LiquidWeb vs Lunarpages: affiliate program comparison

Metric	LiquidWeb	Lunarpages
Commission	$150	-
Model	flat cpa	percentage cpa
Recurring	Yes	Yes
Cookie window	120 days	90 days
Network	In-house	In-house
Approval	medium	easy

# LiquidWeb vs Lunarpages: Affiliate Program Comparison for 2024

When choosing between LiquidWeb vs Lunarpages as your next affiliate promotion target, commission structure, cookie window, and approval ease matter just as much as brand reliability. Both hosting providers offer affiliate programs, but they attract different publisher audiences and reward models.

This guide breaks down the real differences so you can decide which program aligns with your traffic quality, audience needs, and earning goals.

Commission Comparison

LiquidWeb: $150 Per Sale (Flat Rate)

LiquidWeb pays a flat $150 commission per referred customer who completes a hosting purchase. This is a one-time payout structure, though customers may generate repeat commissions through upgrades or add-on services.

Lunarpages: 40% Recurring

Lunarpages offers 40% recurring commission on the hosting plan cost. On their entry-level shared hosting (~$3–5/month), this translates to roughly $1.20–$2 monthly per customer. However, customers on higher-tier VPS or dedicated plans can generate $20–50+ monthly in recurring commissions.

Which Pays Better? The Math

For 1,000 clicks/month with a 2% conversion rate (20 sales):

LiquidWeb: 20 sales × $150 = $3,000/month

Lunarpages (assuming $4/month avg plan): 20 customers × $4 × 40% = $32/month initial + recurring growth

After 12 months, Lunarpages reaches ~$384 (if no churn), but LiquidWeb pulls ahead significantly on new referrals.

Verdict: LiquidWeb is 8–10x more attractive for monthly volume plays. Lunarpages only wins if you send 100+ referrals monthly for 12+ months and retain them.

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Cookie Window

LiquidWeb: 120 Days

A visitor who clicks your affiliate link has 120 days (4 months) before they purchase and credit is lost. This window is generous and accommodates:

Research-heavy decision-making (hosting requires setup consideration)
Email follow-ups from your newsletters
Seasonal purchasing cycles

Lunarpages: 90 Days

Lunarpages offers a 90-day (3-month) cookie window. This is still reasonable but tighter. Visitors who bookmark your link or revisit via organic search after day 91 won't credit your referral.

Practical Impact

For publishers with email lists or retargeting campaigns, the 30-day LiquidWeb advantage is meaningful. Roughly 10–15% of hosting conversions happen in the 90–120 day window after initial exposure, so LiquidWeb's extended window recovers additional commissions Lunarpages misses.

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Network & Reliability

Both LiquidWeb and Lunarpages operate in-house affiliate programs (no third-party network like Impact or ShareASale).

LiquidWeb

Tracking: Proprietary system; accurate for direct referrals
Payouts: Monthly via ACH, check, or wire transfer (minimums may apply)
Support: Dedicated affiliate manager for mid-to-high-volume publishers
Uptime: Strong; partner company runs own infrastructure
Fraud detection: Strict cookie-stuffing and bot-traffic filters (can reject low-quality clicks)

Lunarpages

Tracking: In-house; generally reliable for straight-line referrals
Payouts: Monthly via check or PayPal
Support: Self-service dashboard; email support for issues
Uptime: Adequate; smaller team
Fraud detection: More lenient; accepts lower-quality traffic sources

Publisher Take: LiquidWeb has superior infrastructure and responsiveness. Lunarpages is straightforward but less sophisticated. For serious publishers, LiquidWeb's reliability margin is worth it.

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Approval Requirements

LiquidWeb: Medium Difficulty

Approval timeline: 3–7 days

Requirements:

Active website or blog with hosting-related content (tech reviews, tutorials, comparisons)
Minimum 1,000 monthly visitors (estimated)
No adult, gambling, or illegal content
Transparent affiliate disclosure on pages promoting LiquidWeb
Email review of your traffic sources and promotional methods

Interview note: Mid-tier applications are sometimes flagged for manual review, extending approval by 2–3 days.

Lunarpages: Easy Approval

Approval timeline: 24–48 hours

Requirements:

Any website or platform (blog, forum, YouTube channel, social media)
No mandatory traffic minimum (though unrealistic to monetize <500 monthly visitors)
Standard terms of service compliance
Minimal application vetting

Why it's easier: Lunarpages prioritizes volume over quality, accepting broader traffic sources including deals aggregators and coupon sites.

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Features & Program Highlights

LiquidWeb Affiliate Perks

Marketing assets: Pre-designed banners, text links, case studies
Deep-linking: Link directly to specific plans (Shared, VPS, Dedicated, Managed WordPress)
Promotion calendar: Seasonal campaigns and holiday bonus periods
Custom landing pages: Co-marketing support for high-volume partners
Managed services bonus: Extra commission for Managed WordPress and cloud referrals

Lunarpages Affiliate Perks

Simple dashboard: Easy real-time tracking of clicks, conversions, and earnings
Stock creative assets: Basic banners and text links
Coupon codes: Unique discount codes to drive urgency and attribution
No restrictions: Promote via PPC, email, social, coupon sites without approval delays
Upfront payouts: No long hold period; commission due 30 days after sale

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Publisher Fit — Who Should Promote Which?

Promote LiquidWeb When:

1. You run a tech blog or YouTube channel with authority content on hosting, WordPress, or web development. Your audience trusts your recommendations, and LiquidWeb's $150 payout justifies quality content production.

2. You send mid-to-high-intent traffic (email subscribers, course attendees, SEO-organic visitors). These visitors convert at 3–5%, and LiquidWeb's higher payout per sale is critical for ROI.

3. You operate an email newsletter with 5,000+ subscribers. The 120-day cookie window means follow-up emails in month 2–3 still credit your referrals, compounding earnings.

Promote Lunarpages When:

1. You monetize high-volume, low-cost traffic (social media shares, forum posts, deal aggregator listings). With 10,000+ monthly clicks, even 0.5–1% conversion rates generate meaningful recurring revenue over time.

2. You prioritize approval speed and minimal friction. Lunarpages approves in <48 hours, letting you activate campaigns immediately without brand-safety concerns.

3. You promote hosting discounts and coupons. Lunarpages' coupon-friendly ecosystem and lack of strict promotional rules make it ideal for deals content.

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FAQ

1. Do LiquidWeb and Lunarpages allow PPC (Google Ads, Bing)?

LiquidWeb: Allowed but restricted. Branded keywords ("LiquidWeb") and direct competitor keywords ("Lunarpages" vs "LiquidWeb") require approval. Non-branded hosting terms are usually permitted.

Lunarpages: More permissive. Branded PPC is allowed; fewer keyword restrictions, though aggressive bidding may trigger account review.

Publisher note: LiquidWeb's stricter PPC rules are designed to prevent margin-destroying paid acquisition. If you run PPC, factor LiquidWeb's approval lag into your budget timeline.

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2. Which program works better for international traffic?

LiquidWeb: Supports referrals from most countries. Payouts via ACH (US), wire (international), or check. Strong for Canada, UK, Australia, and EU audiences.

Lunarpages: Primarily US-focused infrastructure; PayPal payout (convenient for some international publishers but smaller payout pool for non-US traffic).

Verdict: LiquidWeb for global traffic; Lunarpages for US-centric audiences.

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3. Can I promote both programs simultaneously?

Yes. Nothing prevents you from promoting both. Best practice:

LiquidWeb: Position as premium, feature-rich hosting (Managed WordPress, cloud, uptime guarantees)
Lunarpages: Position as budget option or secondary recommendation for cost-conscious readers

This avoids brand confusion and lets readers self-select based on needs.

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Disclosure

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click through to LiquidWeb or Lunarpages and complete a purchase, AffiliPilot may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We recommend programs based on publisher value, not payout bias. Full disclosure: AffiliPilot Affiliate Policy.

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Final Thoughts on LiquidWeb vs Lunarpages

LiquidWeb vs Lunarpages comes down to your traffic profile and commitment. LiquidWeb rewards quality and patience with $150 per sale and a 120-day window—ideal for publishers building authority content. Lunarpages is the fast-approval, high-volume play, leveraging recurring commissions over time.

Most publishers see better short-term ROI with LiquidWeb. For long-term recurring revenue (12+ months), Lunarpages can catch up—but only if you consistently send dozens of monthly referrals.

Choose LiquidWeb if you're serious about monetizing hosting traffic. Choose Lunarpages if you want approval in 24 hours and have the volume to sustain it.