Estimate recurring SaaS affiliate commissions, one-time CPA earnings, EPC and break-even CPC from your own traffic, conversion and customer-retention assumptions.
This calculator is built for affiliates comparing SaaS programs with different commission structures. Use it to test how plan price, commission rate, retention and click-to-paid conversion change the economics before you build a forecast or buy traffic.
SaaS Affiliate Commission Calculator
Estimate monthly commission, lifetime value per click and break-even CPC for a capped recurring or one-time CPA program.
Illustrative model, not market data. Results are before refunds, taxes, traffic costs and other operating costs. Recurring mode converts 12-month customer retention into a constant monthly churn rate, so real early churn can be front-loaded and the true figure may be lower. Check each affiliate program’s official terms.
How to Calculate SaaS Affiliate Commission
For a recurring program, expected commission per referred customer depends on the monthly plan price, commission rate, how long the customer stays subscribed and the program's commission cap. For a simplified model, the calculator converts 12-month customer retention into a constant monthly churn rate and estimates the expected number of paid months inside the cap.
For a one-time CPA program, the calculation is simpler: expected commission per click = payout per sale × click-to-paid rate. For recurring programs, the expected customer commission is multiplied by the click-to-paid rate to produce lifetime EPC.
Recurring vs. One-Time CPA
A high recurring percentage does not automatically mean a higher expected payout. A one-time CPA can produce more revenue per referred customer when the recurring program has low retention, a short commission cap or a low-priced plan. That is why the useful comparison is expected revenue, not the headline commission percentage.
Break-Even CPC for SaaS Affiliate Traffic
In the simplified model, break-even CPC before other costs is equal to EPC. If the calculator shows a $2.00 EPC, paying $2.00 per click leaves no contribution before other costs such as refunds, taxes, traffic operations or other acquisition expenses. A sustainable target CPC needs to be below that ceiling.
Example: $49 Plan at 25% Recurring Commission
Suppose a SaaS plan costs $49 per month and the affiliate receives 25%. The commission is $12.25 per active month. If 40% of referred customers are still paying after 12 months, the calculator estimates expected paid months under the simplified retention model rather than assuming that every customer stays for the full commission cap. This is why a nominal 25% recurring rate should not be treated as $12.25 × 12 for every referral.
What the Calculator Does Not Include
- Refunds and chargebacks
- Traffic and media-buying costs beyond the optional CPC field
- Taxes and operating expenses
- Affiliate-program approval rates
- Changes to vendor commission terms
- Front-loaded churn that differs from the constant-churn assumption
Related AffStudio Guides
Use this calculator together with our guides to affiliate break-even CPC and pay-per-conversion AI SaaS affiliate programs.
