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Affiliate networks

Impact vs CJ

How the affiliate networks impact.com and CJ Affiliate compare for brands and publishers, and where an offer network that charges per install, sale or event fits.

By Cole Warner, Co-Founder at AffiliateOS Facts checked 11 sources

We make AffiliateOS, the third column on this page. Facts about the other two are sourced in the table, the text and the list below.

The short answer

  • Choose impact.com if

    you sell online and want prices you can read before a call, with affiliates, creators and referrals in one platform.

    you want to apply to many brand programs at once, up to 10 in one action, across retail and creator programs.

  • Choose CJ if

    you're a large retail, travel or finance brand that wants managed service and a compliance review of every publisher before their first payment.

    you run a content or coupon site and want free sign‑up and a long list of established retail, travel and finance brands.

  • Choose if

    you pay per install, sign‑up, funded account, trial start or sale, and want rewarded publishers already in place.

    you run a rewarded app, offerwall or survey panel and want app, sign‑up and finance offers with payouts in dollars, without applying brand by brand.

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01Side by side

Impact vs CJ side by side, every fact sourced.

Rows for

impact.com, CJ and AffiliateOS compared for advertisers. Facts checked 29 October 2026.
For advertisers impact.com CJ this is us
What you pay partners A fixed amount or a percent of the sale, set per contract. Sign‑ups and installs count as actions.1 Commissions for sales, leads or traffic.2 Your choice: a price at install, a percent of each purchase or sale, or a price per level or other event. How advertisers pay
Platform price Starter $30 a month plus 2.5% of revenue; Essentials $500 a month; Pro $2,500 a month; Enterprise custom.3 Not listed publicly (as of 29 Oct 2026). A free consultation sets it.4 No monthly fee. You pay the prices you set from a prepaid balance.
Minimum term A 12‑month contract, per its pricing FAQ.3 Not listed publicly (as of 29 Oct 2026) No minimum term. A $50 balance to submit a campaign; deposits are non‑refundable.
How you start Starter is self-serve on listed store platforms. Other plans start with a demo; onboarding is $250 an hour.3 An advertiser application and a free consultation.4 Self-serve. Our team reviews each campaign before it goes live.
Built around Plans sized by ecommerce revenue.3 Advertisers need an ecommerce store with checkout.4 App, web and retail brands paying per install, sale, sign‑up, deposit or trial.
Publishers You recruit partners from its marketplace and review each one.56 You recruit from its network. CJ reviews every publisher before their first payment.7 Rewarded apps, offerwalls and panels already connected. Once approved, your campaign is listed for them to run.
Testing before spend A 30‑day free trial on Starter.3 Not listed publicly (as of 29 Oct 2026) Free test events. Each required event must show Verified before you submit.
impact.com, CJ and AffiliateOS compared for publishers. Facts checked 29 October 2026.
For publishers impact.com CJ this is us
What you earn Each brand's contract: a fixed amount or a percent of the sale.1 Commissions set by each advertiser.2 A payout in dollars per install or event, shown on every offer before you run it. Today's top offers
Joining Free. Join its Brands Marketplace, then apply per program, up to 10 at once. Some programs are pre-approved.56 Free, with an active website. You join programs inside the platform.48 Request access. Our team reviews each publisher, and there's no deposit.
How you get offers A tracking link per brand program, once the brand accepts you.6 Links, a deep link generator and APIs.8 Offer API, Top Offers Feed, the Hosted Offerwall or Offer Links, where we pick the offers and send the links. Offer API
Offer mix 6,500+ brands by its own count, with plans built around ecommerce.3 3,800+ brands in retail, travel, finance and home services, by its own count.9 10,000+ offers, counting direct and marketplace offers. Mostly app installs and games, plus sign‑ups, finance and trials, most of them for US users.
Rewarded traffic Lists coupon, cashback and loyalty partners among its partner types.5 Lists Incentive Partners among its publisher types.7 Built for rewarded apps, offerwalls and panels, with signed postbacks. Signed postbacks

Accurate as of 29 October 2026. Facts about impact.com and CJ come from their own public pages, numbered in the sources. Terms change, so check each source before you decide.

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02The two you searched

What impact.com and CJ each are.

impact.com

impact.com, often just called Impact, is a partnership platform: brands run affiliate, creator, referral and retail media programs in one place and recruit partners from its marketplace.10 It publishes three of its four plan prices, from Starter at $30 a month plus 2.5% of revenue to Pro at $2,500 a month, on a 12‑month contract.3 Partners join free and apply to each brand's program.56

Their site, impact.com (opens in a new tab)

Starter, Essentials and Pro are listed with prices on its pricing page.3

CJ

CJ, formerly Commission Junction, was founded in Santa Barbara in 1998 and is part of Publicis Groupe.9 Brands pay publishers and creators commissions for sales, leads or traffic, and CJ also runs managed lead generation, CJ Leads.211 It doesn't list advertiser prices: you apply and get a free consultation, and you need an ecommerce store with checkout.4

Their site, cj.com (opens in a new tab)

Since 1998 Part of Publicis Groupe, with 3,800+ brands by its own count.9

03Head to head

Impact vs CJ, head to head. One bottom line for each question.

01

How partners are paid

On impact.com each contract pays a fixed amount or a percent of the sale, and sign‑ups and installs count as actions.1 CJ advertisers pay commissions for sales, leads or traffic, and CJ Leads runs lead generation for you.211 Both can pay a fixed amount per action.

On AffiliateOS you choose what you pay for: a price at install, a percent of each purchase or sale, or a price per level or other event. Publishers choose what they run, so an offer that doesn't let them make money won't get traffic.

Bottom line

All three can pay per action. With us you set the rate, and publishers decide whether it's worth running.

The AffiliateOS campaign screen listing three events with their keys and prices: Level 10 at $5.00 awaiting a test, First purchase at $8.00 verified, and Completed tutorial, optional, at $1.50 awaiting a test.
Events you pay for: each has its own key and dollar price, and each required event needs a free test before launch.
02

What it costs to start

impact.com lists Starter at $30 a month plus 2.5% of revenue for stores on listed platforms, Essentials at $500 a month and Pro at $2,500 a month, on a 12‑month contract, with onboarding above Starter at $250 an hour.3 CJ doesn't list advertiser prices; you apply and get a consultation.4

AffiliateOS has no monthly fee for advertisers. A campaign needs a $50 prepaid balance before you submit it, and you pay the event prices you set. Deposits are non‑refundable.

Bottom line

impact.com publishes its prices. CJ needs a quote. We charge for events and nothing on top.

03

Finding publishers

On both networks you recruit partners and decide who runs your program, and CJ reviews every publisher for compliance before their first payment.57

On AffiliateOS, rewarded apps, offerwalls and survey panels are already connected. Once our team approves your campaign, it's listed for them to run.

Bottom line

With us you don't recruit, and you don't pick the apps by name either. You see each channel's cost under a code.

01

Getting approved

impact.com is free to join. You apply to each brand's program, up to 10 in one action, and some programs are pre-approved.56 CJ is free with an active website, and you join programs from inside the platform.48

AffiliateOS reviews each publisher. After that, the Offer API returns every offer your account can run, and our team sets that list with you.

Bottom line

On impact.com each brand decides on you, though some programs are pre-approved. With us the review is ours, not each brand's.

The AffiliateOS publisher Offers screen, each offer showing how it pays and what you earn, such as Kelpie Bank, paid on each of 2 events, up to $32.00, and Driftwall VPN, $9.25 per action, each with a Get offer button.
The Offers screen: every offer says how it pays and what you earn, in dollars, before you run it.
02

How you get the offers

On impact.com you get a tracking link for each brand program once that brand accepts you.6 CJ gives you links, a deep link generator and APIs, and you join programs from inside the platform.8

AffiliateOS gives an approved account four ways in: the Offer API, the ranked Top Offers Feed, a Hosted Offerwall link that carries your user's ID, or Offer Links, where our team picks offers and sends you the links.

Bottom line

On both networks you work program by program, and CJ adds a deep link generator and APIs. With us, the Offer API returns every offer your account can run.

03

What the offers are

Both networks are built around online stores. impact.com sizes its plans by ecommerce revenue, and CJ's brands are in retail, travel, finance and home services.39

Our offers are mostly app installs and games, plus sign‑ups, finance and trials, and most are for US users. Each one shows its payout in dollars before you run it.

Bottom line

impact.com and CJ each list thousands of brands paying commission. Our list is mostly games and apps, each showing its payout in dollars.

04

Rewarded traffic and postbacks

impact.com lists coupon, cashback and loyalty partners among its partner types,5 and CJ lists Incentive Partners among its publisher types.7

AffiliateOS is built for rewarded apps, offerwalls and panels. Every postback is signed with HMAC‑SHA256, and none is sent unsigned. A reversal arrives as its own postback with the same action ID, and a reason when we have one, so you can take the reward back.

Bottom line

Both networks accept incentive traffic. With us, each credit is signed and each reversal is pushed to you.

04Worked example

A year of impact.com and CJ fees, before any payout.

List prices for a brand paying per sign‑up or install, from each company's pricing page. Commissions to partners come on top on all three.

  1. impact.com

    Essentials

    Year one, platform fees

    $6,000

    $500 a month on a 12‑month contract3

    • Includes up to $2,500 a month in partner payouts.
    • Starter needs a listed store platform, so an app lands here.
    • Onboarding services at $250 an hour.

  2. CJ

    Any plan

    Year one, platform fees

    Not listed

    A free consultation sets the price4

    • Not listed publicly (as of 29 Oct 2026).
    • You need an ecommerce store with checkout.

  3. Every campaign

    Year one, platform fees

    $0

    No monthly fee and no contract term

    • You pay the prices you set, when events arrive.
    • $50 balance to submit a campaign.
    • Deposits are non‑refundable.

Example arithmetic on list prices checked 29 October 2026. Custom and enterprise prices aren't public.

Start a campaign

Test events are free. Verify each required event before you go live.

04Worked example

Payouts running today.

Live US offers from our public Top Offers Feed, each with its payout in dollars. No program application for any of them.

  • Monopoly Go Games · iOS $9.49 per install
  • Ancestry.com Sign-ups · Web $6.00 per free-trial start
  • RAID: Shadow Legends Games · iOS $8.82 per install
  • Scentbird Subscriptions & trials · Web $6.42 per sign-up
  • Travel Town Games · iOS $5.89 per install
  • Intuit Credit Karma Sign-ups · All devices $6.09 per sign-up
US offers, payouts in dollars, from our public Top Offers Feed. See all top offers
Request publisher access

Sign-up is by request. We reply by email.

05The honest part

Where we fit, and where we don't.

AffiliateOS fits if

  • You can send events from your server, or forward them from your attribution tool.
  • You're fine seeing each channel's cost under a code, not a publisher's name.
  • You'd rather not pay a monthly fee or sign a contract term.
  • You can set a rate that lets publishers make money. They choose what they run.

impact.com or CJ fits better if

  • You want to recruit and approve each partner by name.
  • You need creator or influencer programs.
  • Most of your customers are outside the US.

AffiliateOS fits if

  • You run a rewarded app or panel, your users sign in, and you pass their ID on every click.
  • You can check a signed postback before you credit a user.
  • Or you run a site or newsletter and want offers our team picks, sent as Offer Links and approved one by one.
  • You're happy for our team to set which offers your account can run.

impact.com or CJ fits better if

  • You run a coupon site and need most of your offers to come from retail stores.
  • You want to pick from thousands of brand programs.
  • Most of your users are outside the US.

06Running both

Run us next to what you use now.

Your existing postbacks stay live. Nothing you run today changes.

Plan a side-by-side test
Request publisher access
  1. 01

    Keep your program

    Your impact.com or CJ program and its tracking stay as they are.

  2. 02

    Price one action

    Create a campaign for one sale, sign‑up, deposit, trial or install, and send a free test.

  3. 03

    Compare cost per action

    Run both and compare what each action cost you, in your own reports.

  1. 01

    Request access

    Tell us about your app or site and its users. We reply by email.

  2. 02

    Pick a way in

    The Offer API, the Top Offers Feed, a Hosted Offerwall link or Offer Links.

  3. 03

    Run it beside impact.com or CJ

    Your current links, walls and postbacks stay where they are.

07Questions

Impact vs CJ: questions, sources and method.

Which is better, Impact or CJ?

No source we read ranks one over the other, so your role decides.

For brands: choose impact.com if you sell online and want prices you can read before a call, with affiliates, creators and referrals in one platform. Choose CJ if you're a large retail, travel or finance brand that wants managed service and a compliance review of every publisher before their first payment.

For publishers: choose impact.com if you want to apply to many brand programs at once, up to 10 in one action, across retail and creator programs. Choose CJ if you run a content or coupon site and want free sign‑up and a long list of established retail, travel and finance brands.

Does CJ publish its prices?

Not for advertisers, as of 29 October 2026. CJ offers a free consultation instead. Publishers join free.

Does impact.com publish its prices?

Yes, for Starter, Essentials and Pro, with a 12‑month contract, on its pricing page as of 29 October 2026. Enterprise is custom.

Do publishers apply to each brand on impact.com and CJ?

On impact.com you apply to each brand's program, up to 10 at a time, and some programs are pre-approved. On CJ you join programs from inside the platform.

Can I pay a percent of each sale on AffiliateOS?

Yes. You can pay at install, a percent of each purchase or sale, or per level or other event. Publishers choose what they run, so an offer that doesn't let them make money won't get traffic.

Can I run AffiliateOS next to impact.com or CJ?

Yes. Our events arrive as separate calls from your server, so the tracking you run for other partners stays as it is. Publishers keep their existing programs, links and postbacks; our offers come through your own API key, wall link or Offer Links.

Sources

Each read on 29 October 2026. Numbers match the markers in the table and the text.

  1. 1

    impact.com Help Center

    Contracts explained for partners (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  2. 2

    CJ

    Join CJ (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  3. 3

    impact.com

    Pricing, plans and pricing FAQ (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  4. 4

    CJ

    Support and FAQ (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  5. 5

    impact.com

    Affiliate partners (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  6. 6

    impact.com Help Center

    Find and apply to brands (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  7. 7

    CJ

    CJ Affiliate (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  8. 8

    CJ

    For publishers (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  9. 9

    CJ

    About us (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  10. 10

    impact.com

    About (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

  11. 11

    CJ

    CJ Leads (opens in a new tab)

    Checked 29 Oct 2026

Method

We read each company's own public pages on 29 October 2026: pricing pages, docs, help centers and terms, plus SEC filings where a company files them. We compared what each offers the same kind of buyer at list terms. We didn't use custom quotes, review sites or anything told to us privately. Facts about AffiliateOS come from our product as it runs today, explained in our developer docs.

Names and corrections

impact.com and CJ are trademarks of their owners. AffiliateOS is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by either company. If something here is wrong or out of date, email hello@affiliateos.ai and we'll correct the page and its date.

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