Dub Partners vs FirstPromoter (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Dub Partners if

• Fits if you already use Dub links and want partners on the same tools
• Works for developer-led teams that will use the API

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you pay out a lot: a 5% fee applies on Business and Advanced, on top of the plan
• Tight if you grow, as Business stops at $30K of payouts a year, 500 partners and 3 groups
• Watch out: the Advanced cap shows as $60K on one card and $180K in the comparison table
• Skip it if you want a monthly price, as the $81 and $270 are yearly-billing figures

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

Dub Partners

• Plans are capped by partner payouts per year (Business: $30K); the Advanced cap is shown as $60K on one card and $180K in the comparison table.
• Business is limited to 500 partners and 3 partner groups; the embedded dashboard and email campaigns need Advanced.
• The $81 and $270 prices are on the yearly option (10% off); the monthly-billed prices were not readable.
• Payouts carry a 5% fee on Business and Advanced, on top of the subscription.

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.

Dub Partners

Flexible rewards

Pay-per-click, pay-per-lead and revenue-share structures, program bounties, and dual-sided incentives that reward both partner and referred customer.

Global payouts

Automated payouts worldwide with tax compliance. The pricing page lists a 5% payout fee on Business and Advanced and 3% on Enterprise.

Tracking and analytics

Conversion tracking, customer insights and a real-time events stream, with event limits and data retention that rise by plan.

Partner landing pages

An AI landing page generator for the program's sign-up page, plus an embedded referral dashboard that lets users become partners inside your app (Advanced and up).

Links and domains

Dub's link features are part of each plan: custom domains, QR codes, UTM builder, deep links, geo and device targeting.

API and MCP server

REST API, native SDKs, real-time event webhooks and an MCP server on every plan, with rate limits that increase by plan.

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.

Dub Partners

• Business$81

  per month for $30K payouts a year, billed yearly

  500 partners, 3 groups, 10 users, 5% payout fee, basic rewards, API and MCP server.

• Advanced$270

  per month, billed yearly

  Unlimited partners and groups, advanced rewards, embedded referral dashboard, email campaigns, risk monitoring, 20 users.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Volume discounts, SAML/SSO, audit logs, custom SLA, partner network access and dedicated Slack 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.

Dub Partners

• Annual discount

  10% off with yearly billing

  The yearly option on the pricing page is labeled 10% off with 12 months of usage upfront.

• Nonprofit

  25% off for open-source projects and non-profits

  Dub's pricing FAQ says open-source projects and non-profits can get a 25% discount by reaching out.

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.