What are the Top Affiliate Networks in 2019?
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I am sharing with you the top 4 Affiliate Networks in 2019, as I have mentioned that Affiliate Marketing is one of the ways to make money and earn Financial Freedom online in my post How To Create Financial Freedom Online as An Affiliate Marketer. Now I will expand on the topic of Affiliate Marketing and I will list some of the Affiliate networks you can join as an Affiliate.
Affiliate marketing is a huge industry that has become a major wellspring of online income for thousands of professional bloggers. As most online businesses become involved in affiliate marketing, a plethora of opportunities have emerged for bloggers, including you and I to create passive income streams.
Most affiliates will use affiliate networks to find offers for their blogs, yet there is a wide variety of businesses who work directly with affiliates as the affiliate networks take a cut of the generated income, they do serve a valuable role in the affiliate marketing industry as you will see below.
Affiliate Networks serve to: 
1. Collect offers from different vendors
2. Create a directory or platform for affiliate marketers to find offers
3. Manage the administrative duties of running an affiliate network platform
In this post, I will go through some of the most popular affiliate marketing platforms, but before we do that, let us look at what you should look for when choosing an Affiliate Network:
1. Product Assortment
The first thing you should consider is the products on the network. Is this network a good fit for your niche? It’s all good to join a network, yet if there are no products on the affiliate network that are a good fit for your audience then it would be wasted effort. For example, if your website is about “golf” and there is nothing relating to golf or golfers on the network, it would just not be worth registering your site on such a network. Do your research; get to know your audience so that you can customise your campaigns to meet their needs.
2. Quality Of Product
There are loads of affiliate networks and programs online that don’t care much about product quality or integrity. Such networks usually don’t last or end up with a bad reputation.
3. Reliable Payment System
There are networks that will pay out weekly and others will pay out monthly, depending on the network. A range of payments routes are offered for example PayPal, Payoneer or bank transfer, this all depends on where in the world your location is and the type of payment available to you. This information should be clear when joining the network.
4. Is Your Country in the “Accepted List”?
There are some countries that cannot take part in certain affiliate programs or networks as they just haven’t got the network agreements in place in those countries. It is important to check this, as if you are not on the listed “countries” when joining a program, you will not be able to take part in that affiliate program or network. This has to be considered before you join any program. I am certain though that it won’t be long until the whole world will be able to participate in all networks globally yet in the meantime it is worth checking that you are in a “listed country”.
5. Should there be a Cost to Join?
Is there a joining fee to the affiliate program or network? No, there should be absolutely no fee to join and if there is, it should be a small refundable fee to check the validity of your account like when you validate your bank account with PayPal used for Identity verification. Most affiliate programs and networks have no joining fees connected with them.
Once you have created 7-12 high quality, relevant content and you are attracting a reasonable amount of traffic, you can start monetising your website by placing promotional links and affiliate advertising on your site. Affiliate networks have an application process where they verify the suitability of your site before approval, so it is important that you have adequate high-quality relevant content.
Now Let us Look at Some of the Affiliate Networks you can Join:
AWIN
Awin launched on 6 March 2017, unifying the much older subsidiaries of Axel Springer SE, namely, Zanox and Affiliate Window networks under one brand.
Consisting of more than 100,000 contributing publishers and 13,000 advertisers; Awin has over 1000 employees in 15 offices worldwide. Awin operates across the retail, telecommunication, travel and finance verticals, working with partners including ASOS, O2, ESI Media, Business Insider, HP, 1&1, Marks & Spencer and more… Awin has around 13,000 brands across 77 sectors worldwide.
They provide a simple, user-friendly dashboard, as well as a plethora of useful tools that can definitely help boost your affiliate marketing campaigns. See Wikipedia Entry here
Niche Information
AWIN is a very comprehensive affiliate network and works in all verticals, with more orientation towards finance, retail, telecommunication and travel.
Product Types
AWIN works with both digital and physical products, including from some very big-name merchants. See a list of some of the Advertiser projects you can work with: Monbento, Birkenstock, Arsenal Direct, HRS, Jogging Point, Hotel Info, RaceChip, Spectrum Travel Insurance etc…
[Disclaimer] Please note that I am only able to view programs and information on Awin that pertains to my Geographic region which the UK.
Commission Rate:
The commission varies depending on the campaign; you will be able to see the commission rates of each campaign once you have joined AWIN.
Cookie Duration
Cookie duration is set by the advertiser.
Who Is AWIN for?
AWIN has many awesome tools like the Opportunity Marketplace established in 2015, where affiliates can voice their offerings directly to advertisers who are looking for unique offerings that may not be available in the mainstream. Google Chrome has a MyAwin extension and a WP Awin plugin which is very useful. A win is definitely for you if you are a publisher who can get going with little or no guidance or coaching from the network. There is a registration charge when you set up your Awin account which you get back with your commissions payment. Here in the UK this fee is £5.00 and I believe it is a fiver in all currencies, so if you are in the US it is $5, if you are in the EU it is €5.
So what are Awin’s Pros and Cons?
Pros:
- You are paid your approved and cleared balances twice a month ($20 minimum).
- The rigorous vetting process for Publishers and Advertisers.
- User-friendly dashboard with lots of useful plug-ins available.
- Real-time reports on your dashboard.
- Expert Support Teams in all office locations.
Cons:
- A sign-up fee of £5, $5 or €5 in advance depending on your location.
- There is nowhere on Awin’s website that states that you will get this money back if you are not approved.
SIGN UP TO AWIN
ShareASale
ShareASale is one of the largest affiliate networks out of Chicago that has been running since 2000 and became a part of Awin since 2017. ShareASale hosts over 3,900 Affiliate Programs spanning 40 different categories. There is a variety of ways to earn commission on this platform such as:
- Earnings per Sale
- Pay per Click
- Commission on a Lead
The Merchants each have their own set commission scale, which you see as soon as you are on the platform.
Niche Information
ShareASale is a very comprehensive affiliate network and works in all verticals.
Product Types 
Services, digital and physical products can all be found on the ShareASale platform, this includes merchants such as Animoto, Thinkific, Studiopress, Grasshopper, Checks Unlimited, Customlink, Trunk Club, Jane, Dawg, Teepublic, Entirely Pets, Brit+Co, VM Innovations, Build Direct, Gazelle, Madison Reed, Clearly Filtered, Only Natural Pet, HOSS, and many more…
Average Commission Rate:
The commission varies depending on the campaign; you will be able to see the commission rate of each campaign once you have joined ShareASale.
Cookie Duration
Cookie duration varies with each Merchant.
Who Is ShareASale for?
ShareASale is great for new Affiliates because they offer Affiliate Services which enables you to reach out to their Affiliate Development Team for help to develop your skills as an Affiliate Marketer, They can help you choose the best-suited Merchants for you to promote. Their System is easy and user-friendly, there are tools like their Deep Linking tool and over 2000 merchant Data feeds that keep information up to date. They supply tools like banners and promotional videos to add to your content.
So what are ShareASale Pros and Cons?
Pros:
- You are paid your Commissions on the 20th of Each Month
- They have an Extensive list of Merchants covering every Niche.
- Real-time automated reporting, allowing you to see your commissions.
- Custom Link creation with Social Media features.
- Responsive Support Team 9 am – 6 pm CST.
- Free to join
- They have Affiliate Services where you can get guidance especially if you are new to affiliate marketing and need assistance in making your choices from the huge selection of Merchants
Cons:
- Commission payment minimum is set at $50
- No Notifications when merchant campaigns become discontinued
SIGN UP TO ShareASale
CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate is said to be the largest Affiliate network headquartered in Santa Barbara, California and owned by Alliance Data. CJ Affiliate has been running since 1998. There is such a wide range of advertisers on the CJ Affiliate platform it makes it very easy to compare the various offers. The whole process is simple and straightforward and you can start promoting within a few hours once you are approved. The system comes with a fully scalable, customisable customer centric touch with a cookie-less tracking feature across multiple devices.
Niche Information
CJ Affiliate is a vast and very comprehensive affiliate network that covers all verticals.
Product Types
Services, digital and physical products can all be found on the CJ Affiliate platform, this includes merchants such as IHG, 24Hour Fitness, J Crew, Office Depot, Priceline, GoPro, Lowe’s, Overstock, and many more…
Average Commission Rate:
The commission varies depending on the campaign; you will be able to see the commission rate of each campaign once you are inside CJ.
Cookie Duration
Cookie duration varies with each Merchant.
Who Is CJ Affiliate for?
CJ Affiliate is for anyone who wants to earn money as an Affiliate online, you will get everything you need to offer your clients but they don’t offer affiliate training, you would need to find a good reputable affiliate marketing training platform first before you attempt joining CJ Affiliate. 
So what is CJ Affiliate Pros and Cons?
Pros:
- You are paid your Commissions on the 20th of Each Month in arrears
- They have an Extensive list of Advertisers covering every Niche.
- Link tracking software allows you to track all links and calls
- Dedicated Support Centre.
- Free and easy to join
Cons:
- Commission payment minimum is set at $100
- Advertisers often delay payment so your commission payments could be affected from time to time.
- You have to be vigilant not to violate the TOS as it could lead to an account investigation and a ban or deactivation.
- Powerful yet complex Reporting system and Dashboard
SIGN UP TO CJ Affiliate
FlexOffers
FlexOffers is a gigantic platform for affiliate marketers founded in 2008 in Miami Florida. You will find on this platform over 12,000 advertisers ranging from Fortune 500 Firms down to small businesses. FlexOffers is a platform that connects small, medium and large brand advertisers with content creators and all types of publishers. The programs on the FlexOffers platform are organised into main categories with subcategories which allows ease of selection for the affiliate marketer.
Niche Information
FlexOffers is a very comprehensive affiliate network that covers all levels ranging from Fortune 500 companies down to small businesses.
Product Types
If you are looking for services, digital and physical products all can be found on the FlexOffers platform, some of the brand names are Magic Cabin, Happy Socks, Nike, Macy’s, Marriott, Homesuite, sketchers, IHG, Dental Plans, Bloomingdales Priceline, Gamestop Lenovo, Barnes & Nobles etc…
Average Commission Rate
The commission varies depending on the campaign; you will be able to see the commission rate of each campaign once you have joined FlexOffers.
Cookie Duration
Cookie duration varies with each Advertiser.
Who Is FlexOffers for?
FlexOffers is for anyone who wants to make some serious money as an affiliate marketer. With great tools like their PublisherPro 2.0 that helps you easily locate the latest products and run your promotions. You have access to Professional support during office hours. Datafeeds, customised links, news updates and of course the FlexRev Share.
So what are FlexOffers’ Pros and Cons?
Pros:
- You are paid your Commissions monthly – 60 days in arrears
- There is an exhaustive list of Merchants covering every Niche.
- Hourly reporting on your campaigns with critical stats on various verticals.
- Custom Links
- Experienced Professional Support Team during office hours.
- Free and easy to join
Cons:
- Commission payments are processed 60 days later
- PayPal is the only payment option for Affiliates outside the US
SIGN UP TO FlexOffers
Of Course, there are hundreds if not thousands of Affiliate networks out there this is just a short introduction to the top 4 in 2019, a google search will bring up a huge list of them. Most companies and businesses have their own affiliate programs nowadays and you could possibly earn a whole lot more if you go direct as an affiliate for a brand as there are no middleman fees and you still get paid faster than some of the Affiliate Networks.