About ShareASale

ShareASale is a long-standing and prominent affiliate marketing network founded in 2000 and acquired by Awin in 2017. It acts as a intermediary that connects merchants (advertisers/companies with products or services) and affiliates (publishers/marketers who promote those products).

For affiliates, ShareASale provides a platform to browse thousands of merchant programs across various niches (retail, travel, finance, software, etc.), generate unique tracking links, access promotional materials, and receive consolidated monthly payments for all the programs they participate in. It’s known for having a vast, diverse merchant base, particularly catering to small and mid-size companies.

Disclaimer
Affiliate program terms can change frequently. The figures below are based on general information and may vary based on specific campaigns or affiliate tiers.

ShareASale Affiliate Program Overview

The ShareASale affiliate program itself is part of the larger ShareASale network, which hosts thousands of individual merchant programs. The platform’s overall structure is:

FactorDescription
IndustryAffiliate Marketing Network (Hosts programs across all industries)
Product TypePhysical Goods, Digital Products/Services, Subscriptions (Varies by individual merchant program)
Affiliate Program TypeCost-Per-Sale (CPS) or Cost-Per-Lead (CPL), with some programs offering Cost-Per-Click (CPC) (Varies by individual merchant program)

ShareASale Affiliate Program Offers

ShareASale provides the tools and framework for individual merchants to run their programs.

FactorDetails
Promotional MaterialsText links, Banners, Product data feeds, Custom links/Deep links (Provided by individual merchants through the platform)
Affiliate Cookie DurationVaries by individual merchant program (Often $\text{30 days}$, but can range from $\text{7}$ to $\text{90+}$ days)
Accepted Traffic SourceWebsites, Blogs, Social Media, PPC campaigns, SEO, Email (All common sources are generally accepted, but individual merchants may have restrictions)
Accepted CountriesWorldwide (Affiliates from most countries can join, though individual merchant programs may have country-specific restrictions based on shipping/service areas)
Explicit ContentNo (The platform generally requires affiliates to have a website/page free of hate speech and adult content, as per its compliance policies)
Religious or political contentYes, generally (While explicit hate speech is banned, general religious or political content is typically permitted, as long as it adheres to the platform’s terms and is not deemed hate speech or unsafe content)

ShareASale Affiliate Commissions & Payments

Commissions are set by the individual merchant, but the payment and fee structure is managed by ShareASale.

FactorDetails
MLM (Multi-Level Marketing)No — ShareASale uses a single-tier commission model. Affiliates earn only from their own referrals, not from recruiting other affiliates.
Commission RateVaries widely by merchant and product. Typically ranges from 4% to 50% of sale value. Digital products often offer higher commission rates.
Commission StructurePercentage-based, fixed commission, or product-based rates. Merchants can customize payouts using tiered commissions, conversion rules, and performance incentives.
Payout FrequencyMonthly — payments are usually issued around the 20th of each month for all locked transactions from the previous month.
Payout MethodsDirect deposit (ACH), check, wire transfer, Payoneer
Minimum Payout$50 in earned commissions

Suitable Affiliates for ShareASale Affiliate

The ShareASale network is suitable for almost any type of affiliate marketer due to the sheer diversity of its 4,500+ merchants. The key requirement is having a legitimate, active, and content-rich platform (website or social media) to promote offers.

Affiliate TypeSuitabilityRationale
Bloggers/Website OwnersHighly SuitableIdeal for long-form content, niche focus, and deep-linking to relevant products.
YouTubers / Video editorsHighly SuitableCan include links in video descriptions, promoting tutorials, reviews, and product demonstrations.
Influencers (TikTokers, KOL, KOC)Highly SuitableExcellent for promoting products to a dedicated audience via social media, stories, and live streams, using tracking links in bios or swipe-up links.
LivestreamersSuitableCan promote real-time deals and products, placing links in stream descriptions or chat.

ShareASale Affiliate Software

ShareASale is itself an affiliate management software platform that also functions as an affiliate network.

  • Software Used: ShareASale (In-house platform, now part of the Awin Group).

3 Alternatives for ShareASale Affiliate Program

FactorShareASaleCJ AffiliateAwinRakuten Advertising
Average BillVaries widely by merchantVaries widely by merchantVaries widely by merchantVaries widely by merchant
Entry FeesFree for AffiliatesFree for AffiliatesFree for Affiliates (may require a small refundable deposit in some regions)Free for Affiliates
Withdrawal Threshold$50$50 (Direct Deposit), $100 (Check)$20 (ACH/SEPA payments)$50
Payment FrequencyMonthlyMonthlyTwice MonthlyMonthly (often Net-60 terms)
CommissionVaries (typically 4%–50%+, depending on merchant)Varies (typically 3%–50%+, depending on merchant)Varies by merchantVaries by merchant
ConversionVaries — strong performance due to robust trackingVaries — strong tracking & powerful toolsVaries — excellent global/local conversion toolsVaries — strong with high-profile brand partners
Marketing MaterialsText links, Banners, Data FeedsText links, Banners, Widgets, Data FeedsText links, Banners, Dynamic Content, Deep LinkingText links, Banners, Dynamic Ads, Unique Linking Tools