CPA vs RevShare: which payout model to choose

The Secrets AI affiliate program pays in two ways: 40% lifetime RevShare on every purchase a referred user makes, or CPA of up to $70 per qualifying paying user, geo-tiered. A hybrid of both is available on request. Which one earns you more depends on your traffic, your cash flow and how long you plan to stay in the game. This guide gives you the math and a decision rule you can apply placement by placement.

The two models in one paragraph each

CPA. You earn a fixed amount when a referred user becomes a qualifying paying user. Secrets pays up to $70, with Tier 1 countries earning the most. Exact per-tier amounts are not published: your affiliate manager confirms your rates. Once the CPA is paid, that user's later spending does not earn you more.

RevShare. You earn 40% of every purchase a referred user makes, for life: subscriptions, renewals, upgrades and token purchases ("Moments"). Nothing is paid upfront, but every renewal adds to your balance as long as the user keeps paying.

For context, OurDream also advertises 40% RevShare, but capped at six months per referred user (published on their site, November 2026). Secrets' RevShare has no time cap, which matters most for exactly the users worth the most: the ones who stay.

The break-even number

The only number you need to compare the two is the break-even lifetime spend per paying user:

break-even spend = your CPA rate / 0.40

If a paying user you refer will spend more than that over their lifetime, RevShare wins. If less, CPA wins.

Your CPA rate (hypothetical tiers)	Break-even lifetime spend
$70 (the published maximum)	$175
$50 (hypothetical)	$125
$30 (hypothetical)	$75

The $50 and $30 rows are illustrations only, not published Secrets rates. Plug in the rate your manager gives you for each geo.

Notice what this means: the lower your CPA tier, the easier it is for RevShare to win. Traffic from geos that earn a lower CPA can still produce users who spend well.

Worked examples

All subscriber spend figures below are hypothetical and chosen to illustrate the math. They are not Secrets prices or Secrets averages.

Example 1: a short-lived user

A hypothetical user pays $15 in their first month, buys nothing else, and cancels.

• RevShare: 40% of $15 = $6
• CPA at $70: $70

CPA wins by a wide margin. On traffic where most payers try one month and leave, CPA is the better deal.

Example 2: a steady subscriber

A hypothetical user pays $20 a month and stays for 12 months, total $240.

• RevShare: 40% of $240 = $96
• CPA at $70: $70

RevShare wins, but you wait a year to collect it. If you were on a hypothetical $30 CPA tier, RevShare wins by $66.

Example 3: a heavy user

A hypothetical user subscribes at $20 a month for 24 months ($480) and buys $150 of tokens along the way, total $630.

• RevShare: 40% of $630 = $252
• CPA at $70: $70

This is where lifetime RevShare earns its name. A program that capped RevShare at six months would pay on only the first six months of this spend.

Example 4: a cohort

Real traffic is a mix. Say a hypothetical batch of 10 paying users breaks down as five short-lived ($15 total each), three steady ($240 each) and two heavy ($630 each).

• Total spend: $75 + $720 + $1,260 = $2,055
• RevShare: 40% of $2,055 = $822
• CPA at $70 each: $700

RevShare edges ahead, and most of that comes from two users. That is the pattern to expect: RevShare returns are driven by a minority of long-term payers. Your cohort will look different, which is why you track by source and decide with your own data.

When CPA wins

• Paid traffic. You spend money today. CPA pays you back within net-15 terms rather than over months.
• Low-intent or broad audiences. Popunder, push and broad display tend to produce more one-and-done payers.
• High CPA geos. Tier 1 traffic earns the highest CPA, so the break-even spend is highest there too.
• Testing a new source. CPA gives you a clean, fast signal on whether a source converts at all.

When RevShare wins

• Audiences you own. SEO content, communities, email lists and creator audiences tend to send people who already know what the product is and stay longer.
• Warm traffic. Users who arrive after reading a review or watching a demo have chosen the product, not clicked a banner.
• Long time horizons. If you plan to promote for years, a RevShare base compounds. Every month adds new payers on top of the ones still renewing.
• Lower CPA tiers. If your geo mix earns a modest CPA, the break-even spend drops and RevShare gets easier to beat it.

The hybrid option

A hybrid deal combines an upfront CPA component with a RevShare component. It is available on request through your affiliate manager, and the terms are set per affiliate. Hybrid suits affiliates who need some cash flow to fund traffic but have audiences that stick.

When you ask, bring data: volume by geo, your source mix, and any conversion history. Managers can structure a better deal when they can see what your traffic looks like.

How to switch

Talk to your affiliate manager. They can move you between models or set up both. Ask specifically:

• Whether a switch applies only to new referrals or to existing ones too.
• Whether you can run CPA and RevShare on separate tracking links at the same time.
• Your current CPA rate for each geo you send.

Do not assume. Get the answers in writing in your Telegram, email or Discord thread so you can refer back to them.

Deciding per placement

You can run both models, which means you do not have to make one choice for your whole business. The practical approach:

1. Tag everything. Put the source in the Source ID field and the placement in sub4 (see tracking and sub-IDs).
2. Start each new source on CPA. It gives the fastest read on whether a source converts.
3. Watch repeat purchase behavior. If a source shows renewals and token purchases in your Everflow reports on a RevShare link, it has long-term payers.
4. Move owned and warm sources to RevShare. Your blog, your community, your list.
5. Keep cold paid traffic on CPA unless the data says otherwise.
6. Revisit quarterly. Mixes change as your audience and geo split change.

A simple rule: if you paid for the click, lean CPA. If you earned the click, lean RevShare.

Next steps

• See all published rates on the commissions page.
• Set up per-placement tracking with sub-IDs.
• Choose your channels with the traffic sources guide.
• Apply to the Secrets AI affiliate program.