Affiliate

Recurring affiliate programs that keep paying (2026)

Fourteen programs compared. Five keep paying for as long as the customer stays; the rest are affiliate programs with recurring commissions that quietly stop at twelve months.

A one-off commission is a good day. A recurring one is a business: the same referral pays you in March, in June and next January, and the work was done once.

The catch is that "recurring" and "for life" are not the same thing, and the difference is rarely on the headline. Several programs below pay generously for twelve months and then stop, which is perfectly fine as long as nobody let you assume otherwise. Where a program cuts off, its card says so.

Rates, windows and payout terms are as published by each program. Terms change without notice, so treat the link on every card as the source of truth rather than this page.

Recurring, lifetime, residual: what the words actually mean

The phrase recurring affiliate programs gets used for two arrangements that pay very differently. In the first, you are paid on every invoice the customer ever receives. In the second, you are paid on every invoice for twelve months and then the referral keeps paying the company and stops paying you. Both get called recurring. Only one is worth building a page around.

There is no rule about which is which, so the only way to know is to read the terms. That is what the cards below do: each one says the rate and, next to it, whether the clock runs out. Affiliate programs with recurring commissions that never expire are the minority — five of the fourteen here.

Recurring vs lifetime
Recurring means it repeats. Lifetime means it repeats with no end date. A program can be honestly described as recurring and still stop paying you in month thirteen.
Where the ceiling is
Several high commission affiliate programs are tiered: the headline number is what you earn after hundreds of referrals, not what you earn on your first.
What the customer pays monthly
A 20% share of a $300-a-month tool beats a 50% share of a $19 one, and it compounds every month it survives.
Churn, the number nobody publishes
A lifetime commission on a product people cancel in four months is a four-month commission. The recurring rate is only half the equation.
  1. Ignix

    Social media

    Scheduling, DM and comment automation, and a shared inbox across 14 networks.

    Commission
    30%, for life
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly, first click wins

    This one is ours.

    Ours, and the reason this page exists. 30% of every payment with no end date and no cap: while your referral keeps paying, you keep getting paid. No minimum audience, free to join, and a 90-day window so an old post still counts.

    Open the program
  2. AWeber

    Email

    Email marketing and automation, one of the oldest tools in the category.

    Commission
    Up to 50%, recurring
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly

    Recurring for the lifetime of the paid account, which is the part that matters. Everyone starts at 30% and the rate climbs with volume, so the headline number is a ceiling rather than a starting point.

    Open the program
  3. Thinkific

    Courses

    Course platform for creators and educators.

    Commission
    30%, for life
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    13th monthly, PayPal or Stripe, $25 minimum

    The most completely documented terms on this page: rate, window, payout day, method and minimum are all published. 30% for as long as the referral keeps paying, and Plus plans pay a flat $150 a month instead.

    Open the program
  4. Moosend

    Email

    Email marketing and automation at the cheaper end of the category.

    Commission
    30–40%, recurring
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly, PayPal or Stripe

    Five tiers from 30% at your first referral to 40% past 36 accounts, and it keeps paying for as long as the referral stays a customer. Lower ceiling than AWeber, but you reach the top far sooner.

    Open the program
  5. Kit

    Email

    Email and audience platform built for creators.

    Commission
    50%, 12 months
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly, PayPal, $5 minimum

    Twelve months per referral, not for life.

    Half of every payment for the first year, which on annual plans is a serious cheque. Widely reported as a lifetime program: it is not, the clock runs for twelve months per referral.

    Open the program
  6. GetResponse

    Email

    Email marketing, landing pages and webinars.

    Commission
    40–60%, 12 months
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Around the 13th monthly

    Stops at twelve months.

    Generous while it lasts: 40% to start, 50% past 50 sales and 60% past 100, on the first twelve months of each customer. A big window and a well-run program if you do the maths knowing the clock is running.

    Open the program
  7. HubSpot

    CRM

    CRM with marketing, sales and service built around it.

    Commission
    30%, up to one year
    Cookie
    180 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly, direct deposit or PayPal, $10 minimum

    The longest cookie window on this page by a distance — six months from the click. Contract sizes are large, so a single referral is worth real money even with the one-year cap.

    Open the program
  8. ClickFunnels

    Funnels

    Funnel and landing page builder for selling online.

    Commission
    30%, recurring
    Cookie
    45 days
    Getting paid
    1st and 15th monthly, $100 threshold

    Recurring for as long as the referred account stays active, which in this category means a long time. The 45-day window is short, so it rewards content that converts on the first read.

    Open the program
  9. Teachable

    Courses

    Sell courses, coaching and digital products.

    Commission
    Up to 30%, recurring
    Cookie
    30 days
    Getting paid
    Daily, weekly or monthly

    Capped at a year per referral.

    Up to a year of recurring commission per referral, and the payout schedule is the most flexible here — daily if you want it. The 30-day window is the trade-off.

    Open the program
  10. ActiveCampaign

    Automation

    Marketing automation and CRM for growing teams.

    Commission
    20–30%, up to 12 months
    Cookie
    Not published
    Getting paid
    Monthly

    The rate climbs from 20% to 30% based on new business and how well it retains, so it rewards a steady beat rather than one lucky post. Large accounts make the twelve-month cap sting less than it sounds.

    Open the program
  11. Instapage

    Landing pages

    Landing page builder for paid campaigns.

    Commission
    40% first year, then 15%
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly

    One of the few here with a real tail: 40% of the first year and 15% of everything after, with no end date on the smaller slice. Enterprise-priced, so 15% is not small money.

    Open the program
  12. Databox

    Analytics

    Dashboards that pull metrics from dozens of tools.

    Commission
    20%, first year
    Cookie
    90 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly

    First year only.

    The lowest rate on this page and honest about it: 20% for the first year of a referred subscription. Worth knowing because its audience — agencies and analysts — converts unusually well.

    Open the program
  13. Wordable

    Publishing

    Moves documents from Google Docs into WordPress and HubSpot.

    Commission
    30%, recurring
    Cookie
    30 days
    Getting paid
    Monthly

    A narrow tool with a simple, recurring 30% on new signups. If you write for content teams it is an easy recommendation because the problem it solves is one everybody in that job has.

    Open the program
  14. Podia

    Courses

    Courses, downloads and memberships in one storefront.

    Commission
    20%, capped at 12 months
    Cookie
    31 days
    Getting paid
    Paid after 30 days, $50 minimum

    Shortest cookie window on this page.

    The weakest terms on the page: 20%, capped at a year, with the shortest window here. Included because the product is good and people search for it — just go in with the real numbers.

    Open the program

The best recurring affiliate programs, side by side

Commission and cookie as published by each program. Every link goes to the program page.

#ToolWhat it doesCommissionCookieProgram page
1IgnixScheduling, DM and comment automation, and a shared inbox across 14 networks.30%, for life90 daysignix.social/affiliates
2AWeberEmail marketing and automation, one of the oldest tools in the category.Up to 50%, recurring90 daysaweber.com/affiliates.htm
3ThinkificCourse platform for creators and educators.30%, for life90 daysthinkific.com/partners/affiliates
4MoosendEmail marketing and automation at the cheaper end of the category.30–40%, recurring90 daysmoosend.com/affiliate-program
5KitEmail and audience platform built for creators.50%, 12 months90 dayskit.com/affiliates
6GetResponseEmail marketing, landing pages and webinars.40–60%, 12 months90 daysgetresponse.com/affiliate-programs
7HubSpotCRM with marketing, sales and service built around it.30%, up to one year180 dayshubspot.com/partners/affiliates
8ClickFunnelsFunnel and landing page builder for selling online.30%, recurring45 daysclickfunnels.com/affiliates
9TeachableSell courses, coaching and digital products.Up to 30%, recurring30 daysteachable.com/affiliates
10ActiveCampaignMarketing automation and CRM for growing teams.20–30%, up to 12 monthsNot publishedactivecampaign.com/partner/affiliate
11InstapageLanding page builder for paid campaigns.40% first year, then 15%90 daysinstapage.com/partners/affiliates
12DataboxDashboards that pull metrics from dozens of tools.20%, first year90 daysdatabox.com/partners
13WordableMoves documents from Google Docs into WordPress and HubSpot.30%, recurring30 dayswordable.io/affiliates
14PodiaCourses, downloads and memberships in one storefront.20%, capped at 12 months31 daysaffiliates.podia.com

Recurring affiliate program questions

What are the best recurring affiliate programs in 2026?
On the terms published by each program, the ones that keep paying with no end date are Ignix, AWeber, Thinkific and Moosend. Systeme.io also pays for life at a higher rate. The best one for you depends on what your audience buys: a lifetime 30% on a course platform beats a capped 50% on an email tool if you write for educators.
Which affiliate programs with recurring commissions never expire?
Five of the fourteen here: Ignix at 30%, AWeber at up to 50%, Moosend at 30 to 40%, Thinkific at 30%, and ClickFunnels at 30% while the account stays active. The rest — GetResponse, Kit, HubSpot, Teachable, ActiveCampaign, Databox, Podia — stop at twelve months or the first year.
Is a recurring commission better than a one-off bounty?
Usually, but not always. A $150 bounty is worth more than 30% of a $19 plan unless the customer stays about two years. Recurring wins on products with low churn and rising prices; bounties win on cheap products people cancel.
What counts as high commission affiliate programs?
Anything above roughly 30% recurring is strong in software, and above 50% is unusual. Be careful with tiered programs: the headline rate is often what you earn after hundreds of referrals, not on your first sale.
Do recurring commissions survive if the customer upgrades?
In most programs yes — you earn the same percentage of the larger invoice, which is what makes recurring compound. Bounty programs pay nothing on an upgrade.

One more program

Ours is the one at the top, and it never expires.

You have just read thirteen sets of terms, so the interesting part of ours needs no build-up: 30% of every payment, with no end date and no cap. Not 30% for twelve months. While your referral keeps paying, you keep getting paid.

What you would be recommending replaces three tools: publishing and scheduling across 14 networks, DM and comment automation, and a shared inbox where everything lands. That breadth matters more than the rate — a program only pays if your audience actually needs the thing.

30% for life

Every payment, no 12-month cut-off, no cap.

90-day window

First click wins, so an old post still counts.

No minimum audience

Free to join, no follower threshold.

Wide product

Scheduling, automation and inbox in one tool.

Plans run from $19 to $79 a month, so the recurring maths is easy to picture: a hundred referrals on the $39 plan is about $780 a month, and it does not stop after a year.

30% of every payment, for as long as they stay

Free to join. No minimum audience. 90-day attribution window, first click wins.