Enter your subscription price, commission rate, new referrals and churn, and see how your recurring affiliate income grows month by month, and where it levels off.
Churn helper: don’t know your churn yet? Pick a typical monthly rate and the calculator fills it in.
Planning estimate only. Assumes steady referrals, price, commission and churn every month; real results vary with promotions, price changes and program terms.
Quick answer: Each month, add your new referrals to your active subscribers and remove the ones who churn. Multiply active subscribers by your commission per subscriber to get your monthly recurring income. For example, 10 new referrals a month to a $49 tool at 30% commission and 5% churn earns about $1,351 a month by month 12, levelling off near $2,940 a month.
The calculator simulates your referrals month by month, using only the numbers you enter — no hidden averages.
Commission per subscriber = price × commission rate
Active this month = active last month × (1 − churn rate) + new referrals
Monthly income = active subscribers × commission per subscriber
Max active subscribers = new referrals ÷ churn rate
Monthly income ceiling = max active subscribers × commission per subscriber
Lifetime value = commission per subscriber ÷ churn rate
Month 1 counts your first batch of new referrals. Active subscribers are rounded to whole people in the results.
New referrals add a fixed number of subscribers each month, but churn removes a percentage of everyone you have. As your base grows, the number cancelling grows too, until it equals your new referrals. At that point your income stops growing. That’s the ceiling. With 10 new referrals a month and 5% churn, you level off at 200 active subscribers, because 5% of 200 is 10.
Lifetime value is how much one referral earns you before they cancel. At 5% monthly churn, the average customer stays 20 months (1 ÷ 0.05). On a $49 tool at 30%, that’s $14.70 a month × 20 = $294 per referral. Compare that with a one-time payout to see which program really pays more.
Example values are only placeholders. Your projection is only as good as the numbers you put in, so use real data as soon as you have it:
| Input | Where to find it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription price | The product’s pricing page | If most people buy one plan, use that price. If plans vary, use your average commission ÷ commission rate. |
| Commission rate | The program’s affiliate terms | Check whether it’s lifetime or only for the first 12 months. |
| New referrals per month | Your affiliate dashboard: new paying customers | Count paid conversions, not trials or sign-ups. |
| Monthly churn rate | Your dashboard: cancelled referrals ÷ active referrals last month | Track it over a few months, as one month can swing a lot. |
| Current active referrals | Your dashboard: active paying customers | Add these to project growth from where you are today. |
Brand new and no data yet? Start with the “Typical · 5%” churn preset, then replace it after a few months of real numbers.
10 new referrals a month to a $30 tool at 30% commission ($9 per subscriber). At 2% churn you level off at 500 subscribers and $4,500 a month. At 10% churn you level off at just 100 subscribers and $900 a month. Same effort, five times the income.
5 new referrals a month to a $97 tool at 40% ($38.80 per subscriber) with 4% churn. Each referral is worth $970 over their lifetime. By month 12 you earn about $1,878 a month, heading for a ceiling of $4,850.
20 new referrals a month to a $29 tool at 50% ($14.50 per subscriber) with 6% churn. By month 24 you have about 258 active subscribers earning $3,739 a month, with a ceiling near $4,833.
A $49 tool at 30% recurring with 5% churn pays $294 per referral over their lifetime. A program paying a one-time $100 per sale earns you about a third of that from the same customer.
Your ceiling is new referrals ÷ churn, so raising referrals or lowering churn lifts it directly. Pick the lever that’s easiest for you to move:
For subscription software, many products see 3–7% a month among small business customers. Under 3% is strong; over 10% means most referrals leave within a year. Check your own dashboard for real numbers.
It depends on churn. The lower your churn, the higher your ceiling, but the longer it takes to get there. At 10% churn you reach 95% of your ceiling in about 29 months; at 5% it takes about 59 months.
Yes, but there’s no ceiling then: every referral stays forever and your income keeps growing in a straight line. That’s not realistic, so use at least 1–2% for planning.
Usually, if churn is low. Compare the lifetime value shown in the results with the one-time payout. If lifetime value is higher, the recurring program pays more per customer.
Enter the annual price ÷ 12 as the monthly price, and convert yearly cancellations to a monthly churn rate (for example, 30% leaving per year is roughly 3% a month).
No. It only changes the symbol shown. Enter all your amounts in the currency you choose.
New to affiliate marketing? Start with What Is Affiliate Marketing?, then see our free traffic methods for beginners.
Disclaimer: This calculator is a planning tool, not an income promise. It uses only the numbers you enter and standard arithmetic. Affiliate results depend on your niche, offers, traffic and effort, and many people earn little or nothing.
Last updated: 8 October 2026 · By Udaychandra, IncomeJets