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Influencer Marketing · head to head

Impact.com vs Rakuten Advertising

Impact.com logo

Impact.com

Influencer Marketing

The partnership management platform

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rakuten Advertising logo

Rakuten Advertising

Affiliate Marketing

Performance marketing solutions with global reach

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Impact.com starter plan minimum $30/month even if program generates less revenue in 30-day period; Rakuten Advertising account terminations without clear explanation
  • They diverge on capability: Impact.com covers Partner discovery, Rakuten Advertising covers Global publisher network.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Impact.com and Rakuten Advertising actually diverge.

Attributes where Impact.com and Rakuten Advertising differ
AttributeImpact.comRakuten Advertising
Starting price$30/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
CategoryInfluencer MarketingAffiliate Marketing
Founded20081997

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

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 Impact.com

  • Partner discovery
  • Contract management
  • Cross-device tracking
  • Fraud protection
  • Performance optimization
  • Global payments
  • Multi-program management
  • Attribution modeling

Only in Rakuten Advertising

  • Global publisher network
  • Influencer marketplace
  • Cross-device attribution
  • AI-powered insights
  • Brand protection
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • Google Analytics
  • Adobe Analytics

What people use each for

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

Impact.com

  • Affiliate and partner marketingnot Rakuten Advertising
  • Performance-based partnershipsnot Rakuten Advertising
  • Commission trackingnot Rakuten Advertising
  • Multi-channel affiliate programsnot Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising

  • affiliate marketing managementnot Impact.com
  • Workflow automationnot Impact.com
  • Reportingnot Impact.com

Where each one falls short

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

Impact.com

  • Starter plan minimum $30/month even if program generates less revenue in 30-day period
  • Enterprise plan requires custom sales quote
  • Additional 2.5% transaction fee on all partner-driven sales applies across all tiers
  • One-time setup fee adds to initial cost

Rakuten Advertising

  • Account terminations without clear explanation
  • Commission payment delays of 60-90 days before payment settlement
  • Support response times are slow and often unhelpful
  • Limited transparency on advertiser approval reasons when applications get rejected
  • Less user-friendly interface compared to CJ Affiliate and ShareASale

Pricing, plan by plan

Impact.com

$30/month
  • Starter$30/month
    • Plugin integrations (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Squarespace)
    • Automated partner recommendations
    • Promo code & link tracking
  • Essentials$500/month
    • impact.com Partner Marketplace (90,000 partners)
    • Unlimited contract templates
    • Unlimited tracking across events
  • Pro$2500/month
    • Dedicated customer support
    • Cross-device tracking
    • API-based tracking
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Benchmark recommendations
    • Attribution risk protection
    • Fraud scoring

Rakuten Advertising

On request
  • NetworkFree
    • Performance-based pricing
    • Global publisher access
    • Advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Impact.com if

  • You need partner discovery.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want contract management.
Impact.com review

Choose Rakuten Advertising if

  • You need global publisher network.
  • You also want influencer marketplace.
Rakuten Advertising review

Questions people ask

Is Impact.com or Rakuten Advertising better?
Neither clearly leads. Impact.com starts at $30/month and Rakuten Advertising at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Impact.com or Rakuten Advertising?
Impact.com starts at $30/month and Rakuten Advertising at On request.
Does Impact.com or Rakuten Advertising run on more platforms?
Impact.com runs on Web, Api. Rakuten Advertising runs on Web.
What is Impact.com best used for?
Impact.com is most often used for affiliate and partner marketing, performance-based partnerships, commission tracking, multi-channel affiliate programs. Of those, affiliate and partner marketing and performance-based partnerships are not what Rakuten Advertising is typically brought in for.
What can Impact.com do that Rakuten Advertising cannot?
Impact.com covers Partner discovery, Contract management, Cross-device tracking, Fraud protection. Rakuten Advertising covers Global publisher network, Influencer marketplace, Cross-device attribution, AI-powered insights. Both handle Shopify, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Impact.com: How much does impact.com cost?

impact.com offers four tiers: Starter at $30/month, Essentials at $500/month (priced from), Pro at $2,500/month (priced from), and Enterprise with custom pricing. A one-time setup fee applies (varies by technical needs) plus a 2.5% transaction fee on partner-driven sales for all plans. Starter has a $30 minimum monthly charge.

Source
Rakuten Advertising: How does Rakuten Advertising pay commissions?

Rakuten Advertising follows a 60-to-90 day commission payment cycle tied to advertiser invoice settlement, which is industry-standard but can result in delayed payments.

Source
Impact.com: Is there a free version of impact.com?

No, impact.com does not offer a free tier. The lowest-cost option is the Starter plan at $30/month with a $30 minimum monthly charge if your program generates insufficient revenue in the first 30 days.

Source
Rakuten Advertising: What integrations does Rakuten Advertising support?

Rakuten Advertising integrates with third-party platforms including Improvado, Strackr, Wecantrack, and Kochava for data tracking and reporting across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Meta Ads.

Source
Impact.com: What does impact.com's Pro plan add over Essentials?

The Pro plan at $2,500/month (priced from) adds dedicated customer support, cross-device tracking, API-based tracking, Data Lab for custom reports, SAML support, and partner discovery via keyword search beyond Essentials features. The 2.5% transaction fee applies to all tiers.

Source
Rakuten Advertising: How are commission rates determined on Rakuten Advertising?

Each advertiser sets its own commission rates, cookie durations, and approval requirements. Commission structures vary by individual brand and product category.

Source
Impact.com: How is impact.com priced?

impact.com uses tiered per-month subscription pricing based on four plans. Starter targets small programs at $30/month; Essentials at $500/month adds partner marketplace; Pro at $2,500/month adds API access and analytics; Enterprise requires custom quote. All tiers incur a 2.5% transaction fee on partner sales plus a one-time variable setup fee.

Source
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