Automated affiliate monetization
LinkApprove vs Sovrn //Commerce
Sovrn //Commerce, formerly VigLink, automatically converts existing outbound links on a website into affiliate links. LinkApprove is a sub-affiliate network built around deliberate link placement, a browsable program directory and per-program terms you can read before you promote.
The short answer
Choose Sovrn if you run a high-traffic content site with years of existing outbound links and want them monetized without editorial work. Choose LinkApprove if you decide what to promote in advance and want to see the commission rate, cookie window and restrictions before you place a link.
Head to head
LinkApprove
Sovrn //Commerce- Model
- Sub-affiliate networkAutomated link conversion
- Primary use
- Deliberate link placementRetro-monetizing existing links
- Program directory
- Browsable, with full termsNot browsed, conversion is automatic
Feature by feature
LinkApprove and Sovrn //Commerce compared
| LinkApprove | Sovrn //Commerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Sub-affiliate network | Automated link conversion |
| Primary use | Deliberate link placement | Retro-monetizing existing links |
| Program directory | Browsable, with full terms | Not browsed, conversion is automatic |
| Works without a website | Yes | No, built around site content |
| Terms visible before promoting | Yes, on every program page | Largely abstracted away |
| Minimum payout | $100 (wallet) / $1,000 (wire) | Varies by method |
| Payout frequency | Daily to monthly by tier | Monthly |
Where Sovrn //Commerce is stronger
Written without hedging, because a comparison that only flatters the author is not worth reading.
- Genuinely automatic, no per-link work once the script is installed
- Monetizes archive content that would otherwise earn nothing
- Very large merchant coverage through automated matching
- Well suited to editorial sites where commerce is incidental rather than planned
Where LinkApprove is stronger
The specific cases where we are the better choice.
- You can read commission, cookie window and restrictions before choosing a program
- Works for creators with no website at all, social, video and newsletter
- Sub-ID reporting shows which placement earned, not just that something did
- Faster payout tiers and more payment rails
The longer answer
These two products solve genuinely different problems and the comparison is often made badly. Sovrn is infrastructure for a site that already links out commercially and simply is not being paid for it. Installing it is close to free money on an archive.
LinkApprove assumes the opposite starting point: you decide what to promote, and you want the terms in front of you first. That is the difference between monetizing traffic you already have and building content around a program whose economics you have checked.
If you run a large content site, the honest answer is that these are complementary rather than competing. Automated conversion catches the incidental links; a sub-affiliate network is what you use for the pieces you plan.
Run both and compare the numbers
No exclusivity, no contract and no fee, so testing us against what you already use costs you nothing but a signup.