ClickBank vs ShareASale: Which One Should You Join?

With the affiliate marketing industry booming, generating more than $16 billion in annual revenue (Source: Statista, 2023), choosing the right platform is your first step to earning huge income. Two of the biggest competitors, ClickBank vs ShareASale, boast impressive experiences, huge product libraries, and dedicated communities. But who is your perfect partner in this pursuit of profits? This head-to-head comparison by AdsNextGen dives into each platform’s strengths, weaknesses, and hidden treasures, including standout features and payment methods. Finally, you will have a clear overview to choose the affiliate network that suits your interests.

Overview of two platforms ClickBank vs ShareASale

Clickbank

ClickBank is one of the oldest and most famous affiliate marketing networks in the world. This affiliate network, founded in 1998, has been providing digital products and services to affiliate marketers for nearly two decades. The corporation has approximately 200 million users globally and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. ClickBank’s main business is linking product developers with affiliate marketers.

Below are some important features of the ClickBank network:

• Payments are integrated
• Order forms that are personalized
• Access to digital marketing professionals as well as training materials
• Affiliate registration options
• Tools for simple administration
• A straightforward dashboard

The simplicity of the ClickBank platform is one of its finest characteristics. It may be integrated with payment systems and used to pay affiliates with a single click. Furthermore, ClickBank manages all of your financial data, including taxes, so you can concentrate on your goods and networking.

>> Related: 12 Best Clickbank Alternatives for Affiliates [Updated 2024]

ShareASale

ShareASale is a network of affiliate marketers that links merchants with affiliates. It was started in 2000 and has since evolved to become one of the world’s largest affiliate networks. The network, based in Chicago, Illinois, provides a marketplace for merchants to offer their goods and services to a global audience.

ShareASale offers businesses a platform to locate and attract affiliates to promote their products and services. Merchants who join ShareASale have access to a big pool of affiliates who want to promote their products and services.

Here are some of ShareASale’s notable features:

• Reports can be customized
• Allocation tool
• Advanced tracking methods and analytics
• Commissions on a conditional basis
• Pre-selection of affiliates

ShareASale’s attribution choices are one of its main advantages. This application allows you to reward affiliates that deliver certain purchases or traffic to your website. You may also establish conditional commissions and network control incentives.

>> Related: ShareASale affiliate marketing

ClickBank vs ShareASale: Key Comparison Factors

ClickBank and ShareASale are two of the biggest names in the affiliate networking industry, both offering a variety of tools and resources to help you succeed. But which one is the perfect fit for you? Let’s take a closer look at the summary table below:

Factor	ClickBank	ShareASale
Product Selection	Primarily focuses on digital products like ebooks, courses, and software.	Caters to a wider range, including physical goods, travel deals, and subscription services.
Commission Rate	Ranges from 1% to 90%, with an average of 70%.	Varies depending on the product, but typically between 7% and 20%.
Marketing Tools and Resources	Offers basic tools like banners, tracking links, and affiliate training.	Boasts a wider range of advanced resources, including detailed analytics, customizable banners, and merchant recruiting tools.
Payments and Payouts	Payouts occur twice monthly, with a $10 minimum threshold.	Payments are made monthly, with a $50 minimum threshold.
Easy to Use	Relatively simple and beginner-friendly interface.	Has a steeper learning curve due to the abundance of features.
Customer Service and Support	Offers email and phone support, but availability can be limited.	Provides a wider range of support options, including live chat, forums, and webinars.
Pricing	$49.95 one-time fee per product to be listed on the platform and reviewed for approval	$60 one-time fee for merchants to get their products listed on the platform

Product Selection

ClickBank

ClickBank has been in business since 1998, specializing in digital items such as eBooks, software, and courses. As of 2023, ClickBank offers approximately 6 million distinct goods for affiliates to promote, making it one of the world’s largest affiliate networks.

ShareASale

Conversely, ShareASale has been in business since 2000 and provides a range of physical and digital products in several specialist markets, including cosmetics, home goods, and fashion. Over 270,000 affiliate marketers are actively engaged in over 25,000 merchant programs on ShareASale as of 2023.

Both ClickBank vs ShareASale provide a variety of products, suitable for a variety of affiliates, you must choose the best affiliate marketing niches that suit your interests and passions, From there, making passive money from affiliate networks becomes easier.

Commission Rates

ClickBank

In the affiliate marketing industry, ClickBank is famous for offering some of the highest compensation rates. The affiliate commission rates offered by the platform typically range from 1% to 75%, with most merchandise offering commissions of 50% or more. This implies that by endorsing ClickBank items, publishers will make quite a profit.

Since ClickBank commission rates are determined by each product owner, they can vary significantly between products. For publishers, this can either benefit or disadvantage them. On one hand, publishers can make great profits from items that offer great commission rates. However, to get a steady income, they may have to invest time looking for items with high commission rates and may need to market some products.

ShareASale

Comparing the commission rate of ClickBank vs ShareASale, the commission rate of ShareASale is usually smaller. Commission rates offered typically range from 4% to 20%, although certain programs may have higher fees. ShareASale offers a wide selection of goods and services to advertise, including fashion, health, home and garden, and more, even though these prices may be lower than ClickBank’s prices.

Advertising a variety of items at a moderate commission rate is one-way publishers can increase their income consistently, which is a benefit of ShareASale’s moderate commission rate. Furthermore, ShareASale offers an intuitive dashboard, affiliate link generator, and comprehensive reporting capabilities to assist publishers in tracking profits and fine-tuning their campaigns.

Marketing Tools and Resources

The two giants, ClickBank vs ShareASale, both offer a powerful arsenal of tools and resources, but which one equips you best depends on your location, goals, and marketing style. Let’s dive into their affiliate marketing tools and discover a champion for your unique affiliate journey!

ClickBank

ClickBank’s resources focus on digital products like ebooks, courses, and software, making it a haven for knowledge-based marketers. This affiliate network also provides this unique metric that estimates the sales potential of the product, assisting in the selection of profitable promotions. Besides, ClickBank redirects traffic to specific pages in the sales funnel, maximizing conversion rates. What makes them special is that you get access to a library of pre-designed banners, landing pages, and email templates to kickstart your campaign.

ShareASale

ShareASale offers advanced reports like getting insights into traffic, clicks, and conversions with detailed tracking and analytics tools. You can also customize banners and ads to suit your brand and target audience. ShareASale provides a global reach that helps you expand your affiliate network worldwide. What’s special is that the platform integrates APIs to automate tasks and streamline your campaign management.

Payment and Payout

ClickBank

ClickBank is famous for offering its affiliates generous commission rates; Some products can give commissions of up to 75%. Affiliates who choose to receive income by check or direct deposit can choose to receive bi-weekly ClickBank payments. Affiliates can select the “delayed payment” option from ClickBank to receive funds at a later date.

 

ShareASale

In contrast, ShareASale offers a more consistent compensation schedule. Branches have the option to receive payments via check, direct deposit, or Payoneer account. Payments from ShareASale are made monthly with a minimum payment requirement of 50 USD. Affiliates can choose to defer payments until the next billing cycle using ShareASale’s “payment hold” option.

Overall, the compensation structure offered by ClickBank vs ShareASale is competitive; ClickBank offers higher commission rates, while ShareASale offers additional payment options.

Ease of Use

Both ClickBank vs ShareASale are user-friendly platforms, however, ClickBank may appeal more to those looking for a simple interface, while ShareASale has more complex capabilities for beginners. Scroll down and explore deeper!

ClickBank

ClickBank is famous for its user-friendliness and simplicity. Its simple, intuitive user interface helps advertisers manage their affiliate networks and publishers easily choose products to promote. ClickBank’s dashboard is neatly organized, allowing quick access to all important statistics and information. Searching for products is made simple using categories or keywords, and search results can be further enhanced using filters.

ShareASale

In contrast, ShareASale has a more feature-rich feature set that can be a bit intimidating for first-time users. However, it’s simple to browse and locate what you’re looking for once you get used to the layout. You can track performance metrics, view statistics, and manage your affiliate programs using ShareASale’s feature-rich dashboard. To help beginner users, it also offers a lot of tools, such as tutorials and a dedicated support team.

Customer Support and Service

While customer service is provided by both ClickBank and ShareASale, there are key distinctions between the two websites.

ClickBank

Support is available from ClickBank through their Help Center, which includes a contact form to submit support issues in addition to a knowledge base with articles and tutorials. For some issues, they also offer a phone helpline and live chat feature.

ShareASale

ShareASale provides a contact form for sending support issues and a knowledge library with articles and lessons. They don’t have live chat, however, they do have a phone help number. Whereas ShareASale does not specify a time limit for support answers, ClickBank guarantees to reply to support queries in less than a day.

Pros and Cons of ClickBank and ShareASale

ClickBank

Pros: Compared to other platforms, ClickBank goods often have a substantially greater commission rate. This is so because the majority of the goods sold on ClickBank are digital goods. On ClickBank items, commissions range from 75% to 80%. There are several SAAS goods on ClickBank as well. That implies that as an associate, you will get regular income. When an affiliate convinces a consumer to purchase a product, they typically get paid once. However, if you can persuade your clients to sign up for ClickBank’s SAAS firms, you’ll receive a monthly income.

Cons: ClickBank has previously been criticized for hosting products of questionable quality or with misleading claims. It’s important to thoroughly research your product before advertising to ensure you’re providing value to your audience. ClickBank only offers payments via check or direct deposit, which may be inconvenient for some affiliates.

>> Related: Top 15 Best SaaS Affiliate Programs Of 2023

ShareASale

Pros: Unlike ClickBank’s digital focus, ShareASale offers a wide range of products, including physical goods, travel deals, subscriptions, and more. This caters to more niche markets and allows you to find profitable opportunities beyond digital products. For tech-savvy affiliates, ShareASale offers API integration, allowing you to automate tasks and streamline your campaign management, saving time and effort.

Cons: The abundance of features and complex interface can be overwhelming for beginners, requiring more time and effort to learn and navigate effectively. Unlike ClickBank’s $10 payout threshold, ShareASale requires you to reach $50 before receiving payments, which can discourage new affiliates from getting slower initial traction.

Success Stories of Clickbank vs ShareASale

ClickBank Success Stories:

1. Joel Peterson: With ClickBank’s recurring income and successful marketing techniques, Joel Peterson made a staggering $40,000 in just one day. His story demonstrates ClickBank’s huge revenue potential.
2. Shaban Ehsan: Coming from a middle-class Pakistani family, Shaban Ehsan used astute product selection and focused marketing strategies to propel him to the ClickBank Platinum rank and significant revenue. His experience proves that everyone, from every background, can greatly benefit from ClickBank.
3. Ryan Deiss: Ryan Deiss, founder of DigitalMarketer, launched his popular online marketing courses using ClickBank’s affiliate network. His success story proves how well this platform works in promoting educational goods.

ShareASale Success Stories:

1. Pat Flynn: This famous writer and entrepreneur used ShareASale to establish his online presence. He used the platform’s extensive product range and sophisticated reporting features to identify profitable markets and enhance his advertising efforts.
2. Schroeder-Gardner Michelle: Michelle, the creator of Making Sense of Cents, was able to achieve financial independence using ShareASale’s affiliate marketing options. Her experience highlights how to use this platform to generate steady income over the long term and meet financial goals.
3. John Chow John Chow: an experienced affiliate marketer, says ShareASale has helped him grow his company and earn a significant amount of money by partnering with him on many other relationships and merchandise together.

FAQs about ShareASale vs Clickbank

Are ClickBank and ShareASale free of charge?

The setup cost on ClickBank is less than what you would pay on ShareASale. Joining ClickBank as an affiliate costs less than $50, while joining ShareASale will cost you a whooping $550. When you get paid, there is a fee charged by both networks. The 20% cost charged by ShareASale is high compared to ClickBank’s 7.5% + $1 fee.

ClickBank vs ShareASale: which platform is best for beginners?

For those new to affiliate marketing, ClickBank and ShareASale may both be excellent resources. ShareASale offers a greater selection of tangible things, such as apparel, cosmetics, and home goods, whereas ClickBank focuses more on digital products, such as eBooks, courses, and software.

Is ShareASale a good affiliate program?

Yes, ShareASale is a good affiliate program for those seeking diverse products, powerful tools, and global reach. However, the lower average commissions and the somewhat unwieldy interface can pose a challenge for beginners. Overall, it’s a strong option for established affiliates and niche diversity.

Conclusion

As you evaluate ClickBank vs ShareASale, remember that the ‘best’ choice is ultimately the one that fits perfectly with your business goals and resources. Whether you prioritize advanced analytics, budget-friendly options, or a user-friendly interface, there is always a platform ready to help you explore the great potential of affiliate marketing. `Take your time and research carefully based on the factors that AdsNextGen has provided to make the best decision for you. Do you have any questions about affiliate platforms? Please leave a comment in the chat box below!

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