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The idea of “best GEO” is often taken out of context among the affiliates. What many fail to realize is that countries themselves are just one part, and advertising formats are equally important in this conversation. And don’t forget about vertical, device, and the overall competition, too, as they also affect the campaign economics. Long story short: relying solely on the pick of a country is a shortsighted decision.
You’ve probably seen the following tier labels thrown around: Tier 1 is for high purchasing power, Tier 3 is for more accessible traffic costs, and Tier 2 sits somewhere in the middle. Don’t get us wrong, these labels are quite useful at the beginning, but they don’t show the potential cost of the GEO or how much value it can deliver in a specific campaign.
Another mistake we’ve been noticing is that many users specifically pick the more expensive Tier 1, believing higher costs will translate into higher results. But the GEO costs and what it returns depend heavily on the setup.
Using RollerAds traffic data, we put together the combinations that perform best, so that you can get actionable tips on which GEO to pick. 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.
Tiers commonly group GEOs by several factors, including purchasing power, market maturity, traffic cost, and competition. As we said at the beginning, they’re a useful rule of thumb, but they still tend to oversimplify things. That’s why let’s elaborate on Tiers!
Tier 1 consists of the USA, Germany, France, and other countries with the highest purchasing power. Besides often supporting higher payouts, these markets also attract the most competition. Because many advertisers target the same customers, this competition can significantly drive up traffic costs, making even a single mistake costly. In that regard, Tier 2 is a great middle ground, especially when testing new approaches. Finally, 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.
Overall, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets are underrated, based on our observations. Beyond the Southeast Asia story, Asia and Latin America continue to produce highly scalable campaigns. Also, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, and China continue to appear among the best GEOs for affiliate traffic across all three of our ad formats.
And yeah, Tier 1 is always a solid pick, with Japan, Germany, and the USA paying up better per conversion. Generally, certain offers pay more, like Finance, Software, and VPN products. The costs can be high, but increased payouts can justify them.
It doesn’t mean that Tier 1 is a bad choice. Japan, Germany, and the USA still pay better per conversion. And higher payouts for certain offer types, such as Finance, Software, and VPN products, can justify the higher CPC. To put it simply, Tier 1 is for maximizing revenue, while Tiers 2 and 3 are for volume and testing. Because of that, many professional media buyers combine Tier 1 and Tier 2/3 traffic.
But the performance of each GEO depends a lot on underlying factors, like ad format and vertical. With this in mind, we’d like to break down GEOs with such details accounted for.
Quick refresher: Direct Click is an advertising format that delivers solid click volume at a low to moderate CPC, performing well on both mobile and desktop traffic. But we’re here to find out what countries perfectly synergize with the format, not to dissect it. So, if you want to learn more about Direct Click, you can read a dedicated article on our blog.
China (CN 🇨🇳). An undeniable leader. China’s average CPC sits at around $0.03, with roughly 60% of traffic coming from Android devices. As for the verticals, Entertainment and Software & Extensions convert best. RollerAds’ 2026 data indicates that China is steadily accelerating toward mobile-first Direct Click, driven by multifunctional apps that put users in a high-intent mood before they ever see your creative. However, the Chinese market has a lot of restrictions, and in order to tap into it, we suggest contacting your manager.
Brazil (BR 🇧🇷). If you want to diversify your traffic, Brazil is a strong choice. CPC averages $0.039, and the market works whether you run Software, VPNs, or Extensions. We recommend prioritizing mobile.
United States (US 🇺🇸). Even though the States are a Tier 1 market, their CPC is near $0.022. If that doesn’t sit right with you, you’re correct: competition is high, and users here have become somewhat ad-blind, which is exactly the problem Direct Click solves (or at least aims to solve). Software, VPNs, and extensions are the best pick. Lead with mobile, keeping desktop as support.
India (IN 🇮🇳) and Indonesia (ID 🇮🇩). We paired these countries for a reason: Both have similar profiles. Big volume at very low CPC, in the $0.003 to $0.06 range. Both countries work well with Surveys and Entertainment, and India adds Extensions to the list, while Indonesia is genuinely strong with Sweepstakes. If you choose Indonesia, run mobile and desktop together.
Vietnam (VN 🇻🇳) and Japan (JP 🇯🇵). Another pair with average bids around $0.01, with Entertainment and Software leading in both. Vietnam performs well on Surveys. Japan is a strong VPN market, but before starting a campaign, please remember two things: while Android devices are generally more popular in Asian countries, Japan is an exception, favoring iOS, and desktop takes a high share of traffic. So, instead of copy-pasting Android-first settings, adjust the campaign accordingly.
Germany (DE 🇩🇪) and France (FR 🇫🇷). A golden mean of Tier 1. CPC ranges from $0.011 to $0.02, and both markets do well with Finance, Entertainment, and Software, which makes them a good choice when you have a mixed roster of offers. Mobile takes most clicks, but desktop stays significant, especially in Germany.
The Philippines (PH 🇵🇭). One of the cheapest entries, with $0.008 CPC. The traffic consists almost exclusively of Android mobile devices. Entertainment is the leader, but don’t disregard Finance and Surveys, as they’re also good options because lead generation and reward-based offers resonate well with this audience.
If you don’t know where to start, then we recommend China and Brazil for volume scaling, and test Entertainment and Utility offers on Android. And no matter what you do, never switch everything at once; keep a couple of proven campaigns running while you experiment.
If you want to improve your skills, then Push is the format for you. It’s versatile, instantly grabs attention, and a strong creative ensures you’ll get many conversions from both desktop and mobile.
India (IN 🇮🇳). As of 2026, India’s estimated population is approximately 1.479 billion, making it the most populous country in the world, and its cost per click is around $0.005, making it a great option for scaling. And even though India has remained a consistent top performer in 2026 across verticals, we recommend starting with Entertainment and Finance.
Indonesia (ID 🇮🇩). The country’s average CPC is around $0.048. Entertainment and Nutra are the clear starting points here.
Brazil (BR 🇧🇷). A great option with equally great conversions in the Entertainment, Software, and similar product categories.
Bangladesh (BD 🇧🇩), the Philippines (PH 🇵🇭), Pakistan (PK 🇵🇰), and Nigeria (NG 🇳🇬). Despite diverse geography, these markets work pretty similarly, with high volume and good prices for testing. Of the four, the Philippines and Bangladesh stand out most. As for the offers, Entertainment and Nutra go along with Bangladesh and the Philippines, while the Entertainment and Finance categories work particularly well in Pakistan and Nigeria.
United States (US 🇺🇸) and France (FR 🇫🇷). These are your run-of-the-mill Tier 1 markets: low traffic volume, high cost per click (around $0.21 and $0.10, respectively). Demand is really strong in these countries. For offers, we recommend premium Software product categories with high payouts, and Finance product categories work exceptionally well in French markets.
If you’re looking for scale, then India, Indonesia, and Brazil are the best countries for this task in 2026.
OnClick is straightforward, works well for mobile and desktop campaigns, and has great impression-to-click ratios. But keep in mind that CPM can vary widely by country, from as low as $0.1 to as high as $3.5.
India (IN 🇮🇳). This is the only country with the best value on this list ($0.1 CPM), and delivers a massive number of impressions. Start with Entertainment, eCommerce, and Software.
Brazil (BR 🇧🇷). While not as populated as India, Brazil can still offer a lot of impressions. However, please note that the market’s CPM is $3.5. We recommend running mobile campaigns in Entertainment, VPNs, and Software verticals.
Egypt (EG 🇪🇬), Indonesia (ID 🇮🇩), and Vietnam (VN 🇻🇳). A triple combo of solid traffic volume and moderate CPMs. Entertainment and eCommerce dominate in these countries. By market, Egypt leads in Sweepstakes, Indonesia in Surveys, and Vietnam in Software. The Southeast Asian markets work particularly well with pop-style formats.
United States (US 🇺🇸), Italy (IT 🇮🇹), France (FR 🇫🇷), Germany (DE 🇩🇪), and Spain (ES 🇪🇸). Don’t let the high CPM of these countries discourage you, because a relatively fast return on investment can surprise you. We recommend picking Entertainment for the US, Italy, and France; Finance for Italy, France, Germany, and Spain; VPNs for France, Germany, and Spain.
If you’re seeking volume, then India and Brazil are your best choices, but keep in mind that they’re on different ends of the CPM range. For tight budgets, we recommend going with India, Egypt, or Indonesia.
When picking a GEO, verticals also matter: while some can work in any country, others require a special approach.
Entertainment is the most popular vertical in the top GEOs for all three ad formats and almost every market mentioned. Software and Extensions follow closely and only drop out in a handful of markets.
The specialists:
Source: RollerAds blog
And before we end this article, we would like to share with you some recommendations for your future campaigns.
For the highest volume. Go with India, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, and China, as they combine serious scale with manageable costs.
For a balance between quality and payout. Try the USA, Germany, France, and Japan with Finance, Software, and VPN offers.
Evergreen offers. Entertainment and Software & Extensions are present in all top GEO markets, with VPNs, Surveys, Finance, Sweepstakes, and Nutra close behind. But keep in mind that you still need to do some localization to ensure the success of the campaign. For example, most traffic in Asia and LATAM comes from mobile devices. We also advise paying special attention to creatives and using local faces and language; this touch will definitely increase conversions.
Devices. You can’t go wrong choosing Android, since mobile traffic dominates today.
Overall, for 2026, Southeast Asia and Latin America will offer the best scalability for Push, OnClick, and Direct Click ads, with China growing even faster. Don’t forget small-scale tests; let the numbers tell you whether the GEO is worth your time, or you may risk blowing your whole budget.
And when you have problems, just write to your account manager or RollerAds’ support team. Register on our platform and start running effective campaigns today!
