5 Best Affiliate Networks for AI Chatbots in 2025

AI chatbots and agents are finally moving from proof-of-concept to real businesses, and monetization can’t be an afterthought. And given that affiliate links monetize the open web - why shouldn’t they monetize AI apps too?

Affiliate marketing in particular (which is the practice of promoting another company’s services and getting a commission for any purchases driven) is an easy way to turn organic text into potential revenue. It’s a bit of a win-win - not only do you make it easier for users to access the goods they want, but you make money from their purchase too.

While there are many ways to monetize AI chatbots — from subscriptions to API access — affiliate marketing stands out because it requires no upfront user commitment and scales with engagement.

It’s a huge market too. Verified Market Research pegs it at a $13B market in 2024, growing to $45B in 2031.

But AI apps are breaking affiliate marketing. Generally these services work off of on-page JavaScript that replaces text with links. That doesn’t work for dynamic, LLM-driven chat conversations.

The good news for AI developers is, affiliate marketing is still possible within AI chats. It just involves finding an API-based affiliate tool.

Below we look at the 5 affiliate solutions in the market that can actually handle chatbot affiliate links.

The Top 5 Affiliate Networks for Chatbots

1. ChatAds - An Affiliate Aggregator for Chatbots

ChatAds is an affiliate aggregator that connects your chatbot to multiple affiliate networks through a single API. Instead of integrating with each network individually, you send ChatAds your message text, and it returns optimized affiliate links from the best-performing partner for that context.

How it works: Send an API request with your planned response → ChatAds analyzes the content and queries multiple affiliate partners → Returns your message with the highest-converting affiliate link inserted → You deliver it to the user.

Unlike traditional affiliate platforms, ChatAds uses your existing affiliate accounts, so you keep 100% of commissions. You only pay for API usage.

Why it works for AI chats

• One integration replaces managing multiple affiliate network APIs.
• Sub-500ms response times keep conversations flowing naturally.
• Automatically selects the best-performing network for each message context.
• Built-in compliance tools for FTC disclosure requirements.

Best for

• B2C chatbots with 100+ daily conversations that lack direct brand partnerships.
• Product recommendation assistants (shopping, travel, services).
• Multi-tenant chat platforms that need universal monetization.

Pricing

• Usage-based API pricing (pay per request).
• Commissions go directly to your affiliate accounts (100% passthrough).
• Integrates with analytics tools for tracking RPM, CTR, and disclosure compliance.

2. Amazon Associates Product Advertising API

Amazon still sets the bar for affiliate reach, and its Product Advertising API makes that catalog available programmatically.

For AI chatbots, the win is obvious: when a user asks for “best standing desk under $300,” you can hit Amazon’s API, pull live pricing, availability, ratings, and even imagery, then wrap the recommendation in your affiliate tag. The API response includes ASIN metadata that’s easy to feed into LLM prompts or function calls, so the model can reason about options before presenting a link.

Why it works for AI chats

• Massive SKU coverage across every consumer vertical.
• Structured data (price, brand, rating, prime eligibility) your agent can summarize.
• Deep-linking with tracking IDs so commissions register even when the user clicks from a chat bubble.

Watch-outs

• Strict policies on how ratings/reviews are displayed. Must mirror the exact copy Amazon provides.
• Commission rates vary by category; some are as low as 1–3%, so layer in higher-paying networks too.
• API access requires qualifying sales: Amazon expects at least three qualifying sales within the first 180 days or your account gets suspended. After that, you need ongoing conversions (typically one every 180 days) to maintain access. Traffic alone doesn’t count. You must generate actual affiliate revenue.
• Approval process takes 1–3 business days after you submit your chatbot URL, and Amazon may review your implementation to ensure you’re not violating their Operating Agreement (especially around price caching and product data usage).
• Image and pricing data expires quickly. Cache responses for no more than 24 hours or risk showing stale info.

Best for

• Consumer shopping assistants, gift guides, “Amazon finds” bots.
• Lifestyle or productivity apps that want a broad fallback catalog when vertical partners are missing.

Pricing and setup

• Free to join; no platform fees or API access costs.
• Commission rates vary widely by product category: 1–3% for electronics and Amazon devices, 4–10% for fashion and home goods, up to 10% for luxury beauty. Check Amazon’s standard commission income rates for your vertical.
• 24-hour cookie window (one of the shortest in affiliate marketing), so conversions must happen quickly after the click.

3. Sovrn Commerce

Sovrn’s Commerce network (formerly VigLink) is a leader for affiliate marketing because it can auto-convert any shoppable URL into an affiliate link on the fly. Drop a standard link (Best Buy, Walmart, Etsy, 30K+ merchants) into your response, pass it through Sovrn’s API or JavaScript service, and it rewrites the destination to include the right ID. No manual partner negotiation required.

Why it works for AI chats

• Link rewriting keeps the chat copy natural; you don’t need to hardcode affiliate URLs upfront.
• Offers a “merchant explorer” API so the agent can choose merchants with the highest EPC (earnings per click) for each query.
• Reliable reporting APIs so you can feed commission data back into your warehouse or feedback loop.

Implementation tips

• Use the Link Optimizer API for server-side rewriting. A typical flow: your LLM generates a response with a standard URL like https://www.bestbuy.com/product/123, you pass it to Sovrn’s POST /api/optimize endpoint with your publisher key, and you get back an affiliate-tracked URL to insert into the chat bubble. The API also returns merchant metadata (EPC, commission rate) so you can choose whether to surface the link.
• Cache merchant performance data from Sovrn’s reporting API (GET /api/merchants) nightly. Store EPC and approval rates in your vector DB or feature store, then use that signal when the LLM is choosing between multiple shopping options—favor merchants that actually convert.
• Add disclosure snippets to every rewritten link. Since Sovrn converts URLs dynamically, you won’t know upfront which are affiliate links, so append a disclosure to any product URL: "Here's the [product link](#) (affiliate)" or use an icon macro. Learn more about affiliate disclosure requirements for AI chats.
• Signup is instant once you’re approved (typically 1–2 days), and there’s no API cost—you just earn commissions when users click through and convert.

Best for

• Chatbots that surface lots of organic URLs (news curators, product roundups, productivity assistants).
• Teams that want coverage across both big-box and niche merchants without individual signups.

4. PartnerStack

PartnerStack specializes in B2B SaaS affiliate and referral programs, which makes it perfect for AI copilots aimed at startups, marketing teams, finance orgs, or dev tooling. Instead of chasing a giant consumer catalog, you get curated access to companies like Webflow, Notion, Aircall, and hundreds of niche SaaS vendors with recurring payouts.

Why it works for AI chats

• High commission rates (often 20–30% recurring) that dwarf typical consumer affiliates.
• Unified reporting + payouts across vendors, so you aren’t juggling dozens of dashboards.
• API access for referral links, lead submission, and performance metrics.

Implementation ideas

• Build a tool catalog indexed by role: Use PartnerStack’s GET /v2/programs API endpoint to pull all active offers with metadata (category, commission structure, trial length). Store that in your chatbot’s knowledge base or vector DB, then when a user asks “best CRM for small teams,” your agent can reason across options and generate affiliate links using POST /v2/rewards/{program_key}/links.
• Push leads via the API for attribution: When your chatbot collects an email during a recommendation (“Want me to email you a setup guide?”), hit PartnerStack’s POST /v2/customers endpoint to create a tracked lead. This locks in attribution even if the user converts days later, and you’ll see the commission tied to that conversation ID in your dashboard.
• Surface social proof from your network: Pull performance data from PartnerStack’s reporting API and feed high-conversion partners back into your prompt context. For instance, if Webflow converts at 18% for your chatbot, the LLM can mention “95% of our users who tried Webflow stuck with it” to build trust.
• Approval is manual—PartnerStack vets publishers to protect brand partners—so plan 3–5 days for onboarding. Once live, most SaaS programs pay 20–30% recurring commissions with 30- or 60-day cookies.

Best for

• B2B assistants, research agents, workflow copilots embedded in tools like Slack or Notion.
• Agencies building AI “consultants” who guide clients toward SaaS stacks.

5. Awin

Awin is a global affiliate network with 25k+ advertisers spanning retail, travel, finance, and telco. The appeal for AI chatbots is distribution: if you operate in multiple regions or niche verticals (e.g., EU fashion, LATAM travel), Awin likely has a program. They also provide a Publisher MasterTag and REST APIs so you can automate link generation and reporting.

Why it works for AI chats

• International merchant coverage, including brands outside the US-centric networks.
• Product feeds and coupons you can dynamically surface inside responses.
• Granular approval workflows—apply to individual advertisers without leaving the dashboard.

Implementation tips

• Sync product feeds via the Publisher API: Awin provides merchant-specific product feeds (CSV or XML) accessible through GET /publishers/{publisherId}/productfeeds. Pull these nightly, parse SKU-level data (title, price, category, commission rate, availability), and index it in your vector DB or tool store. When your chatbot recommends “best travel backpack under €100,” it can query this index, filter by price and region, then generate an Awin deep link using your publisher ID and campaign parameters.
• Use the MasterTag for click tracking: Awin’s MasterTag is a JavaScript snippet that fires conversion pixels, but for server-rendered chatbots you’ll want the Tracking API instead. When a user clicks an affiliate link, log the clickRef parameter (a unique click ID Awin appends), then POST conversion events to Awin’s Server-to-Server API if the user completes a purchase you can track.
• Route by geography: Awin operates regional marketplaces (UK, DE, FR, US, etc.). If your chatbot detects a user in Germany, query only German advertisers (GET /advertisers?region=DE) to ensure shipping compatibility and higher conversion rates. EU programs often pay better commissions for local traffic.
• Approval workflow: After signing up (instant), you apply to individual advertisers within Awin. Some auto-approve in minutes, others take 3–7 days. Start by applying to 10–15 programs in your niche so you have inventory while waiting on bigger brands.
• No platform fees—Awin takes a small cut of your earned commission (typically 20–30% of the affiliate payout), but there’s no upfront cost or API access fee.

Best for

• Travel planners, fashion stylists, finance comparison bots that need EU/UK coverage.
• Chatbots from brands already using Awin for web affiliates; you can reuse the same account.

Ready to integrate affiliate ads into your chatbot?

ChatAds is an easy way to access multiple affiliate partners at once, allowing you to optimize your revenue for any message - whether that’s turning an existing link into an affiliate link, or adding an affiliate link to existing text.

If you’re interested in applying for early access, please contact us here →.