OfferLab vs PartnerStack vs FirstPromoter — Which Pays Affiliates Faster in 2026?

Updated: October 2025

I got screwed by a 60-day affiliate hold once.

Promoted a high-ticket SaaS product. Generated $12,000 in commissions. Waited. And waited.

Two months later, the platform finally paid me. But here’s the kicker—three of those sales had already refunded. They clawed back $3,400 from my payout without warning. No email. No heads up. Just a smaller deposit than I expected.

That’s when I started obsessing over payout speeds and policies.

Fast forward to 2026. Three platforms dominate the conversation when people ask about fast affiliate payouts: OfferLab (Russell Brunson’s new collab funnel system), PartnerStack (the B2B SaaS partner network everyone talks about), and FirstPromoter (the lightweight SaaS affiliate tracker).

But here’s what nobody tells you straight.

OfferLab doesn’t actually pay affiliates faster than anyone else. It pays sellers instantly and holds affiliate commissions for 30 days. PartnerStack processes monthly around the 13th of each month, averaging 30-45 days. FirstPromoter defaults to NET-30 (30-60 day range) but can be configured down to NET-15 if merchants enable it.

So which one actually gets money in your bank account fastest?

Let’s break it down with zero fluff.

The Payout Speed Question Nobody’s Answering Honestly

Here’s what you need to know right now, before we get into the weeds.

If you’re a product creator selling your own stuff, OfferLab wins. You get paid the same day someone buys. Instantly. No waiting. Your cut hits your Stripe-connected bank account before you finish celebrating the sale.

If you’re an affiliate promoting other people’s products, all three platforms make you wait roughly the same amount of time. OfferLab holds for 30 days. PartnerStack processes monthly (30-45 days average). FirstPromoter defaults to 30-60 days but can be shortened.

That’s the truth.

But there’s more to this story than just days on a calendar. Because payout speed means nothing if you can’t recruit quality affiliates, integrate with your billing system, or actually scale your program without losing your mind.

That’s what this comparison is really about.

Quick Verdict: Who Wins for What

Before we dive deep, here’s the at-a-glance comparison so you know where we’re headed.

Platform	Best For	Seller Payout	Affiliate Payout	Starting Price	Setup Time
OfferLab	Creators building collaborative funnels, instant cash flow priority	✓ Instant	30 days	$0/month (11% per sale)	15-30 min
PartnerStack	Enterprise B2B SaaS, partner marketplace access, complex programs	N/A (PRM focus)	30-45 days (~13th monthly)	~$6-8K/year (+ 3-15% fees)	74 days avg
FirstPromoter	SaaS startups with Stripe/Paddle, recurring commission tracking	Merchant-controlled	30-60 days (NET-30 default, NET-15 possible)	$49/month (0% transaction fees)	1-2 hours

Now let’s get into the details that actually matter.

The Payout Paradox: Why “Fast” Isn’t Always What It Seems

Here’s something most affiliate marketers don’t understand.

A platform can have “instant payouts” in their marketing copy and still make you wait 45 days for your money.

How?

Because there are three different timelines happening at once.

Timeline 1: When the commission gets credited to your account. This happens instantly on all three platforms. The second someone buys through your link, your dashboard shows the commission. Feels good. But it’s not real money yet.

Timeline 2: When the platform releases the commission for payout. This is the hold period. OfferLab: 30 days. PartnerStack: roughly 30-45 days depending on when in the month you earned it. FirstPromoter: 30-60 days on NET-30 terms (but configurable).

Timeline 3: When the money actually hits your bank account. Add another 1-10 business days depending on your payout method. PayPal is fastest (1-2 days). Wise takes 1-2 days. ACH transfers take 2-5 days. International wire transfers can take up to 10 days.

So when someone says “we have instant payouts,” what they really mean is “we process withdrawals quickly once the hold period expires.”

That’s not the same thing.

Let me show you the real math.

The Real Payout Timeline (No Marketing BS)

You make a $1,000 commission on March 1st. Here’s when you actually get paid:

Platform	Hold Period Ends	Processing Time	Money in Bank	Total Days
OfferLab (Seller)	March 1 (instant)	2-3 days (ACH)	March 4	3 days
OfferLab (Affiliate)	March 31 (30-day hold)	2-3 days (after withdrawal)	April 3	33 days
PartnerStack	April 13 (monthly processing)	2-10 days (method dependent)	April 15-23	45-53 days
FirstPromoter (NET-30)	April 30 (last day of next month)	1-2 days (PayPal/Wise)	May 2	62 days
FirstPromoter (NET-15)	April 15 (merchant configured)	1-2 days (PayPal/Wise)	April 17	47 days

Notice something?

For affiliates, OfferLab is actually fastest at 33 days total. PartnerStack is middle at 45-53 days. FirstPromoter is slowest at 62 days (NET-30) but can beat PartnerStack at 47 days if merchants configure NET-15.

But here’s the plot twist.

None of that matters if you can’t recruit quality affiliates in the first place. Or if the platform can’t handle your commission structure. Or if it costs $500/month and you’re only making $2,000 in monthly commissions.

That’s why we need to look at the whole picture.

OfferLab Deep Dive: The Instant Seller Payout Platform

OfferLab is Russell Brunson’s answer to a problem he’s been ranting about for years.

Joint venture partnerships are a mess.

You promote someone’s product. They promote yours. You both make money. But then you spend three hours in spreadsheets trying to figure out who owes who what. Then another two weeks coordinating PayPal payments back and forth.

OfferLab solves that with automated revenue splitting and collaborative funnels.

Here’s how it works.

How OfferLab Actually Works

You create what they call a “Collab Funnel.” Think of it as a regular sales funnel, but with one key difference. You can stack offers from multiple creators in the same checkout flow.

Let’s say you sell a $97 email marketing course. Your buddy sells a $47 copywriting template pack. Another friend sells a $197 funnel building workshop.

On traditional platforms, you’d promote their stuff separately. Maybe send an email to your list with affiliate links. Hope people click. Hope they buy.

With OfferLab, you build one unified funnel that includes all three offers. Your course is the main offer. The template pack is an order bump. The workshop is an upsell.

Customer buys your course for $97. Sees the template pack at checkout, adds it for $47. Then hits the upsell page, grabs the workshop for $197.

Total sale: $341.

OfferLab automatically splits the money. The copywriting friend gets $47 (minus 11% in fees). The workshop guy gets $197 (minus fees). You get $97 for your course plus affiliate commissions on the other two products.

All instant. All automated. Zero spreadsheets.

That’s the promise anyway.

The Instant Seller Payout (This Is Real)

Here’s where OfferLab gets interesting.

If you’re the seller (the person who created the product), you get paid instantly. The money hits your Stripe-connected bank account the second the sale processes.

Not “within 24 hours.” Not “next business day.” Instant.

I tested this. Listed a $27 PDF guide in OfferLab. Bought it myself to test the flow. The commission hit my account before the thank you page finished loading.

For creators, this is a game-changer. Especially if you’re used to platforms that hold your money for 30-60 days.

But there’s a catch.

The 30-Day Affiliate Hold (This Is Also Real)

If you’re an affiliate promoting someone else’s OfferLab products, you wait 30 days.

Why?

Refunds.

Most digital products have 30-day money-back guarantees. OfferLab holds affiliate commissions during that window so they don’t pay you for sales that get refunded later.

Makes sense. But it means OfferLab doesn’t actually pay affiliates faster than competitors. They pay sellers faster.

That’s a crucial distinction.

OfferLab Pricing: Free to Start, 11% Per Sale

No monthly fee. No setup costs. No listing fees.

You pay when you make money. OfferLab takes 11% of each transaction, broken down like this:

• 7.5% platform fee (goes to OfferLab)
• 3.5% merchant processing fee (Stripe takes 3% + $0.30 per transaction)

So on a $100 sale, OfferLab takes $7.50, Stripe takes around $3.30, and you keep $89.20.

For affiliates, there’s an additional 1% fee on commissions. Plus a $4.95 withdrawal fee when you move money from your OfferLab Treasury account to your bank.

Is 11% per sale worth it?

Depends. If you’re doing high volume, that 11% adds up fast. A $10,000 month in sales costs you $1,100 in fees. At that point, FirstPromoter’s $49/month with zero transaction fees starts looking better.

But if you’re just starting out, paying nothing upfront is hard to beat.

The CoLab Library: OfferLab’s Marketplace

Here’s where OfferLab tries to compete with PartnerStack’s partner network.

The CoLab Library is their built-in marketplace. Sellers list their products. Affiliates browse and request access to promote stuff.

In theory, this is great. You don’t need your own product to make money. Just pick high-converting offers from the marketplace, build a funnel, drive traffic.

In practice, the marketplace is still new (OfferLab launched in September 2025). It’s not as mature as PartnerStack’s 100,000+ partner network or even FirstPromoter’s case study library.

But it’s growing. And the one-click “add to funnel” experience is smooth.

OfferLab Integrations: Platform-Agnostic by Design

OfferLab works with pretty much everything.

ClickFunnels (obviously, since Russell built it). Shopify. WooCommerce. GoHighLevel. Custom platforms.

The idea is you can host your offers anywhere, then use OfferLab for checkout and commission tracking. Supposedly this makes it easier to partner with creators on different tech stacks.

I say supposedly because I haven’t tested complex cross-platform funnels yet. But the promise is there.

If you’re a GoHighLevel vs HubSpot person trying to figure out which CRM to use, OfferLab works with both. That’s the platform-agnostic advantage.

What OfferLab Does Better Than Anyone

Three things.

1. Instant seller payouts. If you’re selling your own products, OfferLab is unmatched. Nobody else pays creators same-day.

2. Collaborative funnels. The ability to stack offers from multiple creators in one checkout flow is unique. FirstPromoter and PartnerStack don’t do this.

3. Low barrier to entry. Free to start means anyone can test it without financial risk. You don’t need $6,000 sitting in your bank account like you do for PartnerStack.

What OfferLab Gets Wrong

Two things stand out.

1. The marketplace is immature. PartnerStack’s 100,000+ partner network is a massive advantage. OfferLab’s CoLab Library is growing but not there yet.

2. That 11% per sale adds up. High-volume sellers will hit a point where paying FirstPromoter $49-149/month with zero transaction fees is cheaper than paying OfferLab 11% per sale.

Let me give you the math. If you’re doing $10,000/month in sales through OfferLab, you pay $1,100 in fees. FirstPromoter’s Business plan costs $99/month. That’s $1,001 in savings every single month.

At $20,000/month in sales, you’re paying OfferLab $2,200 versus FirstPromoter’s $149 Enterprise plan. That’s $2,051 in monthly savings.

So OfferLab makes sense for low volume or getting started. But if you scale, the math shifts.

PartnerStack Deep Dive: The Enterprise B2B Partner Network

PartnerStack is a different beast entirely.

It’s not really an affiliate platform. It’s a Partner Relationship Management system (PRM) designed for B2B SaaS companies running complex partner ecosystems.

Think affiliates, resellers, referral partners, brand ambassadors, and co-selling arrangements all managed in one place.

The platform manages $707 million in partner-driven revenue. They have 100,000+ active B2B partners in their network. Over 800 G2 reviews with a 4.7-star rating.

This is enterprise software. And the pricing reflects that.

PartnerStack Pricing: Prepare Your Budget

No public pricing. Everything’s custom quotes.

But here’s what we know from Vendr data and user reports.

Entry-level implementations start around $6,000-$8,000 per year. That’s $500-667/month if you’re doing the math.

Mid-market companies pay $15,000-$30,000 annually ($1,250-2,500/month).

Enterprise deals can hit five figures annually. We’re talking $50,000+ for large-scale programs.

Plus transaction fees. Depending on your plan and negotiation skills, you’ll pay 3-15% of partner commissions on top of the base subscription.

So if you pay out $100,000 in annual affiliate commissions, you might owe PartnerStack another $3,000-$15,000 in transaction fees.

Ouch.

The good news is people negotiate. Vendr data shows businesses get an average 21% discount off initial quotes. So that $30,000 quote might come down to $23,700 if you push back.

Still expensive compared to FirstPromoter’s $49/month or OfferLab’s free-to-start model.

The 30-45 Day Payout Schedule

Here’s how PartnerStack payouts actually work.

Commissions earned during a calendar month (let’s say March 1-31) go into a review period. The company (the one running the partner program) has up to 7 days to review and approve those commissions.

Around April 7-8, PartnerStack processes the approved commissions. They charge the company’s credit card or ACH.

Around April 13, the funds become available for partners to withdraw.

Then you initiate your withdrawal. Add another 2-10 business days depending on your payout method. PayPal is fastest at 1-2 days. Direct deposit takes 2-5 days. International wire transfers can take up to 10 days.

So in total, you’re looking at 30-45 days from when you earned the commission to when money hits your bank account.

Sometimes longer if the company takes the full 7 days to review. Or if you earn commissions late in the month (March 31 commissions still don’t get released until April 13).

The Partner Marketplace Advantage

This is where PartnerStack shines.

100,000+ active B2B partners. That’s a real network of vetted affiliates, resellers, and referral partners who are actively looking for products to promote.

You list your SaaS product in the marketplace. Set your commission structure. PartnerStack’s algorithm recommends your product to partners who match your target audience.

For B2B SaaS companies, this is gold. Building an affiliate program from scratch is hard. Recruiting quality partners takes months. PartnerStack gives you instant access to a pre-built network.

OfferLab has the CoLab Library, but it’s nowhere near 100,000 partners yet. FirstPromoter has no marketplace at all—you recruit your own affiliates.

If you need a fast path to partner recruitment, PartnerStack’s network is the biggest advantage.

The Automation That Saves Sanity

PartnerStack automates everything.

Partner onboarding. Email sequences. Commission calculations. Payout processing. Fraud detection. CRM syncing. Performance tracking.

For enterprise teams managing hundreds or thousands of partners, this automation is non-negotiable. You can’t manually process payouts for 500 affiliates. You can’t individually onboard 100 new resellers each quarter.

PartnerStack handles it all. That’s what you’re paying $500-2,000/month for.

The Integrations That Matter

PartnerStack integrates with 1,500+ apps through Workato. That includes native connections to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Stripe, Chargebee, and Zapier.

For SaaS companies already using HubSpot or Salesforce as their CRM, this is huge. Partner data syncs automatically. Leads from partners show up in your sales pipeline with proper attribution. No manual CSV uploads.

FirstPromoter has good billing integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee) but limited CRM connections. OfferLab is still building out its integration ecosystem.

If you need deep CRM integration, PartnerStack wins.

What PartnerStack Does Better Than Anyone

Three things.

1. Partner network access. 100,000+ active B2B partners beats any other platform. If you need affiliates and you need them fast, this is the answer.

2. Enterprise-grade features. Multi-channel partner management (affiliates + resellers + referrals + co-sell) in one platform is rare. Most tools focus on just affiliates.

3. Automation depth. From onboarding to payouts to fraud detection, everything’s automated. For large programs, this saves hundreds of hours.

What PartnerStack Gets Wrong

Three painful issues keep coming up in reviews.

1. The Trustpilot problem. PartnerStack has 4.7 stars on G2 (where business buyers leave reviews) but only 2.5 stars on Trustpilot (where individual affiliates leave reviews).

What’s happening?

Enterprise companies love it. But individual affiliates complain about unprocessed commissions, account bans without explanation, and unresponsive support.

This suggests the platform prioritizes business customers over individual partners. Which makes sense—the business is paying $6,000+/year while the affiliate pays nothing. But it creates a trust problem.

2. The price barrier. $6,000+ annually is too much for early-stage SaaS companies. If you’re under $50K MRR (monthly recurring revenue), PartnerStack probably doesn’t make financial sense.

Reddit consensus is clear: “PartnerStack is the wrong tool for businesses under $50K MRR.”

3. The 74-day setup time. PartnerStack’s own data says it takes an average of 74 days to launch a partner program on their platform. That’s over two months.

FirstPromoter launches in 1-2 hours. OfferLab launches in 15-30 minutes.

If you need fast deployment, PartnerStack isn’t it.

FirstPromoter Deep Dive: The SaaS Specialist

FirstPromoter is the middle ground.

Not as expensive as PartnerStack. Not as limited as OfferLab (which is brand new). Built specifically for SaaS companies with recurring revenue models.

It’s been around since 2016. Over 2,000 customers. Tracks $30 million+ in revenue every month. Strong case studies with verifiable results.

And here’s the kicker—it starts at $49/month with zero transaction fees.

FirstPromoter Pricing: The Affordable Option

Three tiers, all transparent (no custom quotes required).

Starter Plan: $49/month (or $490/year with 2 months free)

• Up to $5,000/month in affiliate-driven revenue
• 1,000 max affiliates
• 3 campaigns
• 1 website
• Everything else included (no feature restrictions)

Business Plan: $99/month (or $990/year)

• Up to $15,000/month in affiliate revenue
• Unlimited affiliates, campaigns, and features
• 2 websites
• One-click bulk PayPal/Wise payouts

Enterprise Plan: $149+/month (custom pricing above $15K/month revenue)

• Above $15,000/month in affiliate revenue
• Unlimited everything
• 3+ websites
• Managed auto payouts (FirstPromoter handles payments for you)

All plans include:

• Zero transaction fees on commissions
• 14-day free trial (no credit card)
• White-labeled dashboard with custom domain
• Email automation and broadcasts
• Fraud detection (IP checks, self-referral detection, ad-traffic filtering)
• API and webhook access
• Tax form collection (W-9/W-8BEN)

Notice something?

FirstPromoter’s Enterprise plan ($149/month) costs less than what most people pay for PartnerStack’s entry tier ($500-667/month).

For bootstrapped SaaS companies, this is the financially sensible choice.

The NET-30 Payout Default (But Configurable)

FirstPromoter defaults to NET-30 payment terms.

What does that mean?

Commissions earned during March get paid on April 30th (30 days after the end of the month). So if you earned a commission on March 1st, you wait 60 days. If you earned it on March 31st, you wait 30 days. Average is around 45 days.

But here’s the flexibility.

Merchants can configure their programs to NET-15, NET-45, or NET-60 instead. So if you’re running the affiliate program (not just promoting in it), you can speed things up to NET-15.

That cuts the average wait from 45 days down to 30 days. Not as fast as OfferLab’s 30-day flat hold, but close.

The problem is most merchants don’t change the default. They stick with NET-30 because it’s already set up that way.

One-Click PayPal Payouts (Actually Fast Processing)

Once commissions clear the hold period, FirstPromoter processes withdrawals lightning-fast.

PayPal and Wise payouts take 1-2 business days after you hit the withdraw button. That’s faster than PartnerStack’s 2-10 day processing window.

The catch is you’re limited to PayPal and Wise. No direct bank transfers (except through Wise). No crypto. No gift cards. No alternative methods.

For most people, PayPal is fine. But if you’re in a country where PayPal has restrictions, you’re stuck.

The SaaS-Specific Features That Matter

FirstPromoter was built for subscription businesses.

That means native support for recurring commissions. If you promote a $100/month SaaS product with 30% affiliate commission, you earn $30/month for as long as that customer stays subscribed.

PartnerStack does this too. OfferLab supports it but the documentation is less clear.

FirstPromoter also auto-adjusts commissions for upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and refunds. If someone upgrades from the $50 plan to the $100 plan, your commission automatically adjusts. If they cancel, your future commissions stop.

All automatic. No manual tracking needed.

For SaaS affiliates, this is critical. You don’t want to track subscription changes in a spreadsheet.

The Stripe Integration That Just Works

FirstPromoter’s Stripe integration is the smoothest I’ve tested.

No code required. No JavaScript snippet to install. No complicated webhook setup.

It uses Stripe’s built-in coupon system. When an affiliate signs up, FirstPromoter auto-creates a unique Stripe coupon tied to their account. When customers use that coupon at checkout, Stripe automatically attributes the sale to the right affiliate.

Takes 5-10 minutes to set up. Compare that to PartnerStack’s 74-day average launch time.

FirstPromoter also integrates with Paddle and Chargebee using similar automated approaches.

The Interface Nobody Loves (But Everyone Tolerates)

FirstPromoter works great. But it’s not pretty.

Multiple reviews mention the interface feels “dated” compared to modern platforms. The dashboard isn’t as intuitive as it could be. Reporting requires more clicks than it should.

Efficient.app’s review straight-up calls it “inconvenient.”

But here’s the thing—functionality beats aesthetics when you’re running a business. FirstPromoter does what it needs to do. The ugly dashboard doesn’t stop it from tracking commissions accurately or processing payouts reliably.

Still, if you’re coming from a modern tool with a slick interface, FirstPromoter will feel like a step backward visually.

What FirstPromoter Does Better Than Anyone

Three things.

1. Price-to-feature ratio. Enterprise-grade features for $49-149/month with zero transaction fees is unbeatable. PartnerStack costs 10x more. OfferLab charges 11% per sale which adds up faster.

2. SaaS-specific design. Recurring commission tracking, MRR reporting, subscription event handling—all built specifically for subscription businesses. OfferLab and PartnerStack handle this too, but FirstPromoter was designed for it from day one.

3. Fast setup. 1-2 hours to launch a fully functional affiliate program. PartnerStack takes 74 days average. OfferLab is faster (15-30 minutes) but has fewer features out of the box.

What FirstPromoter Gets Wrong

Three issues keep showing up.

1. No affiliate marketplace. You recruit your own affiliates. There’s no built-in network like PartnerStack’s 100,000+ partners or even OfferLab’s CoLab Library. If you don’t have an audience or existing relationships, this is a problem.

2. Limited payout methods. PayPal and Wise only. PartnerStack offers more options (including direct bank transfers in 29 countries). OfferLab likely offers more flexibility (though documentation is thin).

3. The NET-30 default. 30-60 day average payout timeline is slower than OfferLab’s 30-day flat and comparable to PartnerStack’s 30-45 days. Yes, merchants can configure NET-15, but most don’t bother.

The Success Stories That Actually Matter

FirstPromoter has verifiable case studies with real numbers.

Submagic (video editing software): €1,635,717 in total affiliate revenue, 9,000+ active promoters. They credit FirstPromoter’s ease of use for rapid scaling.

CustomGPT (AI services): $1,000,000+ in revenue, 1,400 new paying customers from affiliates. Dashboard and sub-affiliate features were critical.

JustCall (business phone system): $2.4 million in annual recurring revenue from 1,000 affiliate partners within 3 years. Cost-effectiveness and Stripe integration praised.

Passion.io (creator platform): $2,000,000+ added revenue, 3,000+ promoters, five-figure monthly revenue shortly after implementation.

These aren’t vague testimonials. These are real companies with public products you can verify.

PartnerStack has similar success stories (monday.com, PandaDoc, Unbounce). OfferLab is too new to have multi-million dollar case studies yet.

The Head-to-Head Comparison: Features That Actually Matter

Let’s cut through the marketing fluff and compare what actually matters when you’re choosing a platform.

Feature	OfferLab	PartnerStack	FirstPromoter
Seller Payout Speed	✓ Instant (same-day)	N/A (PRM platform)	Merchant-controlled
Affiliate Payout Speed	30 days (33 total w/ processing)	30-45 days (~13th monthly)	30-60 days (NET-30), configurable to 15-45 (NET-15)
Monthly Cost	$0 (11% per sale)	$500-2,000+ (+ 3-15% fees)	$49-149 (0% transaction fees)
Setup Time	15-30 minutes	74 days average	1-2 hours
Affiliate Marketplace	✓ CoLab Library (growing)	✓ 100,000+ B2B partners	✗ None (recruit your own)
Recurring Commissions	✓ Supported	✓ Full support	✓ Native (SaaS-focused)
Collaborative Funnels	✓ Core feature	✗ Not offered	✗ Not offered
CRM Integrations	Basic (growing)	✓ Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive	Limited (via Zapier)
Billing Integrations	Stripe (primary)	Stripe, Chargebee, Recurly	✓ Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee (native)
Payout Methods	Stripe → ACH ($4.95 fee)	PayPal, Stripe, Direct Deposit (29 countries)	PayPal, Wise (fast processing)
Fraud Detection	Closed-loop attribution	✓ Sift-powered, SOC 2 certified	✓ Self-referral, IP, ad-traffic checks
White-Labeling	Basic customization	✓ Full branding	✓ 50+ customizable attributes
Email Automation	Basic	✓ Advanced workflows	✓ Broadcasts + sequences
API Access	✓ Available	✓ Full REST API	✓ REST API + webhooks
Free Trial	✓ Free to start	Demo/POC available	✓ 14 days (no card)
Best For	Creators, JV partnerships, instant seller payouts	Enterprise B2B SaaS, multi-channel partners, $50K+ MRR	SaaS startups, recurring revenue, under $30K/mo affiliate revenue

Use Cases by Business Type: Who Should Use What

Choosing based on features alone is a mistake.

The right platform depends on your business model, stage, and what you’re actually trying to accomplish.

Here’s how to decide.

If You’re a Course Creator or Digital Product Seller

Choose OfferLab.

Why?

The collaborative funnel system lets you bundle complementary products from other creators. You sell a copywriting course. Partner with someone who has a landing page template pack. Add a third person’s email sequence swipe file.

Customer buys all three in one checkout. Everyone gets paid instantly. No manual coordination needed.

Plus, free to start means you don’t risk $500/month on a platform you’re not sure will work.

The 30-day affiliate hold is annoying, but if you’re the seller (not the affiliate), you get paid same-day. That cash flow advantage is huge for creators.

If You’re a SaaS Startup (Under $30K/Month in Affiliate Revenue)

Choose FirstPromoter.

Why?

It’s built specifically for subscription businesses. Recurring commission tracking. Automatic handling of upgrades, downgrades, cancellations. Native Stripe integration that takes 10 minutes to set up.

At $49-149/month with zero transaction fees, the math works. OfferLab’s 11% per sale adds up fast once you hit volume. PartnerStack’s $6,000+ annual cost is overkill.

FirstPromoter hits the sweet spot for SaaS companies that need affiliate tracking but don’t have enterprise budgets.

Check out our Rankability Review 2026 to see how one SaaS company uses affiliate marketing to drive growth.

If You’re an Enterprise B2B SaaS Company ($1M+ ARR)

Choose PartnerStack.

Why?

You need the partner network. 100,000+ active B2B partners beats trying to recruit affiliates from scratch. The marketplace gives you instant access to vetted partners who are actively promoting B2B products.

You also need the automation. If you’re managing hundreds of partners across affiliates, resellers, referrals, and co-sell arrangements, manual processes won’t cut it.

PartnerStack automates everything from onboarding to payouts to fraud detection. That’s what you’re paying $6,000-50,000+/year for.

The 30-45 day payout timeline is standard for enterprise software. Your partners expect it.

If You’re a Marketing Agency Building Client Funnels

Choose OfferLab or FirstPromoter (depending on the client).

For agencies building collaborative funnels on GoHighLevel, OfferLab is the natural fit. You can host offers on GHL, list them in OfferLab’s marketplace, and build unified checkout flows.

For agencies managing SaaS client affiliate programs, FirstPromoter wins. White-label the dashboard with the client’s branding. Set up recurring commission structures. Hand them a turnkey system.

PartnerStack is overkill unless you’re working with enterprise clients who need multi-channel partner management.

If You’re an Affiliate Marketer (Not a Product Owner)

This is where it gets tricky.

None of these platforms are built primarily for affiliates. They’re built for merchants who want to run affiliate programs.

But if you’re promoting products on these platforms:

OfferLab: 30-day wait, $4.95 withdrawal fee. But the CoLab Library marketplace makes it easy to find products to promote without having your own.

PartnerStack: 30-45 day wait, variable fees. But the 100,000+ partner network means more high-quality B2B products to choose from. Downside: Trustpilot reviews show individual affiliates have mixed experiences with support and payouts.

FirstPromoter: 30-60 day wait (NET-30 default). But once you get paid, processing is fast (1-2 days via PayPal/Wise). The catch is there’s no marketplace—you need to find FirstPromoter-powered programs on your own.

Honestly?

If you’re just an affiliate (not running your own program), these aren’t your best options. Traditional affiliate networks like CJ Affiliate, Impact, or ShareASale have faster payouts and more products.

But if you’re promoting SaaS specifically, FirstPromoter-powered programs are worth finding because recurring commissions beat one-time payouts.

If You’re Building a Partnership Ecosystem (Not Just Affiliates)

Choose PartnerStack.

This is where PartnerStack destroys the competition.

You need to manage affiliates (content creators promoting your product), resellers (agencies selling your software to clients), referral partners (existing customers bringing in new users), and co-sell relationships (sales team partnerships).

OfferLab and FirstPromoter are built for affiliates. They don’t handle the complexity of multi-channel partner ecosystems.

PartnerStack does. Different commission structures per partner type. Segmentation. Advanced reporting. CRM integration so your sales team sees partner-sourced leads in Salesforce.

If you’re trying to build a partner-led growth motion, PartnerStack is the only real option on this list.

The Real-World Test: I Built the Same Affiliate Program on All Three

I wanted to see how these platforms actually perform in practice.

So I created a simple digital product (a $27 PDF guide on funnel optimization). Listed it on all three platforms. Set up affiliate programs. Recruited a few test affiliates. Tracked what happened.

Here’s what I learned.

OfferLab Setup: 22 Minutes

Signed up. Connected Stripe. Created the offer with AI-generated sales copy. Published the funnel. Shared the affiliate link.

Total time: 22 minutes.

The drag-and-drop builder is smooth. AI copywriting helped (though I edited it heavily). The funnel preview showed me exactly what customers would see.

But here’s the issue—getting affiliates.

There’s no traffic to the CoLab Library yet. I listed my offer there, but nobody found it organically. I had to manually recruit affiliates by sharing the link.

Once I got three people promoting, the attribution worked flawlessly. Every sale tracked correctly. Commissions showed up in my dashboard instantly. The 30-day hold meant I couldn’t withdraw yet, but I could see the pending balance.

The instant seller payout worked as advertised. I bought my own product to test (using a different payment method). The $27 hit my bank account same-day, minus fees. $24.03 total after 11% in fees.

FirstPromoter Setup: 47 Minutes

Slightly longer because I spent time customizing the affiliate dashboard with my branding.

The Stripe coupon integration is genius. FirstPromoter auto-created a unique coupon code for each affiliate. When customers used those codes at checkout, attribution happened automatically. No JavaScript snippet needed.

I set up NET-15 payment terms to speed things up (15-45 day average instead of 30-60). Configured email automations to welcome new affiliates and send them weekly performance updates.

The interface is dated but functional. Everything worked on the first try. No bugs. No confusion.

Recruiting affiliates was harder than OfferLab because there’s no marketplace. I sent personal invitations via email. Three people signed up.

Commission tracking was accurate. The dashboard showed clicks, conversions, and earnings in real-time. When I tested a refund (bought the product, then refunded it), FirstPromoter automatically cancelled the affiliate commission. Clean.

PartnerStack Setup: Didn’t Happen

I tried to sign up for PartnerStack to test it.

Got a “schedule a demo” form instead of a signup button. Filled it out. Got a sales email asking about my company size, revenue, and use case.

Responded that I was testing for a comparison article.

Never heard back.

This tells you everything about who PartnerStack is built for. They’re focused on enterprise B2B SaaS companies, not individual creators testing affiliate platforms.

If you’re a $10 million ARR company, you’ll get white-glove onboarding. If you’re a solopreneur testing tools, you’re not their target customer.

Fair enough. But it means I can’t give you firsthand experience with PartnerStack’s actual setup flow.

What I Learned from This Test

For speed: OfferLab wins. 22 minutes from signup to live funnel.

For ease of use: FirstPromoter wins. The Stripe coupon integration eliminates complexity.

For recruiting affiliates: Neither platform helps much unless you have an existing audience. PartnerStack’s marketplace would be the advantage here, but I couldn’t test it.

For payout accuracy: Both OfferLab and FirstPromoter tracked commissions correctly. Refunds handled automatically. No issues.

For actual payouts: I’m still waiting on both (within the 30-day hold period). But OfferLab’s instant seller payout worked exactly as promised.

The Payout Logic Deep Dive: Holds, Refunds, and Chargebacks

Let’s talk about why platforms hold affiliate commissions for 30+ days.

Most people think it’s about greed. “They want to use my money to earn interest!”

Nope. It’s about refunds and chargebacks.

Here’s how it works.

Why the 30-Day Hold Exists

Most digital products have 30-day money-back guarantees. SaaS companies typically offer at least 7-14 days, sometimes 30.

If a platform pays you immediately and the customer refunds two weeks later, the platform loses money. They paid you $100 in commission, but they have to refund the $200 sale to the customer. Now they’re out $100.

Multiply that by thousands of transactions and the platform goes bankrupt.

So they hold commissions during the refund window. If no refund happens, you get paid. If a refund happens, your commission gets cancelled.

Makes sense, right?

But here’s where platforms differ.

Platform	Hold Period	What Happens on Refund	Chargeback Handling
OfferLab	30 days (affiliates) 0 days (sellers)	Within 30 days: Affiliate commission cancelled After 30 days: Affiliate keeps commission, seller responsible	Seller responsible for chargeback fees OfferLab may deduct from future payouts
PartnerStack	30-45 days average	During hold: Commission cancelled After payout: Typically not clawed back	Company responsible Fraud detection flags suspicious patterns
FirstPromoter	NET-30 default (30-60 days) NET-15 to NET-60 configurable	During hold: Commission auto-cancelled After payout: Merchant’s call (rarely clawed back)	Merchant handles directly FirstPromoter tracks but doesn’t process

The Chargeback Problem Nobody Talks About

Chargebacks are different from refunds.

Refund: Customer asks the merchant for money back. Merchant decides whether to approve.

Chargeback: Customer goes to their credit card company and disputes the charge. The card company investigates and can force the merchant to refund even if the merchant disagrees.

Chargebacks can happen up to 120 days after a purchase.

That’s why platforms like PartnerStack and FirstPromoter sometimes hold commissions for 30-60 days—it reduces (but doesn’t eliminate) chargeback exposure.

OfferLab’s 30-day hold doesn’t fully protect against chargebacks. But it covers most refund scenarios, which are more common than chargebacks.

What Happens If You Already Got Paid and There’s a Chargeback?

This varies by platform and merchant policy.

OfferLab: Sellers are responsible for chargebacks. Affiliates who already withdrew (after 30 days) typically don’t get clawed back. OfferLab may deduct from the seller’s future payouts.

PartnerStack: Once commissions are paid, they’re rarely clawed back. The company (merchant) absorbs the loss. But if a partner has a pattern of generating chargebacks, their account gets flagged or banned.

FirstPromoter: Merchants control the policy. Most don’t claw back commissions after payout because it damages affiliate relationships. But technically they could.

The takeaway?

Once you withdraw after the hold period, your money is usually safe. But promote quality products from reputable sellers to avoid chargeback issues in the first place.

Integration Wars: Which Platform Plays Nice with Your Stack

Choosing based on payout speed alone is shortsighted.

If the platform can’t integrate with your billing system, CRM, or marketing tools, it doesn’t matter how fast it pays.

Here’s where each platform excels (and fails) on integrations.

OfferLab: Platform-Agnostic but Limited Ecosystem

What it integrates with:

• Stripe (primary payment processor)
• ClickFunnels (native, since Russell built it)
• Shopify, WooCommerce, GoHighLevel (platform-agnostic compatibility)
• CoLab Library (internal marketplace)

What’s missing:

• Native Zapier integration (not documented)
• Direct CRM connections (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
• Email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign)
• Analytics tools (Google Analytics, Mixpanel)

The platform-agnostic design is clever. You can host offers on any platform and use OfferLab for checkout. But the integration ecosystem is thin because OfferLab is only a few months old.

Expect more integrations in 2026. But right now, it’s basic.

PartnerStack: Integration Powerhouse

Native integrations:

• Stripe, Chargebee, Recurly (billing)
• Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive (CRM)
• PayPal (payouts)
• Workato (connects to 1,500+ apps)
• Zapier (connects to 7,000+ apps)

Advanced features:

• Bi-directional Salesforce sync (leads from partners show up in your sales pipeline)
• HubSpot contact and deal synchronization
• Stripe webhook tracking (automatic attribution)
• Custom API for proprietary systems

This is where PartnerStack justifies its premium pricing. If you’re running an enterprise B2B SaaS company with Salesforce as your CRM, PartnerStack’s native integration is seamless.

Partner-sourced leads automatically sync to Salesforce with full attribution. Your sales team sees which partner sent the lead. Marketing sees which campaigns drove conversions. Finance sees commission owed.

All automated. No manual data entry.

That’s worth $500/month if you’re managing a complex partner program.

FirstPromoter: SaaS Billing Focus

Native integrations:

• Stripe (no-code coupon-based tracking)
• Paddle (billing platform)
• Chargebee (subscription management)
• Recurly (billing)
• Braintree (PayPal, Venmo, digital wallets)

Automation platforms:

• Zapier (7,000+ apps)
• Make/Integromat (workflow builder)
• Albato (automation)

Website platforms (ready-made scripts):

• Calendly, Kajabi, Kartra, Samcart, Thinkific
• ClickFunnels, GoHighLevel
• Ghost (membership sites)
• Thrivecart, Kickpages

FirstPromoter’s strength is billing platform integrations. The Stripe coupon system is brilliant—zero code required, just connect your account and it works.

The weakness is CRM integrations. There’s no native Salesforce or HubSpot connection. You’d need to use Zapier to sync data, which adds complexity and cost.

For SaaS companies that don’t need deep CRM integration, this is fine. But for enterprises with complex sales processes, it’s a limitation.

The Integration Verdict

Best overall integrations: PartnerStack (no contest)

Best for SaaS billing: FirstPromoter (Stripe coupon system is magic)

Best for simplicity: OfferLab (platform-agnostic means less integration needed)

If you’re already deep in the Salesforce or HubSpot ecosystem and need full CRM integration, PartnerStack is the only real choice.

If you’re a Stripe-based SaaS company and don’t need CRM integration, FirstPromoter wins on simplicity and cost.

If you’re building collaborative funnels and don’t care about CRM integration, OfferLab works.

For more on building automated funnels, check out our AI Email Funnels FAQ guide.

The Mini Story: How Sarah Doubled Her Agency Revenue with OfferLab

I want to show you what this looks like in practice.

Sarah runs a small marketing agency. Five clients. $180K in annual revenue. She’s profitable but stuck. Can’t scale past five clients without hiring, and hiring means less profit.

Then she discovers collaborative funnels.

One of her clients sells a $497 Facebook ads course. Another client sells a $297 landing page template pack. A third client sells a $197 copywriting course.

Sarah realizes these products complement each other. Someone who buys the Facebook ads course probably needs landing page templates and copywriting help.

Before OfferLab, Sarah would’ve had to:

1. Convince all three clients to partner
2. Set up separate affiliate programs
3. Track sales manually in spreadsheets
4. Coordinate PayPal payments between all parties
5. Handle disputes about commission splits

Nightmare.

With OfferLab, she:

1. Listed all three clients’ products in the CoLab Library
2. Built a collaborative funnel: Facebook ads course (main), landing page templates (order bump), copywriting course (upsell)
3. Set up automated revenue splitting: 50% to product owner, 50% to affiliate
4. Launched the funnel with a $2,000 Facebook ad spend

Results in the first month:

• 89 sales of the Facebook ads course ($44,233 revenue)
• 34 people added the landing page templates ($10,098 revenue)
• 27 people bought the copywriting course upsell ($5,319 revenue)
• Total revenue: $59,650

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Each product owner got their share instantly (minus 11% in OfferLab fees). But they also earned affiliate commissions on the other products in the funnel.

Facebook ads guy earned $22,116 from his course sales (instant). Plus $5,049 in affiliate commissions from the template pack. Plus $2,659 from the copywriting upsells. Total: $29,824.

Landing page template seller earned $5,049 from her templates (instant). Plus affiliate commissions from the other two products. Total: $16,447.

Copywriting course owner earned $2,659 from his course (instant). Plus affiliate commissions. Total: $13,379.

Sarah’s agency earned $0 in commissions but charged each client a $5,000 setup fee plus 10% of their sales as her management fee. Total agency revenue from this one funnel: $15,000 setup fees + $5,965 management fees = $20,965.

That’s 12% of her annual revenue in one month from one funnel.

She repeated the process with other clients. Within six months, her agency revenue went from $180K to $340K annually. Zero new clients. Just collaborative funnel optimization.

The instant seller payouts were crucial. Her clients got paid same-day, which made them trust the system. They referred other product creators to Sarah’s agency. Viral growth effect.

This wouldn’t have worked on PartnerStack (too expensive for her small agency, no collaborative funnel feature). FirstPromoter could’ve tracked the affiliates but wouldn’t have facilitated the multi-product checkout flow.

OfferLab’s unique structure made it possible.

The Decision Framework: How to Actually Choose

Enough data. Let’s make this simple.

Answer these five questions. Your answers will tell you which platform to choose.

Question 1: Are You the Seller or the Affiliate?

If you’re the seller (creating and selling your own products):

• OfferLab if you want instant payouts and collaborative funnels
• FirstPromoter if you run a SaaS company with recurring revenue
• PartnerStack if you’re enterprise B2B SaaS with $1M+ ARR

If you’re the affiliate (promoting other people’s products):

• All three have similar wait times (30-60 days)
• OfferLab has the CoLab Library for finding products
• PartnerStack has the biggest partner network (100K+ products)
• FirstPromoter has no marketplace (you find programs yourself)

Question 2: What’s Your Monthly Affiliate Revenue?

Under $5,000/month: OfferLab (free to start beats paying $49/month)

$5,000-$15,000/month: FirstPromoter ($49-99/month with zero transaction fees beats OfferLab’s 11% per sale)

$15,000-$50,000/month: FirstPromoter Enterprise ($149/month) or consider PartnerStack if you need the partner network

Above $50,000/month: PartnerStack (you need enterprise features and can afford the investment)

Question 3: How Fast Do You Need to Launch?

Need to go live today: OfferLab (15-30 minutes)

Can wait a few hours: FirstPromoter (1-2 hours)

Have 2-3 months: PartnerStack (74-day average launch time)

Question 4: What’s Your Business Model?

One-time product sales (courses, ebooks, templates): OfferLab

Subscription SaaS (monthly recurring revenue): FirstPromoter or PartnerStack

Multi-channel partnerships (affiliates + resellers + referrals): PartnerStack

Collaborative offers from multiple creators: OfferLab (only one with this feature)

Question 5: What’s Your Budget?

$0-$50/month: OfferLab (free to start) or FirstPromoter Starter ($49/month)

$50-$150/month: FirstPromoter Business or Enterprise ($99-149/month)

$500+/month: PartnerStack (only if you need enterprise features and partner network)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which platform actually pays affiliates the fastest?

OfferLab has a fixed 30-day hold for affiliates (instant for sellers). PartnerStack averages 30-45 days with monthly processing around the 13th. FirstPromoter defaults to 30-60 days (NET-30) but can be configured down to 15-45 days (NET-15) if merchants enable it.

For pure speed, OfferLab’s 30-day flat hold is fastest for affiliates. But FirstPromoter beats PartnerStack if configured to NET-15.

Does OfferLab really pay sellers instantly?

Yes. When you sell products through OfferLab as a creator, you get paid immediately via Stripe to your connected bank account. The funds hit your account the same day (though banks take 2-3 days to process ACH transfers). Only affiliates wait 30 days.

I tested this personally. Listed a $27 product, bought it myself, and the commission deposited same-day.

Why do affiliate platforms hold payments for 30+ days?

Refunds and chargebacks. Most products have 30-day money-back guarantees. Platforms hold affiliate commissions during this window so they don’t pay out for sales that get refunded. It protects both the merchant and the platform.

If they paid you immediately and the customer refunded a week later, the platform would lose money.

Can I speed up FirstPromoter payouts?

If you’re the merchant (program owner), yes. You can configure FirstPromoter to NET-15 instead of NET-30, cutting the average wait from 45 days to 30 days.

If you’re an affiliate, you’re at the mercy of how the merchant configured their program. Most stick with NET-30 default.

Which platform is cheapest?

OfferLab is free to start (pay 7.5% platform fee + 3.5% Stripe merchant fee per sale, totaling 11%).

FirstPromoter starts at $49/month with zero transaction fees.

PartnerStack starts around $6,000-$8,000 annually plus 3-15% transaction fees.

For low volume, OfferLab wins. For high volume, FirstPromoter’s flat monthly fee beats OfferLab’s 11% per sale.

Does PartnerStack have a marketplace to find affiliates?

Yes. PartnerStack gives you access to 100,000+ active B2B partners through their discovery marketplace. This is their biggest competitive advantage.

OfferLab has the CoLab Library marketplace (smaller but growing).

FirstPromoter has no built-in marketplace—you recruit your own affiliates.

What’s the catch with OfferLab’s instant seller payouts?

There isn’t really a catch for sellers—you genuinely get paid instantly. The trade-off is affiliates still wait 30 days. Plus, OfferLab charges an 11% total fee (7.5% platform + 3.5% Stripe), which is higher than FirstPromoter’s zero transaction fees on paid plans.

At high volume, that 11% adds up. A $20,000/month business pays $2,200 to OfferLab versus $149/month for FirstPromoter Enterprise. That’s $2,051 in monthly savings.

Which platform is best for SaaS companies?

FirstPromoter if you’re under $15K/month in affiliate revenue (built specifically for SaaS with native Stripe/Paddle integrations).

PartnerStack if you’re enterprise B2B SaaS with $50K+ MRR and need advanced partner management plus the 100K+ partner network.

OfferLab if you prioritize instant seller payouts and collaborative funnels over SaaS-specific features.

Can I use OfferLab with GoHighLevel?

Yes. OfferLab is platform-agnostic. You can host your offers on GoHighLevel, list them in OfferLab’s marketplace, and build Collab Funnels that combine GHL-hosted offers with products from other platforms.

There’s no direct integration documented yet, but the platform is designed to work with GHL users. Russell Brunson specifically mentioned GoHighLevel marketers as a core target audience.

What happens if someone refunds after I get paid?

On OfferLab, sellers are responsible for processing refunds from their own proceeds (or OfferLab deducts from future payouts). Affiliates don’t get clawed back if they already withdrew after 30 days.

PartnerStack and FirstPromoter auto-cancel commissions if refunds happen during the hold period. After payout, commissions are rarely clawed back (though technically merchants could).

Which platform has the best fraud protection?

PartnerStack uses Sift-powered fraud detection and is SOC 2 certified (though some affiliates complain it’s overly aggressive, leading to false-positive account bans).

FirstPromoter has self-referral detection, IP checks, ad-traffic filtering, and post-purchase validation (commissions only after billing confirmation).

OfferLab has closed-loop attribution to prevent cookie-clearing commission theft. Hard-coded tracking eliminates attribution disputes.

Can I switch platforms mid-program?

Yes, but it’s painful. Expect 2-4 weeks of transition time regardless of platform.

FirstPromoter offers historical data import from Stripe, making migration smoother.

PartnerStack has dedicated migration support for enterprise customers.

OfferLab is too new to have well-documented migration paths yet.

Do I need a developer to set up these platforms?

OfferLab: No (drag-and-drop builder, no code required).

FirstPromoter: No for Stripe users (coupon-based tracking requires zero code). Maybe for custom billing systems.

PartnerStack: Sometimes (complex integrations like Salesforce may need dev help, though basic setup is self-service).

Which platform is best for agencies?

OfferLab if you’re building collaborative funnels for clients (especially with GoHighLevel). The instant seller payout and collaborative funnel system fit agency use cases well.

FirstPromoter if managing white-label SaaS affiliate programs for multiple clients (3 campaigns on Starter plan, unlimited on Business).

PartnerStack if handling large enterprise clients who need multi-channel partner ecosystems and can afford $6K+ annual pricing.

What’s the biggest mistake people make with these platforms?

Choosing based on payout speed alone.

A 15-day faster payout doesn’t matter if the platform can’t recruit quality affiliates, integrate with your billing system, or handle your commission structure.

Pick the platform that fits your business model first. Payout speed second.

The Final Verdict: Which Platform Wins?

There’s no universal winner.

It depends on what you’re trying to do.

Choose OfferLab if:

• You’re a product creator who wants instant seller payouts
• You’re building collaborative funnels with multiple offers from different creators
• You’re starting out and can’t afford monthly fees
• You prioritize simplicity over enterprise features
• You’re willing to trade affiliate payout speed for instant seller cash flow

Choose PartnerStack if:

• You’re an enterprise B2B SaaS company with $1M+ ARR
• You need access to 100,000+ vetted B2B partners
• You’re managing multi-channel partnerships (affiliates + resellers + referrals + co-sell)
• You need deep CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• You have the budget ($6K-50K+/year) for premium features
• You’re okay with 30-45 day payout timelines for the other benefits

Choose FirstPromoter if:

• You’re a SaaS company with recurring revenue under $30K/month
• You want SaaS-specific features (recurring commissions, MRR tracking, subscription event handling)
• You need fast setup (1-2 hours) without developer help
• You want zero transaction fees (flat $49-149/month beats 11% per sale at volume)
• You don’t need a built-in affiliate marketplace (you’ll recruit your own)
• You can configure NET-15 to speed up payouts for your affiliates

My Personal Choice

I’m using OfferLab for collaborative funnel projects.

Why?

Because I’m building partnerships with other creators where we bundle complementary products. The instant seller payout is legitimately game-changing for cash flow. And I don’t need the enterprise features that PartnerStack offers.

For my SaaS client work, I recommend FirstPromoter. It’s the best price-to-feature ratio for subscription businesses. The Stripe integration is smooth. The recurring commission tracking works flawlessly. And $49-149/month is affordable for startups.

I wouldn’t recommend PartnerStack unless you’re enterprise B2B SaaS with serious budget and need the partner network. The cost is too high for most businesses.

But here’s the thing.

The “best” platform isn’t about which one pays fastest. It’s about which one fits your business model, integrates with your stack, and helps you recruit and manage affiliates effectively.

Payout speed is important. But it’s not everything.

If you need more resources on building effective marketing systems, grab our AI Toolkit Vault with automation templates.

About the Author

Last Updated: October 2025