Creem vs Tolt (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Creem grades higher than Tolt: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Creem grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Tolt
Affiliate program software for SaaS startups on Stripe or Paddle
Which one is for you
Pick Creem if
- Fits if you sell software and want payments, tax and affiliates from one provider
- Works for solo developers who prefer a fee per sale over a monthly bill
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you already take payments elsewhere, as affiliates need Creem checkout
- Pricey if you sell a lot, as 3.9% plus $0.40 is a fee on every sale and lower rates need the Partner plan
- Watch out: only cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay work, with PayPal listed as coming soon
- Tight if you want per-sale payouts, as affiliates are paid twice a month
Pick Tolt if
- Fits if you sell a SaaS or app billed through Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee or RevenueCat
- Works for teams that want W-9s, W-8s and 1099s handled, from Growth at $99 a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you run a Shopify store or any checkout outside Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, RevenueCat or Shopify Partners
- Pricey if you're just starting out, as the old $69 plan is gone and the cheapest is $99 a month
- Watch out: Tolt takes 2% of everything it pays your affiliates, on every plan
- Tight if affiliate revenue passes $20,000 a month on Growth, as Pro is $199 and above $50,000 it's custom
- Not for you if you want the Powered by Tolt link gone or fraud checks, which need Pro, and there's no API or Zapier on record
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACreemFair | 2.2GPAToltFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo monthly fee, but 3.9% plus $0.40 per sale is a cut of revenue, not a subscription, so it sits in the middle of what affiliate tools cost. | CGraded on $5,000 a month of affiliate sales: the cheapest plan is now Growth at $99 a month for up to $20,000, or ten months' price if you pay yearly, with no cut of sales but 2% of every payout. That's the dear end of ordinary here, twice the category's $49 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo setup or monthly fee and nothing to pay until you sell. There is no cap, but the fee comes off every sale. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial on every plan with no credit card. There's also a full refund within 30 days of paying. |
| Features | CAffiliates, short links and payouts exist, but only for products sold through Creem checkout. It is a payments platform with affiliates attached. | CStripe, Paddle, Chargebee and RevenueCat tracking, Shopify Partners for app makers, a branded portal, custom commissions, double-sided coupons, auto payouts, tax forms and an MCP link for Claude or ChatGPT. The gap the listing names: no other checkout is tracked, and fraud checks wait for Pro. |
| Ease of use | CCheckout, products and webhooks are yours to set up, with an API and CLI for the work. No store rating is on record. | CNo rating on record. You link it to your billing on the client or server side, then sort out the portal, programs and commissions. Ordinary setup for this kind of tool. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API, CLI and MCP server and 2 integrations. No apps. | BWeb, with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee and RevenueCat for billing, PayPal, Wise and Payoneer for payouts, and an MCP link. No API or Zapier on record and no desktop or phone app, so it's a thin B. |
| Best for | selling software with affiliates built into checkout | a branded affiliate portal for subscription apps |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Creem and Tolt. How we grade
Where they differ
- Creem also covers digital downloads and merchant of record.
At a glance
| Creem | Tolt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $99 per month for up to $20,000 of affiliate revenue a month |
| Free plan | No monthly or setup fee; Creem takes 3.9% + $0.40 from each successful transaction. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Armitage Labs OÜ | Tolt, Inc. |
| Price read from | creem.io | tolt.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Creem
- The affiliate features are part of a payments platform; you must sell through Creem checkout to use them.
- Fee is 3.9% + $0.40 per successful transaction; lower rates need the custom Partner plan.
- Supported payment methods are cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay; PayPal is listed as coming soon.
- Payouts happen twice a month, not per sale.
Tolt
- Tolt only tracks sales billed through Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, RevenueCat or Shopify Partners (for Shopify app makers); other checkouts are not listed.
- Every plan pays affiliates automatically for 2% of what is paid out, and the Powered by Tolt link comes off only on Pro.
- Plans are capped by affiliate revenue: Growth stops at $20,000 a month and Pro at $50,000, above which pricing is custom.
- The cheapest plan is $99 a month; Tolt offers a full refund within 30 days of paying.
Key features
Creem
- Merchant of record
- Creem is the seller of record, so it calculates, collects and remits VAT, GST and sales tax, issues invoices and takes on chargeback liability.
- Affiliates and revenue splits
- Set a commission per product and per affiliate, track clicks and pay partners from the same balance; splits also work for co-founders and contractors.
- Short links with tracking
- Short links track clicks and conversions, with QR codes and password, geo and device targeting.
- Usage-based billing and credit wallets
- Custom meters, per-unit pricing with free allowances, seat-based billing and prepaid credit packs with auto-refill.
- API, CLI and MCP
- Everything in the dashboard can be scripted through an API, SDKs, a CLI, webhooks and an MCP server.
- Payouts
- Payouts run on the 1st and 15th of each month to a bank account or a USDC wallet.
Tolt
- Stripe, Paddle and Chargebee
- Client-side or server-side setup links Tolt to your billing, so commissions stop when a subscription is canceled and are deducted when a payment is refunded.
- Branded affiliate portal
- Match the portal to your brand and host it on your own subdomain, such as affiliates.yourdomain.com, with a resources page for affiliates.
- Commission flows and coupons
- Set custom commissions per affiliate, group partners, run several programs and give referred customers a discount with double-sided coupon rewards.
- Bulk and auto payouts
- Tolt pays affiliates for you through PayPal, Wise, bank transfer or wire, taking 2% of what is paid out; Pro adds custom payout methods.
- Tax forms for affiliates
- From Growth up, Tolt collects W-9 and W-8 forms, files 1099s and issues invoices for affiliates.
- Tolt MCP
- On every plan, connect Claude or ChatGPT to ask about your program, such as who your top partners are, and act on the answers.
Plans
Creem
Pay as you go$0
No monthly or setup fees. 3.9% + $0.40 per successful transaction, with taxes, fraud and chargebacks handled by Creem.
Partner planCustom
For higher-volume businesses: lower transaction fees, a payments concierge, weekly meetings and card issuing. Booked by call.
Tolt
Growth$99
per month for up to $20,000 of affiliate revenue a month
Unlimited affiliates, a branded portal on your own domain, auto payouts (2% of what's paid out), affiliate invoices, W-9 and W-8 forms with 1099 filing, and 5 programs and seats.
Pro$199
per month for up to $50,000 of affiliate revenue a month
Adds Radar fraud checks, unlimited programs, groups, seats and commission flows, custom payout methods, a dedicated Slack channel and no Powered by Tolt link.
EnterpriseCustom
For programs above $50,000 a month in affiliate revenue, with priority support. Priced with sales.
Ways to pay less
Creem
No public discounts listed.
Tolt
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Paying yearly for Growth or Pro costs ten months' price for twelve months.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Creem or Tolt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Creem publishes no starting price, and Tolt starts at $99 per month for up to $20,000 of affiliate revenue a month.
Which has a free plan, Creem or Tolt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Creem has a free plan. Tolt does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.