About Udemy

Udemy is one of the world’s largest online learning marketplaces, providing a platform where anyone can teach or learn a wide variety of skills. Unlike traditional academic institutions, Udemy focuses on practical, skill-based learning across categories like programming, business, photography, and personal development.

With over 210,000+ courses and millions of students globally, the brand is known for its affordability, often offering significant discounts and lifetime access to purchased content.

Udemy Affiliate Program Overview

The Udemy Affiliate Program allows content creators and marketers to earn money by promoting specific courses or the platform as a whole. It is a Cost-Per-Sale (CPS) model, meaning you earn a commission whenever a user you refer completes a paid purchase.

FeatureDetails
IndustryE-Learning / EdTech
Product TypeDigital Courses & Subscriptions
Affiliate Program TypeCost-Per-Sale (CPS)

Udemy Affiliate Program Offers

Udemy provides a robust set of tools to help affiliates convert their audience. They are particularly strict about quality, requiring affiliates to have an active website or social media presence with consistent traffic.

FeatureDetails
Promotional MaterialsBanners, text links, course-specific deep links, and site-wide logos.
Affiliate Cookie Duration7 Days (Universal cookie covers any course purchased within this window).
Accepted Traffic SourceBlogs, websites, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.).
Accepted CountriesGlobal (Available in 190+ countries).
Explicit ContentStrictly prohibited; sites with adult or offensive content are rejected.
Religious/Political ContentRestricted; Udemy avoids partnering with highly polarizing or niche-specific religious/political sites.

Udemy Affiliate Commissions & Payments

Udemy’s commission structure is performance-based. While the baseline is competitive for the digital education space, it does not follow a multi-level marketing (MLM) structure.

FeatureDetails
MLM (Multi-Level)No (Single-tier only).
Commission Rate10% – 15% (Base starts at 10%; increases with high performance).
Commission StructurePercentage of the final sale price (after discounts).
Payout FrequencyMonthly (Net-30 or Net-60 depending on the network).
Payout MethodsPayPal, Direct Deposit (ACH), and Check (via Impact/Rakuten).
Minimum Payout$10 USD (on Impact) or $50 USD (on Rakuten).

Suitable Affiliates for Udemy

The program is highly versatile because Udemy’s catalog covers almost every niche imaginable.

  • Bloggers: Ideal for those writing “How-to” guides or “Best Resources for [Topic]” articles.
  • YouTubers: Tech reviewers or tutorial creators can link to deep-dive courses in their video descriptions.
  • KOLs & Influencers: Career coaches and lifestyle influencers can recommend courses to help their audience level up.
  • TikTokers: Short-form creators sharing “Life Hacks” or “Skill Up” tips.
  • Video Editors: Can promote specialized editing software courses (Premiere Pro, After Effects).
  • KOC (Key Opinion Consumers): Real students who share their genuine learning journey and results.

Udemy Affiliate Software

Udemy does not use in-house software to manage its program. Instead, they partner with major global affiliate networks to handle tracking and payments. As of 2026, the primary platform for new applications is Impact (Impact Radius), though some regions or legacy accounts may still operate via Rakuten Advertising.

3 Alternatives for Udemy Affiliate Program

If you find Udemy’s 7-day cookie window too short or want to promote more structured “university-style” content, consider these alternatives:

Comparison FactorUdemyCourseraSkillshareedX
Average Bill$15 – $50$49 – $399Subscription ($168/yr)$50 – $300
Entry FeesFreeFreeFreeFree
Withdrawal Threshold$10$50$10$50
Payment FrequencyMonthlyMonthlyMonthlyMonthly
Commission10% – 15%10% – 45%$7 per sign-up10% – 15%
ConversionVery HighMediumHigh (Free Trials)Medium
Marketing MaterialsBanners/Deep LinksBanners/NewslettersBanners/Free LinksBanners/Text Links