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

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 PromoteKit if

• Fits if you take payments through Stripe and want affiliates cheaply
• Works for a small SaaS testing an affiliate program

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you don't use Stripe, as it doesn't work without a Stripe account
• Tight if you stay free: 3 referrals and 1 campaign
• Watch out: one-click global payouts add a 5% or 8% fee on the payout total
• Skip it if you're over $10,000 a month from affiliates, as that needs a custom Enterprise deal

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.

PromoteKit

• A Stripe account is required; the vendor says it does not work without one.
• The Free plan stops at 3 referrals and 1 campaign, and one-click payouts, API and fraud detection need Pro.
• One-click global payouts are for organizations using USD and add a 5% or 8% processing fee on the payout total.
• The pricing page shows $29 with the yearly toggle on (25% saving); the monthly-billed price was not readable.

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.

PromoteKit

Links and promo codes

Affiliates get unique links or Stripe-backed promo codes. Code tracking needs no script on your site; link tracking needs one script tag. The cookie lasts 60 days by default.

Commission types

A percentage or fixed amount, on every payment or a limited number or period. Paid plans add per-product commissions and tiers for top affiliates.

One-click global payouts

Pay many affiliates at once to bank accounts in 100+ countries through Stripe, with 1099 forms for US affiliates. Adds a 5% (bank) or 8% (card) processing fee.

Affiliate portal

Each affiliate sees links, codes, referrals, earnings and payout details. A custom domain and removal of PromoteKit branding are on paid plans.

Fraud and refund handling

Self-referral fraud detection is on Pro. Refunds seen in Stripe adjust the affiliate's commission automatically.

API and webhooks

API access and webhooks on Pro, and dedicated integrations for Webflow, Memberstack, Outseta and MemberSpace.

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.

PromoteKit

• Free$0

  Up to 3 referrals, 1 campaign, coupon-code tracking, affiliate portal, PayPal and Wise payouts.

• Pro$29

  per month, billed yearly (monthly price not read)

  For programs under $10,000/month from affiliates: unlimited referrals and campaigns, API, webhooks, fraud detection, one-click payouts.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For over $10,000/month from affiliates: Pro features plus custom implementation; contact the vendor.

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.

PromoteKit

• Annual discount

  Save 25% with yearly billing

  The pricing page marks its yearly option as saving 25% compared with monthly billing.