Affiliate commission calculator for SaaS
This page supports your affiliate program management setup for SaaS. The right affiliate commission is not a magic percentage. It’s a model: what you can afford, how you handle refunds, and how you keep the program reversible early on.
Safe defaults (founder-friendly)
- • Start with first-payment commission: 15–25%
- • If recurring: cap to 3–6 months (or cap $ per customer)
- • Pay monthly after refund window closes
- • Keep manual payout approval early
A simple “calculator” (mental model)
Your commission should fit inside what you’d rationally pay for acquisition (CAC). If your best paid channel can acquire a customer for $X, your affiliate commission should usually be ≤ $X for the same customer.
Example A
$49/mo plan → 20% on first payment → $9.80 commission.
Easy to budget. Easy to explain. Great for early-stage.
Example B
$99/mo plan → 20% for 6 months → up to $118.80.
Higher incentive, but make sure refunds/churn rules are clear.
Rules that protect you
- • No commission on refunded payments
- • Define payout delay (refund window)
- • Cap recurrence (months) or cap total per customer
- • Document what “last click” means and what counts as a conversion
Where TinyAffiliate fits
TinyAffiliate is built for SaaS on Stripe: last-click attribution, subscription revenue attribution, and manual payouts with a clean CSV export.
FAQ
What’s a safe affiliate commission for SaaS?
For many SaaS products, 15–25% on the first payment (or a capped number of months) is a common starting point. The right number depends on margins and LTV.
Should I offer recurring commissions?
Recurring can work, but it increases long-term obligations. A safer early version is time-bound recurrence (e.g., first 3–6 months) or a cap per customer.
How do I avoid overpaying?
Use caps, define refund rules, and start with manual payout review. Clarity beats “lifetime” promises.
What’s the simplest attribution model to start with?
Last-click attribution is easiest to explain and operate early on.