CPA, revshare or hybrid: choosing a commission model for affiliates
Compare CPA, revshare and hybrid deals: how each pays affiliates, who carries the risk, examples with numbers, and when each model makes sense.
Updated on 30 Oct 2026
The commission model decides who carries the risk of a customer who never comes back, and who wins from a customer who stays for years. The three common choices are CPA, revshare and a mix of both.
CPA: a fixed amount per action
With CPA, the affiliate earns a fixed amount when the customer completes an action: a sale, a registration, a first deposit (an FTD).
- For the affiliate: predictable and paid quickly. Good for media buyers who need cash to buy more traffic.
- For the advertiser: they carry the risk. If the customer is worth less than the CPA, they lose money.
- Protection: a baseline (for example a minimum deposit) so that the CPA is only paid for real customers.
Revshare: a share of the revenue
With revshare, the affiliate earns a percentage of what the customer generates, month after month. In iGaming it is usually a share of the NGR.
- For the affiliate: income that grows with the customer base, but slower and less predictable.
- For the advertiser: low risk, because they only pay out of revenue they actually received.
- Detail to agree: what happens in a month with negative revenue (negative carryover).
Hybrid: a bit of both
A hybrid deal pays a lower CPA plus a lower revshare: for example 100 € per FTD plus 20% of NGR, instead of 250 € CPA or 35% revshare. The affiliate gets some money upfront and still shares in the long-term value.
An example
A player deposits and generates 40 € of NGR every month for 12 months.
| Model | What the affiliate earns |
|---|---|
| CPA 250 € | 250 € once |
| Revshare 35% | 14 € a month, 168 € in a year |
| Hybrid 100 € + 20% | 100 € + 8 € a month, 196 € in a year |
If the player stays two years, revshare pays 336 € and beats the CPA. If they leave after three months, the CPA wins easily. The right model depends on how long customers stay, which is why advertisers watch the LTV of each affiliate's traffic.
Which to choose
- New affiliates or unknown traffic: CPA with a baseline, and a cap.
- Content sites and SEO affiliates with loyal audiences: revshare.
- Proven affiliates who want both: hybrid.
- Top performers: higher payouts through volume tiers.
In RastroAff
Offers can pay CPA, CPL, CPS or CPC, with several goals per offer and payout rules by country and affiliate. For iGaming, RastroAff imports CRM reports and calculates revshare, CPA with a baseline and hybrid deals each month, with negative carryover when the deal includes it. See player value and revshare.