Calculate affiliate commissions and effective CAC. Enter sale amount and commission rate to see total payout, per-sale cost, and net profit after commissions.
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based channel where you pay commissions only when a sale occurs. This makes it one of the most predictable acquisition channels, but commission rates must be set carefully to maintain profitability.
This calculator takes your total affiliate sales, commission rate, and product cost to compute total commissions paid, effective CAC per affiliate customer, and net profit after commissions. It helps you set commission rates that are attractive enough to motivate affiliates while preserving your margins.
Most e-commerce affiliate programs offer 5–30% commission depending on the industry and product margins. The key is ensuring that your commission rate plus COGS plus fees leaves enough margin for a healthy profit per order. Whether you are a beginner or experienced professional, this free online tool provides instant, reliable results without manual computation. By automating the calculation, you save time and reduce the risk of costly errors in your planning and decision-making process.
Affiliate commissions are a direct cost of acquisition. This calculator helps you set rates that motivate affiliates without destroying margins. Use it to model different rates, compare affiliate CAC to other channels, and plan your affiliate program budget. Having a precise figure at your fingertips empowers better planning and more confident decisions.
Commission per Sale = Sale Amount × Commission Rate Total Commissions = Total Sales × Commission Rate Effective CAC = Total Commissions / Number of Sales Net Profit = Total Sales − COGS − Total Commissions
Result: Total Commissions: $7,500 | Effective CAC: $15.00 | Net Profit: $27,500
Total commissions = $50,000 × 15% = $7,500. Effective CAC = $7,500 / 500 = $15.00 per sale. COGS = 500 × $30 = $15,000. Net profit = $50,000 − $15,000 − $7,500 = $27,500. The affiliate CAC of $15 is competitive with most paid channels.
Start with your margin structure. If gross margin is 60%, you can afford 15–25% commissions and still maintain healthy profit. If margin is 30%, commissions above 10% may squeeze profitability. Always model the full unit economics: revenue minus COGS minus commission minus payment processing minus shipping.
Reward top affiliates with escalating rates: 10% base, 15% after $5K monthly sales, 20% after $20K. This incentivizes volume and retains your best partners. It also makes your program more attractive to professional affiliates who drive significant volume.
Affiliates are risk-free acquisition (pay only for results) while paid ads require upfront spending with uncertain returns. However, ads offer more control over volume and targeting. The optimal mix typically allocates 60–70% to paid and 30–40% to affiliate/influencer for DTC brands.
Rates vary by industry: digital products 30–50%, fashion and beauty 10–20%, electronics 2–8%, health and wellness 15–30%. Higher-margin products can support higher rates. The rate must be attractive enough to motivate affiliates while maintaining your profitability.
Affiliate CAC is purely performance-based — you only pay when a sale occurs. Regular CAC includes costs even when no sale results (ad impressions, team salaries). This makes affiliate CAC more predictable but often higher per sale than well-optimized paid ads.
Percentage commissions scale naturally with order value and are simpler to manage. Flat-rate commissions work better when AOV varies widely or when you want predictable per-order costs. Some programs use hybrid models with a base flat rate plus percentage bonus.
Exclude known coupon sites from your affiliate program or set them to a lower commission rate. Use first-click attribution instead of last-click. Monitor for affiliates that only capture bottom-of-funnel customers who were already going to purchase.
Popular platforms include ShareASale, Impact, CJ Affiliate, Rakuten, and PartnerStack. Shopify has Collabs. Many brands also run direct affiliate programs using Refersion, GoAffPro, or custom tracking. Platform fees typically range from 2–5% of commissions.
Standard cookie duration is 30 days. Premium programs offer 60–90 days. Shorter cookies reduce attribution to affiliates but may demotivate partners. Longer cookies give affiliates more credit but can inflate attributed sales. 30 days is a fair middle ground for most products.