Ratings and reviews of companies in the traffic industry. Trustpilot for media buyers. This page explains how we calculate the score, how the list of top affiliate programs is built, and what does not affect the ranking. If you are looking for the best affiliate programs, this is what actually sits behind that list.
AffRate is an independent rating of companies in the media-buying industry: affiliate programs, account providers, buying agencies and tools. We publish reviews and calculate a score from them so media buyers and webmasters can choose a partner before they start working, not after.
Anyone can leave a review on a company page: a name or nickname, an overall score from 1 to 5, and a write-up of their experience. The form invites authors to talk about payouts, support and terms - what usually matters to media buyers and webmasters. You can attach up to five photos, such as screenshots of payouts, stats or chat.
A review does not appear on the site right away. It goes to moderation and is published only after it has been checked. Only published reviews count toward the score and the ranking. A company can reply to a review; the reply is shown beneath it.
We do not automatically verify every author's identity. Publication means the review passed moderation, not that we have verified the author's contract or payouts.
To reduce spam, the form is protected: a one-time signature, a minimum fill time, a hidden honeypot field for bots, a limit on the number of links in the text, and rate limits on how often a review can be submitted. Suspicious reviews - filled in too quickly, written in caps, duplicated text, previous rejections from the same address, or an unusual browser header - are flagged for the moderator. The sender's address is stored only as a hash and is not shown on the site.
The AffRate score is the arithmetic mean of all published review ratings on a 1-5 scale, rounded to one decimal place. If there are no published reviews, there is no score. The company card also shows the distribution: the share of reviews for each rating from 1 to 5.
By default, the ranking, including the top affiliate programs, goes in this order:
When sponsorship ends, the company returns to its real place under these rules. On the ratings page the list can also be sorted by number of reviews or by name: that only changes the display, not the score itself.
There are no separate scores for payouts, hold, rates, support or GEO. The author gives one overall rating from 1 to 5 and describes their experience in the text. We ask them to cover payouts, support and terms, but what they write about is up to them.
Sponsored listings are labeled as sponsors and pinned at the top without a place number. This is paid placement. It does not raise or lower a company's score and does not replace the organic ranking. Ad banners on the site are separate placements and also do not affect the score.
An affiliate program card shows the advertiser type: Direct or Resale. The editorial team sets this on the card together with the company. For direct gambling and betting programs, the card may list brands. For resale programs, working countries are not shown on the card. If a program has exclusive offers, the card shows a "Has exclusives" badge.
To correct card details, update terms, or dispute a review, write to cooperation@affrate.media. We will look into the request and, if needed, ask for clarification or supporting evidence.
The score in the affiliate program rating is the arithmetic mean of published reviews on a 1-5 scale, rounded to one decimal place. Unpublished reviews are not included.
Sponsored listings are pinned at the top and shown without a place number on purpose. This is paid placement, not a position in the organic ranking.
No. Paid placement does not change the score. When sponsorship ends, the company takes the place given by the average of its published reviews.
There is no score until at least one review has been published. Companies without reviews come after rated companies, with newer ones first.
Open the company page and click "Write a review". You need a name or nickname, a rating from 1 to 5, and at least 30 characters describing your experience. You can attach up to five screenshots. The review appears on the site after a moderator has checked it.
Write to cooperation@affrate.media. We will review the request and, if needed, ask for clarification or supporting evidence.
These are fields on the affiliate program card. Direct and Resale are the advertiser type. Direct gambling and betting programs may list brands; resale programs do not show working countries on the card. "Has exclusives" means the program has exclusive offers.