The short answer
- Price the subscription against your attributed revenue, then add commissions and payout fees.
- If your program needs a larger entry allowance, Rewardful Starter permits $7,500 monthly affiliate-attributed revenue; compare the full payout cost.
- Distinguish approval, payout creation and receipt when setting partner expectations.
- Reconcile paid and unpaid commissions before importing old sales or enabling payouts.
Price the whole payout workflow
Start with affiliate-attributed revenue, then add the commissions you owe and the cost of sending them. A low subscription price can leave a different total once the program grows.
We compare documentation from Rewardful, FirstPromoter and Tolt. Their published material answers different parts of the cost and migration question; use the same workload for each quote.
Rewardful Starter costs $49 monthly or $490 annually and permits $7,500 in monthly affiliate-attributed revenue. Rewardful lists unlimited affiliates and a zero percent fee on affiliate-attributed revenue across its plans.
FirstPromoter Starter costs $49 monthly or $490 annually, with up to $5,000 in monthly affiliate revenue and 1,000 affiliates. Affiliate revenue is the revenue attributed to affiliates; it is distinct from the commission owed to them.
Rewardful Managed Payouts charges a 3% processing fee per payout, and affiliate withdrawal fees may also apply. That percentage applies to a payout; Rewardful’s zero percent applies to affiliate-attributed revenue.
Rewardful’s 3% fee is charged on each payout, so it grows with the commissions you pay. Add commissions to the subscription and include any applicable withdrawal or other fees to estimate your total.
Forecast a month near your allowance as well as a normal month. Ask each vendor how your actual plan handles a higher revenue volume, and include the cost of any payout method you intend to use.
Compare limits and the controls you need
Choose the plan around the records and controls your team needs, then request a complete quote. The available documentation does not give a comparable Tolt subscription price here.
| Vendor | Billing unit and limit | Control or migration feature |
|---|---|---|
| Rewardful | Starter: $49 monthly or $490 annually; $7,500 monthly affiliate-attributed revenue. | Manual attribution can generate commissions for selected past invoices. |
| FirstPromoter | Starter: $49 monthly or $490 annually; up to $5,000 monthly affiliate revenue and 1,000 affiliates. | Customer-level Stripe event import generates past commissions; activity logs require Enterprise Plan 3 or above. |
| Tolt | Subscription price and allowance not documented in the pages reviewed. | Approval is configured per flow; payout terms determine when payouts are created. |
Source: Rewardful: pricing, Rewardful: manual attribution, FirstPromoter: pricing, FirstPromoter: referral import, FirstPromoter: activity logs, Tolt: commission approval, Tolt: payout terms
The plan with a sufficient revenue allowance may still lack an operational control you need. FirstPromoter activity logs require Enterprise Plan 3 or above and enablement. Access depends on Super Admin or custom-role permissions; the log covers payout and export actions as well as referral reassignment.
Record who can make adjustments and who can review them. An exported ledger is useful only if someone can identify the customer and affiliate associated with each entry.
Separate approval from money received
A commission can be earned before it is approved, and a created payout can precede receipt. Put each date on the calendar before promising a partner when money will arrive.
Tolt approval settings allow immediate, delayed or manual approval for each flow. Changes apply to new commissions; existing commission statuses remain unchanged. Review the flows for each partner group.
Tolt payout terms create payouts 15, 30 or 60 days after the commission month ends under NET-15, NET-30 or NET-60. The None setting requires manual generation. Creation is a separate event from receipt.
FirstPromoter payout guidance says refunds generate negative commissions that reduce a promoter’s payout. Its default NET-30 means payment thirty days after month end, and a minimum payout threshold can postpone payment.
FirstPromoter managed payouts require Enterprise 2 or above, SaaS status, US registration and US-bank invoicing and payment, subject to review and excluded-business rules. The same guidance suggests Wise for customers without a US bank account. That suggestion does not show that a business outside the US qualifies.
FirstPromoter says managed payout setup replaces partners’ configured payout methods with Dots and requires the partner agreement. Its guidance says transfers can take seven to ten days after invoice payment is received, with affiliate withdrawal fees. Include that interval when planning a payout schedule.
Rewardful requires a separate ACH-capable funding method and manual invoice payment for Managed Payouts; its guide directs customers to contact support for access. Confirm eligibility and the fees each partner may face before changing the payout process.
Reconcile the ledger before importing
Preserve the attribution record and the payment record together. The essential question for each old sale is whether its commission remains owed.
FirstPromoter’s referral import instructions say importing Stripe events after creating a referral brings in past customer sales and generates corresponding commissions. The referral UID must be the Stripe customer ID. Compare those generated entries with the old payment ledger before enabling payouts.
Suppose an old customer has an earned commission already paid to a partner. If that sale generates a new commission on import, treating the new entry as unpaid could lead to paying it twice. Record the original payment and resolve the new balance before the cutover.
Rewardful’s manual attribution guide gives a mobile-click and laptop-signup example that needs manual attribution. After association, future invoices generate commissions; selected past invoices can also generate them manually. Reconcile those invoices before selecting them.
Rewardful uses an affiliate link token in customer metadata for a read-write Stripe connection. Its read-only connection requires a generated referral ID. Record the connection mode and identifiers in the migration mapping.
FirstPromoter’s changelog describes an optional setting that sends earnings to the promotion used on an order while customer and revenue attribution stays with the original promoter. The setting is disabled by default. Keep commission ownership alongside reporting ownership when reconciling totals.
Keep a copy of the old ledger with the evidence for paid balances. Map customer and partner identifiers to the destination, then inspect a sample of imported records. Agree who resolves discrepancies and who authorizes the first live payout.
Test tracking and the cutover
Run a small synthetic ledger through the intended setup before moving real balances. Keep payout execution disabled during the test and record the expected result for every event.
Tolt’s Paddle Billing setup uses a server-side API key and site script, plus a referral ID in checkout customData and a webhook secret. Paddle Classic has separate guidance. Test the version you use and trace a referral through checkout and the resulting event.
For each discrepancy, preserve the fixture and the expected result so the vendor can investigate. Use the software trial guide to apply the same acceptance criteria to every candidate.
Common questions
What is the best affiliate tracking software for a growing SaaS program?
If your entry-plan allowance matters, Rewardful Starter permits $7,500 monthly affiliate-attributed revenue. Compare that allowance with your forecast and price the payout workflow before choosing.
Does Rewardful charge a fee on affiliate revenue?
Rewardful pricing lists a zero percent fee on affiliate-attributed revenue across plans. Its Managed Payouts guide separately lists a 3% processing fee per payout, with possible affiliate withdrawal fees.
Can I use FirstPromoter managed payouts outside the US?
FirstPromoter’s requirements specify US registration and US-bank invoicing and payment, subject to review. Its Wise suggestion does not demonstrate eligibility for non-US businesses; get a decision for your business.
Will importing Stripe history pay affiliates twice?
FirstPromoter’s import instructions say past customer sales generate corresponding commissions. Reconcile those entries against commissions already paid before authorizing a payout.
When will an affiliate receive a payout?
Approval, payout creation and receipt can occur on different dates. Tolt’s NET terms set creation relative to month end; confirm the transfer timing for the payout method you use.
Sources and scope
We read the linked vendor pricing and documentation on October 29, 2026. We have not tested tracking, payouts or a migration.
Confirm current plan terms, payout eligibility and fees with each vendor. Verify export and import fields before closing the old account.
Source references
- Rewardful: pricing
Checked 2026-10-29. Revenue-based tiers and separate payout costs matter more than the shared entry price.
- FirstPromoter: pricing
Checked 2026-10-29. FirstPromoter uses affiliate revenue tiers with different entry limits from Rewardful.
- Rewardful: managed payouts
Checked 2026-10-29. Managed payouts add a separate fee and funding workflow to subscription pricing.
- Rewardful: manual attribution
Checked 2026-10-29. Cross-device misses can be corrected manually; past commissions require explicit generation and permission mode changes the identifiers used.
- FirstPromoter: referral import
Checked 2026-10-29. Manual referrals can import a customer's Stripe sales and generate commissions, making prior-payment reconciliation necessary.
- FirstPromoter: activity logs
Checked 2026-10-29. Auditable commission changes are gated behind a higher plan and explicit enablement.
- Tolt: commission approval
Checked 2026-10-29. Approval timing is configured per flow and does not retroactively change existing commission statuses.
- Tolt: payout terms
Checked 2026-10-29. Payout creation uses month-end timing, distinct from commission approval delays.
- FirstPromoter: payouts
Checked 2026-10-29. Commission accrual, reversal and actual payout dates are separate events.
- FirstPromoter: managed payouts
Checked 2026-10-29. Managed payout availability has plan, business and onboarding conditions beyond a feature checkmark.
- FirstPromoter: changelog
Checked 2026-10-29. New promotion attribution controls can move commission earnings while retaining original referral reporting ownership.
- Tolt: Paddle Billing setup
Checked 2026-10-29. Paddle Billing setup requires tracking identity and webhook events as well as API access.