Recurring commissions: why SaaS affiliate programs can pay more than CPA
How recurring commissions work in software affiliate programs, how they compound month after month, and what churn does to the numbers, with examples.
Updated on 30 Oct 2026
Most affiliate programs pay once: a sale, a commission, done. Software sold by subscription (SaaS) can pay you again every time the customer renews. That changes the maths of affiliate marketing.
How a recurring commission works
The customer you referred pays every month (or every year). Each time, you earn a percentage of the payment, for as long as the program says: a fixed number of months, or the whole life of the customer.
Software programs often pay between 20% and 30% recurring, but it varies a lot, so read each program's terms.
Why it compounds
Commissions from old customers keep coming while you add new ones. With 25% recurring for 12 months on a 99 € monthly plan, each customer is worth about 24.75 € a month to you.
| Month | New customers | Paying customers | Your monthly commission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 49.50 € |
| 3 | 2 | 6 | 148.50 € |
| 6 | 2 | 12 | 297.00 € |
| 12 | 2 | 24 | 594.00 € |
This assumes nobody cancels, which never happens in practice, and the same two customers a month. It is an illustration, not a forecast.
What churn does
Churn is the share of customers who cancel each month. At 5% monthly churn, the table above grows more slowly: some customers leave before their 12 months are up. That is why programs with sticky products (things businesses run every day, like tracking or accounting software) are worth more than programs where customers try and leave.
Recurring vs a one-off CPA
A program paying 150 € once looks bigger than 25% of 99 € a month. But if the customer stays 12 months, the recurring commission pays about 297 €. The longer customers stay, the better recurring gets; if they leave fast, the one-off payment wins. The CPA vs revshare calculator does this comparison for any numbers.
What to check in the terms
- Duration: 12 months, 24 months or lifetime.
- What counts: only the first plan, or upgrades and extra usage too.
- Refunds and chargebacks: commissions on refunded payments are usually reversed.
- Attribution window: how long after the click a sign-up still counts, and whether free trials are included.
More in how to choose recurring affiliate programs.
Example: RastroAff
The RastroAff partner program pays 25% of every payment, without VAT and including extra usage, for each customer's first 12 months. Free trials count: if someone starts a trial through your link and pays later, the payments count from the first one.