The answer will vary depending on what your goals are for your business.  You need to take a look at the features of each network and make an informed decision based on your own goals and preferences, and the type of affiliates you will want.

Let’s look at some of the popular affiliate networks, and what type of marketing each one is appropriate for.

ClickBank

The most popular affiliate network for information marketers is ClickBank, by far.  There are thousands of active affiliates promoting products through ClickBank, so products can get a lot of affiliate attention pretty quickly.

The major benefits of using ClickBank are the fact that there are thousands of affiliates available to promote products, and many affiliates trust ClickBank to pay them.  Because of this trust, it will be easier to recruit affiliates than it would be if you used a lesser-known network.

There are several drawbacks to using ClickBank, though.  For one thing, they’ve had tracking issues for years that have made some super affiliates wary of using them.  For another thing, they limit you to charging a maximum of $47 for your product.  If you want to charge more than that, you have to specifically request it, and they may or may not approve you for the higher rate based on their perception of the quality of your product!  Their 8% fee is also pretty expensive, and they charge $50 as an upfront fee just for the “privilege” of selling your product through their network.

PayDotCom

PayDotCom is run by master internet marketing guru Mike Filsaime.  They charge no money up front to get started, so they are great if you’re just getting started.  They are also much more lenient about the type of products you can sell, and how much you can charge.

There are a couple of major drawbacks to using PayDotCom.  Since they are newer, there aren’t nearly as many active affiliates promoting products via PayDotCom.  And because the payments come from the product owners instead of the system itself, this isn’t likely to change anytime soon.  Many dishonest product owners have failed to pay their affiliates, making a lot of potential affiliates avoid promoting products through PayDotCom.

Also, according to reports on some of the forums, they have allegedly been having trouble with their processing in the last couple of months of 2009.  People would go to the sales page and were unable to process their orders, so product owners and affiliates were losing money.  They may have lost quite a few product owners and affiliates because of this.

e-Junkie

E-junkie.com isn’t so much an affiliate network as it is a payment processor that will automate digital product delivery in a secure fashion, but they also happen to have a built-in affiliate program!  They don’t have a huge network of built-in affiliates, though, so you will need to actively recruit your own affiliates.  You will also have to pay them yourself, because e-Junkie doesn’t provide affiliate payments.  Of course, since payment can be taken through PayPal, you will receive your money instantly!

PayGear

PayGear is the new kid on the block.  They have a system that is very similar to ClickBank and PayDotCom.  Time will tell whether they become a major player or not, but they look very promising.  They might make a great choice for a backup processor, but I don’t think I would make them my primary affiliate network just net.  I’d wait to see how things go for a few months before jumping into using them full-time.

Any other networks you’ve tried and liked?  Leave us a comment and let us know!