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Affiliate Marketing · head to head

PartnerStack vs Rakuten Advertising

PartnerStack logo

PartnerStack

Affiliate Marketing

B2B partner ecosystem platform for SaaS companies

From
$800/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: PartnerStack pricing is not published; the plan and price are set during a sales demo; Rakuten Advertising account terminations without clear explanation
  • They diverge on capability: PartnerStack covers Partner marketplace, 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 PartnerStack and Rakuten Advertising actually diverge.

Attributes where PartnerStack and Rakuten Advertising differ
AttributePartnerStackRakuten Advertising
Starting price$800/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Founded20151997

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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
  • Stripe

Only in Rakuten Advertising

  • Global publisher network
  • Influencer marketplace
  • Cross-device attribution
  • AI-powered insights
  • Brand protection
  • Google Analytics
  • Adobe Analytics
  • Shopify

Both cover

  • 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 Rakuten Advertising
  • Partner lead and deal registration for a reseller channelnot Rakuten Advertising
  • Paying partners across geographiesnot Rakuten Advertising
  • Onboarding and training partnersnot Rakuten Advertising
  • Finding partners through the PartnerStack marketplacenot Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising

  • affiliate marketing managementnot PartnerStack
  • Workflow automationnot PartnerStack
  • Reportingnot 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

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

PartnerStack

$800/month
  • Launch$800/month
    • Partner portal
    • Automated payouts
    • Analytics dashboard

Rakuten Advertising

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

Which should you pick?

Choose PartnerStack if

  • You need partner marketplace.
  • You also want automated payouts.
PartnerStack review

Choose Rakuten Advertising if

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

Questions people ask

Is PartnerStack or Rakuten Advertising better?
Neither clearly leads. PartnerStack starts at $800/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, PartnerStack or Rakuten Advertising?
PartnerStack starts at $800/month and Rakuten Advertising at On request.
Does PartnerStack or Rakuten Advertising run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Rakuten Advertising is typically brought in for.
What can PartnerStack do that Rakuten Advertising cannot?
PartnerStack covers Partner marketplace, Automated payouts, Multi-program support, Partner portal. Rakuten Advertising covers Global publisher network, Influencer marketplace, Cross-device attribution, AI-powered insights. Both handle 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.

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
PartnerStack: 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.

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
PartnerStack: 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.

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
PartnerStack: 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.

Source
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