ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program: Complete Review & Guide 2025

ActiveCampaign’s affiliate program is one of those rare opportunities that actually makes sense for long-term income. They offer up to 30% recurring commissions, which means you’re not just making money once—you’re getting paid every month as long as your referrals stick around.

With over 180,000 businesses using their platform, you’re promoting something people actually want. But here’s the thing: you need to have an ActiveCampaign account to join. That might sound annoying, but it also means you’ll know what you’re talking about when you promote it.

ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program Commission Rates

The commission structure isn’t your typical flat-rate deal. ActiveCampaign uses a tiered system that rewards you for bringing in quality customers who stick around. Your commission rate depends on how much monthly recurring revenue (MRR) you generate from active referrals.

It’s actually pretty smart when you think about it. Instead of just rewarding you for volume, they’re paying you more when you refer customers who actually use and value the platform.

Base Commission Structure

There are three tiers, and you start at the bottom—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Silver Tier gets you 20% commission and kicks in when you’ve referred $100 worth of new business in the last three months. Not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s a solid start.

Gold Tier bumps you up to 25% once you hit $500 in total active accounts or $100 in new referrals over three months. Platinum Tier is where things get interesting—30% commission when you reach $2,000 in total active MRR or $500 in new monthly revenue over three months.

Recurring vs One-Time Payments

Here’s where ActiveCampaign really shines compared to other programs. You get paid the same commission rate every single month that your referrals stay subscribed. No declining rates, no “first month only” nonsense.

Think about it: if you refer someone paying $200 monthly and you’re at the 30% tier, that’s $60 every month for as long as they stay a customer. Some customers stick around for years. That adds up fast.

Bonus Payments & Incentives

ActiveCampaign doesn’t do traditional bonuses, but their tier system kind of works like one. When you move up a tier, your commission rate increases on all your existing customers too—not just new ones.

So if you’ve got 20 customers generating commissions at 20%, and you hit Gold tier, suddenly you’re earning 25% on all of them. It’s like getting a retroactive raise on work you’ve already done.

Realistic Earning Examples

Let’s get specific. Say you refer someone to their Professional plan at $386 monthly. At Platinum tier, you’re looking at $115.80 every month. Not bad for one referral.

ActiveCampaign says their affiliates average $1,350 per referral when you factor in lifetime value. That sounds optimistic, but even if you hit half that number, you’re doing pretty well.

How to Join the ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program

Getting started is surprisingly quick—they claim the application takes under two minutes. But remember, you need an ActiveCampaign account first. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to sign up and probably pay for at least a month to show you’re serious.

The upside? You’ll actually understand the product you’re promoting. Nothing worse than trying to sell something you’ve never used.

Step 1: Visit the Affiliate Program Page

Head to activecampaign.com/partner/affiliate and look for the “Join the Affiliate Program today” button. Pretty straightforward stuff. Take a few minutes to read through their terms while you’re there—it’ll save you headaches later.

Step 2: Complete the Application Form

You’ll need your ActiveCampaign account URL and admin password. They want to verify you’re actually using their platform, which makes sense from their perspective.

The form asks for basic business info too. Nothing too invasive, but they want to know what kind of audience you’re planning to target.

Step 3: Wait for Approval (Timeline)

Most applications get reviewed within 1-3 business days. They’re looking at things like whether your audience actually matches their target market and if your content quality meets their standards.

If you’ve got a marketing blog or work with small businesses, you’ll probably sail through. If you’re running a food blog, well, that might be a tougher sell.

Step 4: Access Your Affiliate Dashboard

Once approved, you get access to their affiliate portal. It’s actually pretty comprehensive—real-time analytics, commission tracking, promotional materials. The usual stuff, but done well.

The dashboard shows you everything from click-through rates to conversion data. Useful for figuring out what’s working and what isn’t.

Step 5: Generate Your Affiliate Links

Your unique affiliate link sits right at the top of the dashboard. Copy it, bookmark it, whatever you need to do. You can create different variations for tracking different campaigns if you want to get fancy about it.

Step 6: Start Promoting and Earning

Now comes the real work. Focus on educational content—tutorials, comparisons, case studies. People buying business software want to understand what they’re getting into.

Don’t just throw affiliate links everywhere and hope for the best. That rarely works with higher-priced software like this.

ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program Requirements

ActiveCampaign isn’t looking for just anyone to promote their product. They want affiliates who can actually drive quality traffic and create meaningful content. Makes sense when you’re dealing with business software that costs hundreds per month.

Website & Traffic Requirements

You need some kind of online presence—website, blog, social media profile, something. They don’t publish specific traffic numbers, but having an established audience definitely helps your approval odds.

If you’re writing about marketing, business tools, or working with small businesses, you’re probably in good shape. Random lifestyle bloggers might struggle to get approved.

Content Quality Standards

They want to see quality content that’s relevant to their audience. Think marketing automation tutorials, CRM comparisons, business growth strategies—that kind of thing.

Your content doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should show you understand the business software space. A few well-written posts about email marketing or customer management go a long way.

Geographic Restrictions

Good news here—there aren’t any. You can be anywhere and promote to anyone. That’s pretty rare with affiliate programs, especially ones that pay decent commissions.

Whether you’re in the US, Europe, Asia, wherever, you get the same commission rates as everyone else.

Prohibited Promotional Methods

Standard stuff: no spam, no misleading ads, no bidding on their branded keywords in Google Ads. They want ethical promotion that actually helps potential customers make informed decisions.

Social media, content marketing, honest paid advertising—all fair game. Just don’t be shady about it.

ActiveCampaign Affiliate Payment Terms

Payment terms can make or break an affiliate program. ActiveCampaign’s setup is pretty standard for the software industry, but there are a few quirks worth knowing about.

Payment Methods Available

PayPal only. That’s it. No direct deposit, no checks, no other options. For most people this isn’t a big deal, but if you don’t have PayPal or live somewhere with PayPal restrictions, you’re out of luck.

Make sure your PayPal account can receive business payments before you get too excited about those commission projections.

Payment Schedule & Timing

Here’s where things get a bit slow. They hold your commissions for 60 days after the customer signs up, then pay within 30 days of month-end. So you’re looking at roughly 90 days from signup to payment.

The delay makes sense—they want to account for refunds and chargebacks. But it means your cash flow planning needs to factor in this lag time.

Minimum Payout Threshold

You need at least $100 in commissions and a minimum of two referrals before they’ll pay you. The two-referral requirement is interesting—it prevents people from just referring themselves or one friend and cashing out.

Once you hit the threshold, payments process on the first of each month.

Cookie Duration & Commission Processing

90-day cookie duration is pretty generous. If someone clicks your link and doesn’t buy for two months, you still get credit when they finally sign up.

Just remember—you won’t get paid for refunded accounts or customers who pay with ActiveCampaign credit. Fair enough.

ActiveCampaign Affiliate Resources & Support

One thing ActiveCampaign does well is giving affiliates actual useful resources. Not just generic banners and call-to-action buttons, but stuff you can actually use to create compelling content.

Available Creative Assets

You get access to professionally designed graphics, videos, and other promotional materials. The quality is pretty solid—these aren’t thrown-together amateur graphics that scream “affiliate link.”

They update the resource library regularly, so you’re not stuck promoting with outdated materials. Small thing, but it matters when you’re trying to look professional.

Email Templates & Swipe Copy

Pre-written email sequences and promotional copy are available, though you’ll want to customize them for your audience. Nobody wants to read the same generic affiliate email that everyone else is sending.

The templates cover different customer types and use cases, which is helpful for targeting your specific audience segment.

Support & Training Resources

Regular webinars, best practice guides, and access to their affiliate community. High-performing affiliates can get one-on-one consultation, which is a nice touch.

The support team is responsive when you have questions. Not 24/7 instant chat, but reasonable response times for most issues.

ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program Pros & Cons

Let’s be honest about what works and what doesn’t with this program. Every affiliate opportunity has trade-offs, and ActiveCampaign is no exception.

Advantages of the Program

The recurring commission structure is the biggest win here. Once you build up a base of referrals, you’ve got monthly income that doesn’t require constant new sales to maintain.

The 90-day cookie duration gives you plenty of time for conversions. Business software sales cycles are longer than consumer products—people need time to evaluate options and get budget approval.

No geographic restrictions means you can target the best markets for your content, regardless of where you live.

Potential Drawbacks

Having to be an ActiveCampaign customer to join is probably the biggest barrier. If you’re already using a different email platform or don’t want to commit to their pricing, this could be a deal-breaker.

PayPal-only payments limit your options. And starting at 20% commission isn’t terrible, but some competitors offer higher entry-level rates.

The 60-day payment hold means slower cash flow, especially when you’re just getting started.

Who Should Join

Marketing consultants, business coaches, and content creators focused on small business audiences are ideal candidates. If you’re already talking to people who need better email marketing and automation, this is a natural fit.

Experienced affiliates who prefer building long-term passive income over quick commission hits will appreciate the recurring structure.

Who Should Skip This Program

If you want immediate high commissions without platform investment, look elsewhere. Beginners who prefer simple commission structures might find the tiered system confusing at first.

Consumer-focused content creators will struggle with audience alignment. ActiveCampaign is business software—your audience needs to be business owners or marketers.

ActiveCampaign Affiliate Program FAQs