How much does a sponsored post or guest post cost? 2026 price benchmarks
Updated 20 October 2026
Ask five people what a sponsored post costs and you'll get five answers, because the published studies measure different things. Here is what the main studies found, why they disagree, and how to tell a fair price from a bad deal.
01
What do the studies say a sponsored post costs?
- BuzzStream (2026, about 257,000 sites with full data): a guest post costs $295 on average bought directly from the site, and $461 through a vendor.
- Ahrefs (updated 2024): paid guest posts averaged $77.80 across 180 sites, and links added to existing articles averaged $361.44 across 450 sites.
- Authority Hacker (survey of 755 link builders, cited by Ahrefs): an average of $83 per paid link, for the placement alone.
- Editorial.link (survey of 518 SEOs): the average price people consider acceptable for one high-quality link is $508.95.
02
Why do the averages differ so much?
They measure different things: asking prices or prices paid, all sites or only good ones, with or without writing the article, and direct from the site or through a reseller. A study that includes many small blogs will have a lower average than one that asks SEOs what they pay for links that work.
03
How does price change with site authority?
BuzzStream's data shows prices rising slowly up to around DR 60 and steeply after that: about $200 through a vendor at DR 0 to 9, and about $3,000 at DR 80 and above. Its "top tier" sites, about 1% of the total, averaged over $6,000.
04
What else drives the price?
- Real readers: a site with genuine, relevant traffic is worth more than one with a high score and few visitors.
- Niche: finance, crypto, gambling and health usually cost more.
- Who writes it: many sites charge extra to write the article.
- How long it stays up: some sites guarantee 12 months, some guarantee nothing.
- Where the price comes from: resellers add their margin on top of the site's own price.
05
Which fees should you watch for?
- Commission on deposits or withdrawals: Collaborator, for example, takes 10% when you add funds and 15% when you withdraw them.
- Non-refundable credit: Adsy's terms say purchases are final and non-refundable once the service starts.
- Subscriptions to see the full catalogue, on some marketplaces.
06
How do you know a price is fair?
- Compare against what the site itself charges, if it sells directly.
- Check the traffic is real and in the countries you sell to, not just a high authority score.
- Ask whether the post will be labelled and the link marked rel="sponsored", as Google expects for paid links.
- Make sure your money is returned if the post never goes live.
On SellHax, publishers set their own prices, you see each one before paying with a 15% service fee shown as its own line, and your payment is held until the piece is live and you approve it. Our prices page shows what placements currently cost across the marketplace.