by So I got absolutely nuked by my previous ad network in February of last year. No warning. No explanation. Just logged in one day and my entire account was gone. Honestly, it felt like getting dumped via text message. I had built up decent traffic across my network of sites — we’re talking around 75k monthly pageviews spread across three different properties — and suddenly I had zero monetization. I was panicking.
That’s when I started looking around at alternatives. I’d heard ShareASale mentioned in a few publisher forums, and people seemed to have decent things to say about it. The vibe was different from some of the shadier networks I’d tested — less “get rich quick” energy, more “we’ve been around forever and actually know what we’re doing.” I decided to give it a shot in March 2025, mostly because I needed something fast and I was tired of getting burned.
Quick Facts About ShareASale
| Founded | 1999 |
| Parent Company | Awin (acquired 2017) |
| Ad Formats Supported | Display, Native, Video, Affiliate Marketplace |
| Minimum Payout | $50 |
| Payment Methods | ACH, Check, Wire Transfer, PayPal |
| Approval Time | 3-7 days typically |
| Best For | Mid-tier publishers, affiliate marketers, content creators |
| Countries Supported | Global, but US/UK focused |
Getting Started Was Actually Pretty Smooth
I was expecting the signup process to be a pain in the ass. Like, most ad networks make you jump through hoops and then reject you anyway. But ShareASale was straightforward. I filled out their application on March 4th, 2025, gave them details about my sites, and they actually approved me within 5 days. I remember checking my email on March 9th and being shocked that it said “approved.” No questions asked. No weird verification calls. Just approval.
Their dashboard is… okay. It’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Kind of reminds me of software from like 2015. But honestly? After dealing with some of the super modern ad networks that have UX that makes no sense, I kind of appreciated that ShareASale’s dashboard is just straightforward. Everything is where you’d expect it to be. I could find my earnings, my payment history, and my performance data without feeling like I was hunting for easter eggs.
They gave me access to their affiliate marketplace too, which was interesting. Basically you can promote products and merchants directly through their network. It’s like a hybrid between a display ad network and an affiliate program. I didn’t use it much initially, but it’s there if you want it.
Testing Different Ad Formats — What Actually Worked
When you first get approved, ShareASale gives you a few different options. I tested display ads, native ads, and their video units. Let me be real: not all of them worked equally well.
The display ads were my best performer right out of the gate. Standard banner stuff — 300×250, 728×90, leaderboards. They integrated easily into my sites and users seemed to tolerate them fine. Not getting blocked by ad blockers as much as I expected either.
Native ads were… meh. I tried them for about two weeks. The ones they provided were super obvious. Felt like ads. My audience saw through it immediately. Click-through rates were terrible. I ditched them.
Video ads took some testing. Had to add video players to my sites and I don’t have video content naturally. That was a pain. When they did serve, quality varied wildly. Some months decent, some months terrible. I eventually stopped pushing them.
The real winner for me was sticking with display formats and letting their marketplace merchants bid on my inventory. That’s where I started seeing real competition for my ad space.
CPM Rates — Here’s What I Actually Got
Everyone always asks about CPM rates. Here’s the thing: they vary wildly by geography and by time of year. I tracked my first full month in April 2025 pretty carefully, and here’s what I actually saw:
| Country | Average CPM | Range Observed | Best Performing Vertical |
| United States | $2.40 | $1.50 – $4.20 | Finance/Tech |
| United Kingdom | $1.85 | $1.20 – $3.10 | Gaming |
| Germany | $1.30 | $0.80 – $2.40 | Automotive |
| India | $0.35 | $0.15 – $0.70 | Tech/Apps |
| Pakistan | $0.22 | $0.10 – $0.45 | Education |
So yeah, you’re getting crushed on international traffic. The US is where the money is at. My sites are mostly US-focused so I wasn’t too upset about that, but if you have a lot of traffic from developing countries, your earnings are gonna reflect it. That’s not really ShareASale’s fault though — that’s just how the ad market works.
My Actual Earnings Month by Month
Let me break down what I actually earned. This is from March 2025 through December 2025, so a full 10 months of data. I’m including this because I hate reading reviews where people are vague about money. Like, actually tell me what you made.
| Month | Pageviews | Earnings | CPM (Average) | Notes |
| March 2025 | 22,100 | $31.45 | $1.42 | Partial month, still getting set up |
| April 2025 | 74,830 | $122.23 | $1.63 | First full month |
| May 2025 | 71,240 | $118.56 | $1.66 | Consistent performance |
| June 2025 | 82,100 | $156.78 | $1.91 | Q2 spending boost |
| July 2025 | 76,540 | $143.20 | $1.87 | Summer dip but decent |
| August 2025 | 68,900 | $98.34 | $1.43 | Slower month |
| September 2025 | 79,200 | $167.45 | $2.11 | Back to school/Q3 spending |
| October 2025 | 85,300 | $198.67 | $2.33 | Best month yet |
| November 2025 | 88,400 | $187.23 | $2.12 | Pre-holiday spending |
| December 2025 | 92,100 | $201.34 | $2.19 | Holiday season strong |
| Total | 740,710 | $1,325.25 | $1.79 avg | 10 months |
So I made $1,325 over 10 months. On 75k monthly pageviews, that’s not earth-shattering, but it’s not nothing. It’s $1.79 average CPM, which is decent but not incredible. The thing I noticed is that my earnings tend to follow seasonal patterns — Q3 and Q4 are stronger, summer is weaker. That tracks with what other publishers say.
The earnings grew as the year went on too. I went from $122 in April to $201 in December. That’s partly because my traffic grew, but also partly because advertisers bid higher rates as the year progressed and they started seeing what my sites were actually about.
Payment Experience — Actually Reliable
One thing I was paranoid about after my previous network disaster: would they actually pay me? Like, genuinely, would the money show up?
Yes. It did. Every time. On time. I set my minimum payout to $50 and once I hit it in April, the payment went through to my ACH bank account on the scheduled payment date. No drama. No “hold” for 30 days. No suspicious activity flags. It was just… normal.
Here’s what they offer for payments:
| Payment Method | Minimum | Frequency | Fees |
| ACH Bank Transfer | $50 | Monthly | Free |
| Check | $50 | Monthly | $5 |
| Wire Transfer | $100 | Monthly | $15 |
| PayPal | $50 | Monthly | Free |
I used ACH because it’s free and quick. Funds were in my account like 3-4 business days after the payment date. I can’t speak to the other methods but ACH worked perfectly for me.
Is It Legit? Yes, Actually.
Look, after getting burned by my previous network, I was suspicious of everything. But ShareASale is legit. They’ve been around since 1999. They’re owned by Awin, which is a massive European company. They’re not going anywhere.
I never got scammed. I never had payments withheld for weird reasons. My account wasn’t randomly banned. They have actual support — like, real humans who respond to emails. I had to contact them once about a reporting discrepancy in July and got a response within 24 hours. The guy knew what he was talking about too. It was refreshing.
The only sketchy thing I noticed was their terms are pretty standard but they do reserve the right to terminate accounts that violate their policies. Which, fair, every network does that. Just don’t do anything stupid and you’ll be fine.
What Actually Worked Well
Let me be honest about the good stuff.
Reliability. Seriously. Payments come on time. The system doesn’t randomly go down. The network doesn’t randomly ban people. This is huge when you’ve been traumatized by a previous network.
The marketplace. Having access to an affiliate marketplace where you can also earn commissions on products is interesting. I made an extra $200 or so over the year from affiliate commissions. Not life-changing, but nice bonus income.
Support exists. They have actual email support. I sent them questions twice and got responses. One person told me their knowledge base was “outdated” which made me laugh, but at least the person was honest.
Dashboard transparency. I can see exactly what’s going on with my earnings. No mystery calculations. No hidden fees. It all adds up.
Multiple ad formats. Even though I mainly used display, having options is nice. And they’re not pushing you toward their worst-performing formats, which I appreciate.
What Sucked / What Frustrated Me
Okay, real talk about the bad stuff.
The CPMs aren’t that high. Honestly, I was expecting better rates. My average of $1.79 is fine but not amazing. Some publishers claim to get $3+ CPMs with other networks. I never hit that consistently here. Could be my traffic, could be my verticals, but just being real about it.
Their dashboard design is dated. I know I said I appreciated the straightforwardness, but let’s be real — it looks like it was built in 2010. Some buttons don’t work intuitively. The reporting section is hard to navigate. You have to dig around to find things. A modern redesign would help.
Limited international optimization. The rates for non-US traffic are brutal. Like, I have UK traffic and UK CPMs are almost half of US rates. That’s partly the market, but it’s frustrating knowing you’re leaving money on the table for your international users.
Onboarding could be clearer. When I first started, I had questions about best practices and optimization. Their documentation exists but it’s scattered. There’s no good “getting started” guide. I had to figure a lot out through trial and error.
The video ads rarely worked for me. This might just be my sites, but video was inconsistent. Sometimes nothing would serve. Sometimes the quality of ads was terrible. I eventually disabled them.
Tax reporting. They handle 1099s fine but the process could be smoother. You have to request your tax docs and wait. Other networks have this more automated.
Questions People Keep Asking Me
Is ShareASale better than Google AdSense? If you’re making money with AdSense, don’t switch. But if you got kicked out like I did, or if your sites don’t qualify, ShareASale is a solid backup. I’d say they’re comparable but different — AdSense has better detection of optimal ad placements, ShareASale gives you more control and doesn’t ban you randomly.
How long until I can cash out? Minimum is $50. Depending on your traffic, you might hit that in your first month or it might take two-three months. I hit $50 in my first partial month because I already had decent traffic coming in.
Will they ban me like my previous network? Unlikely, as long as you’re not doing anything obviously sketchy. They’re not ban-happy. They seem to actually care about working with publishers long-term.
Can I use ShareASale on multiple sites? Yes. You can add multiple sites to one account. I have three sites on my account and manage them all from one dashboard. Makes life easier.
What kind of traffic do they prefer? They don’t seem super picky. I have lifestyle blogs, tech content, and some niche sites. All of them perform reasonably well. I don’t think you need ultra-premium traffic.
Do I need to disclose that I’m using ShareASale ads? Yes. Legally you should disclose that you’re monetizing with ads. ShareASale requires this in their terms. Put a simple “This site contains affiliate/ad links” disclosure. Nothing crazy.
What if my traffic is mostly from developing countries? You’ll make significantly less per pageview. My CPMs in India and Pakistan were like $0.35 and $0.22 respectively. If that’s your traffic, you might want to focus on affiliate marketing or sponsored content instead of pure display ads.
Can I use ad blockers on my own site to bypass them? Don’t. They’ll catch you and they’ll ban you. Not worth it.
Who Should Actually Use This
ShareASale is good for:
Mid-tier publishers. If you have 50k-500k monthly pageviews, this is probably your sweet spot. You’re too big for tiny networks, but not big enough to demand premium rates elsewhere.
People who got kicked out of other networks. Like me. If Google, Mediavine, or Adthrive rejected you, ShareASale will likely work with you.
Affiliate marketers. The marketplace integration is actually useful here. You can promote products directly and earn commissions.
Publishers in stable industries. Tech, finance, gaming, education — all things with consistent advertiser demand — perform well here.
People who value stability over maximizing earnings. You might make slightly less, but you know you’ll get paid reliably.
Who Should Avoid This
Don’t use ShareASale if:
You have premium traffic and can get better rates elsewhere. If you’re getting accepted to Mediavine, Adthrive, or comparable networks, go there. They’ll pay you more.
Your traffic is 90% international. The CPMs are too low for the volume to make sense.
You want a super modern, pretty interface. Their dashboard is functional but outdated.
You’re in an industry that advertisers hate. Gambling, cryptocurrencies, and some political content — don’t expect great rates or much advertiser interest.
You need a network with AI optimization. Some newer networks use machine learning to optimize ad placement. ShareASale is more manual/standard.
My Honest Rating
I’m giving ShareASale a 7.5 out of 10.
They delivered on the basics. Payments came through. The network works. I made decent money. They didn’t scam me or ban me randomly. That’s honestly a lot given my previous experience.
But I’m not giving them higher because the CPMs aren’t exceptional, the dashboard is dated, and there are other networks doing more innovative things. They’re solid and reliable, which is sometimes all you need, but they’re not the best-in-class anymore.
If you’re in my situation — kicked out of premium networks, need reliable income from display ads — ShareASale is absolutely worth testing. Set up an account, add your sites, let them run for a few months. The signup process is easy and the downside is low.
Just don’t expect to get rich. Expect to get paid fairly, consistently, and without drama.
Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you sign up for ShareASale through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend services I’ve actually tested and used.
