What is Earnings Per Click (EPC)?
Also known as: EPC
What is EPC?
Earnings per click (EPC) is the average commission an affiliate earns for each click sent to a tracked offer link. It is the single most-used metric for comparing offers inside an affiliate network before committing media budget.
Networks calculate EPC by dividing total affiliate commissions by total clicks over a defined window. Most platforms publish the result per 100 clicks so the number reads cleanly. Per the IAB Performance Marketing definitions, EPC is the supply-side counterpart to the advertiser's revenue-per-click view of the same campaign.
EPC is a backward-looking average. It does not predict your specific traffic. It does compress hundreds of partner outcomes into one comparable number.
EPC formula and example
The math is simple. Total commissions divided by total clicks.
EPC = Total Commissions / Total Clicks
EPC (per 100) = (Total Commissions / Total Clicks) x 100Worked example. An affiliate sends 12,500 clicks to a SaaS free-trial offer over 30 days. The offer pays $35 per validated trial. The campaign generates 187 trials.
- Total commissions: 187 x $35 = $6,545
- Total clicks: 12,500
- EPC: $6,545 / 12,500 = $0.524
- EPC per 100 clicks: $52.40
Compare that to a coupon offer paying 4 percent CPS on a $48 average order value. 12,500 clicks at a 2 percent click-to-sale rate produces 250 sales x $1.92 commission = $480 total. EPC: $0.038. The SaaS offer pays nearly 14x more per click despite a lower conversion rate.
Where EPC is reported
Every major network surfaces EPC on the offer detail page. Awin shows program-level EPC per 100 clicks across all active partners. ShareASale publishes a 7-day and 30-day EPC alongside a power rank score.
In-house programs vary. Amazon Associates does not show EPC. Shopify Collabs and Impact-hosted programs usually do. Tracking platforms like Voluum, RedTrack, and Coinis-internal dashboards calculate EPC at the campaign, ad-set, and creative level so affiliates can isolate which traffic source is dragging the average down.
EPC by vertical (illustrative ranges)
EPC ranges drift widely by vertical. The table below reflects common ranges reported by network EPC leaderboards in 2024 and 2025. Treat the numbers as orientation, not promises.
| Vertical | Typical EPC | Typical payout model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail and ecommerce | $0.05 to $0.40 | CPS 3 to 12 percent | High volume, low margin per click |
| Finance and insurance | $1.20 to $4.50 | CPL $5 to $200 | Strict lead validation rules |
| SaaS and B2B | $0.40 to $2.50 | CPA + RevShare hybrid | Long click-to-conversion lag |
| Sweepstakes and lead-gen | $0.20 to $0.80 | CPL $1.50 to $8 | Volatile, geo-dependent |
| Mobile and apps | $0.10 to $0.60 | CPI $0.80 to $5 | Fraud screening lowers payable clicks |
| Crypto and trading | $0.80 to $6.00 | CPA + RevShare | High variance, regulated geos |
EPC vs CPC vs RPC
Three metrics. Three perspectives on the same click.
- CPC (Cost Per Click). What the affiliate pays the ad platform to acquire a click.
- EPC (Earnings Per Click). What the affiliate earns from the advertiser when they pass that click through to the offer.
- RPC (Revenue Per Click). What the advertiser collects in gross revenue from the same click before commission is paid out.
Profitable paid-media affiliates target EPC at 1.5x to 3x their blended CPC. The spread covers refund clawbacks, ad-platform fees, and the share of clicks that never convert because of validation rules.
What drives EPC
Five inputs move EPC more than anything else.
- Offer payout. A $50 CPA on a 4 percent conversion rate beats a $20 CPA on the same rate. The math is linear.
- Conversion rate. Landing-page friction, form length, and pre-lander quality compound. Doubling conversion rate doubles EPC at the same payout.
- Traffic quality and intent. Search intent traffic converts at 3x to 6x display traffic on the same offer. EPC reflects the gap.
- Geo and device. US Tier-1 mobile traffic on a finance offer can EPC at 5x the same offer's EU desktop EPC.
- Validation and clawbacks. Networks that strip fraudulent or invalid leads after the click drop reported EPC. Stricter validation, lower headline EPC, cleaner cash flow.
Real-world EPC example
A content affiliate ranks for "best small business CRM" and sends 8,400 clicks to two competing offers in a 60-day test.
- Offer A: $80 CPA, 1.9 percent click-to-trial. 160 trials. $12,800 commission. EPC $1.52.
- Offer B: $55 CPA, 3.1 percent click-to-trial. 260 trials. $14,300 commission. EPC $1.70.
Offer B pays less per conversion. It earns more per click. The affiliate switches all traffic to Offer B and watches monthly revenue climb $1,500 on the same audience. EPC made the call. The CPA number alone would have pointed the wrong way.
That is the entire reason EPC exists. It collapses payout and conversion into one number you can rank offers by.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is a good EPC for an affiliate offer?
It depends on the vertical. Retail and coupon offers commonly run $0.05 to $0.50 EPC. Finance, insurance, and SaaS offers regularly clear $1 to $5 EPC. Sweepstakes and lead-gen offers fall between. Compare EPC only inside a single vertical. Cross-vertical comparisons mislead more than they help.
Is EPC the same as RPC?
Close, but not identical. EPC measures the affiliate's earnings per click. RPC (revenue per click) usually measures the advertiser's gross revenue per click on the same traffic. RPC sits higher because it includes the network fee and the advertiser's margin before commission is paid out to the affiliate.
How is EPC calculated on networks like Awin or ShareASale?
Both networks divide total affiliate commissions by total tracked clicks over a rolling window, then multiply by 100. Awin reports EPC per 100 clicks across the program. ShareASale reports a 7-day EPC and a 30-day EPC on every merchant page so partners can spot trend shifts.
Why does EPC drop after a successful campaign launch?
Three drivers. Traffic quality regresses to the mean as scale increases. The advertiser tightens lead validation rules. Cookie windows expire and trailing conversions stop crediting. Most affiliates see EPC drop 20 to 40 percent in the second month of a scaled campaign. Plan media budgets accordingly.
Can EPC be higher than CPC?
It has to be, for the campaign to be profitable. If you pay $0.80 CPC on Meta and earn $0.60 EPC on the offer, you lose $0.20 per click. Profitable paid-traffic affiliates target an EPC at least 1.5x their blended CPC to cover ad-platform fees and refund clawbacks.