The typical SaaS affiliate program pays a 25% recurring commission for 12 months, with a 60-day cookie. That is the median across 88 SaaS affiliate programs whose official terms we read in October 2026. Two in three pay a recurring percentage; about one in five pays a flat bounty instead.
Most articles about affiliate commission rates quote e-commerce numbers or a range with no source. We wanted numbers a SaaS founder could actually use, so we went to the source: the affiliate page, help center or program terms of each company, one by one.
Below you will find the method, the distribution of rates, how long recurring commissions last, cookie windows, differences by category, the outliers, and a simple way to turn the benchmark into your own commission structure.
Key findings at a glance
Our study of 88 SaaS affiliate programs (official pages read on October 7, 2026) found five patterns that hold across categories:
- The median recurring commission is 25%. The two most common rates, 20% and 30%, cover 29 of the 54 programs that publish a base recurring rate (54%).
- Recurring is the default. 59 of 88 programs (67%) pay a recurring percentage. Flat bounties come second, with 19 programs (22%).
- 12 months is the most common recurring duration (27 of 59), ahead of lifetime (20 of 59).
- Lifetime programs do not pay a lower rate. Their median is 27.5%, against 25% for 12-month programs.
- The median cookie window is 60 days, 90 days is the most common single value, and no program in the sample goes below 30 days. Yet 41% of programs do not publish a cookie length at all.
Every number in this post comes from our dataset, with the official URL and a verbatim quote for each program. Download the dataset (CSV).
How did we collect the data?
We built a list of 105 well-known SaaS companies that sell to the US market in English and USD, and read each one's official affiliate page, help center or program agreement on October 7, 2026. We kept 88 programs that publish at least the commission model or amount. Listicles and affiliate directories were never used as a source.
What we recorded for each program:
- Category: marketing, productivity and CRM, AI, dev tools and hosting, design and video, communication and support, ecommerce, and a smaller group (online courses, website builders, finance and HR, security).
- Commission model: recurring percentage, one-time percentage of the first payment, flat bounty in dollars, or a hybrid of these.
- Base rate: the entry rate a new affiliate gets. When a page shows tiers ("20% to 30%"), we used the starting tier and stored the top tier separately.
- Recurring duration, cookie window and payout threshold, only when stated.
What we excluded, and why: 7 programs whose official pages blocked automated reading, 5 that are closed or do not exist (BigCommerce, for example, ended its affiliate program on May 17, 2025), 4 that are active but publish no terms, and 1 whose only official source dates from 2020. We also left out companies that sell affiliate software, since their programs promote the category itself.
Limits. This is a convenience sample of public programs, not a census. Terms change without notice, and this is a single reading. Big affiliates negotiate custom deals that no public page shows. Categories with fewer than 10 programs show a direction, not a rule. We checked a sample of records by hand against the live page (HubSpot, Systeme.io and Make), and all three matched.
What are typical affiliate commission rates for SaaS?
Typical affiliate commission rates for SaaS sit between 20% and 30% of each recurring payment. Among the 54 programs in our study that publish a base recurring rate, the median is 25%, the mean is 25.7%, and the range runs from 7% to 60%. Only 8 programs (15%) start below 20%, and only 4 (7%) start at 50% or more.
Chart 1. Base recurring commission rate (n = 54)
| Base rate | Programs | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20% | 8 | 15% | ███ |
| 20% to 24% | 16 | 30% | ██████ |
| 25% to 29% | 8 | 15% | ███ |
| Exactly 30% | 14 | 26% | █████ |
| 31% to 49% | 4 | 7% | █ |
| 50% or more | 4 | 7% | █ |
The distribution clusters on round numbers. Exactly 20% appears 15 times and exactly 30% appears 14 times. That suggests most SaaS companies pick a rate by convention, not by math, which is useful to know: matching the convention keeps you competitive, and the math (later in this post) tells you whether you can afford it.
The headline rate is often higher than the starting rate. 27 programs (31%) advertise a range, a tier ladder or an "up to" figure. When we take the highest advertised recurring rate instead of the entry rate, the median rises from 25% to 30%. If you read "up to 50%" on a competitor's page, the affiliate starting today probably earns less.
Do SaaS programs pay recurring or one-time commissions?
SaaS programs mostly pay recurring commissions. In our study, 59 of 88 programs (67%) pay a percentage of repeat payments, either as their only model or combined with a signup bonus. Flat bounties are the second model, with 19 programs (22%). A one-time percentage of the first payment is rare: 6 programs (7%).
Chart 2. Commission model (n = 88)
| Model | Programs | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring percentage | 54 | 61% | ████████████ |
| Flat bounty (fixed $) | 19 | 22% | ████ |
| One-time percentage | 6 | 7% | █ |
| Hybrid (bonus + percentage) | 6 | 7% | █ |
| Model not stated | 3 | 3% | █ |
Five of the six hybrids include a recurring part: a signup or first-sale bonus plus a lifetime or 12-month percentage. That is how the recurring share reaches 59 programs.
Bounties concentrate where the product is bought once and kept for years, or where pricing varies widely by plan. Hosting is the clearest case: WP Engine, Bluehost, SiteGround and Liquid Web all pay a fixed amount per sale. Across the 17 bounties that publish an amount, the median is $50, with a range from $20 to $400.
How long do recurring commissions last: 12 months or lifetime?
Recurring commissions most often last 12 months. Of the 59 programs that pay a recurring percentage, 27 (46%) cap it at 12 months or the first year, and 20 (34%) pay for as long as the customer stays subscribed. Only 5 programs pick 24 months. Two cap the commission by a dollar amount per customer instead of by time.
Chart 3. Recurring commission duration (n = 59)
| Duration | Programs | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 27 | 46% | █████████ |
| Lifetime | 20 | 34% | ███████ |
| 24 months | 5 | 8% | ██ |
| Capped by dollar amount | 2 | 3% | █ |
| 3 months | 1 | 2% | █ |
| Not stated | 4 | 7% | █ |
The surprise is the rate. You might expect lifetime programs to compensate with a lower percentage. They do not. The median base rate of the 20 lifetime programs is 27.5%, against 25% for the 26 twelve-month programs that publish a rate. Systeme.io, the highest recurring rate in the sample, pays 60% for as long as the referral stays subscribed.
The 12-month cap is still the more common choice, and for a good reason: it makes the cost of each referred customer predictable. HubSpot pays 30% for up to one year; Make pays 35% of payments for the next 12 months. A capped commission is easier to forecast and to explain in your terms.
What cookie window do SaaS affiliate programs use?
The median cookie window in SaaS affiliate programs is 60 days. Among the 52 programs that state one, 90 days is the most common value (19 programs), followed by 30 days (14) and 60 days (11). No program in the sample offers less than 30 days, and the longest windows are 180 days, at HubSpot and WP Engine.
Chart 4. Cookie window (n = 52 programs that publish it)
| Cookie window | Programs | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 14 | 27% | █████ |
| 45 days | 2 | 4% | █ |
| 60 days | 11 | 21% | ████ |
| 90 days | 19 | 37% | ███████ |
| 120 days | 4 | 8% | ██ |
| 180 days | 2 | 4% | █ |
The bigger finding is what is missing: 36 of 88 programs (41%) do not state a cookie length on their official page. For an affiliate comparing programs, a published window is a reason to trust the program. Publishing yours costs nothing and puts you ahead of four in ten SaaS companies.
A few programs go further than a cookie. Systeme.io tags the referral to the affiliate permanently, and Metricool says its affiliate cookies never expire. Either way, a cookie only matters until signup; after that, attribution should live on the customer record.
How do affiliate commission rates differ by category?
Affiliate commission rates differ less by category than by business model. Software sold as a monthly subscription (marketing, AI, productivity) pays recurring percentages with medians between 25% and 30%. Hosting and ecommerce infrastructure lean toward flat bounties and lower recurring rates. The groups are small, so treat this as direction, not rule.
Chart 5. By category (n = 88)
| Category | Programs | Pay recurring % | Median recurring rate | Median cookie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | 26 | 18 (69%) | 27.5% (n = 18) | 90 days (n = 13) |
| Productivity & CRM | 12 | 8 (67%) | 30% (n = 7) | 75 days (n = 6) |
| AI | 12 | 11 (92%) | 25% (n = 10) | 60 days (n = 9) |
| Dev tools & hosting | 9 | 4 (44%) | 10% (n = 4) | 60 days (n = 7) |
| Design & video | 7 | 4 (57%) | 25% (n = 3) | 60 days (n = 5) |
| Communication & support | 6 | 5 (83%) | 20% (n = 4) | 90 days (n = 3) |
| Ecommerce | 5 | 3 (60%) | 15% (n = 2) | 30 days (n = 3) |
| Other (courses, site builders, finance, security) | 11 | 6 (55%) | 30% (n = 6) | 75 days (n = 6) |
AI tools stand out: 11 of 12 pay a recurring percentage and none pays a flat bounty. Marketing tools, the largest group, have a median cookie window of 90 days, tied for the longest. Dev tools and hosting have the lowest recurring rates, around 10%, often paired with a fixed bonus on the first sale (Kinsta and Cloudways both work this way).
Which programs break the pattern?
The outliers show the edges of what SaaS companies are willing to pay. Most sit at the top of the rate range, but some break the pattern on duration or structure instead.
Chart 6. Notable outliers
| Program | What is unusual | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | 60% recurring for life, highest recurring rate in the study | Recurring |
| Kit, Webflow, Framer | 50% for the first 12 months | Recurring |
| Surfer SEO | 75% to 125% of the first monthly payment | One-time |
| monday.com | Up to 100% of the first year's sales | Recurring (first year) |
| HeyGen | 35% recurring, but only for 3 months | Recurring |
| Cloudways | 7% for life plus $30 per sale, lowest recurring base | Hybrid |
| Metricool | Recurring capped at $100 or $300 per customer, not by time | Recurring |
| HubSpot, WP Engine | 180-day cookie, the longest in the study | Recurring / Bounty |
Two lessons come out of this list. First, a high rate is usually bounded: Kit, Webflow and Framer pay 50% but stop at 12 months, and Surfer pays more than 100% only once. Second, duration is a lever as strong as the rate. HeyGen's 35% for 3 months pays less per retained customer than a 20% program that runs for 12 months.
What else do the terms reveal?
Beyond rates, the official pages show three operational patterns that matter when you write your own terms.
- Payout thresholds are low. Among the 34 programs that publish a minimum payout, the median is $50, and $50 and $100 are the most common values (9 programs each). Two programs have no minimum at all.
- Tiers are common. 22 programs publish a base rate and a higher tier for top performers, usually unlocked by the number of active referrals (ThriveCart goes from 20% to 55%, Gorgias from 20% to 40%).
- Programs close and change. 5 of the 105 candidates were closed or not accepting affiliates, and Descript's terms (last updated February 28, 2024) announce a one-time flat $25 per sale, "effective immediately". Write a terms page that says how you will handle changes.
How do you set your own affiliate commission structure with this data?
Use the median as a starting point, then check it against your own numbers. The benchmark tells you what affiliates expect; your price, margin and churn tell you what you can afford. Four steps get you from the study to a rate you can defend.
- Start at the convention. A 20% to 30% recurring commission puts you inside the range of more than half of SaaS programs. 25% is the exact median.
- Pick a duration on purpose. 12 months is the most common and the easiest to forecast. Lifetime is a recruiting argument if your churn is low.
- Do the math per customer. On a $49 per month plan, 25% for 12 months is $12.25 per month and $147 for a customer who stays a full year. The median bounty in our study ($50) equals about four months of that commission.
- Publish the cookie window. 60 to 90 days covers most SaaS trials, and 41% of programs do not publish one at all.
If $147 per retained customer fits what you would spend to acquire one, the median is a defensible rate. The full economics, including churn, LTV and payback, are worked through in SaaS affiliate marketing: the math and the risks. The step-by-step setup (sale definition, terms, tracking, payouts) is in how to start an affiliate program.
When should you pay more (or less) than the median?
Pay above the median when you need to win affiliates who already promote a competitor, when your gross margin is high and your churn is low, or when your price is low enough that 25% is too small to be worth an affiliate's time. Pay below it when your margin is thin or when the commission runs for life.
A few signals from the study help calibrate:
- Low price, high rate. The four programs at 50% or more (Systeme.io, Kit, Webflow, Framer) are self-serve tools with low-priced monthly plans, where a high percentage still means a modest dollar amount per month.
- High price, lower rate. Infrastructure and hosting pay around 10% recurring or a fixed bounty, because each customer is worth more.
- Tiers instead of a high base. If you are unsure, start at 20% to 25% and add a higher tier for affiliates who bring, say, 10 or more active customers. 22 programs in the study already work this way.
The one thing the data does not support is paying a one-time percentage just to keep accounting simple. Only 7% of programs do it, which makes it harder to recruit affiliates who compare terms.
FAQ
What is the average affiliate commission for SaaS?
In our study of 88 SaaS affiliate programs (official pages read in October 2026), the median base recurring commission was 25% and the mean was 25.7%. The most common rates were 20% and 30%. Most programs pay that percentage for 12 months, and about a third pay it for as long as the customer stays.
What is a good affiliate commission rate?
A good affiliate commission rate for SaaS is one that matches the market and fits your unit economics. The market sits between 20% and 30% recurring. Check the total per customer: 25% for 12 months on a $49 plan is $147. If that is below what you would pay to acquire a customer elsewhere, the rate works.
Do most SaaS affiliate programs pay recurring commissions?
Yes. 59 of the 88 SaaS programs in our study (67%) pay a recurring percentage, alone or with a signup bonus. Flat bounties are second, at 22% of programs, and are most common in hosting. Only 7% pay a one-time percentage of the first payment. 12 months is the most common recurring duration.
How long is a typical affiliate cookie for SaaS?
The median cookie window in our study is 60 days, and 90 days is the most common single value. No SaaS program in the sample offers less than 30 days, and the longest is 180 days. Still, 41% of programs do not publish a cookie length, so stating yours clearly is an easy advantage.
Set the median in your own program, then adjust
The benchmark is simple: 25% recurring for 12 months, a 60-day cookie and a published payout threshold puts your program right in the middle of the SaaS market. From there, adjust the rate and the duration to your margin and churn, and add a tier for the affiliates who perform.
In PartnerBee, each of those decisions is a setting. Every program has its own commission percentage, recurring or one-time, with a commission window you define (12 months, for example), plus its own cookie window and approval rules. You can run several programs side by side, for example a 25% standard program and a 30% tier for top partners. Refunds reverse the commission automatically, multi-level is optional, and tracking runs through Stripe, Asaas, Vindi or Digital Manager Guru webhooks, a JavaScript snippet or the REST API. PartnerBee calculates each affiliate's balance and records the settlement; the payout itself goes out through your own payment method.
Pricing, as of October 2026, is $6.99 per 30-day cycle plus 2% of affiliate-tracked sales (up to $10,000 per cycle), with 0% on the first $1,000 in affiliate-tracked sales. Organic sales are never charged.
Start now and launch a program at the SaaS median, 25% recurring for 12 months, in minutes.
Vitor Rocha · October 7, 2026 · Reading time: 13 minutes
Published October 7, 2026. Data collected October 7, 2026.