Awin vs FirstPromoter Comparison 2026
Awin is a marketplace: publishers browse thousands of existing programmes and apply for free, while a brand pays $49 a month plus a 3.5 percent tracking fee to be one of them. FirstPromoter has no marketplace. It is software for running your own affiliate programme, with a portal on your own domain instead of a shared one, starting at the same $49 a month but banded by affiliate revenue rather than taxed by the transaction. The choice is between reaching affiliates who are already out there and building a programme that looks like your product.
The affiliate network ShareASale merged into
Affiliate tracking and a brandable portal
At a glance
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Awin | FirstPromoter | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $49 | 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 | Not stated |
Awin
The affiliate network ShareASale merged into
Awin is a global affiliate network on both sides: publishers join to find programmes to promote, and brands pay to run one. ShareASale is now part of it, so a creator who had an account there arrives here. What separates it from affiliate software is that the network handles recruiting, tracking and payment across thousands of merchants at once, rather than running one brand's programme. Advertisers pay a monthly fee plus a percentage of each tracked transaction.
Our note
Read this page as a brand and the publisher page as a creator, because the two sides of a network are priced nothing alike and only one of them is quoted here. If you arrived looking for ShareASale, this is where it went.
Only on this side
- Covers brand deals & sponsorships
FirstPromoter
Affiliate tracking and a brandable portal
FirstPromoter is the other half of the Stripe affiliate duopoly, and the difference that matters is the portal: affiliates get a dashboard on your own domain with your CSS on it, rather than one that says somebody else's name. Tax forms and broadcast emails to promoters are built in. Setup asks more of you than Rewardful does.
Why people weigh these two
- FirstPromoter instead of Awin
- Affiliate tracking with a brandable portal at $49, software for running your own programme rather than paying a network to recruit and pay out.
- Awin instead of FirstPromoter
- Awin is the affiliate network ShareASale merged into, a directory of publishers to join rather than software for running your own program, also from $49.
Which one should you pick
Take Awin if you want access to publishers who are already promoting other brands rather than building a portal from nothing. Publishers join and apply to programmes at no charge, and an advertiser pays $49 a month plus a 3.5 percent fee on each tracked sale, dropping to 2.5 percent at the $99 tier. Anybody who had a ShareASale account arrives here now, since that network merged into this one.
Take FirstPromoter if the affiliate programme needs to look like part of your product rather than a listing inside somebody else's network. Starter is $49 a month up to $5,000 of monthly affiliate revenue, and Business at $99 adds the custom domain and white labelling that make the portal genuinely yours. Tax form collection and broadcast email to promoters are built in, useful once January arrives. Recruiting affiliates, though, stays entirely on you.
Common questions
- What is the real difference between Awin and FirstPromoter?
- Awin is a network. Publishers browse thousands of existing programmes and apply for free, and a brand pays to be listed among them. FirstPromoter is software for running one programme under your own brand, with no shared marketplace of affiliates to draw on.
- How is each one priced?
- Awin charges an advertiser $49 a month plus a 3.5 percent fee on every tracked sale, or $99 a month at 2.5 percent. FirstPromoter charges a flat $49 a month up to $5,000 of monthly affiliate revenue, with no percentage on top, rising to $99 up to $15,000.
- Which one gives affiliates a branded portal?
- FirstPromoter does, on its $99 a month Business tier and above, with a custom domain and your own styling. Awin's dashboard is the network's own, shared across every advertiser on it.
- Can a creator use Awin without paying?
- Yes. Publishers join Awin and apply to programmes at no charge; the $49 a month fee is billed to advertisers running a programme. FirstPromoter has no free side, since it is software a business buys to run its own programme.
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.