Recurring Commission Affiliate Programs for SaaS

A recurring commission pays the affiliate every time the referred customer pays, not once at signup. Most SaaS programs pay it for a set number of months, often 12; some pay for as long as the customer stays. The lists below come from the Reditus affiliate program directory. Everything after them explains what those numbers are actually worth.

SaaS affiliate programs with fixed-term recurring commission

Ordered by headline rate. Most run for 12 months from the referred customer's first payment. Rates and terms change, so open the program page before you build content around one.

• monday.com (project management): up to 100% of first-year sales, tiered
• Beehiiv (newsletter): 50 to 60% for 12 months
• GetResponse (email marketing): 40 to 60% recurring for 12 months
• Similarweb (SEO): 50% of payments for 12 months
• Webflow (site builder): 50% of the first year
• Framer (site builder): 50% of year 1
• Kit (email marketing): 50% for 12 months, then 10 to 20%
• Manychat (chatbot): 30 to 50% recurring for 12 months
• PandaDoc (sales): 25 to 45% of revenue for the first 12 months
• Reclaim.ai (scheduling): 25 to 40% for 12 months plus $1 per signup
• Unbounce (landing pages): 25 to 35% recurring for 12 months
• HubSpot (CRM): 30% recurring for 12 months
• n8n (automation): 30% recurring for 12 months
• SamCart (checkout): up to 30% for 24 months, one of the longest fixed terms on this list
• Teachable (courses): 30% recurring for 12 months
• Jasper (AI writing): 25 to 30% recurring for 12 months
• Pipedrive (CRM): 20 to 30% revenue share for the first 12 months
• Synthesia (AI video): 25% recurring for 12 months
• lemlist (cold email): 25% for 12 months
• Apollo.io (sales intelligence): 15 to 20% for the first 12 months

Affiliate programs that pay lifetime recurring commission

These keep paying for as long as the referred customer keeps paying. Read the section on duration further down before you assume lifetime beats a long fixed term.

• Systeme.io (all-in-one): 60% lifetime recurring
• Payhip (checkout): 50% lifetime recurring
• Skool (community): 40% lifetime recurring
• AdCreative.ai (AI image): 30 to 40% recurring, lifetime
• Moosend (email marketing): 30 to 40% lifetime recurring
• Smartlead (cold email): 15 to 35% recurring for life
• MailerLite (email marketing): 30% lifetime recurring
• Thinkific (courses): 30% lifetime recurring
• Brand24 (social media): 20 to 30% lifetime recurring

All programs, with their commission model, rate and payout terms, are in the affiliate program directory. For a broader list that is not limited to recurring deals, see the best SaaS affiliate programs.

What are recurring commissions?

In SaaS, a recurring commission means the affiliate gets paid on every payment their referred customer makes during the commission period, monthly or annually. On Reditus that includes upgrades and extra seats bought in that period.

Example: if a SaaS charges $100 per month and offers a 25% recurring commission, the affiliate earns $25 for every month the customer pays, for as long as the commission period runs. One referral, paid out again and again.

Why recurring commissions motivate affiliates

Recurring commission changes the math of being an affiliate. With one-time payouts, income resets to zero every month and the affiliate has to keep producing new referrals just to stand still. With recurring commission, every referral stacks on top of the previous ones, so a handful of good referrals grows into meaningful monthly income.

This is why B2B SaaS affiliates don't need huge traffic to earn well: a few referred accounts paying commission month after month add up quickly. Top affiliates in the Reditus network earn $60+ per click. Relevance converts; volume alone does not.

How long should recurring commissions run?

It depends on your stage. Early-stage companies offer a higher percentage for longer, because affiliates still have to believe in an unknown brand. Established programs often pay 20 to 30% for 12 to 24 months and still recruit. Our own program pays up to 40% for 36 months.

Lifetime commission sounds like the ultimate offer, but it can look good on paper and still not add up. A capped term on a product whose customers stay beats lifetime on a product whose customers leave: 36 months on a low-churn product earns more than lifetime on a new tool whose customers don't even reach 12 months. Lifetime offers usually come from early-stage companies that have to work harder to recruit. Some affiliates do filter for lifetime deals, so it can help an early-stage company stand out. If you are an affiliate, do your own homework on how long a company's customers stay.

What affiliates look at beyond the percentage

A high percentage on a product that never converts is worth nothing. Affiliates know this, so the commission rate is only one of the things they check:

• Will the traffic convert? Brand recognition and conversion rate count for more than the headline percentage. An established brand that converts beats an unknown product paying more.
• Is it worth it per payment? A quick test: average deal size times the commission should give the affiliate roughly $10 or more per customer payment.
• Can they use the product? A free trial or product access makes it far easier for an affiliate to create honest content.
• Do they like the tool? When affiliates use and like a product, they often promote it over a similar tool paying a higher percentage.
• What are the rules? Some affiliates run paid ads for the programs they promote, including on the brand name. Allowing it often works well: their ads send traffic to your own domain and catch searches your own ads miss. Whatever you decide, state your policy clearly on your program page.

Why early-stage companies have to offer more

We see the same pattern across the programs on our marketplace. Early-stage SaaS companies make the most generous offers, higher percentages and longer durations, because they have to: affiliates doubt that an unknown product will convert their traffic, and the offer makes up for that risk. As a company grows and its brand converts better, it can pay less and affiliates will still promote it, because what affiliates want in the end is traffic that turns into paying clients, not the biggest number on a marketplace card.

Recurring is necessary, but no longer always enough

With AI answers taking clicks away from affiliate content, recurring commission alone doesn't always buy attention anymore. More programs now combine it with an upfront payment for a specific piece of content, a structure called a hybrid deal. On Reditus, campaigns handle that upfront part. If you are designing a commission offer today, read why SaaS affiliate marketing is going hybrid.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good recurring commission rate for SaaS?

Commissions in B2B SaaS usually sit between 20 and 50%. What counts is the combination of rate and duration: if the customer stays two years, 25% for 24 months pays the affiliate six monthly fees, while 40% for 6 months pays 2.4 monthly fees.

Do affiliates prefer recurring or one-time commissions?

In SaaS, recurring, clearly. A one-time commission rarely pays for the effort of creating content, because the income stops while the customer keeps paying the SaaS company.

Are lifetime commissions worth offering?

They attract affiliates who filter for lifetime deals, and they can help an early-stage company stand out. But a capped term on a product whose customers stay is often worth more, so don't feel forced into lifetime to be competitive.

Which SaaS affiliate programs pay the highest recurring commission?

On the fixed-term side, monday.com pays up to 100% of first-year sales on a tiered structure, and Beehiiv, GetResponse, Similarweb, Webflow, Framer and Kit pay up to 50 or 60% for the first year. On the lifetime side, Systeme.io at 60% and Payhip at 50% are the highest in the directory. The highest rate is rarely the highest earnings: a 25% commission on a product that converts beats 50% on one that doesn't.

Where can I find recurring commission affiliate programs to join?

The Reditus directory lists SaaS programs with their commission model, rate and payout terms, including a list of recurring commission programs. Programs marked as running on Reditus can be joined directly from your affiliate account: see joining a SaaS affiliate program.

How long do recurring affiliate commissions usually last?

Twelve months is the most common term in the directory, with a smaller group at 24 months and some programs paying for the customer's lifetime. For how recurring and one-time commissions are calculated and tracked, see how SaaS affiliate commissions work.