AffiliateWP vs FirstPromoter Comparison 2026
AffiliateWP is a WordPress plugin: a flat annual licence from $299 that does not rise no matter how much affiliates sell, but it needs a WordPress site to run on at all. FirstPromoter works anywhere and prices by monthly affiliate revenue instead, from $49 a month up to $5,000 and climbing from there, with a branded portal on your own domain. The choice is WordPress or not, first. Flat fee versus revenue band, second.
Run your affiliate program inside WordPress
Affiliate tracking and a brandable portal
At a glance
- FirstPromoter starts cheaper, at $49.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
AffiliateWP | FirstPromoter | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $299 | From $49 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
AffiliateWP
Run your affiliate program inside WordPress
AffiliateWP puts the affiliate program on the same WordPress install as the shop, so there is no third party taking a slice of every sale and no separate system to reconcile. Lifetime and recurring commissions, multi-tier payouts and personalised affiliate URLs are all in the paid plugin. Because it is a licence rather than a platform, the cost does not rise with what affiliates earn. Someone without a WordPress site cannot use it at all, which is the whole shape of the trade.
Our note
Budget the standing price rather than the first-year one, because the footnote is explicit that renewals are full price and this is the number you will pay every year after the first. Against Tolt or Rewardful the arithmetic is simple: a licence wins once your affiliates are earning enough that a percentage would exceed a few hundred dollars a year.
Only on this side
- Covers website builders
FirstPromoter
Affiliate tracking and a brandable portal
Why people weigh these two
- FirstPromoter instead of AffiliateWP
- FirstPromoter pairs affiliate tracking with a brandable portal from $49, well under the $299 licence.
- AffiliateWP instead of FirstPromoter
- AffiliateWP runs the affiliate program inside WordPress itself rather than a separate app, at $299 with no free tier to test it first.
Which one should you pick
Pick AffiliateWP if the shop already runs on WordPress and affiliate revenue is high enough that a percentage-based platform would cost more than a few hundred dollars a year. The licence is $299 a year standing, after a lower first-year price the vendor states plainly renews at full cost, and it covers five sites on the Pro tier. Anybody not on WordPress cannot use it at all.
Pick FirstPromoter if the business is not on WordPress, or the affiliate programme is a real channel where a portal carrying your own domain and CSS matters to how partners see you. Starter is $49 a month up to $5,000 of monthly affiliate revenue, and the white-label controls that justify picking this over a cheaper competitor sit on the $99 Business tier, not the entry one. Anybody wanting a programme live by Friday with the simplest setup should look elsewhere first.
Common questions
- Does FirstPromoter work without WordPress?
- Yes, it is a standalone platform built around Stripe rather than any particular site software. AffiliateWP is the opposite: it is a WordPress plugin and needs a WordPress install to run at all.
- Which one is cheaper for a small affiliate programme?
- FirstPromoter starts at $49 a month for up to $5,000 in monthly affiliate revenue, less than AffiliateWP's $299 a year if the programme is brand new. AffiliateWP overtakes it once affiliate revenue is high enough that FirstPromoter's bands would otherwise cost more than a few hundred dollars a year.
- Can affiliates see my own branding on FirstPromoter?
- Yes, the portal runs under your own domain and CSS starting on the $99 a month Business tier, so partners never see FirstPromoter's name. AffiliateWP runs on your own WordPress site by default, since the plugin lives inside the install rather than a hosted portal.
- Does AffiliateWP charge more as affiliates sell more?
- No, it is a flat annual licence, $299 a year standing regardless of affiliate revenue. FirstPromoter is the opposite: its price is banded by monthly affiliate revenue, so the bill rises as the programme earns more.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.