Softwr

Affiliate Marketing · head to head

PartnerStack vs ReferralCandy

PartnerStack logo

PartnerStack

Affiliate Marketing

B2B partner ecosystem platform for SaaS companies

From
$800/month
Rated
-
ReferralCandy logo

ReferralCandy

Affiliate Marketing

Customer referral program for e-commerce

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only ReferralCandy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PartnerStack pricing is not published; the plan and price are set during a sales demo; ReferralCandy limited transparency on pricing tiers without account registration
  • They diverge on capability: PartnerStack covers Partner marketplace, ReferralCandy covers Automated referral tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PartnerStack and ReferralCandy actually diverge.

Attributes where PartnerStack and ReferralCandy differ
AttributePartnerStackReferralCandy
Starting price$800/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Shopify
Founded20152009

Identical on both: 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 ReferralCandy

  • Automated referral tracking
  • Customizable rewards
  • Email campaigns
  • Fraud detection
  • A/B testing
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

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

ReferralCandy

  • 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

ReferralCandy

  • Limited transparency on pricing tiers without account registration
  • Primary focus on Shopify integration limits effectiveness for non-Shopify platforms
  • Email CC/BCC limitations for looping in stakeholders

Pricing, plan by plan

PartnerStack

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

ReferralCandy

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ReferralCandy review.

Which should you pick?

Choose PartnerStack if

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

Choose ReferralCandy if

  • You need automated referral tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Shopify.
  • You also want customizable rewards.

Questions people ask

Is PartnerStack or ReferralCandy better?
Neither clearly leads. PartnerStack starts at $800/month and ReferralCandy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PartnerStack or ReferralCandy?
ReferralCandy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $800/month for PartnerStack and Free for ReferralCandy.
Does PartnerStack or ReferralCandy run on more platforms?
PartnerStack runs on Web. ReferralCandy runs on Web, Shopify.
Can I use ReferralCandy for free?
Yes. ReferralCandy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PartnerStack starts at $800/month.
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 ReferralCandy is typically brought in for.
What can PartnerStack do that ReferralCandy cannot?
PartnerStack covers Partner marketplace, Automated payouts, Multi-program support, Partner portal. ReferralCandy covers Automated referral tracking, Customizable rewards, Email campaigns, Fraud detection. 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
ReferralCandy: Does ReferralCandy work with Shopify?

Yes, ReferralCandy integrates natively with Shopify with one-click installation, making it easy to set up referral programs on Shopify stores.

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
ReferralCandy: What types of rewards can I offer?

ReferralCandy supports multiple reward types including store credit, discount coupons, PayPal cash transfers, gift cards, and free products.

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
ReferralCandy: Does ReferralCandy include fraud detection?

Yes, ReferralCandy includes built-in fraud detection to catch self-referrals and leaked coupon codes before payouts are processed.

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

Related pages

Other head to heads