ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a marketplace SaaS, you’ll usually want a partner management platform that understands subscription revenue, not just one-time affiliate payouts. The key features to look for are:

• recurring revenue share (e.g., 20% of MRR for the life of the customer)
• subscription event tracking (upgrades, downgrades, churn)
• partner attribution across long sales cycles
• partner portals
• automated payouts
• Stripe/billing integration

Some platforms that support recurring commissions:

For a marketplace SaaS, I’d choose based on your partner model:

• Marketplace ambassadors / affiliates bringing sellers or buyers: Partnero or Rekomi-style tools.
• Agencies, integrations, channel partners, and strategic partners: Partner.io or a PRM-style platform.
• You want partners paid a percentage of ongoing marketplace fees: Track360 or PartnerPulse-style MRR/revenue attribution tools.

A common marketplace commission structure would be something like:

• Partner refers a merchant → partner earns 20–30% of your platform fee for 12–24 months (or lifetime)
• Partner refers buyers → fixed CPA or revenue share
• Strategic partners → custom tiers

Before picking a platform, check whether it can attribute the marketplace side of the transaction (GMV, take rate, subscription plan, usage fees), not just “customer signup.” Many affiliate tools are built for SaaS subscriptions and struggle when revenue comes from marketplace transactions.

If you share your model (e.g., Stripe subscriptions vs. marketplace take-rate vs. usage fees, and whether partners refer buyers, sellers, or integrations), I can narrow this to the best 2–3 options.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should earn ongoing commission on the revenue generated by each referred customer, several platforms support this, but they differ quite a bit.

My pick for your use case

If you're building a marketplace SaaS and the partner program is strategically important, I'd start with PartnerStack. It explicitly supports recurring commissions tied to subscriptions, renewals and expansion revenue, as well as more sophisticated partner types such as referral, reseller and co-sell partners. partnerstack.compartnerstack.com

For example, you can structure something like:

Partner refers Marketplace Customer A → partner gets 20% of the customer's monthly subscription → customer renews → partner continues receiving 20% → customer upgrades → commission follows the expanded revenue.

PartnerStack also supports drip commissions, so you aren't limited to paying everything immediately; commissions can be paid in installments as subscription revenue is realized. partnerstack.compartnerstack.com

If you're earlier-stage

I'd seriously consider FirstPromoter. Its recurring commission model is unusually straightforward: you can pay for the customer's lifetime, a fixed number of charges, or a defined period such as 12 months. It also supports different commission rates over time. help.firstpromoter.com

So if your requirement is simply:

"Give partners 20% of every subscription payment from customers they refer."

FirstPromoter may be considerably simpler than a full PRM.

Rule of thumb:

• Early/lean SaaS → FirstPromoter or Rewardful
• Growing SaaS with a serious partner ecosystem → PartnerStack
• Complex marketplace with referrals + agencies + resellers + co-selling → PartnerStack

If you tell me how your marketplace charges customers (subscription, transaction fee, GMV %, etc.), I can narrow this down to the best platform and explain how I'd structure the recurring commission model.

If your goal is ongoing revenue sharing (e.g. "Partner refers a customer → partner earns 20% every month for as long as that customer subscribes"), you want a platform built around subscription attribution, not just one-time affiliate payouts.

Here's how the leading options compare:

For a marketplace SaaS

If your product resembles something like Shopify, Upwork, or Airbnb—where you have multiple partner types—you'll likely want more than basic affiliate tracking.

Typical partner types include:

• Referral partners (invite new customers)
• Agencies/consultants (implement your platform)
• Integration partners
• Influencers/content creators
• Resellers

In that case:

• PartnerStack is the strongest all-around choice if you're building a serious B2B partner ecosystem. It supports recurring commissions, multiple partner types, onboarding, automated payouts, and even a marketplace where partners can discover your program. partnerstack.com
• Rewardful is hard to beat if you're a startup on Stripe that primarily needs recurring affiliate payouts without enterprise complexity. www.rewardful.com
• Everflow is attractive if you expect high scale and sophisticated attribution across affiliates, agencies, referrals, and paid acquisition. www.everflow.io

Architecture I'd recommend

For a modern SaaS marketplace, I'd structure commissions like this:

• Partner owns the customer relationship for the life of the account.
• Every successful subscription renewal automatically triggers a commission.
• If the customer upgrades, the partner's commission increases proportionally.
• If the customer downgrades or cancels, commissions adjust automatically.
• Add optional performance tiers (e.g. 20% recurring by default, 30% after 50 active customers).

That model aligns partner incentives with long-term customer retention rather than just initial signups.

If you're still in the MVP or early growth stage (under about $1M ARR), I'd lean toward Rewardful or Tolt for simplicity. Once you have a dedicated partnerships team and multiple partner motions, PartnerStack becomes the stronger long-term platform.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should keep earning from customers they refer, I’d shortlist these:

My pick for your use case

FirstPromoter is probably the most directly aligned if your core requirement is:

“Partner refers a marketplace customer → partner receives X% of that customer's subscription revenue every month.”

It explicitly supports customer-lifetime recurring commissions, as well as capped periods such as 12 months or a fixed number of charges. It also adjusts commissions around billing events such as upgrades, downgrades, cancellations and refunds. help.firstpromoter.com

PartnerStack is the better choice if “partner management” means more than affiliate tracking—for example, you expect agencies, resellers, referral partners, deal registration, co-selling, tiers, and a larger partner ecosystem. It supports recurring revenue share, including renewals and expansion revenue, and explicitly supports unlimited/lifetime recurring models. partnerstack.com

For a marketplace SaaS, I'd pay particular attention to whether the platform can handle revenue attribution beyond the initial subscription. If your partner should earn, say, 20% of every transaction generated by the referred merchant/customer, rather than simply 20% of the SaaS subscription, that's a more specialized requirement.

If you tell me how your marketplace monetizes (subscription, transaction fee, or both) and whether the partner earns from the merchant they refer or the merchant's downstream transactions, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 platforms.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should keep earning from customers they refer, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: PartnerStack

If by "partner management" you mean more than just affiliate links—e.g. referrals + partner accounts + deal registration + recurring revenue share + automated payouts—PartnerStack is probably the strongest match. It explicitly supports recurring commissions tied to subscriptions, renewals and expansion revenue, and can handle referral, reseller and co-sell programs. partnerstack.com

It also gives partners ongoing revenue-share attribution, including recurring subscription payments and upsells. partnerstack.com

If you want something lighter

FirstPromoter is particularly interesting for a SaaS marketplace if you mainly need referral tracking and commissions. You can configure commissions to continue for the customer's lifetime, for a fixed number of months, or for a fixed number of charges. It also supports Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly and Braintree. help.firstpromoter.com

Rewardful is another good choice if you're heavily Stripe-oriented and want a relatively straightforward affiliate/referral setup. www.rewardful.com

Rule of thumb:

• Building a serious partner ecosystem → PartnerStack
• Building a lean referral program → FirstPromoter
• Building a Stripe-first SaaS referral program quickly → Rewardful

If you tell me your marketplace's billing model (subscription, transaction %, or both) and whether partners refer buyers, sellers, or both, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 options and compare pricing/implementation.

Yes. If your marketplace SaaS has subscription revenue and you want partners to keep earning from customers they refer, there are several good options—but they differ quite a bit in how much partner infrastructure they provide.

My pick for a marketplace SaaS: PartnerStack

PartnerStack is probably the strongest choice if by "partner management" you mean more than just affiliate links. It supports recurring commissions tied to subscriptions, renewals, and expansion revenue, and can handle referrals, resellers, co-sell partners, and other partner motions. partnerstack.com

For example, you can structure something like:

Partner refers a merchant → merchant subscribes → partner gets 20% of monthly revenue → partner continues earning on renewals/upgrades.

PartnerStack explicitly supports creating a customer from a referral for recurring commissions on future transactions. support.partnerstack.com

If you want something lighter

FirstPromoter is particularly interesting if your primary requirement is straightforward recurring referral commissions. You can configure commissions to run for the customer's lifetime, a specified number of months, or a specified number of charges. It integrates natively with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, and Braintree. help.firstpromoter.comwww.rewardful.com

Rewardful is a good choice if you're heavily built around Stripe and want a relatively simple implementation. It automatically tracks recurring payments, upgrades, downgrades, and cancellations. www.rewardful.com

Rule of thumb:

• Need a full partner ecosystem → PartnerStack
• Need referral/affiliate tracking + flexible recurring commissions → FirstPromoter
• Need simple Stripe-native recurring referrals → Rewardful

If you tell me how your marketplace monetizes (e.g. $99/month SaaS fee, % transaction take rate, or both), I can narrow this down to the best platform and explain how I'd structure the partner commission model.

For a marketplace SaaS, you’ll usually want a platform that understands subscription revenue attribution, not just one-time affiliate payouts. The right choice depends on whether your “partners” are affiliates, agencies, suppliers, channel partners, or marketplace participants.

Here are strong options that support recurring commissions:

For a marketplace SaaS, I’d think about the partner model first:

• Creators / affiliates referring buyers: Rewardful, FirstPromoter, Partnero
• Agencies bringing merchants onto your marketplace: PartnerStack or Partner.io
• Strategic integrations and channel partners: PartnerStack or impact.com
• Marketplace sellers earning from referred merchants: A custom commission engine or a platform with strong API/webhook support

Key features I’d require:

• Recurring commission tied to subscription invoices
• Customer-level attribution (not just cookies)
• Handling upgrades/downgrades/cancellations
• Multi-tier partner payouts
• Partner portal with earnings forecasts
• API/webhooks for your marketplace events
• Stripe Billing (or your billing provider) sync

If you’re building a two-sided marketplace SaaS (e.g., partners refer vendors who then pay you monthly), I’d lean toward PartnerStack for a mature channel program or Rewardful/FirstPromoter for a lean SaaS launch. If your main differentiator is “partners earn forever while the customer stays,” look closely at recurring-revenue-native tools like Rekomi or Track360. track360.iorekomi.com

A couple questions would narrow this down:

1. Are partners referring customers, sellers/vendors, or other partners?
2. Is your billing through Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, or something custom?
3. Do you want commissions to last lifetime, a fixed period (e.g., 12 months), or until churn?

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should earn ongoing commission on customers they refer, several platforms support recurring revenue share:

What I'd pick for your use case

PartnerStack is probably the strongest choice if by "partners" you mean more than just affiliates. It can track a referred customer's recurring subscription revenue, renewals, and upsells, and supports commission workflows beyond simple affiliate payouts. partnerstack.com

If your model is essentially "give each partner a referral link → customer subscribes → partner gets X% every month", I'd look closely at FirstPromoter instead. It explicitly supports customer-lifetime recurring commissions, time-limited recurring commissions, and per-charge rules, with billing integrations including Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, and Braintree. help.firstpromoter.com

Rewardful is the simpler option if you're primarily Stripe/Paddle-based and don't need a large partner ecosystem. www.rewardful.com

For a marketplace SaaS specifically, I'd shortlist PartnerStack + FirstPromoter: PartnerStack if you expect a sophisticated partner/reseller ecosystem; FirstPromoter if the core requirement is flexible recurring referral commissions with less platform overhead.

If you tell me your billing stack (Stripe, Paddle, etc.), typical subscription price, and whether partners are affiliates vs. agencies/resellers, I can narrow it to the best 1–2 options.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where a partner should earn a percentage of ongoing subscription revenue from each customer they refer, several platforms support this.

My pick for your use case

FirstPromoter is probably the closest match if you're building a marketplace SaaS and want control over the economics. It supports one-time, recurring, lifetime-recurring, tiered and multi-level commissions, and can adjust commissions for upgrades, downgrades, cancellations and refunds. It integrates with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly and Braintree. firstpromoter.com

FirstPromoter

Rewardful is the simpler alternative, particularly if you're on Stripe. It explicitly supports recurring percentage/fixed commissions and automatically handles subscription renewals, upgrades, downgrades and refunds. www.rewardful.com

Rewardful

PartnerStack is the one I'd investigate if by "partner management" you mean a full PRM rather than just affiliate tracking. It supports recurring commissions tied to subscriptions, renewals and expansion revenue, plus referral, reseller and co-sell programs. partnerstack.com

PartnerStack

One important distinction

For your marketplace, I'd define the commission model as something like:

Partner refers merchant → merchant pays $100/month → partner receives 20% ($20) every month for as long as that merchant remains active.

That's different from a platform that merely pays a commission on the initial referral. You want subscription-lifecycle-aware recurring commissions, including what happens when the merchant upgrades, downgrades, pauses, refunds, or churns.

If you're building the marketplace itself and want to let your own customers configure their own partner programs, that's a slightly different architectural question. In that case, I can compare PartnerStack vs FirstPromoter vs Rewardful vs building the commission ledger yourself for a multi-tenant SaaS.

Yes. If your marketplace SaaS wants partners to earn ongoing revenue from customers they refer, several platforms support recurring commissions—but they differ quite a bit in how well they fit a marketplace.

Best fits

PartnerStack explicitly supports recurring commissions tied to subscriptions, renewals, and expansion revenue. It can also automate tracking and payouts, and supports referral, reseller, and co-sell partner models. partnerstack.com

FirstPromoter is particularly interesting if your requirement is “partner gets X% of every payment generated by their referral.” You can configure commissions for the customer's lifetime, a fixed time span, or a fixed number of charges, including different commission rates over time. It integrates natively with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, and Braintree. help.firstpromoter.com

For your marketplace specifically

I'd lean toward FirstPromoter if your model is primarily:

Partner refers customer → customer pays subscription → partner receives 20% of every payment.

I'd lean toward PartnerStack if you're envisioning something more like:

Partner → referrals + deals + resellers + multiple partner tiers + recurring revenue + automated payouts + partner portal.

PartnerStack also lets you create a referred customer and have future transactions automatically trigger recurring commissions. support.partnerstack.com

One important architectural question for a marketplace SaaS is what exactly constitutes the recurring commission. If partners should earn, say, 10% of your platform fee on every transaction made by their referred merchant, rather than 10% of the merchant's subscription, you should evaluate the platforms based on their ability to handle transaction/event-based commissions, not just subscription billing.

If that's your model, I can compare PartnerStack vs FirstPromoter vs Rewardful vs Impact specifically for a marketplace SaaS, including API/webhook support, commission attribution, multi-sided marketplaces, payout handling, and approximate pricing.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should earn ongoing revenue from customers they refer, several platforms support recurring commissions, but they differ substantially in how much partner-management infrastructure you need.

My pick for your use case

FirstPromoter is probably the most interesting starting point if you're building a marketplace SaaS and primarily need referral → subscription → recurring partner revenue. It lets you configure commissions as lifetime recurring, for a fixed number of months/charges, or one-time, and supports percentage or flat commissions. It also integrates directly with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, and Braintree. help.firstpromoter.com

FirstPromoter

PartnerStack is the better choice if "partner management" means more than affiliate tracking—e.g. partner onboarding, deal registration, co-selling, reseller relationships, partner recruitment, and automated payouts. It explicitly supports recurring commissions and drip/installment payouts tied to recurring revenue. partnerstack.com

PartnerStack

One particularly relevant feature for your model is that PartnerStack supports unlimited recurring commissions, where a partner can receive a percentage of a referred customer's payments for the customer's lifetime. support.partnerstack.com

If your marketplace itself takes a percentage of every transaction, rather than charging SaaS subscriptions, I'd evaluate the platforms differently—because you may need commission rules based on GMV/transaction revenue, refunds, seller payouts, and recurring marketplace transactions, rather than simply recurring SaaS subscriptions.

If you tell me how your marketplace makes money (subscription, % take-rate, or both) and your expected number of partners, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should earn ongoing revenue from the customers they refer, there are several good fits:

My pick for your use case: PartnerStack if “partners” means a broader ecosystem—referrers, agencies, resellers, affiliates, etc. It explicitly supports recurring commissions tied to ongoing subscription revenue, including drip/installment payouts. partnerstack.com

If you mainly need referral tracking + recurring revenue share and you're early-stage, FirstPromoter is worth a close look. It lets you specify customer-lifetime commissions, a fixed number of months, or a fixed number of charges, and supports Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, and Braintree. help.firstpromoter.com

The key distinction I'd make for a marketplace SaaS is whether you want:

• “Partner gets 20% of subscription revenue forever” → FirstPromoter/Rewardful can handle this.
• “Partner gets 20% for 12 months, then stops” → FirstPromoter is particularly straightforward.
• “Partner gets revenue share on subscriptions + renewals + expansion, with different partner types and payout workflows” → PartnerStack is the stronger choice. partnerstack.com

If you tell me your billing stack (Stripe, Paddle, etc.), average subscription price, and whether partners are affiliates vs. agencies/resellers, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options and compare pricing.

Yes. For a SaaS marketplace where partners should earn ongoing revenue from customers they refer, the strongest fits are:

My pick for your use case

FirstPromoter looks particularly relevant if your marketplace is early-stage and you want control over the economics. It supports lifetime recurring commissions, fixed-duration recurring commissions, or a fixed number of charges. It also supports different commission rates over time—for example, 20% on the first charge and 30% thereafter. help.firstpromoter.com

PartnerStack is the better choice if you're envisioning a true partner ecosystem rather than just an affiliate/referral program. It supports recurring revenue-share, renewals, upsells, and installment/drip commissions, and handles partner payouts. partnerstack.com

For a marketplace specifically, I'd think about the commission model carefully. For example:

Partner refers merchant → merchant pays you $500/month → partner gets 20% = $100/month for as long as that merchant remains active.

If that's essentially what you want, FirstPromoter is probably the simplest starting point; PartnerStack is the more scalable ecosystem choice.

If you tell me how your marketplace makes money (subscription, transaction fee, or both) and roughly how many partners you expect, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 platforms and explain the economics.

Yes. For a marketplace SaaS where partners should earn ongoing revenue from customers they refer, the strongest options are:

My pick for your use case: PartnerStack

PartnerStack explicitly supports recurring revenue share, including commissions on subscription renewals and upsells. It also supports referral, reseller, and co-sell programs rather than being limited to traditional affiliate links. partnerstack.com

That's particularly relevant if your marketplace has partners who might do more than simply refer a customer—for example:

Partner refers merchant → merchant subscribes → partner receives 20% of subscription revenue every month → partner also earns on expansion/upsells.

PartnerStack also handles partner commission calculation and consolidated payouts, which becomes useful once you have a meaningful number of partners. partnerstack.com

FirstPromoter is worth a close look

If your model is more affiliate/referral-centric, FirstPromoter may actually be the better product. It supports customer-lifetime commissions, time-limited recurring commissions, or a fixed number of recurring payments. It also adjusts commissions for renewals, upgrades, cancellations, and refunds. help.firstpromoter.com

For example, you could configure:

Partner gets 20% of every payment from referred customer for as long as they're subscribed.

That's a very clean fit for a SaaS marketplace.

If you're Stripe-based and want simplicity

Rewardful is particularly attractive if your billing runs through Stripe. It can calculate commissions on every paid invoice and supports recurring commissions indefinitely or for a specified number of invoices. help.rewardful.com

Bottom line:

• Building a serious partner ecosystem: PartnerStack
• Want flexible recurring referral/affiliate commissions: FirstPromoter
• Stripe + want something lightweight: Rewardful

If you tell me how your marketplace makes money (e.g. 10% transaction fee, $99/month SaaS fee, or both), I can recommend which one fits your commission model best and explain how I'd structure the partner payouts.

Yes. If by “ongoing revenue” you mean a partner gets a percentage of every recurring subscription payment from customers they referred, several platforms support that.

Best fits

For your marketplace SaaS specifically, I'd look hardest at PartnerStack. It supports referral, reseller, and affiliate programs and can track recurring subscription payments, renewals, and upsells. partnerstack.com

If you want something lighter/easier to embed into an early-stage SaaS, FirstPromoter is particularly interesting: it lets you define commissions that continue for the customer's lifetime, for a specified number of months, or for a specified number of charges. help.firstpromoter.com

One important distinction for your marketplace

If your model is something like:

Partner refers Acme Corp → Acme pays you $500/month → partner receives 20% ($100/month) for as long as Acme remains a customer

then FirstPromoter and PartnerStack can handle that model.

If instead you mean:

Partner refers a seller/vendor → seller generates $10,000/month in marketplace GMV → partner receives 5% of that seller's GMV every month

that's a more specialized revenue-share/marketplace commission problem. I'd evaluate the platforms based on whether they can attribute ongoing marketplace transactions rather than merely recurring SaaS subscriptions.

If you tell me how your marketplace makes money (subscription, transaction fee, or both), I can narrow this down to the 2–3 platforms that best fit your exact commission model.

Yes. If you mean partners should receive a percentage of subscription revenue from every customer they refer, potentially for the customer's lifetime, several platforms support that.

Best fits

• PartnerStack — probably the strongest fit if you're building a serious B2B SaaS partner ecosystem. It supports recurring commissions tied to subscriptions, renewals, and expansion revenue, including drip/installment commission models. partnerstack.com
• FirstPromoter — better if you're early-stage and primarily need affiliate/referral management. It supports one-time, recurring, tiered, and multi-level commissions and tracks subscription lifecycle events such as upgrades, downgrades, refunds, and churn. firstpromoter.comfirstpromoter.com
• Rewardful — particularly attractive if your marketplace SaaS uses Stripe or Paddle and you want a relatively simple recurring affiliate program. firstpromoter.com

For your marketplace SaaS

I'd distinguish between two models:

1. "Affiliate" model:

Partner refers a customer → partner gets 20% of that customer's subscription every month.

FirstPromoter or Rewardful is likely sufficient.

2. "Marketplace partner" model:

Partner brings a merchant/provider → partner gets 20% of platform revenue generated by that merchant indefinitely, with tiers, renewals, upgrades, multiple partner types, etc.

I'd lean toward PartnerStack, because it is designed around broader partner ecosystems rather than just affiliate links. It explicitly supports referral, reseller, affiliate, and co-sell programs. partnerstack.com

One important distinction: "recurring" doesn't necessarily mean "lifetime." PartnerStack's own documentation distinguishes one-time, limited recurring (e.g. first year), and unlimited/lifetime recurring commissions. partnerstack.com

If you tell me how your marketplace makes money (subscription, transaction fee, or both) and whether partners refer buyers, sellers, or both, I can recommend the best platform and commission structure for your exact model.

If your SaaS has subscription revenue and you want partners to earn ongoing recurring commissions for every renewal, you should look for affiliate/partner platforms that integrate directly with your billing system (Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, etc.) rather than generic PRMs.

Here are the strongest options:

If you're building a marketplace SaaS

Because you're running a marketplace, you may eventually want more than simple affiliate links. Look for features like:

• Recurring revenue share (e.g. 20% of subscription revenue every month)
• Referral links and coupon codes
• First-touch or last-touch attribution
• Team/company partner accounts
• Custom commission rates by partner
• Automatic commission adjustments after upgrades, downgrades, refunds, or churn
• Tax forms and automated payouts (PayPal, Wise, ACH, Stripe)

Platforms like FirstPromoter and Partnero support most of these SaaS-specific workflows. marketplace.stripe.comfirstpromoter.com

My recommendation

• Early-stage (<$50k MRR): Rewardful, Tolt, or FirstPromoter.
• Growing SaaS ($50k–$500k MRR): FirstPromoter or Partnero.
• Enterprise or channel sales: PartnerStack.

If your vision is for agencies, consultants, and implementation partners to continuously earn a share of customers they bring in, I'd lean toward FirstPromoter or PartnerStack. They both support recurring commissions, but PartnerStack becomes especially compelling if you want exposure to an existing ecosystem of SaaS partners rather than recruiting everyone yourself. firstpromoter.com

Yes. If your goal is for partners to earn a percentage of every subscription renewal from customers they refer (monthly or annually), several partner management platforms support recurring commissions.

Here's how I'd think about the options:

If you're building a marketplace SaaS

I'd choose based on your stage:

• Pre-seed / Seed: FirstPromoter, Rewardful, or Tolt.
• Growth ($1M–10M ARR): PartnerStack if recruiting partners is important.
• Enterprise: Impact.

For a marketplace specifically

If your marketplace has:

• agencies referring clients,
• consultants bringing customers,
• creators promoting your platform,
• integration partners,

then PartnerStack is probably the strongest fit because it isn't just affiliate software—it supports multiple partner types (affiliate, referral, reseller, co-sell) and can pay ongoing commissions based on recurring subscription revenue. It also includes a partner marketplace where potential partners can discover your program. partnerstack.com

Commission models that work well

Many SaaS marketplaces use one of these:

• 20–30% recurring for the lifetime of the customer
• 20% recurring for 24 months
• 10% recurring + bonuses for expansion revenue
• Tiered: 20% until $5k MRR referred, then 30%

Lifetime recurring commissions tend to attract higher-quality partners because they build predictable passive income.

If you tell me:

• your billing provider (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, etc.),
• your tech stack,
• and whether your marketplace is B2B or B2C,

I can narrow this down to the best platform for your architecture and growth stage.

If your goal is partners who earn recurring revenue for every customer they refer, you want a platform built for subscription billing rather than traditional ecommerce affiliate software.

Here's how the main options compare:

My recommendations

If you're an early-stage SaaS (pre-$2M ARR):

• FirstPromoter is one of the strongest choices. It tracks renewals, upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and lets you pay recurring commissions automatically. It integrates with Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, and other subscription billing systems. firstpromoter.com

If you're using Stripe and want the quickest implementation:

• Rewardful is another excellent option. It's popular among SaaS founders because setup is straightforward and it's designed around subscription revenue rather than one-time purchases. www.rewardful.com

If you want partners and a marketplace to recruit them:

• PartnerStack is the leader. Besides managing commissions, it gives you access to a large network of SaaS-focused affiliates, agencies, consultants, and technology partners. It also supports recurring commissions tied to subscription renewals and expansion revenue. partnerstack.com

Commission structures that work well

Many successful SaaS companies use one of these models:

• 20–30% recurring for the lifetime of the subscription
• 15–20% recurring for the first 12 months
• Flat bounty (e.g. $200) plus 5–10% recurring
• Tiered commissions (20% → 25% → 30%) as partners reach revenue milestones

Lifetime recurring commissions are attractive to partners because they create predictable monthly income, but you should model your gross margins and customer lifetime value before committing to perpetual payouts.

If I were building a marketplace SaaS today

I'd likely choose:

• FirstPromoter if I already have an audience or know how I'll recruit partners.
• PartnerStack if recruiting high-quality B2B partners is a core growth strategy and I have the budget to support a more comprehensive partner program.

One question that affects the recommendation: What billing platform are you using (Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Lemon Squeezy, or something else)? That can narrow the best choice considerably.

If your SaaS has subscription revenue and you want partners to earn a percentage every month for as long as the referred customer stays active, there are several strong options. The best choice depends on whether you need a simple affiliate program or a full partner ecosystem.

If I were designing a SaaS marketplace

I'd separate partners into a few categories:

• Affiliates – bloggers, creators, YouTubers (20–30% recurring revenue share)
• Agencies/Consultants – implementation partners (15–25% recurring plus services revenue)
• Customers – referral rewards (10–20% recurring or account credits)
• Strategic partners – custom negotiated revenue share

A platform like PartnerStack is designed to manage all of those partner types together. partnerstack.compartnerstack.com

For different stages of growth

• Pre-product market fit (<$20k MRR): Rewardful or FirstPromoter are usually easier to launch and less expensive. firstpromoter.comwww.rewardful.com
• Growing SaaS ($20k–$100k+ MRR): FirstPromoter if you mainly need affiliate management, or PartnerStack if recruiting partners is becoming a priority. partnerstack.comfirstpromoter.com
• Enterprise: PartnerStack or Impact if you need reseller management, complex attribution, contracts, and global payouts. www.rewardful.compartnerstack.com

Features worth insisting on

For a marketplace SaaS with recurring commissions, look for:

• Automatic tracking of subscription renewals
• Commission updates for upgrades and downgrades
• Automatic stop/clawback when customers churn
• Self-service partner portal
• Coupon and referral link attribution
• Stripe/Paddle integration
• Automated global payouts
• API and webhook support for custom workflows

If you tell me your billing provider (Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, etc.), tech stack, and whether your marketplace is B2B or B2C, I can narrow this down to the one that will fit your architecture best.

If you're building a subscription SaaS and want partners to earn recurring commissions for as long as a referred customer remains subscribed, you should look for a platform that supports:

• Recurring (MRR-based) commissions
• Stripe/Paddle subscription tracking
• Automatic adjustments for upgrades, downgrades, and churn
• Partner portal and payouts
• Referral attribution over long sales cycles

Here are the strongest options:

If you're building a partner ecosystem (not just affiliates)

If your partners will:

• refer leads,
• co-sell,
• implement your product,
• or become agencies/resellers,

then I'd lean toward a PRM platform like Partner.io or PartnerStack rather than a traditional affiliate platform. They provide deal registration, lead sharing, partner tiers, and recurring commission management. www.reddit.comwww.partner.iowww.reddit.com

Example commission model

Many successful SaaS companies use something like:

• 20–30% recurring commission
• Paid every month while the customer remains active
• Stop payments if the subscription is canceled
• Optionally cap at 12 or 24 months, or make it lifetime

This aligns partner incentives with customer retention rather than just initial signups. Community discussions suggest 30% recurring is a common benchmark among indie SaaS affiliate programs, though the right percentage depends on your margins and customer lifetime value. www.reddit.comwww.partner.iowww.reddit.com

If you're building your own marketplace SaaS rather than just adding an affiliate program, I can also recommend platforms with APIs and webhooks that let you embed the partner experience into your own application instead of sending partners to a separate portal.