Affiliate Marketing · head to head
Viral Loops vs FirstPromoter
Viral Loops
Affiliate Marketing
Viral and referral marketing made simple
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
FirstPromoter
Affiliate Marketing
Referral tracking for SaaS and subscription businesses
- From
- $49/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Viral Loops has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Viral Loops pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum); 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: Viral Loops covers Campaign templates, FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Viral Loops and FirstPromoter actually diverge.
| Attribute | Viral Loops | FirstPromoter |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $49/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web (SaaS) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2017 |
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 Viral Loops
- Campaign templates
- Milestone rewards
- Leaderboards
- Referral widgets
- Viral analytics
- Shopify
- Mailchimp
- Klaviyo
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.
Viral Loops
- affiliate marketing managementnot FirstPromoter
- Workflow automationnot FirstPromoter
- Reportingnot FirstPromoter
FirstPromoter
- Running an affiliate or referral programme for a SaaS productnot Viral Loops
- Tracking referral revenue through Stripenot Viral Loops
- Paying affiliates and issuing invoicesnot Viral Loops
- Multi-tier commission structures on the higher plansnot Viral Loops
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Viral Loops
- Pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum)
- Advanced features are only available on higher-tier plans, limiting smaller businesses
- Limited customization without technical development for highly branded campaigns
- Customer support response times may vary by region and time zone
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
Viral Loops
Free- FreeFree
- 1,000 participants
- All templates
- Basic features
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 Viral Loops if
- You need campaign templates.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want milestone rewards.
Choose FirstPromoter if
- You need recurring commission tracking.
- You work on Web (SaaS).
- You also want multi-tier rewards.
Questions people ask
- Is Viral Loops or FirstPromoter better?
- Neither clearly leads. Viral Loops starts at Free and FirstPromoter at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Viral Loops or FirstPromoter?
- Viral Loops has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Viral Loops and $49/month for FirstPromoter.
- Does Viral Loops or FirstPromoter run on more platforms?
- Viral Loops runs on Web. FirstPromoter runs on Web (SaaS).
- Can I use Viral Loops for free?
- Yes. Viral Loops has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FirstPromoter starts at $49/month.
- What is Viral Loops best used for?
- Viral Loops 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 Viral Loops do that FirstPromoter cannot?
- Viral Loops covers Campaign templates, Milestone rewards, Leaderboards, Referral widgets. FirstPromoter covers Recurring commission tracking, Multi-tier rewards, Coupon attribution, Public leaderboards. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Viral Loops: What does Viral Loops pricing start at?
Viral Loops pricing starts at $35/month and ranges up to $208/month depending on the plan. The platform offers a 14-day free trial, flat-rate pricing (no per-campaign charges), and 30% discount for annual billing.
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.
SourceViral Loops: What types of campaigns can Viral Loops create?
Viral Loops allows creation of referral programs, giveaways, waiting lists, and sweepstakes/competitions. Campaigns can be integrated into websites or mobile apps within minutes using pre-built templates.
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.
SourceViral Loops: Does Viral Loops offer custom pricing?
Yes. Beyond the standard $35-208/month plans, Viral Loops offers custom pricing for larger teams and enterprises with specific feature requirements.
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.
SourceViral Loops: What happens to campaigns after I cancel Viral Loops?
Users can export large files of mailing lists in several data formats, allowing campaign data to be migrated to another platform if needed after cancellation.
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.
SourceViral Loops: How quickly can I launch a campaign with Viral Loops?
Campaigns can be launched within minutes using Viral Loops' template-based, intuitive interface that requires no technical expertise or coding knowledge.
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