Pros

• Free Sign Up: You do not need any startup capital to venture into the Rakuten affiliate network. You can sign up for free on their website and there you go.

• Navigable Control Panel: This is one of the specific areas where some affiliate networks get it all wrong. Rakuten does not miss this point. It has a user-friendly dashboard. You do not need prior training to navigate through their dashboard. Even if you are new to affiliate networks, you do not find it hard to access the control panel.

• Rotating Banners: Rakuten provides automatic rotating banners. Instead of an affiliate to always go through advertiser's ad units one after the other, he can create an automatically rotating banner. The rotating banners will contain all the ad units. This has numerous advantages, as it does not only save your time but also makes your ad units more visible while occupying little space on your blog. This is also not only to your advantage but also to your visitors'. And this is another area where most affiliate programs miss some stars.

• Extensive Support Tools: Whether you are new to affiliate marketing or you have little knowledge about it and wish to step up your game. The Rakuten Affiliate Network provides you with training materials and methods that will aid your progress in your affiliate marketing ride.

Cons

• Not Meant for Small Affiliates: Rakuten is one of the biggest, old, and best affiliate companies. They, therefore, do not want to do business with the newbie affiliates. They want affiliates who have websites or blogs with high traffic.

• Speculative Payment Schedule: Unlike most affiliate networks that leverage PayPal as their method of payment, Rakuten is an exception. It does not only end there. They do not also have a certain payment scheme. Affiliates are paid by Rakuten when advertisers pay them (Rakuten). With this, an affiliate can be paid after three weeks of his sale, while another affiliate can be paid after months of his sale. This inconsistency is a disappointment on the side of their affiliates.