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Affiliate Marketing · head to head

Crossbeam vs ShareASale

Crossbeam logo

Crossbeam

Affiliate Marketing

Partner ecosystem platform for revenue teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ShareASale logo

ShareASale

Affiliate Marketing

Leading affiliate network connecting merchants with publishers

From
$550/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Crossbeam has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Crossbeam the first paid plan is $4,800 a year and includes a single full access seat, with additional seats at $1,800 a year each; ShareASale platform shutting down at end of 2025 with mandatory migration to Awin
  • They diverge on capability: Crossbeam covers Account mapping, ShareASale covers Real-time tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Crossbeam and ShareASale actually diverge.

Attributes where Crossbeam and ShareASale differ
AttributeCrossbeamShareASale
Starting priceFree$550/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
Founded20182000

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Crossbeam

  • Account mapping
  • Secure data sharing
  • Co-selling workflows
  • Partner scoring
  • Revenue attribution
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Slack

Only in ShareASale

  • Real-time tracking
  • Affiliate recruitment
  • Commission management
  • Payment processing
  • Fraud detection
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • Magento

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Crossbeam

  • Mapping overlapping accounts and pipeline with partner companiesnot ShareASale
  • Running a partner ecosystem programme with shared datanot ShareASale

ShareASale

  • affiliate marketing managementnot Crossbeam
  • Workflow automationnot Crossbeam
  • Reportingnot Crossbeam

Where each one falls short

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

Crossbeam

  • The first paid plan is $4,800 a year and includes a single full access seat, with additional seats at $1,800 a year each
  • The free plan caps Deal Navigator and Pipeline Generation at 10 records each and offers no record exports at all
  • Record exports are the ladder, at 5,000 on Connector, 25,000 on Supernode and 100,000 on Enterprise
  • Sales seats are a separate $40 per user per month on top of the plan
  • SAML SSO and advanced access controls are excluded from the Connector plan
  • Both upper tiers are custom priced

ShareASale

  • Platform shutting down at end of 2025 with mandatory migration to Awin
  • High merchant entry cost at $550 sign-up fee plus $35 monthly
  • $50 minimum payout for publishers creates cash flow delay
  • Consolidation into Awin creates uncertainty for existing workflows and features

Pricing, plan by plan

Crossbeam

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited partners
    • Account mapping
    • Basic analytics

ShareASale

$550/one-time
  • Merchant Setup$550/one-time
    • One-time network sign-up fee
  • Merchant Monthly$35/month
    • Platform access
    • Affiliate management

Which should you pick?

Choose Crossbeam if

  • You need account mapping.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want secure data sharing.
Crossbeam review

Choose ShareASale if

  • You need real-time tracking.
  • You also want affiliate recruitment.
ShareASale review

Questions people ask

Is Crossbeam or ShareASale better?
Neither clearly leads. Crossbeam starts at Free and ShareASale at $550/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Crossbeam or ShareASale?
Crossbeam has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Crossbeam and $550/one-time for ShareASale.
Does Crossbeam or ShareASale run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Crossbeam for free?
Yes. Crossbeam has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ShareASale starts at $550/one-time.
What is Crossbeam best used for?
Crossbeam is most often used for mapping overlapping accounts and pipeline with partner companies, running a partner ecosystem programme with shared data. Of those, mapping overlapping accounts and pipeline with partner companies and running a partner ecosystem programme with shared data are not what ShareASale is typically brought in for.
What can Crossbeam do that ShareASale cannot?
Crossbeam covers Account mapping, Secure data sharing, Co-selling workflows, Partner scoring. ShareASale covers Real-time tracking, Affiliate recruitment, Commission management, Payment processing. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ShareASale: What is ShareASale's current status?

ShareASale is closing at the end of 2025. The platform was acquired by Awin in 2017, and all users are transitioning to Awin as the parent company consolidates services.

Source
ShareASale: What are the pricing fees for merchants on ShareASale?

Merchants pay a one-time network sign-up fee of $550 plus a recurring $35 monthly platform fee. Merchants must also maintain a minimum deposit in their account to cover affiliate commissions.

Source
ShareASale: How much do publishers earn on ShareASale?

Publishers join ShareASale for free. Minimum payout is $50, with monthly payments made on the 20th via ACH direct deposit, check, or Payoneer.

Source
ShareASale: How large is the ShareASale network?

ShareASale has over 25,000 merchants, 270,000 active publishers, and generated $200 million in sales in 2022, making it one of the fastest-growing affiliate platforms in North America.

Source
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Related pages

More on Crossbeam

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