Here is the part that usually gets lost in “best GEO” lists: the country itself is only one part of the picture.
A GEO that performs well on Push may look completely different on Direct Click or OnClick—and the reverse is just as true. Format, vertical, device, and competition all affect campaign economics, so picking a country without considering the rest of the setup rarely gives you the full story.
Most GEO guides start with tier labels: Tier 1 for higher purchasing power, Tier 3 for more accessible traffic costs, and Tier 2 somewhere in between. These labels are useful at a starting point, but they don’t show what the GEO may cost and how much value it can deliver in a specific campaign. Tier 1 is often more expensive across formats, but higher cost does not necessarily translate into better results. What a GEO costs, and what it returns, depends on the setup around it.
Using RollerAds traffic data, we put together the combinations that perform best. Below, we’ll look at what they consist of: where Direct Click, Push, and OnClick perform best and which verticals and average bids work in each.
Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 GEOs explained
The tier system is a shorthand used by affiliate marketers to group GEOs by factors such as purchasing power, market maturity, traffic cost, and competition. It is a useful starting point, but it does not tell you how a specific campaign will convert.
Tier 1 consists of countries with the highest spending power, for example, the USA, Germany, France, and others. These markets often support higher payouts, but they also attract the most competition. More advertisers compete for the same users, which can push traffic costs higher and leave less room for error. Tier 2 consists of countries with medium purchasing power and competition. Tier 3 generally includes emerging markets, where traffic costs tend to be lower and mobile traffic is extremely high, with Android accounting for a large share.
Our data adds an important nuance here: Tier 2 and Tier 3 are underrated. Beyond the Southeast Asia story, Asia and Latin America continue to produce highly scalable campaigns. The same six countries keep showing up among the best GEOs for affiliate traffic across all three formats: India, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, and China.
That does not make Tier 1 a bad choice. Not only do the USA, Germany, and Japan pay better per conversion, but for certain offer types, such as Finance, Software, and VPN products, the higher payouts can justify the higher cost per click. Tier 1 countries are often a margin decision, whereas Tier 2 and Tier 3 can offer more room for volume and testing. Hence, most media buyers end up running a mix of Tier 1 and Tier 2/3 traffic.
Want the longer version? We’ve broken down Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 separately, with offer types and sales funnels for each region.
Best GEOs for Direct Click
Direct Click delivers solid click volume at a low to moderate CPC, and shows great results on both mobile and desktop traffic. If you have not run it before, our blog has a breakdown of how the format works, so check it out to get the full picture. Here, our focus is more on where it pays off.
China (CN 🇨🇳). Still the clear leader here. Average CPC sits at roughly $0.03, with around 60% of traffic coming from Android devices. Entertainment and Software & Extensions convert best. Our 2026 numbers show China accelerating for mobile-first Direct Click, driven by multifunctional apps that put users in a high-intent mood before they ever see your creative. Reaching this market does come with its specifics, so talk to your manager: they will walk you through the opportunities available here.
Brazil (BR 🇧🇷). The steady LATAM pick when you want to diversify. CPC averages $0.039, and the market works whether you run Software, VPNs, or Extensions. Prioritize mobile.
United States (US 🇺🇸). Despite the Tier 1 badge, CPC lands near $0.022. The catch is competition, and users here have gone somewhat ad-blind, which is precisely the problem Direct Click was built around. Software, VPNs, and Extensions resonate best. Lead with mobile, but do not throw desktop away.
India (IN 🇮🇳) and Indonesia (ID 🇮🇩). Different regions, similar profiles. Big volume at very low CPC, in the $0.003 to $0.06 range. Both work for Surveys and Entertainment. India adds Extensions to the list, while Indonesia is genuinely strong with Sweepstakes. For Indonesia, run mobile and desktop together rather than picking one.
Vietnam (VN 🇻🇳) and Japan (JP 🇯🇵). Another odd pair that behaves alike, with average bids around $0.01 and Entertainment and Software leading in both. Vietnam performs well on Surveys. Japan is a strong VPN market with two quirks worth planning for: it favors iOS over Android, and desktop takes a high share of traffic. Balance accordingly instead of copying your Android-first setup.
Germany (DE 🇩🇪) and France (FR 🇫🇷). The reasonable middle of Tier 1. CPC ranges from $0.011 to $0.02, and both markets do well with Finance, Entertainment, and Software, which makes them flexible when your offer pool is mixed. Mobile takes most clicks, but desktop stays significant, especially in Germany.
The Philippines (PH 🇵🇭). One of the cheapest entries on this list at roughly $0.008 CPC. Traffic is overwhelmingly mobile and overwhelmingly Android. Entertainment leads, but Finance and Surveys perform better than you would expect, because this audience engages readily with lead generation and reward-based offers.
Not sure where to point your first budget? Start with China and Brazil for volume scaling, and test Entertainment and Utility offers on Android. One rule from painful experience: never switch everything at once—keep a couple of proven campaigns running while you experiment.
Best GEOs for Push notifications
Push is the format the majority of affiliates use to hone their skills. It is versatile, ensures that the ad is hard to miss, and a strong creative can drive plenty of conversions on both mobile and desktop.
India (IN 🇮🇳) gives you scale almost by default—it’s the most populous country in the world. However, the cost per click is relatively low at around $0.005. It has remained a consistent top performer in 2026 across verticals, though we’d start with Entertainment and Finance.
Indonesia (ID 🇮🇩) has an average cost per click of around $0.048. Entertainment and Nutra are the obvious starting points here.
Brazil (BR 🇧🇷). Just plain hot, with great conversions in the Entertainment, Software, and similar product categories.
Bangladesh (BD 🇧🇩), the Philippines (PH 🇵🇭), Pakistan (PK 🇵🇰), and Nigeria (NG 🇳🇬) are geographically scattered but functionally similar markets with high volume at good prices for testing. Of the four, the Philippines and Bangladesh stand out the most. Entertainment and Nutra product categories work particularly well in Bangladesh and the Philippines, while the Entertainment and Finance categories work particularly well in Pakistan and Nigeria.
The United States (US 🇺🇸) and France (FR 🇫🇷) behave much as you’d expect from Tier 1 markets: lower traffic volumes, but higher CPCs at around $0.21 and $0.10, respectively. The demand in these two countries is very stable. These markets are best for more premium Software product categories that offer higher payouts. France also has strong markets for Finance product categories.
For scaling, India, Indonesia, and Brazil are the three markets we’d look at first in 2026.
Best GEOs for OnClick (Pop ads)
OnClick is straightforward, works well on mobile and desktop, and offers great impression-to-click ratios. However, the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) varies wildly between locations, from as low as $0.1 to as high as $3.5. That means pricing can vary dramatically even within the same format.
India (IN 🇮🇳) offers the best value for money at $0.1 CPM. It delivers massive impressions. Start with Entertainment, eCommerce, and Software.
Brazil (BR 🇧🇷) is not as populous as India, but still delivers plenty of impressions. The downside is the CPM is on the higher end at $3.5. Mobile offers in Entertainment, VPNs, and Software perform particularly well.
Egypt (EG 🇪🇬), Indonesia (ID 🇮🇩), and Vietnam (VN 🇻🇳). Three markets offering solid volume at sane CPMs. Entertainment and eCommerce dominate in these markets. Egypt leads in Sweepstakes, Indonesia in Surveys, and Vietnam in Software. The Southeast Asian markets work particularly well with pop-style formats.
The United States (US 🇺🇸), Italy (IT 🇮🇹), France (FR 🇫🇷), Germany (DE 🇩🇪), and Spain (ES 🇪🇸). These markets sit at the higher end of the CPM scale but offer a relatively fast return on that investment. Entertainment is strongest in the US, Italy, and France; Finance covers Italy, France, Germany, and Spain; VPNs work well in France, Germany, and Spain.
India and Brazil have the largest volumes, but their CPMs sit at opposite ends of the range. For those looking to test the waters with a limited budget, India, Egypt, or Indonesia are the more affordable options.
Best GEOs by affiliate vertical
The best GEOs for affiliate offers also largely depend on the vertical. Flip the same data around, and a different pattern shows up.
Some verticals work almost anywhere in the world; others have a much more limited area of success.
Entertainment is the most popular vertical in the top GEOs for all three ad formats and almost every market on the page. Software and Extensions follow closely and only drop out in a handful of markets.
The specialists:
- VPN. Brazil, the USA, Germany, France, and Spain, with Japan as a strong outlier on Direct Click.
- Finance. Germany, France, the Philippines, Italy, and Spain on the premium side; India, Pakistan, and Nigeria on the volume side.
- Surveys. India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Reward-based mechanics fit these audiences well.
- eCommerce. India, Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam, almost entirely through OnClick.
- Sweepstakes. Indonesia on Direct Click, Egypt on OnClick.
- Nutra. Indonesia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, primarily on Push.
Key recommendations for your 2026 strategy
For the highest volume, try India, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, and China. These combine serious scale with manageable costs.
For a balance between quality and payout, try the USA, Germany, France, and Japan. These are the top countries for Finance, Software, and VPN offers.
For offers that will survive a change of market, try these categories: Entertainment and Software & Extensions will be present in all top GEO markets. VPNs, Surveys, Finance, Sweepstakes, and Nutra will come close behind. Even universal offers still need some localization. For instance, mobile traffic will dominate in Asia and LATAM markets. The creatives should also feature local faces and language rather than relying on machine-translated copy.
On devices, Android is the sensible default simply because it’s everywhere—there are exceptions, Japan being the loudest of them—but you will not go far wrong starting there.
Overall for 2026, Southeast Asia and Latin America will offer the best scalability for Push, OnClick, and Direct Click ads, with China growing at an even faster rate. Test small before committing serious budget, and let the numbers tell you whether the GEO deserves to scale. Sometimes the market is fine, and the creative is the problem.
If something ever stops making sense, that is when you should reach out to your account manager or our support team. Register on RollerAds and see which of these markets your offers actually like.
