Referly

Referly vs FirstPromoter

FirstPromoter is $49 and Referly is $75. The caps are $5,000 and $10,000. Start there.

14-day free trial · No credit card required · Free migration, including a direct import from FirstPromoter

Referly

Referly

Startup

$75/mo

Covers
$10,000/mo affiliate revenue
Fee
0% transaction fee
Tracks
Stripe, Shopify, WooCommerce, Paddle, Chargebee, Polar, Zylvie

FirstPromoter

Starter

$49/mo

Covers
Up to $5,000/mo revenue from affiliates
Fee
Transaction fee: not stated
Tracks
Stripe, Chargebee, Paddle

Referly and FirstPromoter both track affiliate programs for subscription businesses. FirstPromoter is $49/mo, covers $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue, supports Stripe, Chargebee and Paddle, and caps its Starter plan at 1,000 affiliates. Referly is $75/mo, covers $10,000/mo, and also tracks Shopify and WooCommerce. Both cap revenue on their entry plans.

The case

Why choose Referly over FirstPromoter?

The three differences that decide it against FirstPromoter, with the plan each one is on.

Twice the headroom before the first cliff.

FirstPromoter's $49 Starter covers $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue. The lowest cap in the $49 band. Referly's $75 Startup covers $10,000/mo. If your program lands between those two numbers, the cheaper tool is already on its $99 plan.

Shopify on the same program as Stripe.

FirstPromoter tracks Stripe, Chargebee and Paddle, subscriptions only, no store checkout. Referly tracks Shopify and WooCommerce orders alongside Stripe subscriptions, with coupon codes as a first-class tracking method on every plan.

The payout stack past the payout button.

Referly runs PayPal and Wise batch payouts, a managed worldwide rail, W-9 and W-8 collection with the TIN encrypted, and EU self-billing invoices with VIES validation, from Business up. FirstPromoter gates managed auto payouts to plans above Starter and has no tax-form collection.

Referly or FirstPromoter: which should you pick?

Referly

Choose Referly if

  • You sell on Shopify or WooCommerce as well as through a subscription processor
  • You expect to pass $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue. The band where the $49 price stops being $49
  • You need W-9s, W-8s or EU self-billing invoices handled inside the product
  • You want a marketplace and an influencer network to recruit from

Choose FirstPromoter if

  • You bill through Chargebee. Referly supports it too, but FirstPromoter's roots are there
  • You're under $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue and staying there
  • Built-in affiliate email automation is the feature you'd use most
  • $49 versus $75 matters, and you want the most detailed feature documentation before you buy

Referly vs FirstPromoter, full comparison table

Compiled from real research into both platforms.

ComparisonReferlyReferlyFirstPromoter
Entry price / month$75 (Startup)$49/mo (Starter)
Real cost at $10,000/mo$99/mo on Business
What the price meters onAffiliate revenueAffiliate revenue
Revenue cap, entry plan$10,000/moUp to $5,000/mo revenue from affiliates
Next tier$149 (Business), $30,000/mo cap$99 (Business), Up to $15,000/mo
Transaction or payout feeTransaction fee: not stated
Stripe
Shopify
WooCommerce
Paddle
Chargebee, Polar, ZylvieChargebee only
Coupon-code trackingEvery plan, including StartupStripe coupons
Cookie window60 days default, configurableNot stated
W-9 / W-8 collection
EU self-billing invoices
Automated payoutsManaged auto payouts gated above Starter
Affiliate marketplace
Influencer Discovery
Branded portal on your domainNot stated
Portal languages15 + custom languages you defineNot stated
Sub-affiliate tiers2 levels, Business and aboveNot stated
Free tierReferly has none
Trial14 days, no card14 days, no card
Refund policyStandardNot stated
Direct import into Referlyn/aDirect importer
Bulk approve, decline and editNot stated
Cancel without contacting supportNot stated
Per-link and per-affiliate reportingNot stated
Payout proof and audit trailManaged auto payouts above Starter
New-sale and new-affiliate alertsNot stated

Run your numbers

Where each plan runs out

Both tools meter on monthly affiliate revenue. Drag to your number and watch which plan each tool puts you on. The $49/$75 sticker prices stop describing reality at exactly $5,000.

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$6,500

ReferlyReferly

Startup$75
Business$149
Enterprise (from $399/mo, billed yearly)$399

FirstPromoter

Starter$49
Business$99
Enterprise$149
Referly

Referly

Startup

$75/mo

FirstPromoter

Business

$99/mo

The dashed line is your revenue crossing each ladder. At $6,500/mo, Referly bills $75 and FirstPromoter bills $99.

In depth

Why teams compare Referly and FirstPromoter

Six questions answered in full, including what they do better than us.

01What FirstPromoter does well

FirstPromoter is $49/mo against Referly's $75, and it publishes the biggest, clearest feature comparison table in the category, grouped matrices covering email, portal, reports, tracking, payouts and fraud, row by row. If you want to know exactly what you're buying before a trial, nobody documents themselves better. Its built-in affiliate email automation is genuinely strong: onboarding sequences and announcement emails without wiring up a separate tool. And it runs 19 comparison pages, including 10 it isn't in. They understand their own market better than anyone in it.

For a Stripe-only SaaS under $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue, FirstPromoter at $49 is a rational default.

02Where FirstPromoter stops

Three limitations, each from their own pricing matrix:

  1. 1No Shopify. FirstPromoter tracks Stripe, Chargebee and Paddle. If any of your revenue goes through a store checkout, it isn't tracked, and no plan changes that.
  2. 2The $5,000 cap. The $49 Starter covers $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue. Half of what Tolt's $69 covers and a third of Rewardful's next tier. It also caps affiliates at 1,000 on Starter.
  3. 3The Starter gate list. Their own matrix gates SSO, custom roles, activity logs, managed auto payouts, post-back URLs, removing "Powered by", embedding the dashboard, and custom CSS/JS above Starter.

03What Referly adds on top of the tracking

Both products compute recurring commissions off the subscription lifecycle. The difference is scope and the stack after the sale.

Referly tracks store checkouts as well as subscriptions. Shopify, WooCommerce and coupon codes on the same program as Stripe. Downstream it runs PayPal and Wise batch payouts, a managed payout rail, W-9/W-8BEN/W-8BEN-E collection with the TIN encrypted at rest, and EU self-billing invoices with VIES VAT validation, all from Business up. The portal runs on your own domain (Business and above) in 15 languages. And the supply side exists: a marketplace listing (separate Marketplace Licence) and Influencer Discovery (a $199/mo add-on, 500 invitations a month).

04Pricing: $49 vs $75

FirstPromoter's Starter is $49/mo and Referly's Startup is $75/mo. Referly costs 53% more at the door.

The caps decide whether that gap is real. FirstPromoter's $49 covers $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue; Referly's $75 covers $10,000/mo. From $5,000 to $15,000 you are on FirstPromoter's $99 Business plan, while Referly is still $75 up to $10,000, then $149 to $30,000. Between $5,000 and $10,000 a month, the nominally cheaper tool bills $99 and the nominally pricier one bills $75.

Under $5,000/mo, FirstPromoter is simply cheaper, and this page says so plainly.

05Who should choose FirstPromoter

A subscription business on Stripe, Chargebee or Paddle, under $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue, that wants affiliate email automation built in and has no store checkout anywhere in the funnel. At that size the $49 plan is honest value and the gate list doesn't bite yet.

06Who should choose Referly

A business whose affiliate revenue is heading past $5,000/mo, or whose sales don't all run through a subscription processor. A brand with a Shopify store next to its SaaS. A program paying enough US or EU affiliates that tax forms and self-billing invoices stopped being a spreadsheet job. Or a team that wants supply, a marketplace and an influencer network, not just tracking.

Free migration

Switching from FirstPromoter to Referly

Connect FirstPromoter directly and your affiliates, their links and their commission rates come across mapped. Free on every plan, including Startup.

Referly
1Scope and plan~30 min
List your campaigns, commission rules and open payouts. Decide what happens to commissions accrued but not yet paid.
2Export and map~30 min
Export affiliates from FirstPromoter. Referly's direct FirstPromoter importer maps affiliates, their referral links and their commission rates.
3Configure and import~1 hour
Recreate your commission plans in Referly, run the import, and swap the tracking script and the payment connection.
4Verify and go live3 to 7 days overlap
Run both in parallel, compare attributed sales daily, then switch off FirstPromoter.

What does not come across

Historic click data and per-click attribution history stay in FirstPromoter. Referly imports your affiliates, their links and their commission rates; it does not import FirstPromoter's click log. Commissions already accrued in FirstPromoter should be paid out from FirstPromoter before you switch.

The full FirstPromoter migration guide
Move my program over

FAQ

Questions you may still have

All are honest, unbiased answers, even when not flattering.

14-day free trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime

  • Headroom and scope. FirstPromoter is $49/mo and covers $5,000/mo in affiliate revenue on Stripe, Chargebee or Paddle, with affiliates capped at 1,000 on Starter. Referly is $75/mo, covers $10,000/mo, and also tracks Shopify and WooCommerce checkouts. Referly adds W-9/W-8 collection and EU invoicing from its Business plan; FirstPromoter has neither.