ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d keep this very simple:

My pick: Rewardful

rewardful.com is probably the best default if you use Stripe.

• Starts at $49/month
• 0% transaction fee
• Stripe-native, so setup is relatively painless
• Handles recurring SaaS commissions
• REST API is available even on the entry tier
• Current entry tier reportedly supports up to $7.5k/month in affiliate revenue. Affitor Documentation Affitor Documentation

For a tiny team, I'd value "works this afternoon" over a giant partner-management feature set.

If $49/month feels too expensive

I'd look at Affitor first. Its current model is $0/month, with a 3.5% fee on affiliate-driven sales after the first $10k. That can be attractive if you're just testing whether affiliates will work at all. Affitor Documentation

The catch is that you're trading a predictable subscription for a percentage of successful revenue, so Rewardful becomes cheaper once your affiliate channel has meaningful volume.

Two other good options

• FirstPromoter — firstpromoter.com — starts around $49/month and is worth considering if you use billing infrastructure beyond Stripe/Paddle. Its entry plan has a lower reported affiliate-revenue ceiling than Rewardful. Affitor Documentation
• Tolt — tolt.io — starts around $69/month, but allows unlimited affiliates and has a higher revenue ceiling at its $99 tier. There's a 2% fee on automated payouts. Affitor

What I'd do in your shoes

If you're pre-$5–10k/month in referred revenue: start with the cheapest viable option and validate demand before optimizing tooling.

If you're already getting customers asking for referral links: pay the $49/month for Rewardful and move on. The engineering time saved is probably worth more than the subscription.

I would not touch PartnerStack or impact.com yet. Their current pricing is aimed at substantially larger programs—PartnerStack starts around $1,000/month, while impact.com's SaaS offering starts around $500/month. Affitor Documentation

If you tell me your Stripe MRR, typical customer LTV, and what commission you want to offer (e.g. 20% recurring), I can calculate the cheapest option at your current scale and where the break-even points are.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d shortlist these:

1. rewardful.com — my default pick if you use Stripe

• Starts at $49/mo, with a 14-day trial.
• Very SaaS/Stripe-focused: recurring commissions, upgrades/downgrades/cancellations, and referral tracking are handled for you. Rewardful Rewardful Help Center
• 0% transaction fees, so you don't give up a percentage of every referral sale. Rewardful
• Best if you want to launch quickly without building much yourself.
• referralful.com — cheapest option worth investigating

• Currently free until your first affiliate joins, then starts at $19.99/mo.
• Includes Stripe sync, unlimited affiliates/clicks, affiliate portal, and PayPal/Wise payouts. Referralful
• For a genuinely cash-constrained startup, this is attractive because you're not paying $49/mo while you're still figuring out whether affiliates will work.
• firstpromoter.com — good if you're not purely Stripe

• Starts at $49/mo, with a $5k/month affiliate-revenue limit on the entry plan. FirstPromoter
• More billing-provider flexibility than Rewardful, so I'd favor it if you're using something beyond Stripe/Paddle. Affitor Documentation

What I'd do in your shoes

If you're Stripe + <$5–10k/month referred revenue, I'd start with Rewardful if saving engineering time is worth $49/month.

If $49/month genuinely matters to runway, I'd test Referralful first. The economics are much friendlier at the earliest stage.

I wouldn't touch PartnerStack or impact.com yet. They're designed for substantially more mature partner programs and can cost hundreds to thousands per month. Affitor Documentation

One other consideration: don't overbuild the program initially. Give 10–20 happy customers/creators a simple 20–30% recurring commission, see whether anyone actually sends customers, and only then invest in more sophisticated affiliate tooling.

If you tell me your payment stack (Stripe/Paddle/etc.), monthly revenue, and whether you want recurring or one-time commissions, I can narrow this to the cheapest sensible choice for your exact situation.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I would avoid big partner platforms entirely. You probably don't need a marketplace, partner managers, or enterprise workflows yet — you need:

• Stripe/subscription tracking
• recurring commissions
• simple affiliate links
• automated payouts (or at least easy payout exports)
• low fixed cost

My shortlist:

www.rewardful.comwww.startuphub.ai

My recommendation by situation

1. You use Stripe subscriptions → start with Rewardful

• Fastest path from zero to live
• Built around SaaS recurring revenue
• Minimal engineering work
• Flat monthly pricing rather than enterprise contracts

This is what I’d choose for a 2-person team unless you have unusual billing needs. www.rewardful.com

2. You want $0 upfront while validating → consider a pay-for-performance option
Some newer tools use a revenue-share model instead of charging a monthly fee, which can make sense if you have no affiliate revenue yet. affitor.com

3. You have a non-Stripe stack (Chargebee, Recurly, Paddle-heavy, etc.) → look at FirstPromoter
It tends to be a better fit when your billing system is more complicated. www.rewardful.com

What I would not buy yet

• PartnerStack
• impact.com
• custom-built referral infrastructure

Those are useful when you have a partner team and meaningful partner revenue. For two founders, they’re usually solving problems you don't have yet. www.startuphub.ai

A scrappy setup I’d run

1. Pick Rewardful/Tolt/FirstPromoter.
2. Offer 20–30% recurring commission for the first year.
3. Recruit 20–50 niche affiliates manually (customers, creators, consultants, newsletter owners).
4. Don’t build an affiliate marketplace — spend the effort finding good partners.

The software is rarely the bottleneck; getting the first 10 affiliates who actually send customers is.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d optimize for $0 upfront + minimal engineering, rather than buying the most feature-rich affiliate platform.

My pick: Referralful

Referralful is particularly interesting if you use Stripe. It currently lets you set up for free and only starts charging once your first affiliate joins; its Starter plan is $19.99/month up to $7,500/month in affiliate payout volume, with 0% transaction fees. It handles recurring commissions, Stripe syncing, affiliate portals, and PayPal/Wise payouts. referralful.com

For a tiny startup, that pricing model is compelling: you don't have to spend $49/month hoping the referral channel works.

Runner-up: Rewardful

Rewardful would be my choice if you value a more established, straightforward Stripe-focused product over minimizing your initial spend.

It's $49/month for Starter, with unlimited affiliates, up to $7,500/month in affiliate revenue, and 0% transaction fees. It has a 14-day trial. www.rewardful.com Its Stripe integration also automatically adjusts commissions for upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, refunds, etc., which is useful for subscription SaaS. help.rewardful.com

FirstPromoter

FirstPromoter is another solid option at $49/month, with a 14-day trial and a $5,000/month affiliate-revenue limit on Starter. It's worth considering if you expect to need more sophisticated affiliate/referral functionality as you grow. firstpromoter.com

What I'd do in your shoes

Tolt supports Stripe, Paddle, and Chargebee and is specifically designed around SaaS affiliate programs. tolt.com

My recommendation: start with Referralful if you're genuinely bootstrapped and haven't proven referrals yet. Once you're generating meaningful affiliate revenue, reassess whether the economics/features justify switching to something like Rewardful.

One other thing: for a two-person company, I'd avoid PartnerStack/impact.com-type enterprise platforms entirely at this stage. You're paying for infrastructure and partner-network capabilities you probably don't need yet.

If you tell me your payment stack (Stripe/Paddle/etc.), current MRR, and whether you mean customer-to-customer referrals or a true affiliate program, I can narrow this down to the cheapest setup for your specific case.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid the big partner platforms entirely. You want something that takes minutes to install and doesn’t become another system you have to babysit.

My picks

I'd start with Referralful if you're very early. Its current model is particularly friendly to a bootstrapped startup: setup is free, and its Starter plan is $19.99/mo for up to $7,500/month in affiliate-attributed revenue, with unlimited affiliates and 0% payout fees. referralful.com

The alternative I'd seriously consider is Rewardful. It's $49/mo, has a 14-day trial, 0% transaction fees, and very tight Stripe integration. If you expect the affiliate program to generate meaningful revenue fairly quickly, the predictable $49/month can actually be preferable to usage-based pricing. www.rewardful.com

FirstPromoter is also $49/month at the starter level, covering up to $5,000/month in affiliate revenue, and is worth considering if you need its broader integration/API capabilities. www.rewardful.comfirstpromoter.com

What I'd do in your shoes

If you're at $0–$5k MRR and just testing whether referrals work:

Referralful → launch → recruit 10–20 affiliates → see if anyone actually converts.

Don't spend $500+/month on something like PartnerStack or impact.com. Those make sense when you're operating a real partner channel, not when two founders are trying to prove that affiliates can acquire customers.

One other point: the software isn't the expensive part of affiliate marketing—the commission is. I'd start with something like 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months, rather than trying to build a complicated tiered program.

If you tell me what you charge per month, whether you're on Stripe/Paddle, and roughly how many customers you have, I can tell you which of these is likely to be cheapest at your current stage.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid enterprise affiliate platforms (PartnerStack, Impact, Everflow, etc.) and pick something that is:

• cheap enough before you have traction
• built for recurring SaaS commissions
• low-maintenance (you don’t want to become an affiliate ops manager)

My shortlist:

My recommendation by stage:

If you have <$5k MRR or just launching
→ Start with Rewardful or Tolt. Don’t overbuild. You mainly need:

• referral links
• coupon codes
• recurring commission tracking
• a partner dashboard
• payouts

If you’re using Stripe and want the least hassle
→ I’d lean Rewardful. It’s designed around subscription SaaS and recurring revenue tracking. www.rewardful.com

If your budget is truly near $0
→ Consider running a manual program for your first 10–20 affiliates:

• create referral codes in Stripe
• track referrals in Airtable/Sheets
• pay via PayPal/Wise monthly
• migrate once it becomes painful

A lot of startups make the mistake of buying affiliate software before they have affiliates. The harder part is usually finding and activating 10 people who can actually send customers, not the tracking.

For a two-person SaaS, I’d probably do:

1. Recruit 10–20 niche creators/customers manually.
2. Offer 20–30% recurring commission.
3. Use Rewardful/Tolt once you have enough activity that spreadsheets become annoying.

If you tell me your stack (Stripe vs Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy, B2B vs B2C, and your monthly price), I can narrow it to one pick.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid PartnerStack/impact.com-style platforms entirely. You probably want something that is:

• Stripe-native
• cheap before you have meaningful affiliate revenue
• simple enough that neither founder becomes “the affiliate ops person”
• capable of recurring commissions and basic coupon/link attribution

My shortlist

My pick: Referralful if you're genuinely bootstrapped. Its current pricing is free until your first affiliate joins, then $19.99/mo for up to $7,500/mo in affiliate revenue; it supports Stripe, recurring referrals, branded affiliate portals, and PayPal/Wise payouts. referralful.com

If you want the safer/more established choice and $49/mo is trivial for you, I'd go with Rewardful. It's specifically designed around SaaS/Stripe and is widely positioned as the straightforward “just get an affiliate program running” option. openpartner.dev

FirstPromoter is my choice if you already know you'll need more program management. Its Starter plan is $49/mo up to $5k/month in affiliate revenue, with Business at $99/mo up to $15k. firstpromoter.com

I'd skip Tolt initially unless you expect the affiliate program to become a meaningful acquisition channel quickly. It's $69/mo at the entry tier and $99/mo for automated payouts, although it gives you unlimited affiliates. tolt.com

What I'd actually do in your shoes

Start with Referralful, launch with something dead simple like 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months, and recruit 10–20 affiliates manually. Don't build a huge affiliate program yet.

Once you're generating enough affiliate revenue that the software cost is immaterial—or you need more sophisticated workflows—reevaluate.

One caveat: Referralful is a newer/smaller vendor than Rewardful, so if vendor maturity/reliability is worth $29/month to you, I'd pay the extra for Rewardful.

Referralful · Rewardful · FirstPromoter · Tolt

If you tell me your Stripe MRR and roughly how many affiliates you expect, I can tell you which one is cheapest in actual dollars for your situation.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d keep it simple and avoid the big partner-management platforms.

My shortlist

Current pricing is worth double-checking before signing up because these tools have been changing plans fairly frequently. As of July 2026, Rewardful and FirstPromoter start at $49/month; Rewardful's entry tier has a $7.5k/month affiliate-revenue cap, while FirstPromoter's is $5k. affitor.com

I'd personally choose Rewardful if you're using Stripe. It's inexpensive, specifically designed around subscription businesses, and the $49 tier includes its API rather than putting it behind a higher plan. It also has 0% transaction fees. affitor.com

The bigger point, though: don't overbuild the referral program. For a two-person team, I'd launch with:

• 20–30% recurring commission
• 60-day attribution window
• One referral link per partner
• Automatic commission tracking
• Monthly payouts
• A simple landing page explaining the program
• No multi-tier affiliate structure, marketplace, or elaborate partner portal

That gets you testing whether referrals actually work before spending engineering time on them.

One caveat: if you're not on Stripe/Paddle—e.g. you're using Chargebee, Recurly, or Braintree—I'd lean toward FirstPromoter instead because its billing integrations are broader. firstpromoter.com

If you tell me what you use for billing (Stripe/Paddle/Chargebee/etc.), your approximate MRR, and whether these are customer referrals or external affiliates, I can tell you which one I'd pick and what commission structure I'd launch with.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d keep this very simple:

My pick: Rewardful

Rewardful is probably the safest default if you use Stripe.

• Built specifically for SaaS/subscription businesses.
• Stripe integration handles recurring commissions, upgrades, downgrades, cancellations and refunds. www.rewardful.com
• Supports affiliate links and coupon-code tracking.
• No transaction fee; you pay a predictable monthly fee. help.rewardful.com
• The setup is deliberately lightweight—Rewardful says you can launch in under 15 minutes. www.rewardful.com
• Current pricing starts at $49/month, with a 14-day trial. www.rewardful.com

Why I'd choose it for you: you're a two-person team, so the biggest cost isn't the software—it’s engineering and operational hassle. Rewardful takes most of that off your plate.

If $49/month feels too expensive

I'd seriously consider Referralful. It is particularly interesting for a bootstrapped startup because it's free until your first affiliate joins, then starts at $19.99/month for up to $7,500/month in affiliate payout volume. It also has Stripe sync and 0% transaction fees. help.rewardful.comreferralful.com

Referralful

The caveat is that it's a newer/smaller option, so I'd favor Rewardful if reliability and ecosystem maturity matter more than squeezing out every dollar.

Other reasonable options

FirstPromoter's current Starter plan is $49/month for up to $5,000/month in affiliate revenue. firstpromoter.com Tolt is more expensive and adds a 2% fee on automated payouts according to current comparison data. affitor.com

What I'd actually do

If I were running your two-person SaaS:

Start with Rewardful → offer 20–30% recurring commission → recruit 10–20 happy customers/creators manually → don't build a fancy referral system yet.

The mistake I'd avoid is paying for something like PartnerStack or a big partner-management platform before you've proven that affiliates actually produce meaningful revenue. Those tools make more sense once you have a real partner channel.

If you tell me your monthly price, Stripe/Paddle, and roughly how many customers you have, I can tell you which of Rewardful vs. Referralful vs. FirstPromoter is likely to be cheapest for your numbers.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d optimize for $0–$50/month, Stripe integration, recurring commissions, and minimal setup—not enterprise partner-management features.

My shortlist

Referralful is particularly interesting for your situation. It says there's no charge until your first affiliate joins, then the starter tier is $19.99/month for up to $7,500/month in affiliate revenue, with unlimited affiliates/clicks and Stripe integration. It also advertises 0% transaction fees. referralful.comwww.rewardful.comhelp.rewardful.com

Referralful

If you'd rather use a more established option, Rewardful is the one I'd pick. It's built specifically around SaaS/Stripe, starts at $49/month, and has no transaction fee. Its starter tier currently covers up to $7,500/month in affiliate-attributed revenue. www.rewardful.com

Rewardful

FirstPromoter is also $49/month, but its starter tier has a lower $5,000/month affiliate-revenue ceiling, so I don't see a compelling reason to choose it over Rewardful for a tiny team unless you specifically need one of its extra features. firstpromoter.com

FirstPromoter

What I'd actually do

If you're pre-affiliate / just testing the channel:

Start with Referralful. The economics match your situation: don't spend $49/month merely hoping affiliates eventually produce revenue.

If you're already getting meaningful affiliate interest and want something with a longer track record:

Use Rewardful. The $49/month is reasonable, the Stripe integration is the key advantage, and you avoid percentage-of-revenue fees. www.rewardful.comhelp.rewardful.com

I wouldn't touch PartnerStack or impact.com at your stage. You're paying for infrastructure and partner-management capabilities that a two-person SaaS probably doesn't need yet.

One important distinction: if by “referrals” you mean existing customers refer friends and receive account credit rather than recruiting affiliates/influencers, I'd actually consider a customer referral system rather than an affiliate platform. The cheapest/best architecture can be quite different.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d optimize for low fixed cost + Stripe-native tracking + recurring commissions, rather than buying a big partner-management platform.

My shortlist

FirstPromoter's current Starter plan is $49/month and covers up to $5,000/month in affiliate revenue. firstpromoter.com

For your situation, I'd start with Referralful if you're comfortable using a relatively new product. It is Stripe-native, has no charge until your first affiliate joins, then starts at $19.99/month, with 0% transaction fees. referralful.com

If you'd rather pay a little more for a more established, widely used SaaS affiliate product, Rewardful would be my pick. It's specifically built around subscription SaaS and Stripe, including recurring commissions and refund-aware tracking. openpartner.dev

What I'd actually do

Don't overbuild the program initially:

• 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months
• 30–60 day attribution window
• Pay only after the customer's refund/trial period
• Start with customer referrals + a handful of niche creators/agencies, rather than trying to build a huge affiliate network
• Avoid PartnerStack/impact-style enterprise platforms until you actually have a partner-management problem

For a sticky B2B SaaS, recurring revenue share is generally more attractive than a flat bounty because the affiliate participates in the value of customers they send. www.reddit.com

Bottom line:
$0 upfront → Referralful.
Best established SaaS option → Rewardful.
Cheapest conventional paid option → Tolt.

If you tell me your MRR, average customer value, Stripe/Paddle, and expected number of affiliates, I can tell you which one is likely to be cheapest over the next 12 months.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid the big partner platforms entirely. You probably don’t need a marketplace or sophisticated partner management yet—you need reliable recurring-revenue attribution with minimal fixed cost.

My picks

I'd start with Referralful if you're truly watching every dollar. Its current Starter plan is $19.99/mo for up to $7,500/mo in affiliate revenue, with unlimited affiliates/clicks, Stripe syncing, a branded portal, and PayPal/Wise payouts; it also says you can start free. referralful.com

The caveat is that it's a much newer/smaller product than the established options, so I'd do a little diligence before making it mission-critical.

If you want the safer, more established choice, I'd spend the $49/mo on Rewardful. Its Starter plan is $49/mo, supports up to $7,500/mo in affiliate-generated revenue, unlimited affiliates, two team members, Stripe and other integrations, and PayPal/Wise payouts. www.rewardful.com

What I'd actually do

For a two-person team:

1. Start with Referralful if you're validating whether referrals work at all.
2. Offer 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months rather than building a complicated commission scheme.
3. Recruit 5–20 affiliates manually—customers, niche creators, consultants, agencies, newsletter writers.
4. Don't worry about an affiliate marketplace yet. Finding good affiliates is a separate problem from tracking them, and a fancy platform won't solve that for you. www.reddit.com
5. Once you're consistently generating meaningful affiliate revenue, consider moving to Rewardful.

One important distinction: if by "referrals" you actually mean existing customers referring friends, rather than recruiting affiliates/creators, I'd choose a somewhat different tool and incentive structure.

If you tell me your billing provider (Stripe/Paddle/etc.), monthly price, and whether this is customer referrals or affiliates, I can narrow it down to the cheapest setup I'd use.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid heavyweight partner platforms and start with something tightly integrated with your billing.

My picks

Why I'd lean Referralful: it is Stripe-native and currently says it costs nothing until your first affiliate joins, then charges based on payout volume rather than a fixed monthly platform fee. That's a much better risk profile when you're still validating whether referrals will work. referralful.com

If you're comfortable spending $49/month, I'd choose Rewardful instead. Its Starter plan includes unlimited affiliates, Stripe-related integrations, recurring commission handling, fraud detection, coupon tracking, and 0% transaction fees. www.rewardful.com

FirstPromoter is also $49/month at the starter level and gives you a lot of flexibility around campaigns, tracking, payouts, and reporting. firstpromoter.com

What I'd do in your shoes

Don't overbuild the program. Start with:

• 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months or a simple one-time bounty
• 30–60 day cookie
• Automatic tracking through Stripe
• Manual affiliate approval
• Pay affiliates monthly
• Recruit your first 5–10 affiliates manually rather than paying for a marketplace

At your stage, the expensive part isn't the software—it's finding people who will actually send customers. A $0–$50/month tool plus 10 carefully recruited customers/partners is likely much better economics than a $500+/month partner platform.

If you tell me your billing stack (Stripe/Paddle/etc.), monthly price, and whether you want customer referrals or influencer/affiliate partners, I can narrow this down to the cheapest setup I'd actually use.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d shortlist these:

1. Rewardful — my default pick
   • $49/month, no transaction fee, unlimited affiliates, and a 14-day trial. www.rewardful.com
   • Particularly good if you use Stripe and have recurring subscriptions; it tracks upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, etc. help.rewardful.com
   • Very little engineering/ops overhead, which matters a lot for a two-person team.
   • Downside: $49/month is still meaningful if you're only testing whether referrals work.

2. FirstPromoter — best if you need more flexibility
   • Also starts at $49/month, with a 14-day trial. firstpromoter.com
   • Stronger if you anticipate needing things like multiple campaigns, tiered commissions, more detailed reporting, or complex affiliate rules.
   • For a tiny team, though, I'd probably choose Rewardful unless you already know you need those features.

3. Tolt — worth investigating if minimizing monthly cost is the priority
   • Recent SaaS comparisons report it around $29/month, making it attractive for very early-stage companies. www.reddit.com
   • I'd verify its current pricing/integration support before committing, since pricing and plans can change.

What I'd do in your shoes

If you're on Stripe: start with Rewardful and run a deliberately tiny program—say 20–30 hand-picked affiliates/referrers rather than building a giant affiliate marketplace.

At your stage, I'd optimize for "zero engineering + zero affiliate administration", not maximum features. A $49/month tool that saves you several hours of development and payout headaches is probably cheaper than building it yourselves.

One important distinction: affiliate software doesn't solve affiliate acquisition. You still need to find people who have an audience that overlaps with your customers. So I wouldn't pay for an expensive platform like PartnerStack until you've demonstrated that affiliates actually produce revenue.

If you tell me what you use for billing (Stripe/Paddle/etc.) and roughly your MRR, I can narrow this to the cheapest sensible option for you.

For a 2-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid big partner platforms (PartnerStack, Impact, etc.) and pick something that is:

• cheap before you have traction
• built for recurring SaaS commissions
• easy enough that you don’t spend a week maintaining it

My shortlist:

My recommendation:

1. If you use Stripe subscriptions: start with Rewardful. It’s the boring, practical choice. You can launch a program quickly and track recurring commissions without building your own system. www.rewardful.comhelp.rewardful.com
2. If you have almost zero revenue and want to validate first: try Referralful or even a manual MVP (Stripe coupon codes + a spreadsheet + monthly payouts) before paying for tooling. referralful.com
3. If you expect lots of affiliates/influencers later: move up when the channel proves itself.

For a tiny SaaS, I’d also keep the first version simple:

• 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months (common SaaS incentive structure)
• recruit 10–20 affiliates manually
• don’t open a public affiliate marketplace yet
• pay only after the customer clears your refund window

The bigger trap is spending $200+/month on affiliate infrastructure before you’ve found affiliates who can actually sell. A $49/month tool is usually enough until the channel is producing meaningful MRR. firstpromoter.comwww.rewardful.com

If you tell me your stack (Stripe/Paddle/Chargebee/custom billing) and whether this is customer referrals or external affiliates, I’d narrow it down further.

For a two-person SaaS on a shoestring, I’d avoid the big partner platforms and pick something that is:

• Stripe-native (if you use Stripe)
• handles recurring commissions
• takes minutes to set up
• doesn’t force you into a big monthly commitment before you have affiliates

My shortlist:

My pick for your situation:

1. Start with Referralful if you’re validating whether affiliates will work at all and every dollar of runway matters. referralful.com
2. Use Rewardful if you already have customers asking for referrals or you expect a serious affiliate channel soon. www.rewardful.com

I would not start with something like PartnerStack-type tooling yet. Your bottleneck as a two-person SaaS probably won’t be affiliate tracking — it’ll be finding 5–20 people who actually want to promote you.

A lean setup I’d run:

• 20–30% recurring commission for the first 12 months (or lifetime if margins allow)
• recruit existing happy users first
• give affiliates a simple landing page + swipe copy
• pay manually at first if needed; automate only once volume appears

If you tell me your stack (Stripe/Paddle/Lemon Squeezy, B2B vs B2C, and current MRR), I can narrow this to one choice.

For a two-person SaaS, I'd optimize for three things:

• 15–30 minute setup
• Recurring subscription commission tracking
• Low fixed cost until the program actually works

Here's how I'd think about the main options.

If I were in your shoes

Under $5k MRR: I'd probably choose Tolt.

It has the features most early SaaS companies actually need:

• Stripe integration
• recurring commissions
• affiliate dashboard
• coupon codes
• simple payout workflow

without paying for enterprise features you'll never touch. www.reddit.com

If you're already deeply invested in Stripe and want the most mature experience: I'd spend the extra money on Rewardful.

One thing I'd avoid

I wouldn't start on a giant affiliate marketplace like PartnerStack or Impact.

They're excellent later, but as a two-person company, your bottleneck is almost never software. It's finding the first 20 affiliates who actually care.

You'll usually get much better ROI by recruiting:

• existing happy customers
• consultants in your niche
• YouTubers with 2k–50k subscribers
• newsletter writers
• agencies implementing your product

rather than paying for a marketplace.

I'd also keep the program dead simple

A good starting program is:

• 30% recurring commission for 12 months (or lifetime if your margins allow)
• 60–90 day cookie
• Instant signup approval
• Monthly payouts
• One landing page explaining the program
• Swipe copy and images affiliates can reuse

You can always add tiers later.

One question that changes the recommendation quite a bit:

What do you use for billing—Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, or something else?

If you're a 2-person SaaS with limited budget, I'd optimize for three things:

• Fast setup (hours, not weeks)
• Native recurring subscription tracking
• Low fixed monthly cost without enterprise complexity

Here's how I'd rank the current options:

For a company your size, I'd probably choose Tolt unless you have a reason not to.

A few reasons:

• Built specifically around subscription SaaS.
• Handles recurring commissions.
• Quick implementation.
• Doesn't overwhelm you with enterprise partner-management features. tolt.com

One thing I'd encourage, though, is don't over-invest in software before validating the channel. Most early SaaS affiliate programs fail because they have no affiliates, not because the tracking is inadequate. Founder discussions consistently point out that recruiting quality partners is the harder problem than tracking commissions. www.reddit.com

For an early-stage SaaS, I'd launch something like:

• 25–30% recurring commission for 12 months (or lifetime if your margins support it)
• A simple affiliate dashboard
• Manual approval of affiliates
• Recruit your first 10–20 partners personally (customers, consultants, agencies, creators in your niche)

That will teach you far more than spending months perfecting the program.

One question that affects the recommendation:

What billing platform are you using?

• Stripe
• Paddle
• Polar
• Chargebee
• Something else

For a two-person SaaS, I'd optimize for three things:

• Launch in a day, not a sprint.
• Native recurring subscription tracking (upgrades, downgrades, churn, refunds).
• Keep monthly costs predictable until referrals actually work.

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

If I were bootstrapping

<$5k MRR

• Use Tolt if every dollar matters.
• Use Rewardful if you're already on Stripe or Paddle and want the smoothest experience.

The difference between them is much smaller than the difference between having an affiliate program and endlessly researching one.

Don't overbuild the program

Many founders spend weeks debating commission structures when the real bottleneck is finding partners. Industry data and founder experience suggest that only a small fraction of affiliates ever generate meaningful sales, so recruiting the right people matters more than having sophisticated tracking. www.reddit.com

I'd start with something simple:

• 25–30% recurring commission for 12 months (or lifetime if your margins support it).
• Instant approval for trusted creators you invite.
• A short "Getting Started" guide with messaging, screenshots, and demo videos.
• Pay monthly once commissions exceed a minimum threshold (e.g. $50).

An even cheaper approach

If you're extremely budget-conscious, you can avoid affiliate software for your first 10–20 partners:

• Give each partner a unique coupon code.
• Track referrals in Stripe.
• Pay commissions manually once a month.

You'll spend a couple of hours each month instead of $50–100/month. Once referrals become a meaningful acquisition channel, migrate to a dedicated platform.

A couple of questions that would change my recommendation:

1. What billing system do you use (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, etc.)?
2. Are you targeting creators/YouTubers, agencies, or B2B consultants as affiliates?

For a two-person SaaS, I'd optimize for low fixed cost, Stripe integration, recurring subscription tracking, and minimal setup. You don't need enterprise partner management—you need something you can launch in an afternoon.

Here's how I'd rank the current options:

If I were in your shoes

I'd probably do one of these:

• Budget under $25/month: Referralful
• Need essentially free to start: Endorsely
• Want the nicest in-app experience: Refgrow

One thing I'd avoid

I'd stay away from enterprise platforms like PartnerStack until you're doing serious volume. They're fantastic once you have a mature partner program, but they're usually overkill for a two-person company.

I'd also keep the program simple

Many founders overcomplicate affiliates. I'd start with:

• 20–30% recurring commission for 12 months
• Instant signup (don't manually approve everyone initially)
• One referral link per affiliate
• Monthly payouts via Stripe/PayPal/Wise
• A simple dashboard showing clicks, trials, and paid conversions

You can always add tiers and bonuses later.

The bigger challenge isn't software

A common lesson from founders is that finding affiliates is much harder than tracking them. The tracking software is largely a solved problem; getting people who will actively promote your product is where most programs succeed or fail. www.reddit.com

If you're still under roughly $10k MRR, I'd spend more time:

• inviting your happiest customers,
• reaching out to niche creators,
• partnering with consultants who already serve your target market,

than worrying about advanced affiliate features.

One question: What billing platform are you using—Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, or something else? That can narrow the recommendations further because the quality of the billing integration matters more than almost any other feature for a SaaS affiliate program.

For a two-person SaaS, I'd optimize for low fixed cost, Stripe integration, recurring subscription tracking, and minimal setup. You probably don't need an enterprise partner ecosystem yet—you need something you can launch in a weekend.

Here's how I'd rank the options:

If your budget is under $50/month

I'd go with Endorsely unless there's a feature it lacks.

It gives you:

• recurring commissions
• unlimited affiliates
• Stripe integration
• no transaction fees
• free until you actually have affiliate revenue

That's hard to beat for an early-stage SaaS. www.endorsely.com

More important than the software

One thing many founders discover is that software isn't the bottleneck—recruiting affiliates is. Several founder discussions point out that tracking is relatively easy, but finding people who will consistently promote your product is the real challenge. www.reddit.com

For a two-person startup, I'd avoid trying to recruit hundreds of affiliates. Instead:

• Invite your happiest customers.
• Reach out to 10–20 niche creators or newsletter authors in your market.
• Give them recurring commissions (20–30% is common for SaaS).
• Create a simple affiliate page explaining who it's for and how payouts work.

Ten engaged affiliates usually outperform hundreds of inactive signups.

I would avoid (for now)

• Enterprise platforms like PartnerStack—they're excellent, but typically make sense once you're doing significant revenue and have someone managing partnerships.
• Networks that charge large revenue shares when a flat monthly fee will do.

One last question that affects the recommendation:

What billing platform are you using—Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, or something else? That determines which affiliate tools integrate most smoothly.