MYTH: SaaS recurring commissions are passive income

MYTH: SaaS recurring commissions are passive income

Everyone leads with this. "Set up the review once, collect forever." Then reality sends an invoice for the maintenance you didn't budget.

Why passive is a fantasy here:

— SaaS tools change pricing, features and screenshots constantly. A review that's 8 months stale ranks lower and converts worse, so you're re-editing on a treadmill.
— Programs get acquired, sunset, or slash rates with 30 days notice. Your "passive" stream can be unilaterally cut.
— Affiliate links break on platform migrations; nobody emails you, the clicks just stop converting.
— Search algorithm updates can vaporize the ranking that fed the whole thing.

Real recurring affiliate income is a portfolio you actively defend, not a hammock.

Verdict: it's recurring work that happens to produce recurring income.