Softwr

Affiliate Marketing · head to head

Friendbuy vs FirstPromoter

Friendbuy logo

Friendbuy

Affiliate Marketing

Referral and loyalty platform for DTC brands

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FirstPromoter logo

FirstPromoter

Affiliate Marketing

Referral tracking for SaaS and subscription businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Friendbuy no public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs; 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: Friendbuy covers Referral programs, FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Friendbuy and FirstPromoter actually diverge.

Attributes where Friendbuy and FirstPromoter differ
AttributeFriendbuyFirstPromoter
Starting price$249/month$49/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb (SaaS)
Founded20102017

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 Friendbuy

  • Referral programs
  • Loyalty programs
  • A/B testing
  • Fraud detection
  • Attribution tracking
  • Shopify
  • Klaviyo
  • Attentive

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.

Friendbuy

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

FirstPromoter

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

Where each one falls short

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

Friendbuy

  • No public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs
  • Custom pricing can be expensive, especially for additional currencies or features
  • Low level of customization makes it difficult to implement seamlessly and maintain brand consistency
  • Customer support only available via email with slow response times
  • Rewards require manual processing and approval rather than automatic distribution
  • Tracking accuracy issues where referred customers sometimes marked as existing customers

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

Friendbuy

$249/month
  • Starter$249/month
    • Referral program
    • Basic analytics
    • Email support

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 Friendbuy if

  • You need referral programs.
  • You also want loyalty programs.
Friendbuy review

Choose FirstPromoter if

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

Questions people ask

Is Friendbuy or FirstPromoter better?
Neither clearly leads. Friendbuy starts at $249/month and FirstPromoter at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Friendbuy or FirstPromoter?
Friendbuy starts at $249/month and FirstPromoter at $49/month.
Does Friendbuy or FirstPromoter run on more platforms?
Friendbuy runs on Web. FirstPromoter runs on Web (SaaS).
What is Friendbuy best used for?
Friendbuy 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 Friendbuy do that FirstPromoter cannot?
Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Loyalty programs, A/B testing, Fraud detection. FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Multi-tier rewards, Coupon attribution, Public leaderboards. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Friendbuy: What is Friendbuy's pricing model?

Friendbuy uses custom quote-based pricing with no publicly listed rates. Starting point is approximately $3,000 annually, with costs varying based on traffic volume, features needed, and onboarding requirements. Annual contracts are required.

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
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer a free trial?

Friendbuy does not offer a free trial. Prospective customers must contact sales for a demo and quote. There is no self-serve signup or trial period available.

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
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer referral and loyalty programs?

Yes. Friendbuy bundles both referral and loyalty program features together. You cannot purchase referral features alone and must pay for the complete suite.

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
Friendbuy: What integrations does Friendbuy support?

Friendbuy integrates with major e-commerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, plus marketing tools like Klaviyo, Braze, and Segment.

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
Friendbuy: Are rewards processed automatically in Friendbuy?

Activity is tracked automatically, but rewards are processed manually, requiring administrator action to approve and distribute rewards to referrers.

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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Related pages

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