PartnerStack vs Rakuten Advertising (2026): which should you pick?

Pick PartnerStack if

• Fits if you're a B2B software company running affiliates and resellers together
• Works for teams whose partners register deals that need to land in Salesforce or HubSpot

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see a price before booking a demo
• Not for you if you're a small business wanting to start this week, as setup takes weeks
• Tight if you want links and deal registration together, as Launch has one or the other
• Watch out: you pay commissions in US dollars or euros only, though partners can withdraw in their own currency
• Skip it if you want a trial or free plan, as there's neither, and it's web only

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

PartnerStack

• No prices are published: Launch, Growth and Enterprise are quoted after a demo, based on program size, features and support.
• Launch includes either affiliate link tracking or lead and deal registration, not both; Enterprise unlocks every partner motion.
• Vendors pay commissions in US dollars or euros only, though partners can withdraw in their local currency.
• Every plan starts with a demo and guided onboarding, and PartnerStack says most teams are running within weeks.

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.

PartnerStack

Links, leads and deal registration

Give partners unique or self-made referral links with automatic UTMs, assign leads to partners from your CRM, and let resellers register deals and update their stages.

Partner marketplace

Programs are listed in the PartnerStack Marketplace, where B2B partners in its network can discover and join them.

Commission triggers

Pay flat, percentage, milestone, drip or multi-step revenue-share commissions on events such as sign-ups, sales, demos or signed contracts, varied by partner group.

Consolidated payouts

Approved commissions roll into one monthly invoice; PartnerStack pays each partner by direct deposit, PayPal or Stripe and handles tax and currency.

Onboarding and training

Onboarding flows, content, automated emails and in-app messages, challenges and tiers, with a learning management system and MDF payments on Growth.

CRM and billing sync

Two-way sync with Salesforce and HubSpot, billing connections to Stripe or Chargebee for recurring revenue, an API, and an AI assistant with an MCP connector.

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.

PartnerStack

Pricing could not be confirmed. See partnerstack.com.

Rakuten Advertising

Pricing could not be confirmed. See rakutenadvertising.com.