How much do SaaS companies pay their affiliates and partners, for how long, and on which platforms? Most published numbers come from one tracking platform's customers or from self-reported surveys. This report takes a different route: every figure comes from the program pages, terms and official listings of 252 SaaS vendors, read one by one between September 30 and October 5, 2026.
The data is the Scoutner SaaS partner program directory. Each vendor page lists its sources with the date they were checked. The full dataset (341 programs, CSV) is free to download and reuse under CC BY 4.0, and every chart below can be embedded with a link.
- The median recurring SaaS affiliate commission is 30% (120 programs); the mean is 28.2%.
- 51% of SaaS affiliate programs pay a recurring share; the rest pay flat bounties (median $100), one-time or tiered commissions.
- 12 months is the most common payout period (46% of recurring programs); 28% pay for the customer lifetime.
- 90 days is the most common cookie window (62 programs), but 34% of programs publish none.
- PartnerStack runs 64 of 235 affiliate programs and Impact 36: 43% between the two.
What is the median SaaS affiliate commission in 2026?
The median headline commission of the 120 SaaS affiliate programs that pay a recurring percentage is 30%, and the mean is 28.2%. 73% of these programs pay between 20% and 39%. Only 10 pay 50% or more, mostly website builders and email tools, and 13 pay less than 20%, mostly sales engagement, hosting and ecommerce tools.
Rewardful, which measures the campaigns actually configured by 2,847 programs on its platform, reports an average of 24.16%. The two figures answer different questions. Ours is the base rate that established vendors advertise on their official page; Rewardful's covers every active program on its platform, including small startups. Both point to the same practical range for a new program: 20% to 30% of revenue.
The spread is wide. At the top, systeme.io pays 60% for life and Mailshake 60% recurring; Kit, Flodesk, beehiiv, Framer and Similarweb pay 50%, most of them for 12 months. At the bottom, DigitalOcean and Kinsta pay 10% (Kinsta adds a one-time bonus) and Bench 5%.
How do SaaS affiliate programs pay?
Half of SaaS affiliate programs (120 of 235) pay a recurring percentage of what the customer pays. The others pay a flat bounty per customer (38), a one-time percentage of the first payment (35), or a tiered rate that rises with volume (35). Seven programs do not publish their commission model. The median flat bounty is $100, across 34 programs that publish an amount.
The model says more about a program than its rate. A 30% recurring commission paid for 12 months, the same 30% paid for life and a $100 bounty are three very different deals for the affiliate and for the vendor's margin. Our commission rates study works through what each structure costs.
How long do SaaS companies pay recurring commissions?
12 months is the most common payout period: 55 of the 120 recurring programs (46%) stop paying after one year. 34 programs (28%) pay for as long as the customer stays, 6 pay for 24 months and 5 use another period between 3 and 36 months. 20 recurring programs (17%) do not publish how long they pay.
Some vendors pay a declining share instead of stopping: Time Doctor pays 30% in year 1, 15% in year 2 and 10% in year 3. Others reward renewals: Kit pays 50% for 12 months, then 10% to 20% recurring beyond 12 months depending on the affiliate's tier.
Which SaaS categories pay affiliates the most?
Website builders, email marketing, CRM, course platforms and SEO tools have the highest median recurring commission, at 30%. AI video, ecommerce, productivity and AI writing tools sit at 25%. Sales engagement and social media tools pay the least, with a 20% median. Hosting and HR software rarely pay a recurring percentage: most of their programs pay a flat bounty, a one-time or a tiered commission.
| Category | Recurring programs | Median recurring rate | Highest rate in our data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website builders | 7 | 30% | systeme.io, 60% for life |
| Email marketing | 12 | 30% | Kit, Flodesk, beehiiv, 50% |
| CRM | 9 | 30% | HighLevel, 40% |
| Course platforms | 8 | 30% | Skool, 40% for life |
| SEO | 7 | 30% | Similarweb, 50% for 12 months |
| AI video | 7 | 25% | HeyGen, 35% for 3 months |
| Ecommerce | 8 | 25% | Payhip, 50% for life |
| Productivity | 8 | 25% | Taskade, 50% for life |
| AI writing | 8 | 25% | Rytr, HIX.AI, Frase, 30% |
| Sales engagement | 16 | 20% | Mailshake, 60% |
| Social media | 5 | 20% | Metricool, Buffer, 25% |
Category medians are computed only where at least 5 programs pay a recurring percentage. Each category page in the directory lists every program, for example CRM affiliate programs or email marketing affiliate programs.
How long is a SaaS affiliate cookie?
The median published cookie window is 60 days, across 155 SaaS affiliate programs that publish one, and 90 days is the most common single value (62 programs), followed by 30 days (38) and 60 days (31). 80 programs, 34% of the sample, publish no cookie window at all, which leaves affiliates guessing how long a click counts.
Long cookies are rare: 12 programs publish more than 90 days. HubSpot's 180-day cookie and Semrush's 120-day window stand out because B2B buyers often take weeks to decide.
Which platforms run SaaS affiliate programs?
PartnerStack runs the most SaaS affiliate programs in our data, 64 of 235, followed by Impact with 36: together, 43% of programs. 38 vendors track affiliates with their own system, FirstPromoter runs 16 programs, Rewardful 12 and Dub 6. 16 other platforms share the remaining 34 programs, and 29 programs do not say which platform they use.
The platform shapes recruitment. PartnerStack and Impact run marketplaces where affiliates browse programs; vendors on in-house tracking have to recruit every affiliate themselves. The directory lists programs by platform, for example PartnerStack programs and Impact programs, and our guide on how to find affiliates covers both routes.
What other partner programs do SaaS companies run?
Most SaaS vendors run an affiliate program, but a quarter run more than one partner program. Of the 252 vendors, 231 have an affiliate program, 50 a customer or partner referral program, 27 a solutions partner program for agencies and consultants, 14 a reseller program and 14 a technology partner program. 63 vendors run two or more types.
| Program type | Vendors | Who it is for | Typical payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliate | 231 | Content creators, reviewers, educators | Recurring %, bounty or one-time % |
| Referral | 50 | Customers and contacts who introduce a buyer | Credit, cash bounty or % |
| Solutions partner | 27 | Agencies, consultants, implementers | Revenue share plus services work |
| Reseller | 14 | Firms that buy and resell the product | Margin on resale |
| Technology partner | 14 | Products that integrate | Co-marketing, listing |
Solutions and reseller programs publish their terms far less often than affiliate programs, which is why this report focuses on affiliate data. The difference between the types is covered in affiliate vs referral partner vs reseller.
How was this data collected?
Each of the 252 vendors was read on its own program page, terms, help center or official PartnerStack or Impact listing, never on a third-party blog, between September 30 and October 5, 2026. A vendor is included only if at least one program has an official URL and a published commission model, and at least two sources were checked in the last 180 days.
A few rules apply to every figure:
- The headline rate is the base rate a new affiliate gets. When a vendor advertises "up to X%" but publishes a lower base, we use the base.
- Recurring statistics count programs whose main commission is a recurring percentage. Tiered and one-time programs are counted in the model breakdown only.
- Vendors were selected by US search demand for "[brand] affiliate program", so the sample leans toward well-known brands. It is not a random sample of all SaaS companies.
- Programs change. Each vendor page shows its own verification date, and the directory is re-checked at least every 180 days.
How can you use this data?
The dataset and charts are free to use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license: cite "Scoutner SaaS Partner Program Benchmarks 2026" with a link to this page. The CSV has one row per program: vendor, category, program type, commission as published, headline rate, payout period, cookie, platform, verification date and official sources.
Download: saas-partner-programs-2026.csv (341 programs at 252 vendors).
Embed a chart. Copy this code and change the file name to the chart you want (recurring-commission-rates, commission-models, recurring-duration, commission-by-category, cookie-length or platforms):
<a href="https://scoutner.com/reports/saas-partner-program-benchmarks-2026"><img src="https://scoutner.com/reports/saas-partner-program-benchmarks-2026/platforms.svg" alt="Tracking platforms of 235 SaaS affiliate programs" width="1200" height="675"></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://scoutner.com/reports/saas-partner-program-benchmarks-2026">Scoutner SaaS Partner Program Benchmarks 2026</a></p>
Badges for listed vendors. If your program is in the directory, you can show it on your affiliate page. Replace your-slug with the end of your program's URL on scoutner.com/programs:
<a href="https://scoutner.com/programs/your-slug"><img src="https://scoutner.com/badges/verified-on-scoutner.svg" alt="Partner program verified on Scoutner" width="250" height="56"></a>
<a href="https://scoutner.com/reports/saas-partner-program-benchmarks-2026"><img src="https://scoutner.com/badges/benchmarks-2026.svg" alt="Featured in the SaaS Partner Program Benchmarks 2026" width="236" height="56"></a>
Found an outdated figure? Each program page links to its official sources; vendors can claim their listing to correct it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average SaaS affiliate commission in 2026?
The median recurring SaaS affiliate commission is 30% and the mean is 28.2%, across 120 programs verified on official pages by Scoutner in October 2026. Rewardful reports an average of 24.16% across 2,847 programs on its platform. A typical range is 20% to 30% of revenue.
How long do SaaS affiliate commissions last?
Most recurring SaaS affiliate commissions last 12 months: 46% of 120 recurring programs stop after one year. 28% pay for the customer lifetime, and 17% do not publish a duration.
What is a normal affiliate cookie length for SaaS?
The median published cookie is 60 days and the most common value is 90 days, across 155 SaaS affiliate programs that publish one. 34% of programs publish no cookie window.
Which platform do most SaaS affiliate programs use?
PartnerStack runs 64 of 235 SaaS affiliate programs in the Scoutner directory and Impact 36, together 43%. 38 vendors use in-house tracking, FirstPromoter runs 16 and Rewardful 12.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. The dataset and charts are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Cite Scoutner SaaS Partner Program Benchmarks 2026 with a link to the report page.
Scoutner is an AI partner recruitment platform for B2B SaaS. The directory behind this report is the public part of its partner index.
Sources
- Scoutner SaaS affiliate and partner programs directory (252 vendors, sources listed on each program page), Scoutner, Checked September 30 to October 5, 2026
- State of SaaS Affiliate Programs Report, 2026 Edition, Rewardful, Updated July 21, 2026
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, Creative Commons, 2013