Awin vs Rakuten Advertising (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Awin if

• Fits if you want to find publishers to promote you, not just track your own
• Works for brands that can run a self-managed program

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: on top of $99 a month, Access takes 3.5% of every transaction, and Accelerate 2.5%
• Skip it if you can't commit to 3 months, the minimum on Access
• Not for you if you want a lasting price: the page shows promotional $49 and $99 until 30 November
• Tight if you want APIs or automated commission rules, which start at Accelerate with a contact button

Pick Rakuten Advertising if

• Fits if you want a managed affiliate network with strategy support
• Works for brands and publishers ready for a sales contact

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
• Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, because pages point to contact forms
• Watch out: its reach and traffic figures are its own claims and weren't checked
• Tight if you want an API or integrations list: none appears on the listing

Awin

• Besides the monthly fee, Awin takes a tracking fee of 3.5% (Access) or 2.5% (Accelerate) of each transaction.
• Access has a 3-month minimum term.
• The pricing page shows promotional prices of $49 and $99 until 30 Nov; the regular prices are $99 and $199.
• Accelerate is listed with a contact-us button rather than self-serve sign-up, and Advanced has no published price.

Rakuten Advertising

• No price or plan is published; pages point to Get Started and contact forms.
• The homepage headline reads "Rakuten Advertising and impact.com: two industry titans, one unstoppable force", but the pages read do not say how the two companies are related.
• Figures such as reach and traffic rank are Rakuten's own claims and were not checked.

Awin

Partner directory

Advertisers can search a directory of more than one million partners and get partner recommendations.

Campaign tools

Launch and manage campaigns, message partners in a communication center and set up automated partner emails.

Commission rules

Accelerate and Advanced support commission groups by product, category, new or existing customer, coupon code, publisher and more.

Reporting

Accelerate adds journey-path and performance reports and industry benchmarks; Advanced adds custom reports and competitor benchmarks.

Private networks

Advanced advertisers can run a branded private network for managing their own partnerships.

Service choice

From Accelerate up, a brand can run its program itself or buy expert service.

Rakuten Advertising

Affiliate Intelligence

A set of data and AI tools Rakuten describes as helping brands and publishers find partners, forecast and benchmark performance.

Partner network

A curated network of publishers that spans payment programs and influencers, aimed at goals from awareness to loyalty.

Program design

Rakuten says it builds custom, large-scale, long-term programs around a brand's goals.

Strategy and support

Teams of experts work alongside the technology and network to plan and run programs.

Publisher side

Publishers can sign up on the site to join brand programs.

Awin

• Access$99

  per month, plus 3.5% of each transaction

  Self-managed program with partner directory access, a simple dashboard and a 3-month minimum term. Shown at $49 until 30 Nov.

• Accelerate$199

  per month, plus 2.5% of each transaction

  Adds self-managed or expert-run service, APIs, flexible reports and automated commission rules. Shown at $99 until 30 Nov.

• AdvancedCustom

  For enterprises: all platform features, custom reports, competitor benchmarks, branded private networks and unlimited commission rules.

Rakuten Advertising

Pricing could not be confirmed. See rakutenadvertising.com.

Awin

• Other savings

  Promotional monthly fee until 30 Nov

  The pricing page shows Access at $49 and Accelerate at $99 a month, instead of $99 and $199, with a stated end date of 30 Nov.

Rakuten Advertising

No public discounts listed.