impact.com vs Rakuten Advertising (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, impact.com grades higher than Rakuten Advertising: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
impact.com grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. Rakuten Advertising 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
Rakuten Advertising
Affiliate network and partner marketing for brands and publishers
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 Rakuten Advertising if
- Fits if you want a managed affiliate network with strategy support
- Works for brands and publishers ready for a sales contact
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, because pages point to contact forms
- Watch out: its reach and traffic figures are its own claims and weren't checked
- Tight if you want an API or integrations list: none appears on the listing
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAimpact.comFair | 1.6GPARakuten AdvertisingWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 price or plan is published; pages point to Get Started and contact forms. Middle by default. |
| Free plan and trial | D30-day free trial on Starter only, and no word on a card. | FNo free plan or trial is shown on the listing or the pages read. |
| 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. | CAffiliate intelligence, a partner network, program design and strategy support. The pages give little detail on tooling. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Larger plans are sold through sales and billed onboarding. | CNo store rating on record. A network program starts with contact forms and strategy support. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 8 integrations and API-based tracking on Pro. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on the listing. |
| Best for | partnerships across affiliate, creator and referral programs | an affiliate network for brands and publishers |
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 Rakuten Advertising. How we grade
Where they differ
- impact.com also covers partner payouts.
At a glance
| impact.com | Rakuten Advertising | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rakuten Advertising |
| Price read from | impact.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Rakuten Advertising
- No price or plan is published; pages point to Get Started and contact forms.
- The homepage headline reads "Rakuten Advertising and impact.com: two industry titans, one unstoppable force", but the pages read do not say how the two companies are related.
- Figures such as reach and traffic rank are Rakuten's own claims and were not checked.
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.
Rakuten Advertising
- Affiliate Intelligence
- A set of data and AI tools Rakuten describes as helping brands and publishers find partners, forecast and benchmark performance.
- Partner network
- A curated network of publishers that spans payment programs and influencers, aimed at goals from awareness to loyalty.
- Program design
- Rakuten says it builds custom, large-scale, long-term programs around a brand's goals.
- Strategy and support
- Teams of experts work alongside the technology and network to plan and run programs.
- Publisher side
- Publishers can sign up on the site to join brand programs.
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.
Rakuten Advertising
Pricing could not be confirmed. See rakutenadvertising.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, impact.com or Rakuten Advertising?
As of Nov 12, 2026, impact.com starts at $30 per month, plus 2.5% of revenue (Starter), and Rakuten Advertising has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, impact.com or Rakuten Advertising?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither impact.com nor Rakuten Advertising 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.