In the
world of affiliate marketing, ClickBank is an obvious choice for many.
But it’s not the only choice.
There’s no denying that…
ClickBank's one of the best options on the web for making money by promoting digital products, and you can definitely earn a ton of money through this affiliate program.
If you’ve ever just wondered, "What alternatives to ClickBank are out there?"
Then read on…
However, there may (or may not) be some notable downsides to ClickBank; whether you’ve ever heard of the Rakuten Affiliate Network, ClickBank has a history with, or not, just read on…
It might be one of the biggest names in the industry, but this company still offers some seriously substandard product on its marketplace.
There’s not a whole lot of quality control, and this has damaged the company’s
reputation. Many people even ask themselves, "Is ClickBank affiliate marketing legit still?"
That’s only one reason why ClickBank might not be the best option, and there are plenty of others.
For example, their payment system might be reliable with timely payments, but it has plenty of other downsides which are often overlooked.
Sure, ClickBank offers some amazing commission rates, and these are often higher than the competition.
But they’re hardly the only affiliate program which has great commission rates.
If you want to make serious cash, there are tons of other alternatives.
You see, as the proud owner of a successful local lead generation for-profit entity, I started out like you
Everyone in entrepreneurship had to have started at some point along the way, and for me, that day was when I stumbled upon this local lead generation coaching program while surfing the web on my couch – underneath several hoodies and blankets.
That same winter, shivering to the bone, I learned some business principles that involved:
I knew that if I could figure out how to tap into the marketing budget of local
businesses by bringing them a return on their investment (ROI), then I had a
nice business model before me and I was going to take advantage of it.
Now I’m at $52k per month, and it’s all passive income – as my clients send my monthly mailbox money.
I say that to say this:
If I could do it, then you can do.
Now, on with exploring some of the best alternatives out there today…
Here’s a list of ten great affiliate programs that you should consider using instead of ClickBank, or (said another way) here are your ClickBank Alternatives 2020 has
to offer:
In 2014, I joined a lead generation coaching program that freed me from my 9-5 in 7 months by building and ranking simple websites that generate leads for local businesses (who give me a sliver to deliver)
After grew my lead gen biz to 7 figures, I branched out to experiment with Affiliate Marketing (ton of hype around ClickBank in 2016)
Let's get into the 10 Clickbank substitues
ClickBank Alternatives for 2020
1. Rakuten Linkshare
Nowadays, affiliates know this company as Rakuten Linkshare.
It’s one of the best affiliate networks out there, and it’s a favorite for veteran
affiliates who know what they’re doing.
It’s a great choice for physical products as well, with major products from huge, well-known brands. Of course, the commission rates are also great, and this makes Rakuten Linkshare an awesome alternative to ClickBank.
One thing to recollect is that the signup process is a little more complex when compared to ClickBank.
And to make matters even more tiresome, you have to permission from brands before you can promote their products.
It’s also worth pointing out that Rakuten Linkshare is mostly focused on physical products. This means that the commission rates will generally be lower compared to digital products.
However, if physical products are your niche as an affiliate, Rakuten Linkshare is definitely one of the best options.
One of the more exciting things about using this affiliate network is that you’ll get access to tons of unique and helpful tools which make your life much easier as an affiliate.
These tools help with things like advertising and generally help boost your
performance as an affiliate.
All in all, Rakuten Linkshare is a great alternative to ClickBank.
2. Commission Junction
Like Rakuten Linkshare, you’ll have to get permission from the parent brand before you can promote their product. This is definitely a bit of a nuisance, but it’s something we’re seeing a lot in networks these days.
CJ is another affiliate network which features massive brands and well-known products, so you won’t have any trouble finding great products on this site.
CJ is also famous for its top-notch tracking tools, which help you keep track of your affiliate efforts quickly and easily. When you can see exactly what’s going on with the products you’re promoting, you can make adjustments and improve your selling methods.
These tracking tools include Pixel trackers which monitor real-time transactions.
Successful affiliates on CJ easily earn six figures or more on this site, so it’s
definitely a fantastic option if you want to make serious profits.
Affiliates love CJ for many reasons, but one of its best features is actually its payment system. You’ll be paid online, and the payment process is smooth and easy.
3. ShareASale
affiliate program, and it’s a perfectly viable alternative to ClickBank.
Like ClickBank, ShareASale has been around for ages. This brand has developed a reliable track record and an awesome reputation among vendors and affiliates alike.
Once again, this affiliate network is best known for selling physical products.
Like a lot of the programs we’ve included in this list, you’ll need to get approval from the brands before you can promote their products. However, the signup process is easy and simple, and you can get started right away.
While the signup system is easy to deal with, the general user interface is not. The dashboard is not very user-friendly and takes some time to get used to.
Simple things like finding the right products can be tricky – although you can filter products by average sales and average commission, which is definitely pretty handy.
ShareASale has great tracking systems in place as well. These tracking systems and tools integrate well with social media, so it’s definitely a great option if you’re promoting mostly on these platforms.
ShareASale really shines in one particular area – its support system. There are tons of
webinars and educational tools that help you grow your business as an
affiliate.
You won’t find features like this on every affiliate site, that’s for sure.
4. Amazon Associates
Amazon itself is a huge online retailer, and you can find pretty much any product imaginable on this site.
That’s a huge reason why so many affiliates are drawn to this program – no matter what their niche might be, they’re almost guaranteed to find something cool on to promote on the Amazon Associates program.
But not all products are particularly profitable. These days, Amazon Associates organizes its commission rates by product category.
This basically means that some products could earn as much as a 10% commission, while others might earn as little as 1%.
Is this program still profitable?
It really depends on what kinds of products you’re promoting.
But less and less so it appears. In April of 2020, Amazon slashed their affiliate percentages in half.
That's the risk of being an affiliate of a giant platform: they might suddenly decide they don't need you as much anymore.
Jewelry and luxury watches seem to earn the most commission on Amazon Associates.
Amazon also has cookies which expire pretty quickly. The application process has the potential to be pretty difficult as well, mostly because Amazon tends to reject new sites without much traffic.
But if you come to this program with the right approach, it can still be extremely profitable. You just need to be tactical-minded about it – and many affiliates have figured out ways to make this program extremely lucrative.
It’s still a great alternative to ClickBank, under the right conditions.
5. eBay Partner Network
It’s called eBay Partner Network, and it’s definitely worth checking out.
Just like Amazon, you can find pretty much any product imaginable on eBay. This makes it a great choice for affiliates of all kinds, including those with obscure niches.
No matter what you’re content revolves around, you’re almost guaranteed to find a product that fits in with your niche on eBay.
eBay Partner Network also offers tons of tools to help you with your affiliate
efforts, including analytics that provide tons of useful data and information.
While eBay Partner Network might be a great choice for physical products, ClickBank is superior in terms of digital products.
However, if you haven’t decided on a niche yet, you should check out eBay Partner Network in order to identify any products that you might enjoy promoting, as opposed to digital products on ClickBank.
The reality of this business model, however, is that it’s focused on the
fundamental basis of affiliate marketing – which, on paper, is about as
fascinating as communism, but in practice you’re still taking home 10 to 20
percent commissions from your marketing efforts (all before considering how much you’ve actually spent in paid advertising costs).
Now imagine if you could tap into the free internet web traffic of high-intent
buyers that were ready for products or services that you could offer, with
cash-in-hand…
That’s the premise of lead generation for local businesses; you build assets, rank them online, and have your lead gen sites funnel buyers to a business that you think is worthy of handling the influx of calls.
The next thing you know, you’ll have 45 lead gen sites like me and enjoying a huge monthly sum in passive income all from the full functioning of your lead gen sites that – through our lead gen coaching program – you’ve set up to last a very long time.
If you’re serious about passive income is a part of your life, scroll down for the full details.
6. JVZoo
There’s plenty of other alternative programs that specialize in digital products, and one of the best in the industry is JVZoo.
Although JVZoo promotes products of all different types, one of its main focuses is the digital marketing niche. That’s definitely something to keep in mind.
JVZoo does suffer from the same main issues as ClickBank, as it has just as poor quality control when it comes to the products offered on the marketplace.
We’re not saying that ALL of JVZoo’s products are bad… But you definitely have to do a bit of research and make sure that the products you’re promoting are the real deal.
As long as you personally test your products and do your homework, you shouldn’t have any trouble with JVZoo.
Make no mistake – there are some seriously profitable products on this platform.
And most of the time, it’s easy to find the most lucrative products in the marketplace.
Signup is easy, and JVZoo gives you tons of options with your account.
Overall, this is a very user-friendly site, and there are tons of people who are currently making insane amounts of money with this program.
7. PeerFly
CPA stands for “cost per action.”
Instead of getting paid on every sale, you get paid on every “Action.” An action could be a click, a subscription, filling out a survey, or anything else the company defines as an “action.”
You’re essentially getting paid for driving traffic to a certain site and making sure that the customers actually DO something once they arrive at this site.
CPA has the potential to be very profitable, and there are a lot of affiliates who rely heavily on income from sites like PeerFly.
The only real downside to this site is that the signup process is a little complex. They only approve qualified affiliates, as they only want to work with the best of the best.
Yes – this is a highly exclusive affiliate network. But that’s also a good thing in
many ways. It means that they’re respectable, and value their reputation.
You can find tons of different advertisers who work with PeerFly, with companies from all around the world.
There’s also a pretty cool reward system, which gives you an incentive to make even more money through PeerFly.
PeerFly also features a solid support system, complete with some amazing education tools to make life easier as an affiliate.
When you sign up with PeerFly, you get to experience a slightly different way of making a living as an affiliate, through a CPA format instead of a traditional affiliate system.
You’ll also enjoy regular, reliable payments, and direct commission.
CPA is a great alternative to ClickBank because it’s something completely different. It really goes down a different path, and it’s great to switch things up once in a while and try something new as an affiliate.
8. Affiliate.com
If you’re looking for totally professional experience, then you should definitely try Affiliate.com.
This platform is famous for working with only top notch, experienced affiliates.
If you’re a newbie, then this program probably isn’t for you. You should already know what you’re doing when you sign up with Affiliate.com because this isn’t the kind of platform that’ll teach you the ropes.
And they don’t even want you if you’re a newbie. The application process is pretty strict, and they only approve those who have a consistent track record of great earnings as an affiliate.
That being said, this could be a perfect alternative to ClickBank if you’ve been using that program for a while, and you’re ready to “level up.” If you’ve got tons of experience with ClickBank, then Affiliate.com could be an ideal next step.
9. GlobalWide Media
GlobalWide Media is another CPA affiliate program that offers a profitable alternative to ClickBank.
This brand aims to work with only the biggest names, such as Uber, Expedia, Ford, and many others.
Because of their high profile clients, this is another program which is hard to get into, especially if you’re a newbie. They have a strict application process,
and they prefer professional affiliates with lots of experience.
They want their business to be squeaky clean, and they make every effort to avoid any inkling of fraudulent behavior or scammy products.
This is great news if you get in because it means you’ll be working with a company with a spotless reputation.
Not only does GlobalWide Media operate under a CPA system, but they’re also involved with CPL, CPM, and CPC.
There are numerous opportunities for bonuses and incentives right out of the gate, and if you’re a great seller, you can expect a ton of rewards.
Like a few other options we’ve mentioned in this article, GlobalWide Media is a very exclusive program, so it’s probably not a good option for newbies.
On the other hand, it could be an idea next step if you’ve been working with ClickBank for years, and you’re ready for something new, challenging, and extremely profitable.
10. Tradedoubler
The last affiliate network on our list is TradeDoubler.
It’s not as well-known as some of the other options we’ve discussed in this article, but it’s something you may wish to look into – especially if you’re looking for a great alternative to ClickBank.
They work with a lot of pretty big brands, such as Puma, Microsoft, ING, and many more.
Even though you might not have previously heard of Tradedoubler before, they’ve actually been in the business for a couple of decades, and they’re considered one of the top 20 affiliate networks in the world.
This site operates with CPA, CPC, CPS, and CPM systems.
Like the big majority names in the affiliate industry, Tradedoubler offers great tracking tools that help you keep track of a few important statistics, such as sales, clicks, and the types of products you sell the most.
This is a great option if you want to work with big brands, and if your audience is mostly based in Europe. Tradedoubler is headquartered in the UK, and so they mostly offer products that appeal to a European market.
You might even be rejected as an affiliate if you’re not based in Europe.
Overall, this is a viable alternative to ClickBank that a lot of affiliates never even consider.
Pros and Cons of Not Using ClickBank
Pros
Cons
Final Thoughts
For most affiliates, the first instinct is to sign up with ClickBank and do their best to succeed with this program.
Following in the footsteps of countless affiliates before them, they choose this popular route and hardly even consider the other options on the table.
But there’s a whole new world of possibilities out there in the affiliate industry.
Depending on your niche, it might be much more profitable to choose a different affiliate program.
If you haven’t chosen your niche yet, there’s no reason why you need to stick to selling digital products.
Physical products can be just as lucrative under the right conditions, and there are plenty of affiliate programs that can help you become successful in this broad niche.
On the other hand, you might choose to go down the CPA route instead of a traditional affiliate method, and this can be insanely profitable with the right approach.
At the end of the day, there are tons of ways to succeed in this industry. Just
because ClickBank is the most popular option, that doesn’t mean it’s the
best. In order to really succeed as an affiliate marketer, you need to do your homework, and you need to do your research.
Affiliate marketing is, essentially, a business model; and just like running any other business, challenges can arise.
And in any business, planning, and preparation is incredibly important.
When it comes to affiliate marketing, one of the most important steps in the planning stage is picking the right affiliate program.
Don’t just rush into this, and assume that ClickBank is the best option.
Check out other programs as well, because these other options might actually fit better with your content, your niche, your personality, and your unique business
goals.
These 10 options are all perfectly viable alternatives to ClickBank.
But you’ll never know how profitable they can be unless you give them a shot.
Why I Left Affiliate Marketing for Lead Generation
The struggle with this business model, as a whole, is that you’re competing with affiliate marketers across the globe for the chance to profit off of selling
the exact same (or very similar in nature) products to the same target markets for a portion of the proceeds – even if it’s a lousy $5 after spending $500 to land on sale.
The reason for local lead generation sticking out to me so much is because you can market your own commodity – after generating leads for local businesses to sell to – and mark up the costs to an appropriate amount to where it’s a mutually profitable arrangement for both you and your local business that you service.
Another challenge is that you’ll most likely have to pay for your web traffic to see your advertisements and make a serious buying decision.
To get quality traffic like this in an expeditious manner, you’ll need to buy it! #ongoing-overhead-cost
With the time-tested strategies taught in our lead gen coaching program, your profit margin doesn’t suffer since you’re leveraging free traffic methods on the internet through the ranking of your own digital assets that you’ve personally established online to do the heavy lifting for you.
Around the clock, your lead gen sites funnel buyers to businesses who can afford to happily pay you anywhere from just shy of a grand to upwards of a few grand for ensuring exclusivity of the buyers that you are able to refer to a company like theirs.
This tree care lead gen site proves how simple this is; in less than a business day, I’ve had my first lead gen site up and paying me since 2015.
The clients love the service so much that they chose to pay $2000/month for dedicated access to the buyers that were asking for assistance, and this is all the lead gen site is:
We only have a few spots left open for this quarter – yes, they fill up fast – learn more about our local lead generation coaching program today.
