FirstPromoter vs Refgrow (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 Refgrow if

• Fits if you sell SaaS through Stripe or Paddle and want the program inside your own app
• Works for a team moving over from Rewardful, FirstPromoter or Tolt, which get a 30-day trial

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if your payment provider is not on the list, because other billing needs the REST API
• Tight if you grow: each plan covers $10,000 or $25,000 of affiliate revenue a month, then $948 a year per extra $25,000
• Watch out: white-label with no Refgrow branding is Business only, at $79 a month billed yearly
• Pricey if you pay monthly: Pro is $49 and Business $99
• Watch out: new subscription payments are non-refundable, and PayPal or Wise may add their own payout fees

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.

Refgrow

• Each plan covers a set amount of affiliate-generated revenue a month ($10,000 or $25,000); above $25,000 you add $948 a year per extra $25,000.
• White-label with no Refgrow branding is only on Business.
• There is no free plan, and the page says payments for new subscriptions are non-refundable except where the law or a separate offer says otherwise.
• PayPal, Wise and your payment provider may charge their own payout or processing fees.

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.

Refgrow

Embedded widget and tracking

A referral widget that sits inside your own product, with tracking for links and coupons and a hosted affiliate portal for partners.

Payment integrations

Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments and Creem on every plan; other providers can report payments through the REST API.

Payouts and invoices

Automatic payouts through PayPal or Wise, plus self-billing invoices and EU VAT handling.

Commission options

Multi-tier commissions, coupons and gamification and messages for affiliates, with fraud protection on all plans.

Partner Network

A listing in Refgrow's partner network, subject to eligibility, so affiliates can find your program.

API, webhooks and MCP

A REST API, outgoing webhooks and an MCP server are included with both 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.

Refgrow

• Pro$39

  per month to $10,000 affiliate revenue, billed yearly ($49 monthly)

  Unlimited programs and affiliates, 3 team members, hosted portal, coupons, fraud protection, auto payouts and custom portal domain.

• Business$79

  per month to $25,000 affiliate revenue, billed yearly ($99 monthly)

  Everything in Pro plus 10 team members and white-label with no Refgrow branding.

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.

Refgrow

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Pro is $468 a year instead of $49 a month, and Business is $948 a year instead of $99 a month.

• Other savings

  30-day trial and free migration help

  Teams switching from Rewardful, FirstPromoter, Tolt or another tool get a 30-day trial and migration help via that tool's migration page.