Online course affiliate programs come in two kinds. Learning marketplaces like Coursera (15 to 45% baseline on eligible purchases, 30-day cookie), Skillshare (20%, up to $34 per new customer) and Domestika (40% on first purchases) pay you when learners buy. Creator platforms like Teachable (30% recurring for 12 months), Mighty Networks (30% lifetime) and systeme.io (60% lifetime recurring) pay you when course creators sign up, and that side usually earns far more per referral.
So the first question isn't "which program pays most". It's whether your audience wants to take courses or sell them.
Live table: learning marketplaces
These rows come from the PartnersWatch education directory. Rates are what each brand states on its own partner page. Check the program page before you build around a number.
| Program | Partner types | Terms | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coursera | Affiliate | Baseline 15%–45% on eligible purchases, plus performance bonuses | One-time |
| Udemy | Affiliate | Commission on valid purchases (rates not published) | Revenue share |
| Skillshare | Affiliate | 20% commission, up to $34 per new customer | One-time |
| Domestika | Affiliate | 40% of first-time purchases, 20% on recurring purchases, US$2 per referred sign-up without purchase | Revenue share |
| edX | Affiliate | Commission on verified certificates and paid-only courses (rate not published) | Revenue share |
| Babbel | Affiliate | Up to €75 per Babbel App subscription; €80 per Babbel Live subscription | Flat fee / bounty |
Live table: course and community platforms for creators
| Program | Partner types | Terms | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | Affiliate | 30% recurring for 12 months | Recurring |
| Mighty Networks | Affiliate | 30% recurring for the lifetime of the referral | Recurring |
| Circle | Affiliate | $100 per customer plus 10-20% recurring by tier | Recurring |
| systeme.io | Affiliate | 60% lifetime recurring | Recurring |
| FlexiQuiz | Affiliate | 30% recurring for 24 months | Recurring |
For more, browse every education listing or filter by recurring commission.
Learners vs creators
A learner buys a course or a subscription. If you referred them, you get a percentage of that purchase, sometimes a smaller cut of later purchases, and that's usually it.
A creator signs up for a platform to host and sell their own courses. They pay every month, often for years, because moving a course business between platforms is painful. Members, payment setups, video libraries, email sequences: nobody wants to rebuild all that. Recurring commission on a creator platform keeps paying because creators keep paying.
That's why the creator-platform rates look so much bigger. Mighty Networks pays 30% for the lifetime of the referral. systeme.io pays 60% for as long as the subscription stays active. Teachable pays 30% of the subscription for the creator's first year.
Who do you reach? If you write "best Python course" lists or study guides, you reach learners. If you write about building a coaching business, launching a course, or growing a membership, you reach creators. Most education publishers are clearly one or the other.
Coursera
The Coursera affiliate program pays a baseline 15% to 45% on eligible purchases, plus performance bonuses, with a 30-day cookie. Eligible purchases include courses, specializations, professional certificates and Coursera Plus. Degrees are excluded. It's free to join through Impact.
Affiliates get banners, text links, a weekly newsletter and a product feed updated daily. The feed is the useful bit if you build comparison pages or "best certificate for X" lists, because course catalogs change constantly.
Coursera Plus is the item I'd push. It's a subscription, so the basket is bigger than a single course, and it suits readers who are comparing several programs.
Udemy
The Udemy affiliate program pays commission on valid purchases of courses and subscriptions. Udemy doesn't publish rates on the page. It runs on Impact, supports course-specific, sitewide and custom deep links, and offers publisher-exclusive promotions. Applications are reviewed in three to four business days.
Udemy's frequent sales are both a blessing and a problem. Low prices convert well, but a percentage of a discounted course is small money. Udemy works best for high-volume content: course roundups, skill-specific lists, YouTube tutorials that point to a full course.
Skillshare
The Skillshare affiliate program pays 20% commission, up to $34 per new paying customer, with a 30-day cookie. It's free to join, with monthly rotating offers, a real-time dashboard and monthly payouts.
Skillshare is a creative-skills subscription: design, illustration, video, photography. It suits creators who already make content in those areas. A tutorial on a drawing technique that ends with "the full class is on Skillshare" is a natural fit.
Domestika
The Domestika affiliate program pays 40% of first-time purchases, 20% on recurring purchases, and US$2 per referred sign-up even without a purchase. The cookie is 30 days. Affiliates can promote any course, promo or the Domestika Plus subscription.
That $2 per sign-up is unusual and useful. Most programs pay nothing unless money changes hands. If your audience is large but price-sensitive, those sign-up fees add up while you wait for purchases.
edX and Babbel
edX pays commission on verified certificates and paid-only courses, with a 60-day cookie. The rate isn't published. Affiliates join through impact.com and get a dedicated account manager, a monthly promo newsletter and standard banners. That 60-day cookie is twice Coursera's, which matters for considered purchases like professional certificates.
Babbel pays a flat amount per language-learning subscription: up to €75 per Babbel App subscription and €80 per Babbel Live subscription. Flat fees are easy to model. If you write about travel, expat life or languages, Babbel fits naturally.
Teachable
The Teachable affiliate partner program pays 30% of a referred creator's subscription for their first year, with a 30-day cookie. Tracking and payments run through PartnerStack, and affiliates get dedicated support.
Teachable is a well-known name among first-time course creators, which helps conversion. The 12-month limit is the thing to weigh. If you send creators who stay for five years, you're paid for one of them. Read recurring vs one-time commission for how to compare capped and lifetime deals properly.
Mighty Networks
The Mighty partner program pays 30% recurring for the lifetime of the referral, with no caps or expiry. Partners get ready-made campaigns, swipe files, email templates, graphics, swag, early access to features and a partner network.
Mighty is a community platform with courses built in, rather than a course platform with community bolted on. That makes it a strong pick if your audience talks about memberships, cohort courses or paid communities. Lifetime 30% on a platform people rarely leave is one of the better deals in this space.
Circle
The Circle affiliate program pays $100 per referred customer plus 10 to 20% recurring commission, tiered by yearly customers. There's no commission cap, and affiliates get branded assets and guides.
The $100 upfront is a nice touch. You get something immediately, then the recurring share builds behind it. Circle and Mighty compete for the same audience of community builders, so if you review one, you'll probably review both. Disclose that you're an affiliate of each.
systeme.io
The systeme.io affiliate program pays 60% lifetime recurring commission with lifetime referral attribution. There's no application and no purchase needed. The minimum payout is $30, paid monthly by PayPal or wire.
systeme.io is an all-in-one funnel, email and course platform with a free plan. That free plan cuts both ways. Sign-ups are easy to get, but you only earn when someone upgrades. Lifetime attribution helps here: a free user who upgrades a year later still counts as yours.
FlexiQuiz
A smaller one for education creators: FlexiQuiz pays 30% recurring for 24 months on paid customers, with monthly payouts by PayPal or Stripe. It's aimed at content creators, publishers and educators. If you teach teachers or trainers, an online quiz tool fits alongside course platforms.
How to pick
- "Best courses" and study content: Coursera, Udemy, edX. Coursera for certificates, Udemy for volume, edX for its 60-day cookie.
- Creative skills audience: Skillshare and Domestika.
- Languages and travel: Babbel's flat fee.
- Audience of course creators and coaches: Teachable, systeme.io.
- Community and membership builders: Mighty Networks, Circle.
Creator platforms also pair well with email tools. Every course creator needs a list. Our guide to email marketing affiliate programs covers that side, and how to join a partner program covers applying without getting rejected.
What actually converts
Show the course, not the logo. A review that walks through the actual lessons, with screenshots, beats a list of features copied from the sales page.
For platforms, show the business. Creators want to know what it's like to run a course business on the platform: fees, payment setup, how students log in, how much work migration is. Build something real on it and show your dashboard.
Comparisons rank. "Teachable vs systeme.io", "Mighty Networks vs Circle", "Coursera vs edX for data science". People searching these are close to a decision.
Time it. Course marketplaces run big seasonal sales. Have your pages ready before them, not during.
How we built this list
PartnersWatch lists open partner programs from each brand's own public partner page, with the date we last checked it. We're not affiliated with these brands, and any brand can claim, correct or remove its listing. Terms change without notice, so confirm the current rate on the program page before you rely on it. See how the directory works.
FAQ
What are the best online course affiliate programs?
For learner audiences, Coursera (15 to 45% baseline on eligible purchases) and Domestika (40% on first purchases) are strong picks. For creator audiences, Mighty Networks (30% lifetime), systeme.io (60% lifetime recurring) and Teachable (30% for 12 months) pay more per referral.
How much does the Teachable affiliate program pay?
Teachable pays 30% recurring commission for 12 months on creators you refer, with a 30-day cookie. Tracking and payouts run through PartnerStack.
What does the Coursera affiliate program pay?
Coursera pays a baseline 15% to 45% on eligible purchases such as courses, certificates and Coursera Plus, plus performance bonuses. Degrees are excluded and the cookie lasts 30 days.
Does Mighty Networks have an affiliate program?
Yes. The Mighty partner program pays 30% recurring for the lifetime of each referral, uncapped, with ready-made campaigns, swipe files and early feature access.
Does Udemy have an affiliate program?
Yes. Udemy's affiliate program runs on Impact and pays commission on courses and subscriptions. Rates aren't published on the page, and applications are reviewed in three to four business days.
Which course platform affiliate program pays lifetime commission?
Mighty Networks pays 30% for the lifetime of the referral and systeme.io pays 60% lifetime recurring. Circle pays $100 per customer plus 10 to 20% recurring, and Teachable caps at 12 months.
Can I earn from course affiliate programs without buying the course?
Often, yes. systeme.io, for example, needs no application or purchase. Check each program's terms, since some ask you to be a customer. Reviews based on real use convert better anyway, so trying the product helps.