ClickBank Alternatives for Digital Product Affiliates
Four ClickBank alternatives for info-product affiliates: Digistore24 for a like-for-like marketplace, PartnerStack for recurring SaaS, MaxBounty for CPA and ShareASale to diversify.
Oct 24, 2026 · 6 min read
ClickBank has been the default marketplace for digital product affiliates since 1998, and its pitch still holds up: open access to thousands of info products, commissions that commonly run 50% to 75%, and recurring payouts on rebills. But one marketplace is a single point of failure. Gravity shifts, vendors pull offers, and a niche that worked last quarter can dry up overnight.
This guide is for info-product promoters (course, ebook, software and coaching affiliates) who want a second or third place to source offers. It compares four ClickBank alternatives that each solve a different problem: a like-for-like digital marketplace, a recurring-revenue SaaS network, a CPA network for lead and trial offers, and a broad merchant network for diversifying away from info products altogether.
Most ClickBank affiliates don't need a replacement. They need a second source of offers.
Why affiliates look beyond ClickBank
Nobody leaves ClickBank because the payouts are low. They leave, or more often add a second network, for structural reasons:
Offer concentration. Marketplace leaderboards reward a small set of top sellers. When everyone promotes the same handful of products, ad costs rise and search results crowd.
Vertical fit. ClickBank skews toward health, self-improvement and make-money-online. If your audience is B2B or software-focused, the catalogue simply has less for you.
Payout model. A high per-sale commission only pays if the sale happens. Lead-gen and free-trial offers convert at a much higher rate, so some traffic sources earn more on a smaller, surer payout.
Refund exposure. Digital products carry refund windows, and refunded sales claw back commissions. Spreading revenue across networks with different product types smooths that risk.
If you are still deciding between ClickBank and a general merchant network, our ClickBank vs ShareASale comparison covers that head-to-head in depth.
The numbers side by side
These figures come from the network profiles in the Affground directory. Terms change, so confirm the current figure on each network's affiliate page before you build a campaign around it.
Network
Best for
Cookie window
Payment schedule
Minimum payout
Recurring commissions
ClickBank (baseline)
Info products, open access
60 days
Weekly
$10
Yes, on rebills
Digistore24
Like-for-like digital marketplace
180 days
Twice a month
$50
Yes
PartnerStack
B2B SaaS subscriptions
90 days
Net-30
$5
Yes
MaxBounty
CPA: leads, trials, installs
30 days
Weekly
$100
No (one-off CPA)
ShareASale
Diversifying into physical and service merchants
30 days
Net-15
$50
Program-dependent
Two things stand out. Cookie windows vary sixfold, from 30 to 180 days, which matters a lot for content that ranks and gets read long before a purchase. And the minimum payout thresholds range from $5 to $100, which decides how quickly a small new site actually sees money.
The four alternatives, and what each one replaces
Digistore24: the closest like-for-like swap
Digistore24 is the nearest thing to a ClickBank twin. Founded in Germany in 2012, it is a reseller marketplace for courses, ebooks, software and coaching that handles checkout, payment processing, VAT and affiliate tracking in one place. Commissions are often 50% or more, subscription products pay recurring commissions, and the 180-day cookie is the longest in this list.
It suits affiliates who already know how to sell info products and want a fresh catalogue with less overlap. Its German origins also mean a stronger bench of European and German-language vendors, which is useful if you have traffic in those markets.
PartnerStack: recurring revenue from software
PartnerStack runs partner and affiliate programs for B2B SaaS companies. Instead of one-off info-product sales, you earn on software subscriptions, and many programs pay recurring commissions for as long as the customer stays. A $5 minimum payout makes it friendly to smaller sites.
This is the right move if your audience is founders, marketers or small-business operators. The trade-off is a slower ramp: SaaS buyers trial before they pay, and Net-30 terms mean income lags. Our guide on how to use PartnerStack walks through joining the marketplace and getting approved by individual programs.
MaxBounty: when a sale is too far away
MaxBounty is a long-running CPA network (launched in 2004) built around pay-per-lead, pay-per-sale and pay-per-install offers. It assigns an affiliate manager to every publisher and pays weekly, with a $100 threshold. Expect a short phone or email verification during sign-up.
Use it when your traffic converts on intent but not on price, for example cold paid or native traffic, where a free signup is far more realistic than a $47 course purchase. If CPA is new to you, read what a CPA network is before you start, because caps and offer approvals work differently from a marketplace.
ShareASale: diversification beyond info products
ShareASale, part of Awin, lists more than 16,000 merchant offers across physical products, services and software. Commissions are lower than info products on average, but refund rates and audience trust tend to be steadier, and the breadth means almost any content niche can find a fit.
Think of it as the hedge. If most of your income comes from digital products, adding a few merchant programs reduces how much one refund spike or one delisted vendor can hurt you.
The best alternative depends less on headline commission and more on the traffic you already have. Use this rule of thumb:
If your traffic is...
Start with
Why
Search and email, info-product audience
Digistore24
Same buyer psychology, longer cookie, new catalogue
B2B readers, tool reviews, tutorials
PartnerStack
Recurring software commissions compound over time
Paid, native or cold social
MaxBounty
Lower-friction conversions make paid traffic viable
Broad content site, mixed intent
ShareASale
Breadth across merchants and niches
Most established affiliates end up on two of these, not one. A typical pairing is Digistore24 for direct info-product swaps plus PartnerStack or ShareASale to stabilise income.
Mistakes to avoid when switching
Copying the same offer across networks. Many vendors list on more than one marketplace. Promoting the identical product twice is not diversification.
Ignoring refund and reversal rules. Read how each network handles refunds before you scale. A high commission with heavy chargebacks can net less than a modest, stable one. Our explainer on how affiliate payouts work covers holds and reversals.
Judging by EPC alone. Network EPC figures average across very different traffic. Your own conversion rate is the only number that counts.
Abandoning what works. If a ClickBank offer is profitable, keep it. Add networks alongside it rather than migrating everything at once.
Step-by-step: adding a second network
01Export your last 90 days of ClickBank data and note which products and traffic sources actually paid.
02Pick one alternative from the table above that fits your strongest traffic source.
03Apply, and have your site, traffic sources and promotion methods ready for the application or verification call.
04Find two or three offers that match your best-performing ClickBank topics without duplicating the same vendor.
05Run them on a slice of traffic for 30 days and compare net earnings after refunds, not gross commission.
06Keep the winners, drop the rest, and only then consider a third network.
Affground's verdict
ClickBank remains a strong marketplace, but it should rarely be your only one. Digistore24 is the cleanest swap for info-product affiliates, PartnerStack is the best path to recurring income, MaxBounty rescues traffic that won't buy on the first visit, and ShareASale is the hedge. Choose by traffic fit, then test with real numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ClickBank alternative for info products?
Digistore24 is the closest like-for-like alternative. It is a digital product marketplace that handles checkout, payments and affiliate tracking, often pays 50% or more, offers recurring commissions on subscriptions and lists a 180-day cookie.
Is Digistore24 better than ClickBank?
Neither is strictly better. Digistore24 has a longer cookie window and a stronger European vendor base, while ClickBank has a lower $10 minimum payout and weekly payments. Many affiliates use both to avoid relying on one catalogue.
Which ClickBank alternative pays recurring commissions?
PartnerStack is the strongest option for recurring income because it focuses on B2B SaaS subscriptions, where many programs pay for as long as the customer stays. Digistore24 also pays recurring commissions on subscription products.
Should I use a CPA network instead of ClickBank?
A CPA network such as MaxBounty makes sense when your traffic is cold, paid or native and unlikely to buy on the first visit. You earn on leads, trials or installs instead of a full sale, so conversion rates are higher even though each payout is smaller.
Can I promote the same product on ClickBank and another network?
Usually yes, since many vendors list on more than one marketplace, but it does not diversify your income. Check each network's terms and focus on different vendors when you add a second network.
Do I need approval to join these ClickBank alternatives?
Each network has its own sign-up process. MaxBounty, for example, includes a short phone or email verification, and PartnerStack programs approve affiliates individually. Have your site, traffic sources and promotion methods ready.
How many affiliate networks should I join?
Start with one alternative that fits your strongest traffic source, test it for about 30 days against net earnings after refunds, and only add a third network once the second is proven.
