Affiliate Marketing · head to head
PartnerStack vs FirstPromoter
PartnerStack
Affiliate Marketing
B2B partner ecosystem platform for SaaS companies
- From
- $800/month
- Rated
- -
FirstPromoter
Affiliate Marketing
Referral tracking for SaaS and subscription businesses
- From
- $49/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PartnerStack pricing is not published; the plan and price are set during a sales demo; 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: PartnerStack covers Partner marketplace, FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PartnerStack and FirstPromoter actually diverge.
| Attribute | PartnerStack | FirstPromoter |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $800/month | $49/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web | Web (SaaS) |
| Founded | 2015 | 2017 |
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 PartnerStack
- Partner marketplace
- Automated payouts
- Multi-program support
- Partner portal
- Revenue attribution
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Zapier
Only in FirstPromoter
- Recurring commission tracking
- Multi-tier rewards
- Coupon attribution
- Public leaderboards
- Custom signup pages
- Braintree
- Paddle
- Chargebee
Both cover
- Stripe
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PartnerStack
- Running an affiliate or referral programmenot FirstPromoter
- Partner lead and deal registration for a reseller channelnot FirstPromoter
- Paying partners across geographiesnot FirstPromoter
- Onboarding and training partnersnot FirstPromoter
- Finding partners through the PartnerStack marketplacenot FirstPromoter
FirstPromoter
- Running an affiliate or referral programme for a SaaS productnot PartnerStack
- Tracking referral revenue through Stripenot PartnerStack
- Paying affiliates and issuing invoicesnot PartnerStack
- Multi-tier commission structures on the higher plansnot PartnerStack
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
PartnerStack
- Pricing is not published; the plan and price are set during a sales demo
- The entry Launch tier makes you choose between affiliate link tracking and lead or deal registration rather than offering both
- Advanced integrations, learning management and MDF management require the Growth tier
- Custom workflows and a dedicated customer success manager are Enterprise only
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
PartnerStack
$800/month- Launch$800/month
- Partner portal
- Automated payouts
- Analytics dashboard
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 PartnerStack if
- You need partner marketplace.
- You also want automated payouts.
Choose FirstPromoter if
- You need recurring commission tracking.
- You work on Web (SaaS).
- You also want multi-tier rewards.
Questions people ask
- Is PartnerStack or FirstPromoter better?
- Neither clearly leads. PartnerStack starts at $800/month and FirstPromoter at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PartnerStack or FirstPromoter?
- PartnerStack starts at $800/month and FirstPromoter at $49/month.
- Does PartnerStack or FirstPromoter run on more platforms?
- PartnerStack runs on Web. FirstPromoter runs on Web (SaaS).
- What is PartnerStack best used for?
- PartnerStack is most often used for running an affiliate or referral programme, partner lead and deal registration for a reseller channel, paying partners across geographies, onboarding and training partners. Of those, running an affiliate or referral programme and partner lead and deal registration for a reseller channel are not what FirstPromoter is typically brought in for.
- What can PartnerStack do that FirstPromoter cannot?
- PartnerStack covers Partner marketplace, Automated payouts, Multi-program support, Partner portal. FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Multi-tier rewards, Coupon attribution, Public leaderboards. Both handle Stripe, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
PartnerStack: What is PartnerStack used for?
PartnerStack helps partnership teams easily scale their program revenue by automating a variety of partner referral and sales motions in a single dashboard, supporting affiliate, referral, co-sell and influencer programs.
SourceFirstPromoter: 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.
SourcePartnerStack: How does PartnerStack automate commissions?
PartnerStack automates the entire commission process from tracking partner-sourced revenue to calculating payouts and issuing payments, consolidating all approved commissions into a single monthly invoice and distributing earnings to every partner.
SourceFirstPromoter: 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.
SourcePartnerStack: Does PartnerStack provide partner recruitment tools?
Yes. PartnerStack AI automatically identifies and ranks the best-fit partners for your program using data from across the PartnerStack Network, and leverages AI-generated invites to scale your outreach with personalized messages.
SourceFirstPromoter: 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.
SourcePartnerStack: How many partners are in the PartnerStack ecosystem?
PartnerStack hosts over 80,000 active vetted partners in its ecosystem, with over 800 partner programs ranging from startups to publicly traded corporations.
SourceFirstPromoter: 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.
SourceFirstPromoter: 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