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Software · head to head

FirstPromoter vs Refersion

FirstPromoter logo

FirstPromoter

Software

Referral tracking for SaaS and subscription businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
R

Refersion

Software

Affiliate and influencer marketing for e-commerce

From
$99/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • 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; Refersion no influencer discovery tools; requires using separate platforms to identify creators
  • They diverge on capability: FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Refersion covers Affiliate recruitment.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FirstPromoter and Refersion actually diverge.

Attributes where FirstPromoter and Refersion differ
AttributeFirstPromoterRefersion
Starting price$49/month$99/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb (SaaS)Web
Founded20172014

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

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 Refersion

  • Affiliate recruitment
  • Coupon tracking
  • Commission automation
  • Influencer management
  • Performance analytics
  • Shopify
  • BigCommerce
  • WooCommerce

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 Refersion
  • Tracking referral revenue through Stripenot Refersion
  • Paying affiliates and issuing invoicesnot Refersion
  • Multi-tier commission structures on the higher plansnot Refersion

Refersion

  • affiliate marketing managementnot FirstPromoter
  • Workflow automationnot FirstPromoter
  • Reportingnot 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

Refersion

  • No influencer discovery tools; requires using separate platforms to identify creators
  • Limited audience analysis and insights compared to competitors
  • Minimal customization options for reports and analytics
  • Higher starting price (39-99 USD/month) may be prohibitive for small businesses

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

Refersion

$99/month
  • Professional$99/month
    • 130 monthly order conversions
    • Unlimited affiliates
    • Shopify integration

Which should you pick?

Choose FirstPromoter if

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

Choose Refersion if

  • You need affiliate recruitment.
  • You also want coupon tracking.

Questions people ask

Is FirstPromoter or Refersion better?
Neither clearly leads. FirstPromoter starts at $49/month and Refersion at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FirstPromoter or Refersion?
FirstPromoter starts at $49/month and Refersion at $99/month.
Does FirstPromoter or Refersion run on more platforms?
FirstPromoter runs on Web (SaaS). Refersion runs on Web.
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 Refersion is typically brought in for.
What can FirstPromoter do that Refersion cannot?
FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Multi-tier rewards, Coupon attribution, Public leaderboards. Refersion covers Affiliate recruitment, Coupon tracking, Commission automation, Influencer management. 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
Refersion: How much does Refersion cost?

Refersion offers tiered pricing starting at 39 USD per month for the base plan, with Growth tier at 129 USD/month and Scale tier at 599 USD/month. Professional plans start at 99 USD/month with a 14-day free trial, and Business plans cost 249 USD/month. Pricing scales with advanced features at 599 USD/month.

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
Refersion: How fast can I set up Refersion?

Refersion integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce stores in as little as 10-15 minutes with no developer required. This is significantly faster than competitors like Impact.com which typically requires 2-4 weeks and developer resources for implementation.

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
Refersion: What integrations does Refersion support?

Refersion integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and Stripe. The platform also connects with Klaviyo for email marketing and Postscript for SMS campaigns, enabling seamless affiliate program management across ecommerce platforms.

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
Refersion: Does Refersion include influencer discovery?

No. Refersion does not include tools for discovering influencers, which requires brands to use additional platforms or manually identify creators. The platform focuses on tracking and managing existing affiliate and influencer relationships rather than discovery.

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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