Brandwave

Amazon Associates vs Rakuten Advertising:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Amazon Associates had more branded searches than Rakuten Advertising among affiliate marketing platforms worldwide. Amazon Associates had about 569,000 branded searches, while Rakuten Advertising had 6,600. Amazon Associates made up 64.2% of all affiliate marketing platform searches we track, and Rakuten Advertising accounted for 0.74%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about affiliate marketing platforms, Amazon Associates appeared in three of the five answers and Rakuten Advertising in one. Amazon Associates was mentioned before Rakuten Advertising in every answer that named either.

Among affiliate marketing platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Amazon Associates, about 86 searches for every 1 for Rakuten Advertising

Amazon Associates 569K searchesRakuten Advertising 6.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Amazon Associates, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Rakuten Advertising in 1

Amazon Associates in 3 of 5Rakuten Advertising in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Amazon Associates, named ahead of Rakuten Advertising in 3 of 3 answers

Amazon Associates first in 3Rakuten Advertising never first

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Top affiliate marketing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Amazon Associates was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Rakuten Advertising was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Amazon Associates was listed before Rakuten Advertising in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. impact.com1st
  2. Amazon Associates2nd
  3. Awin3rd
  4. ClickBank4th
  5. CJ Affiliate5th
  6. PartnerStack6th
  7. ShareASale7th
  8. Rakuten Advertising8th
  9. Partnerize–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • impact.com5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Awin4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • PartnerStack4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Amazon Associates3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • ClickBank3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • CJ Affiliate3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • ShareASale1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rakuten Advertising1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Partnerize0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about affiliate marketing platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Amazon Associates or Rakuten Advertising more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Amazon Associates and Rakuten Advertising by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine affiliate marketing platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Amazon Associates and Rakuten Advertising among affiliate marketing platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Amazon Associates, Rakuten Advertising. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthAmazon AssociatesClickBankAwinCJ AffiliatePartnerStackimpact.comShareASalePartnerizeRakuten Advertising
Oct 202551.6%25.3%12%3.1%1.9%1.5%2.3%0.9%1.5%
Nov 202552.6%25.8%10.3%2.7%1.9%1.5%2.3%0.92%1.9%
Dec 202557%22.8%9.2%2.8%2.1%1.5%2.1%0.81%1.7%
Jan 202659.7%21.9%8.9%2.2%2%1.3%2%0.95%1.1%
Feb 202665.6%17.6%8.5%1.8%1.6%1.3%1.6%0.76%1.3%
Mar 202666.3%15.7%7.7%4%2.1%1.1%1.7%0.67%0.77%
Apr 202668.1%16.1%7.8%2%1.8%1.2%1.4%0.69%0.97%
May 202665.2%18.8%7.6%2%2.1%1.4%1.4%0.84%0.76%
Jun 202665.4%18.9%7.6%1.9%2.1%1.2%1.4%0.66%0.76%
Jul 202666.6%15.8%9.3%2.3%1.7%1.4%1.2%0.82%0.78%
Aug 202666.8%15.8%9.5%2.3%1.7%1.4%0.95%0.67%0.78%
Sep 202664.2%15.2%11.8%2.2%2%1.7%1.1%0.96%0.74%

How has the Amazon Associates and Rakuten Advertising comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for affiliate marketing platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Amazon Associates lost share of searches among affiliate marketing platforms worldwide, from 66.8% to 64.2%.

  2. In September 2026, Rakuten Advertising fell from 8th to 9th among affiliate marketing platforms worldwide.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Amazon Associates’ and Rakuten Advertising’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Amazon Associates

2 branded search terms

  • amazon affiliate program
  • amazon associates

Rakuten Advertising

1 branded search term

  • rakuten advertising

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among affiliate marketing platforms

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