Welcome to Discover Mac Apps! Our platform empowers you to launch, manage, and scale a world-class affiliate program in a matter of minutes.
Whether you're a solo indie hacker or an established SaaS company, Discover Mac Apps acts as the reliable middleman bridging the gap between your product, your affiliates, and your billing provider (Stripe, Dodo Payments, Paddle, Whop, etc.).
Core Concepts
Understanding how Discover Mac Apps operates under the hood will help you maximize your affiliate program's potential.
When you create an affiliate program, you get three core components:
1. The Tracking Pixel
We provide a lightweight, privacy-focused tracking snippet (track.js). Once installed on your website, this pixel listens for incoming visitors carrying an affiliate ?ref= parameter. It instantly records the click, attributes it to the correct affiliate, and stores a first-party 90-day cookie in the visitor's browser.
[!TIP] Our pixel is designed to be highly resilient against adblockers and Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) by leveraging first-party domain cookies.
2. The Affiliate Portal
You don't need to build a dashboard for your affiliates from scratch. We provide a beautifully designed, public-facing portal where your affiliates can:
- Apply to join your program.
- Generate custom referral links.
- Monitor their clicks, referrals, and commissions in real time.
- Request payouts.
3. The Management Dashboard
This is your private control center. From your dashboard, you can:
- Review and approve affiliate applications.
- Create dynamic commission rules (e.g., recurring, first-month only, tiered structures).
- Track global analytics across all your campaigns.
- Process pending payouts easily.
Getting Started in 3 Steps
Follow this simple flow to get your program live today.
Step 1: Create your Program
Navigate to your Dashboard and click Create App. You'll need to provide your app's name, URL, and a brief description. This establishes your brand presence on the platform and generates your unique Program ID.
Step 2: Install the Tracking Script
You must install our track.js script on your website. This is what enables accurate click tracking and sales attribution.
Head over to the Installation section in the left sidebar to find specific guides for your tech stack (React, Next.js, Vue, SvelteKit, etc.).
Step 3: Connect your Billing Provider
Discover Mac Apps does not process payments directly. Instead, we listen to your existing payment processor. Connect Stripe, Paddle, Polar, Dodo Payments, or Whop via our Integrations guide.
When a customer successfully purchases your app, your billing provider pings us. We check if that customer has an active affiliate cookie. If they do, we instantly credit the referring affiliate and log the commission on your dashboard.