Efficient at Accurate Tracking, Payments & Tax Compliance, Partner Experience, Deep Analytics, and User Experience
PartnerStack gives you a single login and handles payouts smoothly, while FirstPromoter signals to top partners that you are cutting corners.
Only use FirstPromoter if you have no other choice; choose PartnerStack if you want to attract quality partners and run things easily.
Not for serious affiliate programs
Not for serious affiliate programsPartnerStack has a clear lead on accurate tracking. While both use first-party methods, PartnerStack lets you set up server-to-server tracking on your own domain, which means you avoid issues with browser restrictions like Safari and iOS. This setup makes tracking more reliable and less likely to miss conversions, especially as browsers get stricter.
FirstPromoter just uses first-party cookies, so it's more vulnerable to being blocked or missing data when users are on privacy-focused browsers. If you care about making sure every click and conversion is counted, especially in a world where browser privacy is tightening up, PartnerStack is the safer pick.
PartnerStack makes life way easier for payments and tax compliance. If you let PartnerStack handle managed payments, it automates payouts, collects W-8/W-9 forms, and even issues 1099s for you, so you're not stuck chasing forms or doing year-end reporting yourself. Everything stays in one place, and you avoid admin headaches.
FirstPromoter, on the other hand, leaves you with most of the work. Even though it added auto-payouts, you still have to manually collect tax forms, track submissions, and handle 1099s outside the platform. It's easy to forget to enable the right settings, and you'll spend extra time on admin tasks that PartnerStack just takes care of.
If you want to avoid admin chaos and actually have payments and tax compliance automated, PartnerStack is the clear pick.
PartnerStack stands out for partner experience because it gives affiliates a unified login across all programs, so they can manage everything in one place. This makes it much easier for creators or publishers who work with lots of brands.
FirstPromoter forces partners to create a separate login for every single program, which is a hassle and quickly turns into a mess for anyone doing affiliate deals at scale. That's a dealbreaker for serious affiliates, since it leads to forgotten logins and less engagement.
While PartnerStack does have a minor annoyance with manual withdrawals and small fees, the unified login is a much bigger win for partners. If you want to attract or keep serious affiliates, PartnerStack is the clear choice here.
PartnerStack gives you a bit more to work with on analytics. You get better visibility than with FirstPromoter, which is stuck at the bare minimum and leaves you guessing about what's actually converting or which channels are worth your time.
That said, PartnerStack's approach is clunky if you want granular insights. You have to use subIDs instead of standard UTMs, and most partners skip them, so you still can't reliably track which specific content is working.
If you need any real analytics at all, PartnerStack is the only one here that gives you something useful, but neither is great for deep, content-level reporting. Go with PartnerStack if you have to pick, but don't expect true clarity.
PartnerStack has a slight edge on user experience because, even though both platforms make it hard to find important data, PartnerStack at least improves on the clunky feel of older tools. Its interface still buries insights in dense tables and makes analysis slow, but you can eventually get what you need if you dig deep enough.
FirstPromoter feels more stripped down. Its simple interface hides too much behind tabs, forces you to split up campaigns in awkward ways, and leaves out basic stats like conversion rates and EPC. It comes off as too barebones for anyone running a serious affiliate program.
If you want something you can actually work with day to day, PartnerStack is the better pick, but be ready for some digging. FirstPromoter is only worth considering if you're fine with minimal features and don't need deeper insights.
PartnerStack
Best Affiliate Marketing Platforms For SaaS & Startups (Impact vs PartnerStack vs Rewardful vs CJ)
Best Affiliate Marketing Platforms For SaaS & Startups (Impact vs PartnerStack vs Rewardful vs CJ)
