Many publishers don’t realize that failing to pay attention to compensation structures when they join affiliate networks can cost them hundreds or even thousands of dollars in potential income.
The key factor is the quality of your traffic. When your audience closely aligns with an affiliate offer, the cost-per-action (CPA), especially given its high conversion value, is often the most profitable choice.
This guide explains the CPA marketing model, highlights the top CPA affiliate networks and programs, and discusses essential software tools for lead generation, tracking, and distribution.
Book a demo to discover Phonexa’s affiliate marketing solutions in greater detail.
With cost-per-action marketing, a performance-driven approach, advertisers only pay when consumers complete specific tasks, such as buying something, registering, or installing an app.
Cost-per-action formula:
| CPA = Total Campaign Spend / Number of Conversions |
| Publishers | Advertisers |
| Higher revenue: Skilled affiliates with targeted traffic can generate higher profits by promoting premium cost-per-action offers. CPA payouts are tied to specific actions and often exceed the value of other models like cost-per-mille (CPM). | Cost-efficiency: To avoid wasting money on clicks or impressions that might never convert, advertisers only pay for verified results. |
| Precise targeting: Knowing the desired action makes it easier to align and optimize your content strategy. | Measurable results: With an action-based structure, ROI can be calculated accurately even before campaign launch. |
| Diverse opportunities: CPA programs cover a wide range of topics, from finance to food delivery, so they can be used to make money with diverse audiences. | Flexibility: You can customize CPA campaigns to optimize each objective, whether you’re looking for leads, signups, or app installs. |
MaxBounty is a leading affiliate network that works with brands like Walmart and McAfee and offers more than 3,000 programs. In addition to using the cost-per-action model, the platform strongly supports its partners with built-in lead management software and robust fraud prevention on both the advertiser and publisher sides.
These are the three best CPA affiliate programs within the network:
| Upstart – HELOC | Acorns Early – Kids Debit Card and App | Aspiration – Climate Friendly Banking | |
| Category | Financial, Loans | Financial, Credit Cards | Financial, Loans |
| Payout type | Fixed | ||
| Target action | Converting a user into a lead | ||
| Commission | $150 | $11 | $37.50 |
Profitise is a cost-per-lead network that operates within the insurance and solar niches and pays per qualified leads and callers while also providing you with dedicated affiliate managers.
Profitise enables you to generate high-quality leads through customized forms provided when you join the network. These forms are designed to create the least friction and achieve higher submission-to-conversion rates. So, essentially, they are performance marketers who have created these tactical forms.
Perform[cb] is an affiliate network that operates multiple major affiliate programs, helping partners earn commissions through various cost-per-action offers.
By joining both programs, affiliates gain access to frequently updated creatives and dedicated account managers. Each program comes with a 30–45 day cookie duration.
Monetise is a CPA-only advertising network with a community of more than 10,000 publishers. Its flagship programs, Consumer Cellular and Lowe’s Hosted Windows, make it especially attractive to home services sector affiliates.
After joining, Monetise’s dedicated managers act as business partners, supporting affiliates with campaign optimization and ensuring compliance.
Call-based campaigns are the main emphasis of the cost-per-action affiliate network DOPPCALL.
Whether you aim to scale an existing call centre or launch a new one, Phonexa’s proprietary solutions can support your growth.
Phonexa’s Cloud PBX delivers a reliable cloud-based phone system, complete with call scoring and tools to boost agent efficiency. Meanwhile, Call Logic offers:
| “You need Phonexa to squeeze the most revenue out of the calls, to monetize them as well as possible, keep fraud out of the picture, and keep everyone happy on both sides of the equation.” – Evan Weber, from Pioneering Pay-Per-Call Excellence |
Take a product tour to see how Phonexa’s tools can help maximize affiliate marketing revenue.
Below are the DOPPCALL CPA offers affiliates should consider:
| Bankruptcy Lawyer Consultation | Home Security Consultation | Real Estate Consultation | Medicare Insurance | Home Security | |
| Category | Legal, Bankruptcy Law | Home Services, Security | Real Estate, Advisory | Healthcare, Medicare | Insurance, Security |
| Allowed traffic | Search, SEO, Social, Display, Native | Search, SEO, Social, Display, Native | Search, SEO, Social, Display, Native | Search, Social, Native, Display, Video, Onshore Transfers | Search, Social, Native, Display, Video |
| Payout | 20% rev share | (20% rev share | 20% rev share | 20% rev share | 20% rev share |
| Daily cap | 10 sales | 10 sales | 10 sales | Unlimited | 100 qualified calls |
With more than a decade of affiliate marketing expertise, Dynu In Media connects 500+ advertisers, 2,000+ publishers, and over 1,000 offers. In addition to dedicated manager support, the platform provides publishers with advanced anti-fraud protection and lead management tools.
Currently, Cat Insurance stands out as one of the most profitable CPA offers on the platform, paying a one-time commission per qualified lead.
Offering detailed reporting, quick CPA payouts, and a wide selection of affiliate programs, Awin provides everything publishers need to grow effectively.
Among Awin’s flagship programs is Credit Karma, which is especially valuable for publishers with finance-focused audiences. Once a lead clicks your affiliate link, a 30-day cookie is set on their device—boosting your chances of earning a commission for each new member and for inactive users who return.
SmartAdv emphasizes close cooperation with its publishers. Its managers are highly trained to support content strategies, thereby improving campaign performance and earnings.
Here are some of the SmartAdv CPA offers:
| Freshia Air Purifier – DTC | Smart Financial – Auto Insurance | Real Estate Bidders – Sell Your House Fast | |
| Category | Consumer Products | Auto Insurance | Home Services, Real Estate |
| Traffic types | Social, Banner, Native, Push, SEO, Search, Brand Bidding | Banner, Contextual, Display, Facebook, Native, PPC, Search, SEO, Social | Banner, Contextual, Display, Facebook, In-App, Native, PPC, Search, SEO, Social, Video, YouTube |
| Payout | Varies | Varies | Varies |
Insurance remains one of the most consistently in-demand industries. Within affiliate marketing, it is not only highly profitable due to generous commissions but also extremely diverse, covering niches such as life, auto, pet, and health insurance.
Let’s examine the top affiliate programs for CPA insurance.
Hiscox is a provider of small business insurance, allowing affiliates to promote its plans. Every quote you make earns you a commission, and Hiscox’s professionally designed banners and text links help you get the most conversions.
Registration for the Hiscox affiliate program takes just a few minutes, and applications are typically reviewed within three business days. Affiliates are urged to contact the company’s dedicated management if they need help.
Insurify, one of the fastest-growing insurance platforms, covers car, home, renters, travel, and pet insurance. Its current affiliate program focuses on car insurance, offering smooth site integration and strong commission rates.
To join the Insurify program, affiliates must email the support team with business information, including their niche and traffic sources.
With over a century of industry experience, Liberty Mutual remains a trusted name in insurance. Its affiliate program includes auto, home, and renters insurance, offering commissions per quote.
By allocating specialized affiliate teams and offering readily usable promotional materials, Liberty Mutual fortifies alliances. Affiliates who achieve exceptional campaign results can also qualify for additional bonus commissions.
Solar power production has grown dramatically over the last five years. This surge highlights the growing demand for solar energy, encouraging installers to attract customers through affiliate programs.
Driven by innovation, Goal Zero has been a solar solutions provider for over 14 years while also supporting vulnerable communities around the world. Its catalogue includes solar panels, power stations, generators, and other clean-energy products. As a publisher, you can promote these items and earn a 10% commission on every sale.
Affiliates partnering with Goal Zero receive banners, tracking links, and an automated product feed. All referrals are supported by a 30-day cookie window.
A1 SolarStore is among the most versatile solar providers, offering panels with different power outputs (380–660W), cell counts (96–156), and applications for homes, boats, RVs, and commercial projects.
A1 SolarStore supplies affiliates with ready-to-use promotional assets and offers one of the longest cookie durations in the industry—180 days. Each qualifying purchase earns you a 6% commission, which is typically approved within 7 days.
Here’s why HVAC stands out as a profitable affiliate niche:
Let’s now examine the top HVAC affiliate schemes.
HVACDirect offers a full range of HVAC solutions, from basic air conditioners to advanced heat pump systems. Its affiliate program pays 5% per sale, with payouts available according to campaign terms.
Affiliates also benefit from real-time reporting and analytics, making it easier to refine strategies and maximize earnings.
Heat & Cool, an authorized HVAC dealer, provides a wide selection of products, including air conditioners, ductless mini-splits, heaters, air quality systems, and spare parts.
The affiliate program pays a 6% commission per sale. Commissions are paid to affiliates based on the value of each customer they refer.
AirFilter.com focuses on air conditioner filters, offering all standard sizes and custom-made options. Affiliates earn a 12% commission on every referred purchase, regardless of the filter type.
Since AirFilter.com does not have an in-house marketing team, it relies on AvantLink to deliver professional promotional materials and support for its affiliate manager.
Cold Air Central offers thermostats, HVAC control systems, motors, filters, and even maintenance tools. Affiliates who sell these items get a 5% commission on each sale.
A major benefit of the Cold Air Central affiliate program is its flexibility—there is no minimum payout requirement, so you can withdraw earnings after your very first sale.
Unlike other appliance brands, Patriot Appliance specializes in installation and maintenance services. Its affiliate program pays a commission for each successful air conditioner installation referred.
There is still strong demand for home improvement services, making affiliate programs in this area useful and profitable.
HUG Hydronics sells in-floor heating systems and also offers step-by-step online courses to help customers with installation.
Affiliates can partner with HUG Hydronics by sharing coupon codes with their audience. You get a 5% commission when a customer uses the coupon to make a purchase.
To fully optimize and scale your CPA affiliate programs and networks, comprehensive software is essential. It simplifies campaign management while enhancing and automating lead management, tracking, and distribution.
Phonexa offers a full range of performance marketing software, including comprehensive solutions that can help you maximize the lead value.
One standout tool is HitMetrix, which serves as an advanced user behaviour recording and conversion rate optimization (CRO) assistant. It captures website sessions and provides video recordings and heatmaps to identify and remove friction points in your funnel.
Email marketers can leverage E-Delivery, a tool that tracks email deliverability, integrates seamlessly with top email service providers, and segments recipients by behaviour. Publishers can use this data, along with embedded A/B testing, to refine email campaigns and increase click-to-open rates.
Book a demo to discover how Phonexa’s suite of tools can simplify and optimize your affiliate marketing operations.
Everflow has been making specialist tools for performance marketers since 2016. These tools are designed to help with CPA-focused campaigns.
Everflow offers several versatile plans for affiliates and marketers:
Backed by a team of over 100 marketing experts, Voluum consistently develops and improves its performance marketing tools to deliver maximum campaign effectiveness.
Voluum’s three main marketing pillars are:
For marketers managing multiple CPA programs, Voluum’s rule-based traffic distribution feature ensures optimal allocation, maximizing overall conversion rates.
CPV One is a cloud-hosted version of the well-known CPV Lab, providing a robust marketing tracking platform for CPA campaigns, organic traffic, email, mobile, and video advertising, retargeting, and additional channels.
The solution collects crucial data using conversion APIs, server-side tracking, and first-party cookies, enabling you to effectively evaluate, test, and improve your affiliate marketing efforts.
CPV One enables advanced testing via MV Lab, which evaluates multiple landing pages from a single URL. Multi-user account access ensures your team can take full advantage of these tools and other platform features.
Keitaro delivers precise campaign insights, removing uncertainty from your marketing strategies. It consolidates data from TikTok, referral links, Facebook ads, and other channels into a clear, user-friendly dashboard.
Below are Keitaro’s pricing options for individual (non-business) users:
| Starter | Advanced | Expert | |
| User Access | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Domains | 1 | 100 | 500 |
| Onboarding | No | No | Yes |
| Landing Page Editor | No | Yes | Yes |
| Admin Dashboard Protection | No | No | Yes |
| Features | Includes traffic tracking and distribution, custom filters, and detailed GEO-based click reports. | ||
Users can request a free trial to test Keitaro’s features before committing to any subscription plan.
Unlike most affiliate solutions that focus on one or two tools, Phonexa’s all-in-one software covers everything from behaviour tracking to AI-driven call agents.
All solutions work seamlessly together, consolidating key data on a single dashboard. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple browser tabs, creating a smooth workflow with fast, effortless results.
| “Having all in one place allows you to give your decision makers and your media buying team the right data – what’s happening and what stuff that’s working they should do more of. That’s the performance marketing logic. But it’s surprising how many systems just don’t allow you to do all of that quickly – spotting issues as you go.” – David Pickard, CEO at Phonexa |
Get Phonexa’s all-in-one performance marketing software suite at a single price:
| LMS Sync | Lead management software |
| Call Logic | Call tracking and distribution platform |
| E-Delivery | Email and SMS marketing platform |
| Cloud PBX | Cloud-based phone system |
| Lynx | Click tracking software |
| Opt-Intel | Suppression list management tool |
| HitMetrix | User behaviour tracking and analytics solution |
| Books360 | Automated accounting software |
Take a product tour to experience Phonexa’s innovative software solutions.
Cost-per-action (CPA) in affiliate marketing is a payment model in which commissions are paid for specific actions, such as purchases, sign-ups, or downloads. This broad term covers models such as сost-per-action, and other performance-based partnerships.
For advertisers, CPA is calculated by dividing the total marketing budget by the number of actions completed. Publishers do not need to calculate it themselves, as the affiliate program specifies the CPA for their earnings.
Effective CPA marketing requires software to track clicks, impressions, conversions, and other performance metrics. Additional tools depend on your business needs—for instance, call-focused publishers can integrate AI call agents to handle calls without expanding their team.
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