FirstPromoter vs Tolt (2026): Pricing & Billing

FirstPromoter vs Tolt: which is a better fit?

FirstPromoter is the lower-cost entry point for a SaaS program with up to $5,000 of monthly affiliate-driven revenue: its Starter plan is $49 per month. Tolt currently starts at $99 per month on Growth, with a higher $20,000 monthly partner-revenue allowance and managed automated payouts priced at 2% of payouts. The right choice depends on the revenue meter, payout workflow and which billing events your product needs to attribute.

This is a comparison of documented capabilities, not a hands-on benchmark. Both platforms advertise connections to Stripe, Paddle and Chargebee. FirstPromoter also lists Recurly and Braintree; verify your specific billing version and event sequence rather than relying on an integration logo.

Current published plans at a glance

Decision	FirstPromoter	Tolt
Lowest currently advertised monthly plan	Starter: $49/month	Growth: $99/month
Affiliate-attributed monthly revenue	Starter: $5,000; Business: $15,000	Growth: $20,000; Pro: $50,000
Higher plan	Business: $99/month; Enterprise starts $149/month	Pro: $199/month; Enterprise custom
Affiliate allowance	Starter up to 1,000; higher plans unlimited	Unlimited on advertised plans
Billing providers	Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, Recurly, Braintree	Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee; others via API/webhooks
Managed payouts	Available subject to vendor approval; confirm price and plan	Auto payouts listed, 2% processing fee
Custom affiliate portal domain	Business and higher	Branded portal on own domain in Growth

Pricing update: Tolt's live pricing page on 26 October 2026 displays Growth, Pro and Enterprise. It no longer advertises the older Basic plan in the public pricing grid. Do not base a new purchase decision on cached Basic-plan comparisons.

Stripe, Paddle Billing and subscription events

Both platforms need to connect a referred customer to the eventual paid subscription. The minimum audit trail is a referral identifier, customer ID, subscription ID, eligible paid transaction, commission entry and any later adjustment. A trial signup alone is not equivalent to collected revenue. For a recurring program, test the initial invoice, second payment, upgrade, failed payment, refund and cancellation.

FirstPromoter published a specific Paddle Billing integration guide dated 10 August 2026. It requires Paddle notifications including transaction.completed, transaction.canceled, subscription.canceled, subscription.created and adjustment.updated, plus a webhook secret. That is meaningful evidence of modern Paddle Billing support, not just historical Paddle Classic compatibility.

Tolt's current pricing page explicitly lists Paddle alongside Stripe and Chargebee. However, check the exact referral-persistence and refund-handling setup for your checkout architecture. Paddle's custom data documentation explains how transaction metadata can propagate into subscription renewals; whether a particular affiliate tool uses that path must be confirmed in its own instructions.

Worked cost scenario: small program vs growing program

Suppose your SaaS attributes $4,000 of monthly subscription revenue to affiliates and pays a 20% commission. The commission obligation is $800. FirstPromoter Starter's listed subscription is $49, assuming the $4,000 falls within its measured revenue definition. Tolt Growth is $99, plus 2% of the $800 payout amount ($16) if its managed auto-payout workflow applies, or $115 in these illustrative software and processing charges. This excludes payment-rail charges, taxes and any FirstPromoter payout processing charges that require a vendor quote.

Now assume attributed revenue grows to $12,000. FirstPromoter Starter no longer fits its $5,000 tier; Business at $99 covers up to $15,000. Tolt Growth remains within its $20,000 limit at $99, before the payout processing fee. At 20% commission, Tolt's published 2% payout fee would be $48 on $2,400 in commissions. The products can have identical base subscription prices yet different total costs.

Do not confuse referred revenue with commissions owed. Revenue thresholds apply to sales attributed to partners, not the payout amount. Verify whether tax, refunds, annual prepayments and multi-currency transactions count toward each provider's threshold.

Payout operations and approval controls

Tolt's Growth plan includes automatic payouts with a stated 2% processing fee and options including PayPal, Wise and bank transfer. Its public help articles previously described manual payouts on older plans, but the current advertised plan selection should govern new subscriptions. Check whether partner identity and tax forms, payout minimums, NET terms and supported countries match your program.

FirstPromoter advertises payout scheduling, mass payout workflows and managed auto payouts, with the latter restricted to approved SaaS accounts. Ask for written confirmation of eligibility, fee structure, payout funding method and liability for rejected payments. If your finance team needs manual approval before a payout batch, verify that workflow in a trial or vendor demo.

Affiliate portal, roles and migration

FirstPromoter Starter permits up to 1,000 affiliates and three campaigns; its custom dashboard domain is reserved for Business and above. Tolt Growth lists unlimited affiliates and five programs, plus a branded portal on your domain. These limits matter if you run separate products, territories or commission policies.

Before migration, export affiliate IDs, tracking links, existing referred customers, unpaid balances and commission terms. Confirm whether old links can be redirected without losing attribution and whether existing subscriptions can be imported or re-associated. A visual portal migration is not the same as preserving recurring commissions.

Who should shortlist each product?

FirstPromoter: smaller affiliate-attributed revenue, complex billing-provider mix, or a team that values its documented Paddle Billing setup and configurable commissions.
Tolt: a program expecting higher referred revenue at entry, wanting a branded portal and a published managed-payout fee.
Either: only after confirming how renewals, chargebacks, payout funding and partner consent work in your exact checkout.

Acceptance test before committing

Create a test partner and open a tagged referral link in a clean browser session.
Complete a paid subscription using your real Stripe or Paddle Billing flow in a sandbox.
Verify the customer and subscription map to one partner and one eligible commission.
Run a renewal, plan upgrade, cancellation and partial refund; compare the ledger to the payment provider.
Retry a webhook to ensure it does not duplicate commission; test a failed payment.
Review export, user roles, branded portal, payout minimum and tax documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Does FirstPromoter support Paddle Billing, not just Paddle Classic?

Yes, it provides a Paddle Billing-specific integration article dated August 2026. Follow that documented webhook and checkout setup, then verify the results in your environment.

Is Tolt Basic still the cheapest plan?

The current public pricing page checked 26 October lists Growth at $99 per month as its entry advertised plan. Older Basic references should not be used as a current offer without direct confirmation.

Which tool guarantees more affiliate revenue?

Neither. Affiliate recruitment, offer quality, tracking reliability and payout trust determine results. Software pricing alone does not predict conversion or partner performance.

Official sources and editorial disclosure

Vendor pages checked 26 October 2026. Features, limits and prices may change. This independent editorial comparison is based on published documentation, not direct subscriptions, measured tests or paid rankings. See our methodology and affiliate disclosure.