There are different types of affiliate software to help with this, including large affiliate networks (like ClickBank or Amazon’s program) and standalone affiliate management tools. In this ClickBank review, we’ll examine ClickBank’s features, pricing, and user experiences, as well as explore ClickBank alternatives.
We focus on factual, unbiased comparisons – including why many businesses are considering ClickBank alternative platforms such as AlgoRift, a leading new solution for Amazon sellers.
But is ClickBank the right choice for you? What are the best alternatives if you need an Amazon affiliate marketing tool? Let’s dive in!
ClickBank Review: What You Need to Know
ClickBank is a popular affiliate marketing program for creators and sellers, founded in 1998. It primarily connects product creators (vendors) selling mostly digital products with affiliate marketers who promote those products for a commission.
ClickBank is a legit marketplace and payment processor that connects sellers and affiliates, handling transactions and commission payouts. In this ClickBank review, we’ll cover the features, pricing, user feedback, best use cases, and pros and cons.
Note: Unlike platforms like AlgoRift, Levanta, and Refersion, ClickBank does not support funneling traffic to Amazon listings.
Key Features of ClickBank
Here are some of the main functions that ClickBank provides:
1. Affiliate Marketplace
ClickBank offers a large marketplace of products that affiliates can promote. There are over 4,000 products listed across 20+ categories (mostly e-books, online courses, software, and some physical goods).
The platform also has tens of thousands of active affiliates (100k+) ready to find and promote offers.
However, offering spammy or low-quality products is something that a lot of customers don’t really like about ClickBank’s marketplace!
2. Easy Affiliate Onboarding
Affiliates can join ClickBank without any fees or approval process and start promoting products right away. The platform allows marketers to generate a HopLink (unique affiliate tracking link) and earn commissions. That said, in many users’ opinions, the platform’s interface is outdated!
Here’s how it works for affiliates
:
3. Commission Handling
ClickBank allows vendors to set their own commission rates (anywhere from 1% up to 75% per sale) and even offers a cost-per-action (CPA) option for certain offers.
Moreover, it tracks all sales and automatically credits the appropriate commission to the affiliate. Recurring subscription products are supported as well, so affiliates can earn recurring commissions if a product has a rebill.
4. Integrated Payments & Tax Handling
One of ClickBank’s features is its end-to-end payment processing. It processes customer payments (credit card), applies any sales tax or VAT, and then pays out vendors and affiliates their share.
[Still, it doesn’t offer PayPal, which bothers many users!]
In fact, sellers don’t need a separate merchant account – ClickBank acts as the retailer of record. Refunds are also handled automatically by ClickBank’s system, which reduces overhead for vendors. See how ClickBank works for sellers:
5. Reporting & Analytics
The platform also provides reporting tools for both affiliates and vendors. Affiliates can see metrics like hops (clicks), conversions, and earnings for each HopLink.
Vendors get analytics on affiliate performance. A notable metric is the “Gravity” score, which indicates how many affiliates have had success with a product recently. Gravity helps affiliates gauge which products are hot sellers.
6. Additional Resources
This tool provides educational resources like Spark by ClickBank, which is a paid training course for affiliate marketing beginners.
They also have a knowledge base and occasional webinars to help users succeed. While these resources can be helpful, some new users have noted that the heavy promotion of Spark during sign-up was off-putting.
Next, let’s look at how ClickBank pricing works and what costs are involved.
ClickBank Pricing: How Much Does It Cost?
Affiliates can join and use ClickBank for free. The ClickBank pricing model mainly applies to product sellers and works as follows:
1. One-Time Activation Fee: To sell a product on ClickBank, a vendor pays a one-time product activation fee of $49.95. Each additional account a vendor opens costs $29.95.
2. Transaction Fee (Revenue Share): For each sale made through ClickBank, ClickBank keeps 7.5% of the sale amount plus $1 as its platform fee.
In other words, vendors receive 92.5% of the gross sale minus $1.00 on each order (from which they then pay the affiliate their commission).
3. Payment Processing Fee: On top of the above, ClickBank charges a $2.50 payment processing fee for each pay period a vendor or affiliate receives a payout. Pay periods are either weekly or bi-weekly, depending on user settings.
Payout Threshold and Methods for Affiliates on ClickBank
Affiliates must reach a minimum payout threshold (e.g., $10 or $50, which you can set) before ClickBank will disburse earnings. Payouts can be issued by direct bank deposit, check, or Payoneer.
However, PayPal is not offered as a payout method for affiliates. For international affiliates in regions where bank transfer is unavailable, this can be a drawback (checks can take a long time to arrive by mail).
Dormant Account Fees: An important aspect of ClickBank’s pricing (often overlooked) is the inactivity penalty. If an account (usually an affiliate account) has no earnings for 90 days, ClickBank starts charging a dormant account fee: $1 for each pay period of inactivity after 90 days, $5 per pay period after 180 days, and $50 per pay period after one year of inactivity.
Who Is ClickBank Best For (And Not Best For)
Based on its features and the types of products it offers, ClickBank is the right choice for certain use cases:
- Digital product creators (e.g., e-books, online courses, software, supplements) who want affiliates to promote their offers.
- Affiliate marketers in niches like fitness, make-money-online, and self-improvement, especially those skilled in content and email marketing.
- Marketers seeking recurring commissions from subscription-based products.
On the other hand, if you’re in one of the following categories, you may need other alternatives:
- Traditional e-commerce businesses selling physical products.
- Amazon sellers looking to drive traffic to their listings.
- Companies prioritizing brand control and strict affiliate quality.
ClickBank Reviews: User Feedback and Experiences
To have an objective ClickBank review, we looked at feedback from actual users on platforms like Trustpilot, G2, Reddit, and Quora.
On the positive side, many affiliates praise ClickBank for its timely payments (the company is known for never missing a payout in 20+ years), simplicity, and wide variety of products.
However, many complaints appear in user reviews. Let’s just see some of them:
- Low Quality of Products: A frequent concern is the prevalence of low-quality or “scammy” products in the ClickBank marketplace. On Reddit, affiliates have voiced their frustration with “scammy health products” and other dubious offers on ClickBank. This can hurt an affiliate’s reputation if they accidentally promote a bad product.
- Customer Support: Customer support for ClickBank is a mixed bag. Some vendors have account managers (especially high-volume sellers), but affiliates often only have access to a support ticket system and help articles.
For example, one G2 review noted, “No affiliate customer support provided – you have to use unhelpful online help documents”.
- No PayPal Option: As we already mentioned, ClickBank doesn’t offer a PayPal method for affiliate payments. Some users consider it a limitation causing delays to access funds.
- Aggressive Upsells to New Users: Some newcomers noted that during the sign-up process, ClickBank strongly pushes its paid training (Spark).
While one can skip it, the experience gave some a negative first impression, making ClickBank seem more interested in selling courses than helping affiliates. This isn’t a functional issue with the platform per se, but it’s part of the user experience worth noting.
- Link Restrictions: They have reported that ClickBank affiliate links are sometimes blocked or flagged as spam by various websites and social networks, limiting promotional efforts.
Finally, reviewers on Capterra have complained about issues like:
As the points above illustrate, the platform has several pain points – mainly around product quality control, support, and policies. These recurring issues are exactly why some users search for ClickBank alternatives.
ClickBank Review: Pros & Cons
To wrap up our ClickBank review, here’s a concise breakdown of ClickBank’s pros and cons:
Pros of ClickBank
- Large Affiliate Network: Access to over 100k affiliates and a marketplace of thousands of products means it’s easier for a vendor to find promotional partners and for affiliates to find products to promote.
- Low Barrier to Entry: It’s free and simple for affiliates to get started (no approval required, instant link generation).
- High Commission Rates: ClickBank specializes in digital products, which typically have high margins. Vendors often offer commissions of 50% or more per sale to stay competitive.
- Timely Payouts: The platform has a strong track record of paying affiliates on time, with the option for weekly or bi-weekly payments.
- Built-in Analytics: ClickBank also provides useful metrics (like the Gravity score, conversion rates, and initial vs rebill $ estimates) that help affiliates choose offers.
Cons of ClickBank
- Various Fees for Sellers: While affiliates use ClickBank for free, vendors incur several fees – a $50 activation cost and 7.5% + $1 commission on every sale.
- Penalties for Inactivity: ClickBank will deduct money from your account if you stop making sales (after 90 days of no earnings).
- Outdated User Interface: Users often describe ClickBank’s dashboard and marketplace as clunky or “dated” in design.
- Quality Control Issues: Because ClickBank is open to many vendors, the marketplace has some low-quality or misleading products.
- Affiliate Competition (Saturation): Popular niches on ClickBank can be extremely competitive, with dozens of affiliates promoting the same top product.
- Limited Communication Tools: ClickBank does not provide a built-in way for vendors to communicate directly with affiliates (aside from listing an affiliate contact page or email in the product listing).
- Customer Support and Guidance: Many users feel that ClickBank’s support is slow or impersonal for non-VIP users, and affiliates get little help when needed.
- Limited Payout Options: ClickBank’s payout options (no PayPal, reliance on bank transfers or mailed checks) can be inconvenient.
- Not Built for Amazon Sellers: ClickBank isn’t designed to drive traffic to Amazon listings or work within the Amazon ecosystem.
- Strict Refund/Chargeback Policies: As noted, ClickBank’s 60-day refund window and policy of penalizing high refund rates can hurt affiliates and vendors (e.g., account holds or suspensions).
By outlining these disadvantages and solutions, it’s clear that ClickBank, while powerful, has pain points that newer platforms like AlgoRift aim to address.
Next on our ClickBank review, we’ll take a closer look at AlgoRift itself – why it’s considered the best ClickBank alternative and how it compares in practice.
The Best ClickBank Alternative: AlgoRift
When it comes to the best ClickBank alternative, one name that frequently comes up is AlgoRift. AlgoRift was created to serve a very specific need: helping Amazon sellers build and manage their own affiliate programs.
In other words, AlgoRift is an affiliate marketing tool tailored for Amazon sellers and affiliates. It takes a different approach from ClickBank’s marketplace model, focusing on connecting e-commerce brands (especially those on Amazon) with a network of affiliates.
AlgoRift Vs. ClickBank
Here’s an overview of why AlgoRift stands out as a top ClickBank alternative and how it addresses many of ClickBank’s weaknesses:
1. Designed for Physical Products & Amazon Integration
Unlike ClickBank (which mainly deals with digital sales on external landing pages), AlgoRift integrates directly with Amazon’s system. It allows Amazon sellers to track affiliate-driven sales on Amazon without requiring the affiliate to use Amazon’s own Associate program.
This is huge for Amazon merchants – they can leverage external affiliates to boost their Amazon product rankings and sales, something not feasible with ClickBank.
2. User-Friendly, Modern Platform
AlgoRift’s interface is easy to use. Actually, it has the most user-friendly dashboard among affiliate marketing tools. Everything from setting up a campaign to inviting affiliates is streamlined.
In contrast, ClickBank doesn’t offer a way for sellers to seek out affiliates – they have to passively wait for affiliates to choose their product. AlgoRift’s approach is more hands-on and guided, which is ideal for new merchants who might not know how to attract affiliates on their own.
3. Freemium Pricing Model
Another benefit of AlgoRift over ClickBank is that AlgoRift is available on a free plan (Starter) for small brands, which allows sellers and affiliates to try the platform with no upfront cost.
The free tier has some feature limitations, but you can do “almost everything you need to start affiliate marketing” on it.
This is a stark contrast to ClickBank, where a vendor must pay the $49.95 fee just to list a product.
4. Lower Transaction Fees
As discussed, ClickBank’s cut from each sale (7.5%+$1) can be hefty. However, AlgoRift’s model for paid plans is to charge a percentage of affiliate sales (5% on Professional, 3.5% on Ultimate).
This can translate to significant savings, especially on higher-priced items. For example, on a $100 sale, ClickBank keeps $8.50, whereas AlgoRift on Professional would keep $5 (and on Ultimate, $3.50).
5. Quality Network with Verification
More importantly, AlgoRift emphasizes quality over quantity in its network. It verifies all affiliates and advertisers on the platform, aiming to reduce spam or fraud. This curated approach means brands can be more confident that the affiliates applying to promote their products are legitimate influencers or marketers, not bots or black-hat marketers.
ClickBank, on the other hand, is an open marketplace where anyone can sign up and start promoting, leading to issues like spammers or random individuals signing up without vetting.
6. Better Support and Guidance
As a newer SaaS company, AlgoRift is hungry to please its users. They offer direct support channels and claim to resolve issues quickly.
Because AlgoRift’s clientele (Amazon sellers) may be new to affiliate marketing, AlgoRift often provides guidance and resources to help them succeed.
This is quite different from the more DIY approach of ClickBank. In other words, users who might feel “lost” on ClickBank find a more supportive environment with AlgoRift.
7. Feature-Rich for Optimization
Last but not least, AlgoRift includes features that make running an affiliate campaign more effective: for example, real-time reporting dashboards to monitor clicks, conversions, and affiliate performance instantaneously, the ability to set custom commission structures, and automated payouts to your affiliates through the platform.
ClickBank’s feature set is comparatively rigid – one commission for all affiliates per product, no built-in payout automation beyond their schedule, and reporting that updates periodically rather than in true real-time. For data-driven marketers, AlgoRift provides more control and insight.
Ready to grow your sales without upfront costs?
Other ClickBank Alternatives
While AlgoRift is our highlighted alternative (especially for Amazon-focused needs), there are several other noteworthy alternatives to ClickBank, depending on what you’re looking for. Here are two popular alternatives and how they differ:
ShareASale
ShareASale is one of the largest and longest-running affiliate networks, much like ClickBank but with a broader focus on traditional e-commerce and physical products. Now merged with Awin, it has been around for 20+ years and hosts affiliate programs for over 21,000 merchants (brands) across all sorts of niches.
ShareASale Vs. ClickBank
- More Physical Products: ShareASale focuses on physical goods and retail brands, while ClickBank is mostly digital products.
- Merchant Control Over Affiliates: Merchants on ShareASale can approve or reject affiliates, ensuring better quality control. ClickBank allows anyone to promote any product.
- Diverse Affiliate Programs: ShareASale has a wider variety of product categories, including fashion, home goods, and B2B services.
- Product Data Feeds: ShareASale provides product data feeds for affiliates, which ClickBank lacks, making it better for content-driven affiliates.
- Lower Upfront Costs for Affiliates: Affiliates can join for free on both, but ShareASale vendors pay a one-time $650 fee, while ClickBank takes a revenue cut from each sale.
- More Established Brands: ShareASale has well-known companies, making it easier for affiliates to promote trusted brands with lower refund risks.
Amazon Associates (Amazon’s Affiliate Program)
Amazon Associates is the official affiliate program of Amazon.com. It’s not a traditional “alternative” to ClickBank in terms of running your own affiliate offer, but it’s an alternative for affiliates looking to monetize traffic and for vendors considering how to get affiliates to promote products.
Amazon Associates Vs. ClickBank
- Massive Product Selection: Amazon offers millions of physical products, while ClickBank focuses mostly on digital products.
- Trusted Brand & High Conversions: Amazon has strong consumer trust, leading to higher conversion rates compared to ClickBank’s lesser-known vendor sites.
- Easier for Beginners: Since people already shop on Amazon, affiliates don’t need to “sell” the brand—just recommend products.
- Versatile for Any Niche: No matter what niche you’re in, you can find relevant Amazon products to promote. In contrast, ClickBank is limited to certain categories like finance, fitness, and self-improvement.
- Extended Cookie for Add-to-Cart Items: While Amazon’s standard cookie is short (24 hours), it extends to 90 days if the user adds an item to their cart. ClickBank’s cookies typically last 60 days but only for specific products.
ClickBank Review: Bottom Line
In this comprehensive ClickBank review, we’ve seen that the platform is a strong affiliate network for digital products, offering high commissions and handling payments, but it has drawbacks, such as its fee structure, outdated interface, and issues with product quality.
While still an industry leader, alternatives like AlgoRift offer a modern solution, especially for Amazon-centric businesses, with a free entry point, better network quality, and transparent pricing.
For those dissatisfied with ClickBank’s limitations, alternatives like AlgoRift can be a valuable option, but ClickBank still works well for many digital product creators and affiliates.
To learn about all the top affiliate marketing networks of 2025, watch this video:
ClickBank Review: FAQs
Below are answers to some common questions about ClickBank, its pricing, and affiliate software alternatives:
1. Is ClickBank Free to Use? What Are ClickBank’s Fees?
For affiliates, ClickBank is free to join, as it takes a cut from the sales instead of charging upfront fees. However, sellers must pay a one-time activation fee of $49.95 and a platform fee of 7.5% + $1 per sale. Additionally, ClickBank charges a $2.50 processing fee for payouts and applies inactivity fees if an account has no sales for over three months.
2. What Are the Best ClickBank Alternatives?
The best ClickBank alternative depends on your needs. AlgoRift is a top choice for Amazon sellers and those seeking a modern affiliate tool with no hefty fees. ShareASale is great for physical products, while Amazon Associates offers a vast product selection but with lower commissions.
3. Can Amazon Sellers Use ClickBank?
No, ClickBank isn’t suitable for Amazon sellers since it requires using its own checkout system. Amazon sellers can use Amazon Associates or platforms like AlgoRift, which integrates with Amazon for affiliate recruitment. Some also use referral software or affiliate networks like ShareASale instead.
4. How Does ClickBank’s Refund Policy Affect Affiliates?
ClickBank offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, meaning affiliates lose commissions on refunded sales. Additionally, high refund rates can lead to account suspension, so affiliates should promote reputable products with low refund risks. While great for buyers, the long refund window creates earnings uncertainty for affiliates.
5. Is ClickBank Good for Affiliate Marketing Beginners?
Yes, generally, ClickBank is beginner-friendly, with no entry barriers, instant link generation, and educational resources. However, beginners should choose quality products, focus on niches they understand, and develop a marketing plan to drive traffic. While Amazon is simpler, ClickBank offers higher commissions for info-products and is a solid starting point for newbies.
