Looking to monetize marketing automation content? The ActiveCampaign affiliate program pays 20–30% recurring commissions. It uses a 90-day cookie window.
This guide breaks down ActiveCampaign’s commission tiers, rules, payment terms, and strategies. You’ll get what you need to decide if this program fits your audience.
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What is ActiveCampaign?
Founded in 1976, ActiveCampaign is an all-in-one marketing and CRM platform. It serves small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). The software combines email, workflow automation, and customer relationship management.
Core capabilities:
- Email campaign creation.
- Marketing automation workflows.
- Sales CRM and pipeline tracking.
- Lead nurturing and scoring.
- Customer segmentation.
ActiveCampaign serves over 185,000 businesses globally. It competes with HubSpot, Mailchimp, and ConvertKit.
ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program Overview
The program pays recurring commissions when your referrals buy and keep their subscriptions.
How it works:
- Share your unique link.
- A business signs up through your link.
- The customer keeps their subscription active.
- You earn a percentage of their monthly payment—every month.
The program runs through ActiveCampaign’s own Affiliate Portal. This dashboard tracks performance and gives resources.
Who should join:
- B2B software reviewers covering marketing tools.
- Business consultants advising on automation.
- Marketing educators teaching email strategy.
- Agency owners serving small business clients.
You do not need an ActiveCampaign subscription to promote the service.
Successful affiliates target business decision-makers researching automation. Promote to people searching “ActiveCampaign vs. HubSpot”—not general email beginners.
Commission Structure Breakdown of ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program
ActiveCampaign uses a tiered recurring model: 20–30% of the customer’s monthly fee.
Three-Tier System
| Tier | Commission Rate | Qualification (New Revenue) |
| Silver | 20% | $100+ new monthly revenue |
| Gold | 25% | $100+ new revenue OR $500+ inactive |
| Platinum | 30% | $500+ new revenue OR $2,000+ inactive |
Example earnings:
- Silver tier (20%): Referral pays $100/month = $20/month commission.
- Platinum tier (30%): Referral pays $1,000/month = $300/month commission.
Cookie Duration
90 days—your tracking cookie stays active for three months after the click. If someone clicks your link today and buys 89 days later, you still earn commission. Business software purchases need research, and this long window helps capture sales.
Payment Terms
| Detail | Term |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Method | PayPal only |
| Timing | 60 days after customer billing |
Why it matters: Your first commission arrives 60+ days after your first referral. This is not an instant payout.
Qualification Rules
To get paid, you must maintain:
- 2+ active referred accounts.
- $100+ pending commission balance.
- 1+ referral in the past 6 months (recent activity).
Failing these rules drops your rate to 20% until you re-qualify.
Strengths & Limitations of ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program
| What Works (Pros) | Challenges (Cons) |
| High Recurring Pay. 20–30% creates long-term passive income. | Selective Approval. Generic sites often get rejected. |
| Generous Cookie. 90 days captures the long business sales cycle. | PayPal-Only. Excludes affiliates who need other payment methods. |
| Rewards Growth. Commissions increase as your referrals scale (30% vs. 20%). | Long Payment Delay. 60-day hold means waiting 2+ months for the first check. |
| Top-Rated Platform. Strong reputation (4.6/5) improves conversions. | Strict Rules. Must maintain 2+ accounts and recent activity. |
| Marketing Support. Graphics, videos, and webinars reduce your work. | Requires B2B Audience. Won’t convert with general consumer traffic. |
How to Join ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program: Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Visit Affiliate Page
Go to the ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program page. Click “Join the Affiliate Program today.”
Step 2: Sign Up
Enter your ActiveCampaign account details. If you don’t have one, start a free 14-day trial first.
Step 3: Complete Tax Documents
Sign the electronic tax form sent to your email. You must complete this to get paid.
Required: W-9 (US) or W-8BEN (International).
Step 4: Wait for Approval
ActiveCampaign checks your application—usually 3–5 business days. They verify your content quality.
Step 5: Access Resources
Once approved, log into the Affiliate Portal. Get your link, materials, and dashboard.
Step 6: Start Promoting
Add affiliate links into your content and start driving traffic.
Is ActiveCampaign Worth Joining?
Yes, it is absolutely worth the effort, but only if you meet the right conditions.
Unlike promoting a $5 ebook or a one-time product, ActiveCampaign offers deep, recurring commissions (20% to 30%). This is huge. When you refer to a business, you don’t just get paid once; you get paid every month they stay a customer.
For example, I’ve seen exactly what the numbers show: if you get just 10 solid business customers paying an average of $300/month, you’re earning $600–$750 a month passively after a few months. That single group of 10 customers can easily generate over $8,500 in the first year alone. That kind of long-term income stream is the real value here, and it’s what makes this program a standout.
What are the best ActiveCampaign alternatives?
It’s smart to promote competing tools to capture audiences looking for different features or price points.
Here are the top alternatives:
- Unique Focus: Combines content tools with robust CRM, email, and automation. It’s the market leader for all-in-one platforms.
- Commission Structure: Offers up to 15% recurring commissions (for up to one year) or a 100% flat rate of the first month’s revenue.
- Ideal Content Fit: Audiences ready to move beyond simple tools and centralize sales + marketing. Higher prices mean higher average commissions.
2. ConvertKit Affiliate Program
- Unique Focus: Creator-focused platform combining email marketing and commerce. It emphasizes simplicity and clean automations.
- Commission Structure: Pays a 30% recurring commission for the life of the customer.
- Ideal Content Fit: Bloggers, creators, and newsletter operators who value clean interfaces and landing pages without complexity.
3. GetResponse Affiliate Program
- Unique Focus: All-in-one email and marketing suite including autoresponders, funnels, webinars, and AI tools.
- Commission Structure: Offers a choice: 33% recurring commission or a $100 one-time flat commission per sale.
- Ideal Content Fit: SMBs who want built-in lead generation, webinar hosting, and full marketing funnels. The high recurring rate is very attractive.
- Unique Focus: Long-standing, highly reliable email tool with a simple interface. Great for businesses moving from basic newsletters to automation.
- Commission Structure: Pays a 50% recurring commission on all sales, which is one of the highest rates in the industry.
- Ideal Content Fit: Small businesses and creators who need straightforward email, templates, and excellent deliverability without complex CRM features.
5. Brevo (Sendinblue) Affiliate Program
- Unique Focus: Covers email, SMS, chat, and lightweight CRM. It is often positioned as an affordable option.
- Commission Structure: Pays a €5 lead bonus and a €100 bonus when the referral buys a subscription.
- Ideal Content Fit: Price-sensitive leads, startups, and local service businesses wanting transactional email and multichannel messaging on a budget.
