity scores, be ready for tough competition. Many affiliates aim for these products, so it can get overcrowded. This can be especially challenging for beginners because it's hard to stand out in a crowded field.

2. ClickBank Is Expensive For Inactive Affiliates And Sellers

ClickBank can be costly for affiliates and sellers who are not active. If your ClickBank account has money in it but you have earned nothing for a while, it's called a "dormant" account. Here's what happens:

What to expect before the live session?

After 90 days of no earnings, ClickBank charges you $1 for each payment period.
If you go 180 days without earning, the charge increases to $5 per payment period.
After a full year, which is 365 days without earnings, the charge becomes $50 for each payment period.

These charges will stop if your account earns again or if your account balance goes down to $0. If you have a dormant account and don't want to keep it, you can close it.

3. ClickBank Has High Competition

ClickBank faces high competition. There are many active affiliates on ClickBank, with over 500,000 affiliates, and over 100,000 of them are actively promoting products. Also, this number keeps increasing each year. Nichehacks reports a 140% rise in searches for 'ClickBank affiliate marketing,' showing a significant influx of new affiliates entering the competition. Many people are already competing to promote products on ClickBank, and the number of competitors keeps growing. This can make it harder for new affiliates to stand out and succeed.

4. ClickBank Is Prone To Refund Risk

ClickBank has a refund risk. By default, the refund period is 60 days, although it can range from 30 to 364 days depending on the seller's choice. To account for potential returns, ClickBank sets aside a part of the affiliate earnings, known as a "return allowance." This allowance is typically 10% of the earnings. If you're an affiliate with a revenue share commission, and a sale you promoted gets refunded, you won't keep your commission. For those receiving a CPA (Cost Per Action) commission, if a sale is later refunded or charged back, you get to keep the flat rate commission you were paid, and the seller handles any return costs. You may lose your commissions, depending on the type of commission you have. This means there's a risk of not getting paid for your efforts.

5. ClickBank Requires Work To Drive Sales

ClickBank might not bring in significant sales without some effort. On ClickBank, there's a payment threshold, which is the minimum amount of money you must have in your account before they pay you. You can choose between $10 and $1,000,000, but the default is $100. To reach your first $100 in sales, you typically need to make successful sales of 4-5 products. If you are new to ClickBank, you will need to work consistently on creating relevant content and promoting products to achieve this milestone. According to Ajoy Bouri on Quora, it took her about three months to make her first affiliate sale on ClickBank. So, don't expect instant success. It's possible, but it takes time and effort.

6. ClickBank Receives Payment Issue

ClickBank faces payment issues reported to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), resulting in a low BBB rating of only 1.64 out of 5. While ClickBank is well-regarded for its commission rates and refund policy, it struggles with payment problems. Many customers who use ClickBank's marketplace encounter payment processing issues when using cards for payments. This can be frustrating for customers. To improve its service, ClickBank needs to address these payment processing issues, especially for those who prefer using cards as their payment method.

7. ClickBank Receives Issues In Charging Their Customers Monthly

ClickBank has been facing issues with charging their customers for monthly subscriptions, even when these customers haven't signed up for any services. This has led to negative reviews from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). People are calling ClickBank "thieves" because of this. If ClickBank doesn't address this problem, it could harm their reputation and result in a loss of customers. Additionally, potential new affiliates might be discouraged from joining ClickBank, which could affect the company's image and lead to fewer sales through their marketplace.

What Are The ClickBank Reviews Online?

ClickBank's online reviews provide a mixed perspective. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) rates ClickBank at 1.64 out of 5, with many payment-related complaints. On Trustpilot, ClickBank holds a 4.0 rating, but 14% of reviews are one-star due to account creation issues. Reddit and Quora also offer mixed reviews, with some users satisfied and others recommending alternatives like JVZoo.

ClickBank Reviews On Better Business Bureau

ClickBank's BBB rating of 1.64 out of 5 is very poor, potentially harming its reputation and customer relationships. In the past three years, they received 255 complaints, and in the last year, 93 complaints. These numbers reveal a high volume of issues, but it's important to note that ClickBank has addressed most of these complaints. The main issue customers complain about is payment processing problems, particularly card declines.

Despite the negative feedback, ClickBank has received a few positive reviews, specifically 11 five-star reviews. These reviewers have shared their positive experiences with purchasing on ClickBank and have praised the company's responsiveness to messages and inquiries.

ClickBank Review On Trustpilot

ClickBank has a strong reputation on Trustpilot with a 4.0 rating. Out of 3,904 reviews, 3,043 are 5-star ratings, highlighting the excellent customer service provided by ClickBank. Customers appreciate the quick resolution of issues and prompt responses to their queries.

However, there are also 1-star reviews, which make up 14% of the total. Some of these negative comments revolve around challenges with creating accounts and generating hoplinks for promoting products.

ClickBank Review On Reddit

ClickBank's reputation on Reddit is mixed. Some Reddit users report positive experiences, with one user mentioning earning a $40 commission from ClickBank within just three days. Another user suggests that joining ClickBank can make weekly earnings of $200 to $500.

However, there are contrasting opinions from other Reddit users who recommend focusing on high-ticket affiliate marketing to achieve substantial income. One user also mentions that some products listed in ClickBank's marketplace have lengthy sales pages, which they perceive as potentially suspicious or scammy.

ClickBank Review On Quora

ClickBank has received a mix of opinions on Quora. Some users praise ClickBank as a good affiliate platform with high commission rates and excellent customer service.

However, one Quora user suggests that JVZoo is a better choice compared to ClickBank. It emphasizes the ease of getting started with JVZoo.

Is ClickBank Free?

Yes, ClickBank is free that allows you to create both seller and affiliate accounts with no fees. However, if you decide to become a seller on ClickBank, there is a onetime activation fee of $49.95, which is only required when your first product is approved for sale. If your product is not approved for sale, you won't be held responsible for the activation fee. The good news is that ClickBank does not charge a monthly fee to its clients. However, take note that there is a $2.50 pay period processing fee for each payment that is issued to clients. If you want to reduce your total fees, you have the option to adjust your payment threshold and receive fewer payments.

Is ClickBank Affiliate Program Legit?

Yes, the ClickBank affiliate program is legit way to earn money online by promoting products and earning commissions. ClickBank is a well-established platform with over 100,000 affiliates worldwide, and they have consistently paid over $6.1 billion in commissions on time for over 25 years. According to 6th Sense, ClickBank holds a 3.19% market share in the affiliate marketing industry.

However, it's important to note that while ClickBank offers a legitimate opportunity to make money online, it's not as easy as it may appear. To succeed, you'll need to put in hard work, create high-quality content, and build your own audience.

Is ClickBank Worth It?

Yes, ClickBank is worth it if you already have a website that's getting traffic and is well-known. With an established website, you can benefit from ClickBank's strong reputation as one of the top affiliate programs. However, if you're starting from scratch, it's important to note that according to Clear Voice, aim to post at least one high-quality blog post per week to build your website's traffic and reputation. Posting more frequently can provide even more benefits. To generate traffic and establish your website, create at least 1-2 high-quality articles. But, it's essential to understand that creating such content requires time and effort, including research, to be successful.

Conclusion: Why Local Lead Generation Is Better Than ClickBank Affiliate Program?

Local lead generation is better than joining ClickBank affiliate program because the competition is drastically less, unlimited scalability, and high return of investment. First, local lead generation presents significantly lower competition. ClickBank affiliates contend with over 117,000 competitors. In local lead generation, you're up against just 10-20 local businesses, or even fewer. Second, local lead generation offers unlimited scalability. The process is straightforward: create a website, rank it on search engines like Google, and then rent it out to local businesses in need of leads. This method allows you to replicate your success globally, regardless of your location.

Last, local lead generation boasts a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to the ClickBank affiliate program. Here, profit margins can reach up to 95%, as you generate free traffic and sell leads, instead of physical products. However, ClickBank‌ carries a refund risk because of its extended 365-day refund period.