impact.com vs Optimise (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, impact.com grades higher than Optimise: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
impact.com grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. Optimise grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
impact.com
Partnership platform for affiliate, creator and referral programs
Which one is for you
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 Optimise if
- Fits if you are a large advertiser wanting a managed partnership program
- Works for brands operating in several regions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
- Not for you if you want self-serve, because it reads as a sales-led service
- Watch out: the AI agent features are described only in general terms
- Too light for small shops without a partnership team
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAimpact.comFair | 1.6GPAOptimiseWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $30 a month plus 2.5% of revenue, but only for listed stores. Essentials is $500 a month and Pro $2,500, at or above the dearest tenth ($499). | CNo prices or plans are published, so cost is unconfirmed. |
| Free plan and trial | D30-day free trial on Starter only, and no word on a card. | FNo free plan or trial is listed, so you pay before you can try it. |
| Features | BAffiliate, creator and referral programs, reporting, attribution, payouts and add-ons. The listing names no gap in the core work, only paid add-ons. | CPartner intelligence, growth and insight modules, fraud protection and a control centre. The AI agent features are described only in general terms. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Larger plans are sold through sales and billed onboarding. | CNo store rating on record. You set up accounts and programs before it does anything, so there is a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 8 integrations and API-based tracking on Pro. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | partnerships across affiliate, creator and referral programs | global partnership marketing run by a service team |
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: impact.com and Optimise. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| impact.com | Optimise | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $30 per month, plus 2.5% of revenue (Starter) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on the Starter tier only | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | impact.com | Optimise Media Group Limited |
| Price read from | impact.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Optimise
- No prices or plans are published on the pages we read, so cost is unconfirmed.
- The company says it works with over 800 advertisers, which points to a managed, sales-led service rather than self-serve.
- The AI agent features are described only in general terms on the homepage.
Key features
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.
Optimise
- PartnerIQ intelligence
- Combines partnership performance data, third-party data and Optimise expertise to feed AI agents that recommend what to do next.
- Growth and Insight modules
- Growth finds and ranks partner opportunities, and Insight shows what is driving value so teams know where to optimize.
- Protect
- Partner compliance and protection tools aimed at spotting compliance, fraud and traffic-quality problems earlier.
- Manage control centre
- Handles everyday actions on partnership campaigns, to cut repetitive work in running complex programs.
- Rewards platform and services
- Lets brands build exclusive offers for partners, with local expert teams and managed service sold alongside the software.
Plans
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.
Optimise
Pricing could not be confirmed. See optimisemedia.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, impact.com or Optimise?
As of Nov 13, 2026, impact.com starts at $30 per month, plus 2.5% of revenue (Starter), and Optimise has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, impact.com or Optimise?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither impact.com nor Optimise has a free plan. impact.com has 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.