Disclosure: MLM.Page may earn a commission from some links in this article at no extra cost to you. Affiliate programs change their terms, so always check the current program agreement before promoting one.
I originally signed up for Cloudways because I wanted another hosting company I could recommend here on MLM.Page. Then I noticed something in the affiliate program that got my attention.
They were not only willing to pay me for hosting customers I referred. Cloudways also has a two-tier option that can pay me when I refer another affiliate and that affiliate goes out and makes sales.
If you have spent any time around MLM or network marketing, you probably see why that caught my eye.
It sent me down a rabbit hole looking for other legitimate affiliate programs that still do this. There are not nearly as many as there are standard affiliate programs, and some of the lists floating around online are outdated. So instead of giving you 25 names just to make this article longer, I narrowed this down to programs where I could verify a second-tier structure from the company itself.
What is a two-tier affiliate program?
A normal affiliate program pays you when someone clicks your link and buys something. A two-tier affiliate program adds another layer.
You can refer another person to become an affiliate. If that person starts generating qualifying sales, the company can pay you an additional commission or override based on their activity.
The important part is that you are not supposed to be getting paid simply because somebody joined under you. The programs worth looking at tie the second-tier commission to actual customers, subscriptions, leads or sales generated by that affiliate.
That distinction matters.
Is two-tier affiliate marketing the same as MLM?
Not exactly, although the family resemblance is obvious.
With a traditional two-tier affiliate program, you usually have your own direct referrals and one level of affiliates you referred. It stops there. You are not building a compensation plan ten levels deep with ranks, legs, volume requirements and an entire distributor organization underneath you.
That said, the basic idea of earning an override from somebody you brought into the opportunity is going to feel very familiar to anyone from network marketing.
For me, that is what makes these programs interesting for MLM.Page readers. You can use the same skills involved in building and helping a team without necessarily joining a traditional MLM company.
The two-tier affiliate programs I would look at first
I am not ranking these by who promises the biggest number. A huge commission on a product nobody wants is still worth zero. I care more about whether the program is currently documented, whether real product sales drive the commission and whether I can see a realistic audience for it.
1. Cloudways
Best fit for: website builders, WordPress users, agencies and people who already talk about hosting.
Cloudways is the one that started this whole search for me, and it is also the program on this list that I am personally affiliated with.
According to Cloudways’ current affiliate documentation, its two-tier program lets you refer another affiliate through your affiliate link. You continue earning your normal direct commissions, and Cloudways says you receive 7% of the per-sale commission earned by affiliates you bring into the program.
That wording is important. It is 7% of the referred affiliate’s commission, not 7% of the customer’s hosting bill.
Cloudways also has different direct commission structures. Its Hybrid model currently combines a $30 upfront bonus with 7% lifetime commission on qualifying direct referrals, while the Slab model is performance based.
I already recommend Cloudways in my hosting guide for MLM WordPress sites, so this program makes sense for me beyond the second tier. That is something I would consider before joining any affiliate program: would you recommend the product even if the second tier disappeared tomorrow?
Check out the Cloudways affiliate offer
Source: Cloudways affiliate documentation.
2. HighLevel
Best fit for: agencies, marketers, consultants and people who serve local businesses.
HighLevel is interesting because the company spells the second tier out in its current affiliate agreement instead of leaving you to figure it out from an old blog post.
The agreement currently lists a 40% standard commission on several qualifying direct products and 5% on qualifying second-tier referrals. HighLevel defines a second-tier affiliate as an affiliate you recruit into the program, subject to its approval and program rules.
HighLevel is not a cheap impulse purchase, so I would not promote it just because the percentage looks attractive. It makes more sense if your audience already consists of agencies, freelancers or businesses shopping for CRM, automation and marketing software.
Read HighLevel’s current affiliate policy
3. Builderall
Best fit for: online marketers, funnel builders, small businesses and affiliates who want an all-in-one marketing platform.
Builderall leans into the two-tier idea harder than most companies I found. Its affiliate page currently advertises a 30% recurring second-tier commission tied to sales generated by affiliates you bring in.
This is one where I would read the current terms carefully before building an entire promotion around the headline percentage. Affiliate plans can change, and Builderall has changed its offers over the years.
Still, the second-tier structure is not something being repeated only by third-party affiliate blogs. Builderall is advertising it on its own affiliate site right now, which is why it made this list.
See Builderall’s affiliate program
4. MyDesigns
Best fit for: print-on-demand sellers, ecommerce creators and people teaching others how to sell custom products online.
MyDesigns has one of the clearest sets of terms I found.
Its affiliate terms, effective June 22, 2026, say direct affiliates earn 15% of qualifying subscription fees for up to 12 months. The second tier can pay 10% of qualifying subscription fees generated by customers referred by your sub-affiliate for up to six months from each customer’s first paid subscription.
Notice that this one calculates the second tier differently from Cloudways. That is why you cannot compare these programs by looking at the percentage alone.
MyDesigns also explicitly says there is no payment merely for recruiting another affiliate and no third tier or deeper compensation. The money is tied to qualifying subscription sales.
Read the MyDesigns affiliate terms
5. TradeTracker
Best fit for: experienced affiliate publishers who want access to an affiliate network rather than promoting only one software company.
TradeTracker is a little different from the software companies above because it is an affiliate marketing network.
Its U.S. affiliate page currently describes a second-tier program where affiliates can recruit new publishers as sub-affiliates. When a sub-affiliate produces a successful lead or sale event, the referring affiliate can receive an additional commission while the sub-affiliate still receives the normal commission.
The public page does not give me enough detail to put a clean universal percentage beside it, so I am not going to invent one. Check the current campaign and account terms before deciding whether it is worthwhile for you.
See TradeTracker’s second-tier program
Do not compare these programs by percentage alone
This is where affiliate articles can get misleading.
A company saying “10% second tier” does not automatically mean the same thing as another company saying “10% second tier.” One might pay 10% of the commission earned by your sub-affiliate. Another might calculate 10% from the qualifying sale itself. Another may limit the payment to six months.
Before you promote one, figure out exactly what the percentage is calculated from, how long the commission lasts, what counts as a qualifying sale, whether refunds can reverse the commission and whether the company has a minimum payout.
That boring fine print can matter more than the big percentage on the affiliate landing page.
Why I think two-tier programs are more interesting than another recurring affiliate list
There are thousands of articles listing recurring affiliate programs. Most of them recommend the same software companies in a different order.
Two-tier programs are a narrower idea, but I think they are more interesting for somebody who already knows how to recruit, teach or build a community.
Instead of trying to personally make every sale forever, you can introduce other capable affiliates to a product and potentially participate in the business they generate. That does not make the income automatic. If the affiliates you refer never make a sale, your second-tier commission is still zero.
But if you already have an audience of marketers, website builders, creators or entrepreneurs, the model can give you another way to monetize the network you are building.
Which one would I start with?
For MLM.Page, Cloudways makes the most sense for me because I already talk about WordPress, website building and hosting. I do not need to force it into the conversation. It already belongs here.
Your answer may be completely different.
If your audience is agency owners, HighLevel could make more sense. If you teach print-on-demand, MyDesigns is much more relevant. If your audience wants an all-in-one online marketing platform, Builderall may be worth investigating.
The best affiliate program is not necessarily the one with the highest commission. It is the one you can put in front of the right person without feeling like you are shoving an offer into a conversation where it does not belong.
One last thing before you join
Do not build your business around a commission percentage that a company can change.
Affiliate agreements get updated. Products change. Programs close. Companies change tracking platforms. A recurring commission is only recurring for as long as the program continues honoring it and the underlying customer remains eligible.
Build the audience first. Recommend things that actually fit that audience. Treat the second tier as an advantage, not as the only reason the opportunity exists.
That is the approach I am taking with Cloudways, and I will update this page as I find other two-tier programs that are actually worth adding.
