Udemy is the world’s largest online course platform: 70+ million students, 210,000+ courses in 75 languages. Their affiliate program may not seem like the most generous — but with the right strategy, it delivers consistently. Let’s break it down.
Official website: https://www.udemy.com
How the Udemy affiliate program works
- Commission: up to 15% of course sale. Not from a subscription (Udemy doesn’t have one), but from each purchase.
- Cookie: 7 days. Yes, that’s very short. But Udemy isn’t hosting, where people deliberate for months. Courses are bought impulsively, especially during sales at $12.99-19.99.
- Platform: Rakuten Advertising — professional tracking and analytics.
- Payouts: Net-60, $50 threshold.
Key strategy
Udemy’s main secret — sales. Courses at $199 drop to $12.99 every couple of weeks. Your audience waits for discounts, and you need to align with them. Write roundups like “best discounted courses this week” — conversion multiplies.
Second strategy: niche roundups. “10 Best Python Courses in 2026” converts better than “sign up for Udemy.” Give the reader specific value.
Cons
7-day cookies — almost laughable. And 15% commission on a $12.99 course is $1.95. To earn $100, you need to sell 50+ courses. This isn’t hosting with one client at $100. And competition: YouTube bloggers, coupon sites, email newsletters — everyone sells Udemy.
But there are pros
Massive catalog — there’s always something to recommend. Constant sales — there’s always a reason to write an article. And low entry barrier — you don’t need to learn the product, everyone knows what Udemy is.
Verdict
Udemy isn’t a way to get rich off one client. It’s a conveyor belt: lots of small sales that add up to a steady stream. Works great for educational blogs, Telegram channels with course roundups, and email newsletters.