Affiliate networkViralPayouts vs Optimise (Optimise Media)
ViralPayouts has no monthly fee, pays your affiliates for you and pays recruiters on every program. You pay 10% of what you pay partners, falling to 3%, and nothing in a month when nobody sells. Optimise (Optimise Media) also pays affiliates for you and does not say it has two-tier recruiting. It costs $75 a month + 2.5% to 2.5% of transactions.
Every figure for Optimise (Optimise Media) comes from its own pages or named review sites, checked 12 October 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Why brands pick ViralPayouts over Optimise (Optimise Media)
Best fit: A brand that wants no subscription, payouts handled and two-level recruiter commissions without enterprise gating.
- $0 a month
No plan and no setup fee. 10% of what you pay partners, falling to 3% at $10,000 a month.
- Payouts done for you
One invoice per program. ViralPayouts sends every partner and recruiter their money and collects tax forms.
- Recruiters built in
Customer links and recruit links on every program, with the override set your way and reversed on refunds.
Side by side
| Optimise (Optimise Media) | ViralPayouts | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $75 a month + 2.5% to 2.5% of transactionsTerm: Essential: "30 day cancellation"; Enterprise not stated | $0 a month. 10% of what you pay partners, falling to 3% at $10,000 a month. |
| Setup fee | Not stated | None |
| Fee for paying affiliates | Essential: "$75/month + 2.5% transaction fee" | Included in the fee above: no charge to the brand for sending payoutsPartners pay Whop's own fee when they withdraw to their bank |
| Pays your affiliates for you | Yesvia Optimise ("Partner Pay"; automated partner payouts on all plans) | Yes You fund by bank transfer; we pay every partner |
| Two-tier recruiting | Not stated | Yes Two levels on every program: share of commission, share of sale or fixed. Paid on approved sales, never sign-ups |
| Public program directory | Not stated800+ advertisers claimed programs | Yes Partners browse and join with one account |
| Tracking | server-to-server; tag/pixel via Google Tag Manager; Shopify integration; voucher/coupon tracking (Enterprise) | First-party links with click IDs, signed server-to-server events, Stripe Checkout webhook |
| Coupon tracking | Partly | Yes A code per partner, per program |
| Mobile app tracking | Not stated | App installs, sign-ups and purchases reported from your server through the signed event API, with bounties on them. No SDK to ship in your app. |
| API, webhooks, MCP | API | REST API for brands and partners with an OpenAPI spec, an MCP server for AI agents, a signed event API and partner postbacks |
| Integrations | Google Tag Manager, Shopify | Stripe Checkout, Shopify orders, any backend via the event API |
Optimise (Optimise Media) plans in full
- Essential (platform): $75 a month, plus 2.5% of transactions. Automated partner payouts, S2S tracking, GTM/Shopify integrations, limited API; no coupon tracking, no commission tiers, no Faster/Express Pay; credit card payment
- Enterprise (platform): price not published. Custom; adds voucher/coupon tracking, commission tiers, full API, Faster/Express Pay, consulted tracking setup
- Service plans: Standard / Premium / Advanced: price not published. Managed services from dedicated performance manager to performance director; price on enquiry
Where ViralPayouts comes out ahead of Optimise (Optimise Media)
What Optimise (Optimise Media) offers
Advertisers (strong in finance, retail, travel) in the UK, Middle East, Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Australia wanting an affiliate network plus partner platform, self-serve or managed; and incentive, content, tech, app and influencer partners.
Affiliate network · Trustpilot 2.6 (13 reviews)
Why ViralPayouts is the better choice
- No monthly fee; 10% falling to 3% of partner payouts versus $75/month + 2.5% of transactions (or custom)
- Built-in partner + recruiter override levels; Optimise only offers volume commission tiers
- Full event API and Stripe Checkout webhook for every brand, not gated to Enterprise
- Public directory where partners join programmes with one account
What Optimise (Optimise Media) users say
Paraphrased from public reviews. Follow each link to read the original.
Praise
- Clear communication, deadlines met, practical advice (Feb 2026) trustpilot.com
- Smooth bank-switch incentive process with clear emails (Jan 2022) trustpilot.com
Complaints
- Affiliate partner says processes are unclear and payments were late; will stop working with them (Jan 2026) trustpilot.com
- Publisher applicant got a vague, confusing rejection email (Aug 2026) trustpilot.com
- Consumers say promised GBP 30 incentive vouchers took months or never arrived, with only automated support replies (2023, 2025) trustpilot.com
About Optimise (Optimise Media)
- In their words:
- "Global Reach, Local Expertise" (title: "Global Affiliate & Partnership Marketing Solutions | Optimise")
- Company:
- Founded In the UK; "over 20 years" working with brands (year not stated) · Optimise Media Group Limited; Optimise Media (UK) Limited is FCA-regulated
- Team:
- Over 200 employees worldwide
- Named customers:
- Under Armour, Santander, HSBC, Samsung, Adidas, Qantas, Trip.com, Halfords
- Website:
- optimisemedia.com
Try ViralPayouts on test money
Set your commission and recruiter override, see what each sale costs you, and run it on the test network before a real partner joins. No monthly fee.
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Optimise (Optimise Media) is a trademark of its owner. ViralPayouts is not affiliated with Optimise (Optimise Media). Prices and features change: check optimisemedia.com before you decide. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.