ClickBank vs ThriveCart (2026): which should you pick?

Pick ClickBank if

• Fits if you would rather pay affiliates than run ads
• Works for digital product sellers whose margins can cover a commission

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if your product sells cheap, as the $1 per sale is a bigger bite
• Tight if refunds hurt, since customers usually have 60 days
• Watch out: a competitor's table lists a $49.95 seller fee and a $5 payout fee that the vendor's own pages didn't confirm
• Watch out: the fee is taken before tax and shipping, then affiliate commissions come out of the rest

Pick ThriveCart if

• Fits if you'd rather pay $495 once than pay every month
• Works for course sellers who want checkout, funnels and hosting together

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you need affiliates, dunning or custom domains, which need Pro+ at $87 a month
• Not for you if you just want a simple store page, as it's built around checkouts and funnels
• Tight if you rely on order bumps or a big community: Standard allows 1 bump and 2,000 Academy members
• Watch out: Pro+ bought outright is $790 once and then $295 a year from year two
• Watch out: there's no free plan, and your own Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net fees apply

ClickBank

• The 7.5% + $1 fee is taken before tax and shipping.
• Customers usually have 60 days to request a refund; who covers it depends on RevShare or CPA terms.
• A competitor's comparison table lists a $49.95 one-time seller fee and a $5 payout fee; ClickBank's own pages read here did not confirm them.

ThriveCart

• ThriveCart takes 0% of sales, but payments run through your own Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net account, whose processing fees apply.
• The affiliate center, multiple order bumps, dunning and custom domains all need Pro+ at $87 a month or $804 a year.
• The lifetime Standard licence costs $495 once; Pro+ bought outright costs $790 and then $295 a year from year two.
• Checkout pages offer paid add-ons, such as $69 courses and a $19 one-time offer, which are optional.

ClickBank

Affiliate marketplace

Sellers list offers that affiliates promote; the site says over 100,000 affiliates use it and $7.5 billion in commissions has been paid.

Revenue share and CPA commissions

Sellers can pay affiliates a percentage of each sale (RevShare) or a cost-per-action amount, with refund responsibility depending on which.

Integrated payments

ClickBank is the retailer of record on its sites and handles payments, sales tax and shipping fee remittance.

Offer Studio

Ecommerce features announced for multi-SKU products, native variants, dynamic paylinks and flexible payment options.

Integrations

Its integrations page lists ad trackers, email platforms, membership plugins and Zapier for connecting other apps.

ThriveCart

Checkouts and funnels

Modal, single-page or multi-step checkouts, order bumps, one-click upsells and downsells, and a visual page editor for whole funnels.

Payment options

Cards, PayPal, buy now pay later through Afterpay, Klarna, Affirm or ThrivePay Installments, multi-currency pricing and crypto on Pro+.

Subscriptions

Trials, renewals, upgrades and cancellations, a fixed monthly billing date, subscription bumps at checkout and retention offers before cancelling.

ThriveCart Academy

Courses with drip content, quizzes and certificates, plus branded communities, included with every subscription; limits rise from Starter to Growth.

Affiliates on Pro+

Recruit affiliates, set commissions, track referrals and pay affiliates automatically, with joint venture contracts for partners.

Digital delivery and tax

Instant delivery with expiring download links, plus sales tax calculation and collection with tax-inclusive pricing.

ClickBank

• Seller account$0

  No monthly plan. ClickBank takes 7.5% + $1 of each sale, before sales tax and shipping, then the rest is split between seller and affiliate.

ThriveCart

• Standard$37

  per month, billed annually ($47 monthly)

  Unlimited products and funnels, 1 order bump, upsells, A/B tests, cart recovery, sales tax tools, and Academy Starter for 2,000 community members.

• Pro+$87

  per month ($804 billed yearly)

  Adds multiple order bumps, the affiliate center with automatic payouts, dunning, custom domains, team permissions and the Academy Growth plan.

• Standard lifetime$495

  one-time

  A ThriveCart Standard account for a single payment with no subscription, offered beside the monthly and yearly plans.

• Pro+ hybrid$790

  one-time, then $295 a year from year 2

  Pro+ bought on its own page for a one-time $790, followed by a $295 yearly subscription from the second year.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For high-volume sellers: volume-based processing rates, unlimited team seats, a dedicated account manager, migration and white-glove setup.

ClickBank

No public discounts listed.

ThriveCart

• Annual discount

  Save 20% on Standard with yearly billing

  ThriveCart's checkout lists Standard at $444 a year ($37 a month) as a 20% saving on $47 a month; Pro+ is $804 a year instead of $87 a month.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Standard licence for $495

  ThriveCart sells a Standard account for a one-time payment of $495 instead of a monthly or yearly subscription.

• Nonprofit

  Special pricing for schools and charities

  Schools and registered charities can fill in a form on ThriveCart's site, and its support team will be in touch about special pricing.