FirstPromoter vs Refgrow Comparison 2026
FirstPromoter tracks affiliates for a software business with a portal on your own domain, banded by affiliate revenue: $49 a month up to $5,000, rising as the program grows. Refgrow tracks affiliates too, with a hosted portal and an embeddable signup widget, at a flat $29 a month for one program with no cap on affiliates, referrals or revenue. FirstPromoter's price moves with how much money affiliates drive. Refgrow's moves with how many separate programs you run instead.
Affiliate tracking and a brandable portal
Affiliate tracking with no cut of referred revenue
At a glance
- Refgrow starts cheaper, at $29.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
FirstPromoter | Refgrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $49 | From $29 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API | Not stated | Yes |
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.
Refgrow
Affiliate tracking with no cut of referred revenue
Refgrow tracks affiliates for a subscription product and states plainly that it takes no percentage of what they generate, which is the difference that matters once a program starts working. The affiliate portal is hosted for you and an embeddable widget puts signup inside the product. Payouts go out through PayPal or Wise. The cheapest plan covers one program, so anybody running separate schemes for creators and agencies is on the tier above from the start.
Our note
The no-transaction-fee line is the thing to hold against the percentage-based platforms, because it means a successful program does not quietly become the most expensive tool you own. Count your programs before choosing the tier, since one program is a real limit rather than a soft one.
Why people weigh these two
- Refgrow instead of FirstPromoter
- Refgrow takes no cut of referred revenue and starts cheaper at $29 a month, on a free trial rather than a free tier.
- FirstPromoter instead of Refgrow
- FirstPromoter adds a brandable portal for affiliates at $49.
Which one should you pick
Pick FirstPromoter if you want a white-labelled portal on your own domain plus tax form collection and broadcast emails to promoters built in. Setup asks more of you than some competitors, and the price rises with the revenue affiliates drive.
Pick Refgrow if you want affiliate tracking without a percentage of revenue or FirstPromoter's banding, and one program is enough to start. The embedded signup widget suits recruiting your own existing users as affiliates. Running several distinct programs for different partner types means the second tier immediately, since the cheapest plan covers just one.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper?
- Refgrow, at $29 a month flat against FirstPromoter's $49, and Refgrow's price does not rise with affiliate revenue the way FirstPromoter's band does. Refgrow's catch is program count instead: its cheapest plan covers only one program, however much revenue it drives.
- Does either take a percentage of affiliate-driven revenue?
- No, neither does. FirstPromoter charges a flat monthly fee banded by how much revenue moves through it. Refgrow charges a flat fee too and states plainly that it takes no cut of referred revenue and no transaction fees, at any of its tiers.
- Which one gives affiliates a portal on your own domain?
- FirstPromoter, on its Business tier and above, the reason people choose it over cheaper competitors. Refgrow hosts the affiliate portal for you and also offers an embeddable signup widget, but a custom domain is not described as part of it here.
- How many affiliate programs can I run on the cheapest plan?
- Just one, on Refgrow's $29 Starter plan, though affiliates, referrals and revenue within that program are uncapped. FirstPromoter's Starter plan does not state a program limit, banding instead by affiliate revenue up to $5,000 a month.
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.