FirstPromoter vs Partnero (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick FirstPromoter: it is second in our ranking of affiliate and referral tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
FirstPromoter grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FirstPromoter
Affiliate, referral and influencer programs for SaaS subscriptions
Partnero
Affiliate, referral and influencer program software, flat rate
Which one is for you
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
Pick Partnero if
- Fits if you run a single SaaS affiliate or referral program and want every feature on the entry plan
- Works for small teams of one or two people
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is none
- Tight if you run more than 1 program or 1 person, as Starter allows one of each
- Pricey if you grow your team, as extra seats are $29 a month on any plan
- Watch out: monthly billing costs $10 to $40 more, and prices exclude VAT
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAFirstPromoterGood | 2.2GPAPartneroFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGraded on $5,000 a month of affiliate sales, which is exactly Starter's cap: $490 a year on yearly billing ($49 monthly), with no cut of sales. That's in the lowest-priced part of this category. But one good month moves you to Business, which is $990 a year. | CStarter is $49 a month on yearly billing ($59 monthly), inside the category's middle range. Partner is $159 for 3 programs. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial on every plan, and no credit card needed. | DA 30-day free trial on Starter and Partner, with no free plan. Whether the trial needs a card is not stated. |
| Features | BFive billing systems, coupons synced to Stripe, sub-IDs, recurring, per-plan and three-tier commissions, a translated portal that collects W-9 and W-8BEN forms, emails to affiliates and fraud checks. The whole job. Its AI assistant and MCP server are still in beta. | BTracking, commission rules, a white-label portal, payouts and several program types come on every plan. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. There are billing integrations and an import of past Stripe data, but there are campaigns, commission rules and a portal to set up before promoters join. | CA web app where you set up the program, rules and portal. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, Braintree, HighLevel, Kajabi and Zapier, plus APIs. No desktop or phone app, which an A needs. | BWeb only, with 8 integrations and an AI assistant with an MCP server. |
| Best for | SaaS affiliate programs on any billing system | affiliate and referral programs at a flat rate |
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: FirstPromoter and Partnero. How we grade
Price against what you get
FirstPromoter starts at $49 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Partnero starts at $49 a month and scores 2.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other affiliate and referral tools on the chart, none scores higher than FirstPromoter for less, and none scores higher than Partnero for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Partnero also covers dashboards.
At a glance
| FirstPromoter | Partnero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per month for up to $5,000 of affiliate revenue a month | $49 per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required | 30-day free trial on Starter and Partner |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Igil Webs SRL | Partnero |
| Price read from | firstpromoter.com | partnero.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Partnero
- No free plan; both paid plans start with a 30-day trial and monthly billing costs $10 to $40 more.
- Starter allows one program and one team member; Partner allows three of each.
- Additional team seats are a $29 per user monthly add-on on any plan.
- Prices exclude VAT and other taxes, per the help center.
Key features
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.
Partnero
- Tracking and attribution
- Tracks partner activity and credits conversions across referral links, partner-made links, coupon codes and lead submissions, with custom tracking domains.
- Commission rules
- Percentage, fixed, recurring and lifetime commissions, with individual rates per partner and automatic refund, upgrade and churn adjustments.
- White-label partner portal
- A branded portal on your own domain where partners find their links and track performance.
- Payouts
- Scheduled partner payouts through PayPal or Wise are listed on the pricing page, and the help center covers balances and tax forms.
- Several program types
- Affiliate, refer-a-friend, influencer and newsletter-referral programs are all available on every plan; plans differ in how many run at once.
- AI assistant and MCP server
- Includes affiliate discovery, a plain-language assistant for changing rules, and an MCP server for connecting tools such as Claude or ChatGPT.
Plans
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.
Partnero
Starter$49
per month for 1 program, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
1 partnership program and 1 team member, with all features; extra seats $29 a month each.
Partner$159
per month for 3 programs, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
3 partnership programs and 3 team members, with all features; extra seats $29 a month each.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited programs and team members, a dedicated account manager and priority support.
Ways to pay less
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.
Partnero
- Annual discount
2 months free on annual billing
The pricing page says annual billing gets two months free: $49 a month billed annually against $59 billed monthly on Starter, $159 against $199 on Partner.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FirstPromoter or Partnero?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. FirstPromoter starts at $49 per month for up to $5,000 of affiliate revenue a month, and Partnero starts at $49 per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, FirstPromoter or Partnero?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither FirstPromoter nor Partnero has a free plan. Both have 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.