ShareASale vs Tradedoubler: Links, Tracking, and Reliability Compared
ShareASale is affiliate network (merging into awin) known for legacy mid-market retail programs — but it is merging into Awin, so treat it as transitional; Tradedoubler is european affiliate network known for long-standing European advertiser relationships. They solve different problems, and many publishers use both at once for different merchants. Mechanically they differ in link anatomy and failure behavior — compared in detail below.
Side by side
| ShareASale | Tradedoubler | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Affiliate network (merging into Awin) | European affiliate network |
| Link domains | shareasale.com | tradedoubler.com, clk.tradedoubler.com, pdt.tradedoubler.com |
| Click ID on final URL | sscid | tduid |
| Deep-link destination param | urllink | — |
| Example link | https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=123456&u=7890123&m=45678&urllink=merchant.com%2Fproduct | https://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=12345&a=6789012&g=345678&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmerchant.com%2Fproduct |
| Most common failure | Merchant migrated to Awin | Program closed |
How ShareASale links fail
Merchant migrated to Awin
The defining failure of the ShareASale era’s end. Your old link may still reach the store, but attribution happens on Awin now — your ShareASale link no longer credits you. These links need to be regenerated on Awin.
Merchant closed their program
The link shows "merchant not found" or "program suspended". ShareASale historically hosted many small merchants, which churn more often than enterprise brands.
How Tradedoubler links fail
Program closed
Clicks land on error pages or get bounced to merchant homepages. Multi-year-old links are frequently dead this way.
Destination rot
The url parameter targets pages restructured away years ago.
How to choose
- ▸Choose ShareASale for legacy mid-market retail programs — but it is merging into Awin, so treat it as transitional.
- ▸Choose Tradedoubler for long-standing European advertiser relationships.
- ▸They are different kinds of platforms, so this is rarely an either/or: many publishers run both simultaneously for different merchants.
- ▸Whichever you use, the operational risk is identical: merchants leave, campaigns end, and product pages die — on both platforms — without notifying you. Monitoring matters more than network choice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ShareASale and Tradedoubler at the same time?
Yes — publishers routinely run multiple networks side by side, since each merchant picks its own network. The cost isn't platform conflict, it's audit surface: two networks means two sets of link mechanics to monitor.
Which pays higher commissions, ShareASale or Tradedoubler?
Commission rates are set per merchant program, not by the network — the same brand often pays identical rates wherever it runs. Compare specific programs, not platforms.
Do ShareASale and Tradedoubler links break differently?
Yes. ShareASale: merchant migrated to awin is the most common failure. Tradedoubler: program closed. Afterlink validates both with network-specific error detection.
Go deeper
Check every affiliate link you've ever published
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