# Affiliate Agency or Recruitment Software? What Each Costs

Source: https://recruitaffiliates.ai/blog/affiliate-marketing-agency-or-software

# Affiliate marketing agency or recruitment software? What each costs

By the RecruitAffiliates.ai team · 26 October 2026 · 6 min read

Facts about other tools come from their own sites, with the date we checked. [Our editorial policy](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/editorial-policy) · [About us](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/about).

In short

Agencies run your program for a monthly retainer, with published ranges starting near $2,000 and often a share of sales on top. Recruitment software finds and contacts affiliates for a flat monthly price. Recruitment software starts at $79 a month, against $2,000 or more for an agency. In our 30-brand scan, a first scan took about 4 minutes.

For a small Shopify brand, our advice is to start with recruitment software and add an agency later. We make RecruitAffiliates.ai, so we have a stake in this comparison. An **affiliate marketing agency** is a firm you pay to run your affiliate program for you. **Recruitment software** finds the people and sends the first emails, and you do the rest. Agencies cost far more and suit programs already making real sales.

An **affiliate** is someone who sends buyers to your shop and earns a **commission**, a cut of each sale. A **retainer** is a fixed monthly fee you pay an agency for its time. Below is what each route does, what it costs, and how to choose.

**On this page 9 sections**

1. [What does an affiliate marketing agency do?]
2. [What does recruitment software do?]
3. [What does each cost?]
4. [Which one should you choose?]
5. [Using both together]
6. [What should you ask an agency?]
7. [What agencies leave to you]
8. [Frequently asked questions]
9. [Sources]

## What does an affiliate marketing agency do?

An agency does the work of an affiliate manager, using its own staff and contacts. AdvertisePurple, one agency, lists affiliate recruitment, fraud prevention and reporting ([AdvertisePurple](https://www.advertisepurple.com/affiliate-program-management/), checked 26 October 2026). Hamster Garage, another, says its management fees cover strategy, recruitment, compliance and optimization ([Hamster Garage](https://www.hamstergarage.com/article/affiliate-management-pricing-models-costs-guide), updated 4 August 2026).

In plain terms, an agency can:

- Find and email affiliates for you.
- Source partners and manage the relationships with them.
- Watch for fraud.
- Report on what is working and change the program.

## What does recruitment software do?

Software handles the finding and first contact. It builds a list of people who already promote brands like yours. It finds a way to reach each one. It drafts the emails and sends them after you approve. RecruitAffiliates.ai works this way. It does not track sales or pay commission. Your affiliate app, such as [UpPromote](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/uppromote) or [GoAffPro](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/goaffpro), still does that.

In our scan of 30 public Shopify brands on 22 October 2026, a first scan took about 4 minutes. It showed a median of 92 people per brand ([our scan data](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/research/who-promotes-shopify-brands-2026)). AdvertisePurple's page gives no lead time, so ask any agency for one in writing.

Software does not do these jobs: negotiate with a large partner, manage a network account, or decide your strategy. That is why the two are not rivals for every brand.

## What does each cost?

AdvertisePurple's page lists no prices, so we used pages that publish ranges. Treat every figure as an estimate, not a quote.

| Source | What it lists | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hamster Garage (an agency) | Launch-stage retainers $2,500 to $5,000 a month for brands under $2M revenue. Mid-market (brands with $2M to $15M revenue) $5,000 to $12,000. A **performance fee** is a share of affiliate sales on top of the retainer: 3% to 12% (its table says 15%) | Updated 4 August 2026 |
| The Business Rover (a guide) | Most brands $2,000 to $15,000 a month. Often 5% to 15% of affiliate-attributed revenue on top. Setup $1,000 to $10,000. A full retainer is hard to justify below about $30,000 a month in affiliate revenue | 28 August 2026 |
| The Business Rover, citing Clutch | Three agencies list a minimum project size of $5,000 | 28 August 2026 |
| AdvertisePurple (an agency) | Lists services. No prices or minimums on the page | Checked 26 October 2026 |
| Ainfluencer (a marketplace that sells managed programs) | Agency retainers "from the low-to-mid four figures monthly"; managed packages quote-driven | Published 26 July 2026 |
| RecruitAffiliates.ai | Launch plan at $79 a month, with a 7-day free trial | Checked 26 October 2026, see [pricing](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/pricing) |

We found no independent survey of agency fees on 26 October 2026, so every figure here comes from a seller or a guide. Sources: [Ainfluencer](https://ainfluencer.com/shopify-affiliate-marketing-agencies/), [Hamster Garage](https://www.hamstergarage.com/article/affiliate-management-pricing-models-costs-guide), [The Business Rover](https://www.thebusinessrover.com/blog/best-affiliate-marketing-agencies). The Business Rover's figures are its own market estimates and it says none is a quote. Both pages are from sources that sell or compare agency services, so weigh them with care.

Hamster Garage says tracking platform fees are billed separately. So the retainer may not be the whole cost. Ask whether commission to affiliates is extra too.

## Which one should you choose?

Let's say affiliates sell $10,000 a month for you. A $2,500 retainer, the low end of the launch-stage range above, is 25% of those sales before you pay any commission. That is why the size of your affiliate sales matters.

Answer five questions.

| Question | Lean toward recruitment software | Lean toward an agency |
|---|---|---|
| How much do affiliates sell a month? | Under about $10,000, where a $2,500 retainer is 25% of sales | Over about $10,000, in our worked example |
| Who has time to read replies? | You or one team member | Nobody |
| What do you need most? | A list and first emails | Strategy and big-partner deals |
| How much can you spend a month? | $79 a month for the Launch plan | $2,000 or more, the low end of the ranges above |
| How do you feel about control? | You want to see every email | You are happy to hand it over |

The $30,000 line is The Business Rover's estimate of when a full retainer starts to make sense. It names no source, so use it as a guide, not a rule.

If you are unsure, start with recruitment software. A month of it costs less than the setup fee some agencies list. You will also learn what to ask an agency if you hire one later.

## Using both together

Yes. One hybrid is recruitment software for finding and first contact, and an agency for strategy and the big accounts. A **hybrid fee** is a smaller base retainer plus a share of sales, and Hamster Garage lists one at 3% to 8%. It suits this split. If you go this way, tell the agency which jobs you have already covered, so you do not pay twice.

Our guides on [affiliate networks versus direct recruiting](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/blog/affiliate-network-vs-direct-recruiting) and [affiliate recruitment software](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/blog/best-affiliate-recruitment-software) go deeper on each side. Our list of [alternatives to Partnerships for affiliate recruitment](https://recruitaffiliates.ai/blog/alternatives-to-partnerships-for-affiliate-recruitment) compares tools.

## What should you ask an agency?

Ask these ten before you sign.

1. What is the monthly fee, and what is the minimum term?
2. Is there a setup fee, and what does it cover?
3. Do you take a share of sales on top? What percent, and of what?
4. Who runs my program day to day, and how many programs do they run?
5. How many affiliates will you contact in the first 30 days?
6. How long until the first emails go out?
7. How do you find affiliates for a brand like mine?
8. How do you keep coupon sites out?
9. What do I own if I leave: the list, the emails and the tracking?
10. Can I see the reports before I sign?

Ask for the answers in writing.

## What agencies leave to you

An agency cannot make people buy. It cannot fix a weak product page, a slow site or a rate too low to interest anyone. And it does not remove your own job. You still approve offers, answer questions about your product and pay on time.

Try it on your store

See who would promote a shop like yours.

Type your store's website. We find the bloggers, review sites and creators who already cover shops like yours, and show the page we found each one on. Keep the affiliate app you use now.