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Affiliate Marketing · head to head

CJ Affiliate vs FirstPromoter

CJ Affiliate logo

CJ Affiliate

Affiliate Marketing

Global affiliate marketing platform by Publicis

From
On request
Rated
-
FirstPromoter logo

FirstPromoter

Affiliate Marketing

Referral tracking for SaaS and subscription businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CJ Affiliate complex pricing tiers without transparent public pricing; FirstPromoter plans are capped by affiliate-driven revenue, so Starter at $49 a month stops at $5,000 a month and Business at $99 stops at $15,000
  • They diverge on capability: CJ Affiliate covers Cross-device tracking, FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CJ Affiliate and FirstPromoter actually diverge.

Attributes where CJ Affiliate and FirstPromoter differ
AttributeCJ AffiliateFirstPromoter
Starting priceOn request$49/month
Pricing modeltransactionUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb (SaaS)
Founded19982017

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Affiliate Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CJ Affiliate

  • Cross-device tracking
  • Real-time analytics
  • Publisher recruitment
  • Commission automation
  • Fraud protection
  • Salesforce
  • Adobe Analytics
  • Google Analytics

Only in FirstPromoter

  • Recurring commission tracking
  • Multi-tier rewards
  • Coupon attribution
  • Public leaderboards
  • Custom signup pages
  • Stripe
  • Braintree
  • Paddle

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CJ Affiliate

  • affiliate marketing managementnot FirstPromoter
  • Workflow automationnot FirstPromoter
  • Reportingnot FirstPromoter

FirstPromoter

  • Running an affiliate or referral programme for a SaaS productnot CJ Affiliate
  • Tracking referral revenue through Stripenot CJ Affiliate
  • Paying affiliates and issuing invoicesnot CJ Affiliate
  • Multi-tier commission structures on the higher plansnot CJ Affiliate

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CJ Affiliate

  • Complex pricing tiers without transparent public pricing
  • Limited integration capabilities with leading third-party HR point solutions compared to some competitors

FirstPromoter

  • Plans are capped by affiliate-driven revenue, so Starter at $49 a month stops at $5,000 a month and Business at $99 stops at $15,000
  • Starter is limited to 1,000 affiliates, 3 campaigns and 2 websites
  • Multi-tiered commissions, invoicing and Stripe payouts require the Business tier
  • Fraud and refund protection, automated payouts, SSO and custom roles are Enterprise only, from $149 a month
  • There is no free tier, only a 14 day trial

Pricing, plan by plan

CJ Affiliate

On request
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced analytics

FirstPromoter

$49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • Up to $5,000/month affiliate revenue
    • 2 campaigns maximum
    • 1,000 affiliates maximum
  • Business$99/month
    • Up to $15,000/month affiliate revenue
    • Unlimited campaigns
    • Unlimited affiliates
  • Enterprise$149/month
    • $30,000+/month affiliate revenue
    • Unlimited campaigns
    • Unlimited affiliates

Which should you pick?

Choose CJ Affiliate if

  • You need cross-device tracking.
  • You also want real-time analytics.

Choose FirstPromoter if

  • You need recurring commission tracking.
  • You work on Web (SaaS).
  • You also want multi-tier rewards.

Questions people ask

Is CJ Affiliate or FirstPromoter better?
Neither clearly leads. CJ Affiliate starts at On request and FirstPromoter at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CJ Affiliate or FirstPromoter?
CJ Affiliate starts at On request and FirstPromoter at $49/month.
Does CJ Affiliate or FirstPromoter run on more platforms?
CJ Affiliate runs on Web. FirstPromoter runs on Web (SaaS).
What is CJ Affiliate best used for?
CJ Affiliate is most often used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting. Of those, affiliate marketing management and workflow automation are not what FirstPromoter is typically brought in for.
What can CJ Affiliate do that FirstPromoter cannot?
CJ Affiliate covers Cross-device tracking, Real-time analytics, Publisher recruitment, Commission automation. FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Multi-tier rewards, Coupon attribution, Public leaderboards. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CJ Affiliate: How much does CJ Affiliate cost?

CJ Affiliate requires custom pricing based on business needs. Contact their sales team for a customized quote; pricing tiers vary by affiliate network size and commission models used.

Source
FirstPromoter: Does FirstPromoter offer a free trial?

Yes, FirstPromoter offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. After the trial, subscription pricing starts at $49/month for the Starter plan.

Source
CJ Affiliate: How many publishers and brands are on CJ Affiliate?

CJ is the platform of choice for over 3,800 global brands with over 167K publishers and brands engaging billions of consumers worldwide across all verticals.

Source
FirstPromoter: What are FirstPromoter's pricing tiers based on?

FirstPromoter pricing is based on monthly tracked revenue from your affiliate program. The Starter plan ($49/month) supports up to $5,000/month affiliate revenue with 2 campaigns, the Business plan ($99/month) supports up to $15,000/month, and the Enterprise plan ($149+/month) supports $30,000+/month.

Source
CJ Affiliate: What integrations does CJ Affiliate support?

CJ Affiliate provides a comprehensive API supporting integrations with marketing automation platforms, analytics tools, and tracking systems through RESTful endpoints with OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Source
FirstPromoter: Which billing platforms does FirstPromoter integrate with?

FirstPromoter integrates with Stripe, Chargebee, Paddle, Recurly, and Braintree. The platform ties commissions to subscription billing events like renewals, upgrades, and cancellations.

Source
FirstPromoter: Does FirstPromoter support multi-level affiliate commissions?

Yes, FirstPromoter supports multi-level commissions tracking up to 3 levels deep, allowing affiliates to earn from their own referrals and referrals they bring in.

Source
FirstPromoter: Can I customize the affiliate portal branding in FirstPromoter?

Yes, FirstPromoter provides a white-label partner portal that you can customize with your domain and branding. However, FirstPromoter's logo appears on portal pages unless you upgrade to higher tiers.

Source

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