Last updated: September 2026 · Reviewed by the Partner Federation partnerships team, with two decades of combined experience in online trading and brokerage partnerships.
There isn’t one single way to get paid for referring traders to a broker, exchange, or prop trading firm — there are more than a dozen distinct partnership models, each with different payout timing, risk, and audience fit. This page is the map: what each model is, how the core ones compare, and where to go for the full breakdown.
New to partner programs entirely? Start with the How to Become a Forex & CFD Partner guide first — it walks through picking a model, vetting a broker, and getting set up, before you dig into the full taxonomy below.
Already know the landscape but not sure which model fits you? Try the Partnership Finder — three quick questions and it points you to the right model, plus the head-to-head comparisons worth reading next.
Already working with one broker and wondering whether to add another? See Running Multiple Broker Relationships for the pros, the cons, and when it’s actually worth it.
Compare the core payout models
- CPA Affiliates — a fixed, one-time payout per qualifying client.
- Revenue Share — an ongoing share of a client’s trading activity, for as long as they keep trading.
- CPA vs. Revenue Share: Which Pays More? — a worked comparison with real numbers, the break-even point, and a decision framework.
- Introducing Brokers Explained — what the IB role actually is, and how it differs from a payment model.
- Hybrid Programs — combining a smaller upfront CPA with an ongoing revenue share, lot rebate, or spread share.
- What Is the Most Popular Partnership Model? — which model is most widely used across the industry, and why that isn’t the same as which one is right for you.
- Why Some Brokers Don’t Offer CPA — the fraud-monitoring burden that makes CPA the highest-risk model to run, and what brokers offer instead.
- Getting Paid — how commission actually reaches you: payout methods, minimum thresholds, frequency, and currency.
- Trust & Verification — how to spot a fake or predatory program, verify a broker’s IB program, and what recourse exists if a broker stops paying.
- Tracking & Attribution — how postback URLs, sub-IDs, and cookie windows actually work, and what to do when there’s no trackable click at all.
- Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an IB Broker — a practical checklist for evaluating a broker’s partner program before committing traffic to it.
- Cashback — how partners share part of their own commission back with clients, and why that’s between the partner and the client, not the broker.
- Revenue Share vs. Lot Rebate vs. Spread Share — the three ongoing payment models compared side by side, with a worked example for each.
- Introducing Broker (IB) vs. Affiliate — what actually separates the two roles, beyond just naming.
- CPA vs. CPL (Cost Per Lead): Which Pays More? — a worked comparison, the break-even conversion rate, and when to run both.
- Affiliate Program vs. Influencer Program: What’s the Difference? — the same underlying deal, compared across two distribution channels.
- Prop Firm Partner & Affiliate Programs — challenge-fee funnels, funded-trader referrals, and profit-split mechanics in the prop-trading world.
- Tools & Resources — every calculator and checklist on the site, in one place.
- All Partnership Models Compared — every model side by side in one table: payout basis, typical rate, predictability, cap, and who it suits.
- Marketing-Channels Playbook — SEO content, YouTube, paid social, and email/community compared, once you know which payout model fits.
- 11 Mistakes New Forex IBs Make (and How to Avoid Them) — the most common avoidable errors that stall out a new partner, from audience targeting to picking a payment model blind.
The full landscape of partnership models
Partner Federation covers the complete range of ways a third party gets paid for referring clients — not just forex and CFD brokers, but crypto exchanges and prop trading firms too. Models below are added as dedicated pages go live:
- CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) — fixed fee per qualifying client.
- CPL (Cost Per Lead) — a smaller, lower-bar payout for a lead simply signing up, before any deposit.
- Revenue Share — an ongoing percentage of the broker’s net revenue (profit and loss, sometimes plus swap fees) generated by a referred client’s trading.
- Spread Share — a separate ongoing model paid as a percentage of the spread markup on a client’s trades.
- Lot Rebate — a separate ongoing model paid as a fixed dollar amount per lot traded, regardless of broker profitability.
- Hybrid — a smaller upfront CPA combined with an ongoing revenue share, lot rebate, or spread share on the same client.
- Master IB / Sub-IB (multi-tier) — a partner earns from their own referrals and from partners they in turn recruit. Not every broker offers this structure — see Master IB Availability.
- Multi-Account Manager (MAM) — a partner trades on behalf of multiple client accounts and earns a management or performance fee.
- Affiliate Program — a general referral-link model, often blending CPA and revenue share terms.
- Influencer Program — a personal-brand-driven variant of an affiliate program, usually with custom codes or landing pages.
- App Ad Partnerships — in-app advertising placements that route users to a broker’s app or signup flow.
- Payment Agent — a transaction-fee-based local deposit/withdrawal service, distinct from a referral-commission model.
- Trading Fee Share — the crypto exchange equivalent of revenue share, paid on a referred user’s trading fees.
- Challenge-Fee Affiliate — a prop-trading-firm model paying commission on a trader’s upfront evaluation/challenge fee, plus repeat-purchase resets.
- Copy Trading / Signal Provider — commission earned when followers of a trader’s signals or copied trades open funded accounts.
- Volume-Tiered Loyalty Program — a bonus percentage layered on top of a partner’s base commission, unlocked by hitting monthly volume/client-count tiers.
- Prediction Market Partner — CPA/revenue-share mechanics with viral, creator-driven referral codes rather than traditional affiliate links.
FAQ
What counts as a “trading partnership program”?
Any arrangement where a third party is paid for referring clients to a broker, crypto exchange, or prop trading firm — whether the payout is a one-time fee, an ongoing share of trading activity, or a hybrid of both.
Which partnership model pays the most?
It depends on the client’s behavior over time, not the model alone. CPA pays more upfront per client; revenue share pays more over a client’s full lifetime if they keep trading actively. See CPA vs. Revenue Share: Which Pays More? for the worked numbers.
Do I have to pick just one partnership model?
No. Many brokers offer hybrid deals combining a smaller CPA payout with an ongoing revenue share, and larger partners often negotiate different terms across multiple traffic sources.