AffiliateBase vs FirstPromoter (2026): which should you pick?

Pick AffiliateBase if

• Fits if you sell SaaS through Stripe and want recurring affiliate commissions
• Works for tiny programs that start on 5 referrals a month

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you do not use Stripe, as attribution is built around it
• Tight if you stay free: 5 referrals a month, no team members and no payout export files
• Pricey if affiliate revenue passes $15,000 a month, where Pro is $119
• Watch out: a branded affiliate portal needs Growth, and affiliates outside Stripe's countries are paid by PayPal or Wise files

Pick FirstPromoter if

• Fits if you bill through Chargebee, Recurly or Braintree rather than just Stripe
• Works for programs mixing affiliates, influencers and customer referrals, with commissions up to three tiers deep

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if your affiliates bring in a bit over $5,000 a month, as Starter stops there
• Skip it if you run an online store rather than a subscription business
• Not for you if you need white-labeling, SSO or managed payouts without an Enterprise deal
• Tight if you're on Starter: 1,000 affiliates, three campaigns, and no custom dashboard or email domain
• Watch out: the AI assistant and MCP server are still in beta, and Enterprise tiers above $15,000 are priced through sales

AffiliateBase

• Built around Stripe; the homepage says checkout must pass referral data correctly for attribution to work.
• Free is capped at 5 referrals a month and has no team members or payout export files.
• Paid tiers are set by monthly affiliate revenue: $39 up to $7,500, $69 up to $15,000, then $119.
• Stripe transfers need affiliates in countries Stripe supports; others are paid with PayPal or Wise exports.

FirstPromoter

• Plans follow affiliate-driven revenue: Starter stops at $5,000 a month, and passing a limit moves the account to the next tier.
• Starter allows up to 1,000 affiliates and three campaigns; a custom dashboard domain and custom email domain need Business.
• White-labeling, SSO, activity logs and Managed Auto Payouts are Enterprise only; managed payouts need approval and are for SaaS companies.
• The AI assistant and MCP server for Claude or ChatGPT are marked beta.

AffiliateBase

Stripe-based attribution

Referral links, coupons and tokens are matched to Stripe payments by webhook, with first-click or last-click attribution and a window set per campaign.

Recurring commissions

Commission rules cover one-time payments and subscriptions, so a renewal can earn the partner another commission.

Partner portal

Affiliates see their referral links, promotional materials, performance and earnings. A branded version needs the Growth plan or higher.

Payout runs

Pay affiliates by Stripe transfer from your own Stripe balance, or export PayPal and Wise files and mark the payouts as paid afterwards.

Fraud review

Self-referral detection signals and a manual review step let you hold, approve or deactivate suspicious referrals before paying.

REST API

The REST API is included on every plan, including Free, for custom integrations and tracking.

FirstPromoter

Billing-system tracking

Connects to Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly and Braintree, imports past Stripe data when you migrate, and creates negative commissions on refunds.

Links, coupons and sub-IDs

Referral links on your own domain, coupon codes synced to Stripe that affiliates can customize, clean direct URLs and sub-IDs to split one link by channel.

Commission rules

Recurring or lifetime commissions as a percentage or flat amount, rates per plan, bonuses, cost-per-lead, double-sided rewards and up to three tiers of sub-affiliates.

Promoter portal

A brandable dashboard with an asset library, leaderboards, signed agreements and W-9 or W-8BEN collection, translated into French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

Mass payouts

Pay through PayPal, Wise, Stripe, crypto or bank transfer in 190 currencies on monthly or twice-monthly cycles, with self-billed VAT invoices for EU companies on Business.

Emails, reports and fraud checks

Welcome sequences and broadcasts to affiliates, reports with CSV and JSON export, and self-referral detection, reCAPTCHA and manual approval thresholds.

AffiliateBase

• Free$0

  per month for up to 5 referrals

  Unlimited affiliates and the REST API; no team members, extra campaigns or payout export files.

• Starter$39

  per month for up to $7,500 of affiliate revenue

  Adds unlimited team members and campaigns, plus PayPal and Wise export files.

• Growth$69

  per month for up to $15,000 of affiliate revenue

  Adds a branded affiliate portal and invite-only campaigns.

• Pro$119

  per month for over $15,000 of affiliate revenue

  No revenue cap above $15,000 a month, and priority support.

FirstPromoter

• Starter$49

  per month for up to $5,000 of affiliate revenue a month

  Up to 1,000 affiliates and three campaigns, with unlimited team members, every billing integration and the APIs. No custom dashboard domain.

• Business$99

  per month for up to $15,000 of affiliate revenue a month

  Unlimited affiliates and campaigns, two websites, a custom dashboard domain, in-app embedded dashboard, custom email domain and one-click PayPal payouts.

• Enterprise$149

  per month and up, above $15,000 of affiliate revenue a month

  Tiers rise above $15,000 a month in affiliate revenue, sold through sales. Adds white-labeling, SSO, activity logs, post-back URLs and managed payouts.

AffiliateBase

• Annual discount

  Annual billing saves 2 months

  The pricing page offers annual billing that saves two months a year, shown as $78 a year on Starter, $138 on Growth and $238 on Pro.

FirstPromoter

• Annual discount

  Two months free with yearly billing

  Yearly plans cost ten times the monthly price: Starter is $490 a year, Business $990 a year and Enterprise from $1,490 a year.