Awin

Awin is a global affiliate network on both sides: publishers join to find programmes to promote, and brands pay to run one. ShareASale is now part of it, so a creator who had an account there arrives here. What separates it from affiliate software is that the network handles recruiting, tracking and payment across thousands of merchants at once, rather than running one brand's programme. Advertisers pay a monthly fee plus a percentage of each tracked transaction.

Only the advertiser side is published. Its entry plan is $49 a month plus a 3.5 percent tracking fee on each transaction, with the first month free, and the page works the arithmetic through: on a $100 sale at 6 percent commission the partner gets $6 and Awin takes $3.50. A second tier costs $99 a month and drops the tracking fee to 2.5 percent. Publishers are not charged a monthly fee to join.

Two different readers. A creator monetizing with affiliate links joins as a publisher, applies to programmes and is not charged. A brand wanting creators to sell for it pays the advertiser fee below and gets recruiting, tracking and payouts handled. Somebody who only wants to run a programme for their own product will find affiliate software cheaper than a network.