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Affiliate Marketing · head to head

FirstPromoter vs GrowSurf

FirstPromoter logo

FirstPromoter

Affiliate Marketing

Referral tracking for SaaS and subscription businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GrowSurf logo

GrowSurf

Affiliate Marketing

Referral software for tech companies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GrowSurf has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; GrowSurf startup tier limited to 1 referral program
  • They diverge on capability: FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, GrowSurf covers Referral tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FirstPromoter and GrowSurf actually diverge.

Attributes where FirstPromoter and GrowSurf differ
AttributeFirstPromoterGrowSurf
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb (SaaS)Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Affiliate Marketing), founded (2017).

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 FirstPromoter

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

Only in GrowSurf

  • Referral tracking
  • Automated rewards
  • Fraud detection
  • Custom branding
  • Developer API
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
  • Intercom

Both cover

  • Stripe
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

FirstPromoter

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

GrowSurf

  • Launching customer referral programs without engineering overheadnot FirstPromoter
  • White-label referral systems matching brand appearancenot FirstPromoter
  • AI-powered reward suggestions and promotional copy generationnot FirstPromoter
  • Integrations with Zapier, Stripe, HubSpot, Slack, PayPal, Salesforcenot FirstPromoter

Where each one falls short

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

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

GrowSurf

  • Startup tier limited to 1 referral program
  • Startup and Business tiers include only email support, not real-time
  • Requires upgrade to Business tier for custom referral portal domain
  • Custom tier requires 25,000+ participants and quote-based pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

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

GrowSurf

Free
  • Startup$179/month
    • 2,500 participants
    • 2 referral programs
    • 2 team members
  • Startup$279/month
    • 5,000 participants
    • 2 referral programs
    • 2 team members
  • Business$449/month
    • 10,000 participants
    • 5 referral programs
    • 5 team members
  • Business$1429/month
    • 150,000 participants
    • 5 referral programs
    • 5 team members

Which should you pick?

Choose FirstPromoter if

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

Choose GrowSurf if

  • You need referral tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want automated rewards.
GrowSurf review

Questions people ask

Is FirstPromoter or GrowSurf better?
Neither clearly leads. FirstPromoter starts at $49/month and GrowSurf at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FirstPromoter or GrowSurf?
GrowSurf has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for FirstPromoter and Free for GrowSurf.
Does FirstPromoter or GrowSurf run on more platforms?
FirstPromoter runs on Web (SaaS). GrowSurf runs on Web.
Can I use GrowSurf for free?
Yes. GrowSurf has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FirstPromoter starts at $49/month.
What is FirstPromoter best used for?
FirstPromoter is most often used for running an affiliate or referral programme for a saas product, tracking referral revenue through stripe, paying affiliates and issuing invoices, multi-tier commission structures on the higher plans. Of those, running an affiliate or referral programme for a saas product and tracking referral revenue through stripe are not what GrowSurf is typically brought in for.
What can FirstPromoter do that GrowSurf cannot?
FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Multi-tier rewards, Coupon attribution, Public leaderboards. GrowSurf covers Referral tracking, Automated rewards, Fraud detection, Custom branding. Both handle Stripe, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
GrowSurf: Is there a free trial for GrowSurf?

Yes, all paid plans include a 14-day free trial with access to paid features and integrations. No credit card required.

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
GrowSurf: How does GrowSurf pricing scale with participants?

GrowSurf pricing is based on the number of participants (people who refer or are referred). Startup plans range from $179-$279/month for 2,500-5,000 participants. Business plans range from $449-$1,429/month for 10,000-150,000 participants. Plans auto-scale on a prorated basis.

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
GrowSurf: Do higher GrowSurf tiers include more integrations?

Yes. Startup includes Stripe, HubSpot, Zapier, Slack, and Tango Card. Business adds PayPal, Salesforce, Chargebee, Recurly, Marketo, and CDP integrations.

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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