impact.com vs LTK (2026): which should you pick?

Pick impact.com if

• Fits if you run a larger brand with partners across affiliate, creators and referrals
• Makes sense if you can commit to a 12-month contract

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you outgrow Starter: Essentials is $500 a month and Pro $2,500
• Watch out: every plan needs a 12-month contract, and a tier change needs a new 12-month addendum
• Not for you if you're off the listed store platforms, as Starter works only with them
• Tight if you want add-ons or setup help: add-ons cost extra and onboarding on upper tiers is $250 an hour

Pick LTK if

• Fits if you sell fashion, beauty or home goods and want creators
• Works for creators who want shoppable posts

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you sell software or B2B, since the focus is consumer retail
• Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
• Watch out: creators are accepted by application, not open sign-up
• Too light for self-serve affiliate programs

impact.com

• The page says every plan needs a 12-month contract, and a tier change needs a new 12-month addendum.
• Starter is limited to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Squarespace, Ecwid, Shoplazza, nopCommerce and Zoho Commerce.
• Essentials, Pro and Enterprise setup and onboarding is billed at $250 an hour.
• Add-ons (Creator Premium, Advocate Premium, Optimize, AI Search Visibility, Brand Safety) cost extra and are not on Starter.

LTK

• No pricing or commission rates for brands are published; brands contact LTK.
• Creators are accepted by application, not open sign-up.
• The brand pages stress fashion, beauty, home, retail and similar verticals, so it is less suited to software or B2B programs.

impact.com

Affiliate program management

Recruitment, tracking, payouts and fraud protection for an affiliate program, with a partner marketplace on Essentials and above.

Creator and influencer management

Creator and influencer partnerships are managed in the same account, with a paid Creator Premium add-on for dedicated support.

Customer referral

The Advocate product runs customer referral programs next to affiliate and creator ones. It is included from Essentials up.

Reporting and attribution

Basic tracking and reporting on Starter, a Data Lab analytics tool on Pro and multi-touch attribution on Enterprise.

Partner payouts

Each paid tier includes a monthly amount of partner payouts; beyond that, payouts are paid a la carte with no overage fees, per the FAQ.

Add-ons

Optional paid add-ons on Essentials and above include Optimize, AI Search Visibility and Brand Safety tools.

LTK

Shoppable creator content

Creators post products that shoppers can buy, and the site says it lists over 450 million products from 8,000 brands.

Creator discovery for brands

LTK Leaderboard ranks top organic performers, and LTK Match uses the platform's sales data to pair brands with creators.

LTK 360 reporting

Reports on influencer marketing spend at each stage of the funnel, including LTK's own performance metrics.

Campaign and ad products

The brand site lists LTK Campaigns, Ads, Boost, Optimize, CTV and RMN alongside the core creator network.

Creator application

People who want to earn from their recommendations apply to become a creator.

impact.com

• Starter$30

  per month, plus 2.5% of revenue

  Basic tracking and reporting, Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy integration, partner recommendations and chat support. Only for listed store platforms.

• Essentials$500

  per month

  For brands with up to $2m a year in ecommerce revenue. Includes up to $2,500 a month in partner payouts. Sold through sales.

• Pro$2,500

  per month

  For $2m to $15m a year in revenue. Includes up to $14,300 a month in payouts, API-based tracking and custom commission rates. Sold through sales.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For $15m+ a year or multi-channel programs: white-labeled partner portal, fraud and risk scoring and multi-touch attribution.

LTK

Pricing could not be confirmed. See shopltk.com.