As a SaaS company, you need to build an ecosystem of resellers, affiliates, consultants, and integration partners to bring your software to new customers. Whether you’re working with influencers, publishers, agencies, or creators, the right affiliate program can turn your audience into your best growth engine.
A well-designed partner program can double your reach, increase revenue, and improve your brand without you having to double your sales team. The trouble comes with the “well-designed” part.
Most partner programs are hard to manage, have unclear incentives, or are built without partner success in mind. But there are ways to design one that affiliates, creators, and influencers will actually want to join and stick with — one that delivers sustainable growth for your brand and lets partners earn predictable recurring commissions on one platform.
Let me talk you through the best SaaS affiliate programs, break down what makes them work, and show you how to build an even better one for your business.
Table of Contents
What Is a SaaS Partner Program?
A SaaS partner program is a way to team up with other businesses, consultants, affiliates, publishers, or creators who can help bring your solution to more customers. Instead of relying only on your in-house sales and marketing, you can create an ecosystem where your partners, clients, and agencies benefit when you grow — and where affiliates can track their performance, manage earnings, and scale on one dashboard.
Most SaaS partner programs fall into these categories:
- Referral programs: Partners introduce your product to their network and audience, and you pay them when the lead converts. Referral programs are one of the most cost-effective ways to drive traffic and acquire new customers at a lower cost than paid ads.
- Reseller programs: Partners sell your software directly, usually with their own services, and earn a revenue share of each purchase.
- Technology partnerships: You partner with other vendors and companies to make your product more attractive and useful to end users, creating new opportunities for both businesses.
- Affiliate programs: Affiliates, publishers, creators, and influencers promote your product through links, content, email marketing, or paid ads and earn commissions on each sale — all trackable on one platform.
- Service partners/consultants: You work with agencies or consultants to help clients implement your platform, expanding your reach into new audience segments and enabling sustainable growth.
6 Best SaaS Partner Programs [Breakdown]
Here are the six best SaaS affiliate programs to inspire your own. Each one has found a way to engage affiliates, creators, and influencers with strong incentives, transparent tracking, and tools that help partners optimize their performance and maximize their earnings:
1. Semrush
Affiliates who join Semrush’s affiliate program arn between $200 and $350 per sale, depending on how many new customers they bring in.
Here’s a breakdown:
- Basic (0-4 sales/quarter): $200/sale
- Silver (5-19/quarter): $250/sale
- Gold (20-49/quarter): $300/sale
- Platinum (50+ sales/quarter): $350/sale
On top of this, Semrush gives affiliates quarterly content bonuses worth $200 to $1,500 for creating high-quality, relevant content that drives traffic and engages their audience. Affiliates also get access to training materials, promotional tools, and — at higher tiers — custom creative assets to help them optimize campaigns and connect with new clients.o build stronger campaigns.
Affiliates need a minimum of 1,000 monthly visitors to join, and websites focused on coupons, cashbacks, or deals won’t be approved. This makes Semrush one of the best SaaS affiliate programs for content creators, publishers, and influencers with an established audience in the marketing or SEO industry. The tiered structure also helps affiliates track their growth and earn recurring commissions as they scale.
2. HubSpot
HubSpot affiliates earn a 30% recurring commission for each new customer they refer (up to one year). The program tiered and gives affiliates, agencies, and creators more opportunities and higher rates as they scale:
- Starter (0-29 signups/month)
- Sprocket (30-99 signups/month)
- Elite (100+ signups/month)
HubSpot also gives affiliates access to ready-made promotional assets like banners, landing pages, demo videos, and ad copy — making it easy for creators, influencers, and publishers to drive traffic and engage their target audience without starting from scratch. Account managers are available at higher tiers to help affiliates optimize performance and expand into new audience segments.
For agencies and affiliates who already work with business clients in the marketing or CRM space, HubSpot’s affiliate program is one of the most reliable ways to earn recurring commissions and build sustained growth over time.
3. Systeme
Systeme affiliates can earn a 60% lifetime commission on every qualified purchase made through their link — one of the most generous revenue share structures in the world of SaaS affiliate programs. That means if a customer keeps paying month after month, affiliates keep earning recurring revenue and can build truly predictable income streams.
Systeme also gives affiliates and creators access to ready-to-use marketing tools like banners, logos, pre-built landing pages, opt-in forms, and tracking dashboards — all on one platform — so they can drive traffic, engage their audience, and optimize conversions with minimal friction.
For influencers, publishers, and email marketing-focused creators, Systeme’s affiliate program represents one of the strongest lifetime value opportunities in SaaS affiliate programs today. The combination of high revenue share, recurring commissions, and lifetime value makes it a standout choice for affiliates who want to maximize their earnings over the long term.
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM that uses AI to help businesses automate their sales pipeline. The company’s affiliate program gives affiliates, agencies, and creators the chance to earn recurring commissions for 12 months for every new paying customer they refer — making it an excellent way to build sustainable growth in earnings.
Commissions are tiered to reward consistent performance:
- Rising Affiliate: 20% commission
- Growth Affiliate: 30% commission (2-5 sales/month for six months)
- Power Affiliate: Custom commission (6+ sales/month for six months)
The program tracks referrals with a 90-day cookie window, giving affiliates and influencers ample time to convert their audience. Payments are processed on the 13th of every month, and affiliates need a $5 balance to withdraw. Pipedrive also gives affiliates access to a complete media kit and a library of ready-to-use banners to help them optimize campaigns and drive traffic more effectively.
For agencies and clients in the sales and CRM industry, Pipedrive’s affiliate program is a leading choice among SaaS affiliate programs — with strong recurring commissions, transparent tracking on one dashboard, and tools to help affiliates connect with the right audience.
5. Moosend
As a Moosend affiliate, partners get 30%-40% commission on the sales they make:
- Bronze: 30% commission
- Silver: 32% commission
- Gold: 33% commission
- Platinum: 35% commission
- Diamond: 40% commission
Much like Pipedrive, the company tracks referrals with a 90-day cookie and sends payouts through PayPal or Stripe once an affiliate’s account reaches $5. Moosend also gives affiliates and publishers access to banners, blog images, and email marketing swipe templates for campaigns — making it easy to engage any audience interested in email marketing tools.
For influencers, creators, and agencies working in the email marketing space, Moosend’s affiliate program is one of the best SaaS affiliate programs to earn recurring commissions and build lifetime value with clients who stick around. The higher rates at Diamond tier also give high-performing affiliates a strong reason to optimize and expand.
6. Rewardful
Rewardful affiliates get a 25% commission on all referred purchases during a customer’s first 12 months. The platform uses a 60-day cookie to track referrals, giving affiliates and creators two full months to convert their audience and earn commissions.
Partners get payments on the first of each month through PayPal once they’ve reached the $50 minimum payout threshold. For agencies and vendors working with SaaS clients, Rewardful is also a compelling tool to launch affiliate programs for their own business — making it both a strong affiliate program to join and a platform to build on.
Also read: check out our full Rewardful review here!
What Makes These Programs Successful?
Not every SaaS partner program is equal, and the difference usually shows in how they treat partners. Here’s why the programs we’ve included stand out:
- They give affiliates clear value upfront. The best SaaS affiliate programs don’t make affiliates guess what’s in it for them. They spell out commission rates, cookie durations, payout schedules, and eligibility so creators, publishers, and influencers can decide if they’ll be a good fit before they invest time and effort.
- They reward growth with higher rates. Tiered structures help affiliates and agencies push harder once they’ve started seeing conversions. The upside grows as performance does — giving affiliates a reason to optimize, expand, and engage their audience more deeply over time.
- They give real support. Most of the programs on our list provide affiliates with resources like media kits, email marketing swipe files, training, and access to community forums. This means creators, influencers, and publishers spend less energy reinventing the wheel and more time connecting with clients and new customers.
- They build loyalty with recurring commissions. A good program keeps paying affiliates as long as their referrals stay subscribed. This creates earn predictable income streams, drives sustainable growth, and motivates affiliates to send quality traffic rather than chasing clicks.
- They set realistic guardrails. Strong programs make it clear who they’re for and who they’re not. While these requirements can feel restrictive, they ensure brands only work with affiliates, creators, and agencies who can actually drive business outcomes — not just traffic.
How to Build an Even Better SaaS Partner Program
If you’re thinking about building your own SaaS partner program, treat it like building a product. Here’s how to launch and optimize it for sustained growth.
1. Decide if a Partner Program Actually Fits Your Business
Not every SaaS company should rush into building a partner program. If your product isn’t sticky or your customers aren’t already recommending you to others, affiliates, influencers, and creators won’t be able to sell what doesn’t naturally sell itself.
Before you launch, make sure:
- You know exactly who your best clients are and why they chose you
- New customers are already signing up without heavy discounts
- Users are recommending you or saying they’d refer you to others
- You can identify the markets, verticals, or audience segments you want to reach
- You have the resources, incentives, and enough margin to support affiliates and agencies
If you can tick these boxes, you’ve got what it takes to attract affiliates, publishers, and creators who’ll see the value in promoting your platform.
2. Put Someone in Charge of the Program
If no one owns your program, it’ll slip to the bottom of your to-do list — and your affiliates, clients, and agencies will end up feeling ignored. You need account managers or a dedicated partnerships team early on to engage partners and track performance.
If you’re just starting out, put one person in charge: ideally someone skilled at building relationships and able to connect with influencers, creators, and vendors alike. Make sure they aren’t operating in a silo — they’ll need input from customer success, marketing, and support to give affiliates the same level of attention as your paying clients.
Not sure where to start? Vivian Agency offers a free personalized consultation that starts with taking this affiliate program quiz to receive tailored insights delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Create a Compensation Plan
Affiliates, influencers, and creators join a partner program because there’s something in it for them. If the incentives feel weak or overly complicated, they won’t bother. Your compensation plan has to do two things:
- Reward affiliates and partners for driving business outcomes
- Make those rewards clear from day one so affiliates can earn predictable income
You could go with a revenue share, tiered commissions, recurring commissions, or perks like co-marketing dollars and free platform access. The key is to be generous if you want to attract high-performing referrals and give creators a real reason to drive traffic to you over your competitors.
4. Build Training and Enablement That Actually Works
Even your most motivated affiliate marketer can’t sell or recommend your product if they don’t understand it. Set up a structured onboarding process that explains your platform, your ideal client, and what success looks like — so affiliates, agencies, and creators can thrive from day one.
Once you’ve got that in place, layer in tools like a partner portal, certification programs, demo environments, and email marketing resources. Build a living knowledge base that stays updated as your product changes, and give affiliates confidence that they’ll always have what they need to engage their audience effectively.
5. Put It in Writing with a Channel Partner Agreement
You need to spell out expectations upfront to protect your business and help your affiliates, vendors, and agencies understand that their efforts will be fairly rewarded. A channel partner agreement sets the rules before anyone starts promoting.
It outlines how referrals are tracked, when commissions get paid, and what happens if something falls through the cracks. For instance, you need to decide:
- Whether affiliates will use trackable links or a deal registration form to claim referrals
- How long after a referral converts should they still get credit
- How to resolve disputes — for example, when a client forgets to use the right link
These details matter. Getting them right prevents misunderstandings that could otherwise create friction with your affiliates, creators, and agency partners down the road.
6. Choose PRM Software that Actually Works for You
You’ve designed your partner program — but you still need the right tools to track referrals, manage payouts, and give your affiliates a one dashboard to see their progress and optimize their performance. This is where a partner relationship management (PRM) platform like Rewardful comes in.
PRM helps you see which affiliates are driving traffic and referrals, how much revenue is tied to those efforts, and when commissions need to be paid out. It also protects your program from fraud, automates payments, and helps you scale without drowning your team in admin.
On your affiliates’ side, it keeps things transparent and lets creators, influencers, and publishers log in anytime to track their numbers, monitor earnings, and engage with your program — instead of chasing your team for data.
7. Share Resources With Your Affiliates and Partners
You’re done building your SaaS affiliate program — but if you stop here, you’ll leave your affiliates, creators, and influencers hanging. Before you finalize your program, make sure you have these tools and resources ready:
- Onboarding guides tailored to different types of affiliates and creators
- Product training that helps affiliate marketers engage their audience with confidence
- Email marketing swipe files, paid ads copy, and sales assets they can use right away
- Channels to help affiliates keep up with platform updates
- Account managers or a point of contact for quick answers
This way, affiliates will feel less like vendors and more like they’re part of your team — which is exactly the kind of community that drives sustained growth and business outcomes that matter.
Let Vivian Agency Help You Build a SaaS Partner Program That Incentivizes People to Sign Up
A well-designed SaaS affiliate program brings in referrals and helps you work with affiliates, creators, influencers, and agencies who want to see you thrive. The challenge is that getting there takes more than software — you need the right structure, the right incentives, and the right partner experience from day one.
That’s where we come in.
At Vivian Agency, we’ve built and managed SaaS partner programs across industries, helping brands launch affiliate programs, optimize for sustained growth, and connect with the right affiliates, publishers, and creators for their audience. Our team of experts can help you:
- Set up a partner model that fits your growth stage and business goals
- Create commission structures that affiliates, agencies, and creators care about
- Develop onboarding experiences that partners actually finish and use
- Build the tools, tracking, and one platform infrastructure that keeps affiliates engaged
If you want to skip the trial-and-error phase, we can help you build a SaaS affiliate program that people want to join, stay in, and actively promote. Book a call with our team or send us a message to get started!
