While we're fans of both Dub Partners and PartnerStack (we genuinely believe they're the 2 leading affiliate tracking platforms), Dub Partners is a newer product that understands links and attribution at the core, so it gives us far more data than PartnerStack on what content is actually leading to the largest accounts. It's also priced better as well, and if you were to pick only 1, we'd recommend Dub Partners.
We believe there are better options available in this category, read below to learn what this software does well, and what they could do better. ⤵
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The referral category deserves a bit of an explanation because we continually see confusion arise when it comes to the competitors in this space. You'll often hear terms like "affiliate", "referral", "link tracking", and "partner portals" all used interchangeably.
And with that, not all referral tracking tools are created equal, nor are they focused on the same needs. They can actually be broken up more into 5 main sub-categories:
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Dub is the modern link attribution platform for affiliate programs.
Dub Partners is the most modern affiliate and partnership tracking platform on the market. Unlike older affiliate tools built for eCommerce or coupon sites, Dub Partners was built directly alongside creators, influencers, and real affiliate partners. The result is a platform that shows exactly which content, pages, and channels drive revenue with accurate, first-party attribution that actually works across modern browsers (including iPhones and Safari).
PartnerStack is a partner ecosystem management platform that helps companies build an manage their partnership programs (along with affiliate/referral tracking).
PartnerStack is one of the main leaders in this space. They try to be more than just an affiliate tracking (think link click and attribution tracking).
That said, when comparing it to the newer entrants in the space like Dub Partners, it's pretty difficult to choose PartnerStack over it, as Dub Partners has better pricing, a more user-friendly interface, and is actually a full-fledged link tracking platform at the core, leading to better analytics and tracking (for both you and the affiliate partner).
We've used just about every modern solution in the market, from FirstPromoter, to Rewardful, to Referral Rock, Impact, and more. The first few are just basic affiliate link tracking solutions, which often also have a higher churn, because just setting up affiliate link tracking is not the same as building out your partnership go-to-market (GTM) initiative (which PartnerStack is aiming to help with).
They are essentially the gold standard when it comes to a SaaS focused partnership platform (they also have the best UI/UX), well, up until Dub Partners launched onto the scene.
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