How LinkQuill compares
Real pricing from real platforms. We show you where we win, where we don't, and let you decide what matters for your business.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | LinkQuill You are here | Rewardful | FirstPromoter | Tapfiliate | impact.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes ($0/mo) | No | No | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $29/mo | $49/mo | $49/mo | $89/mo | $30/mo |
| Transaction fee on sales | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2.5% |
| Per-payout fee | $2.50 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Automated payouts | All plans | All plans | All plans | Scale ($179/mo) only | All plans |
| Revenue cap (cheapest plan) | $25K/mo | $7.5K/mo | $5K/mo | N/A (click-based) | No cap |
| Affiliates (cheapest plan) | 100 | Unlimited | 1,000 | 50 | Varies |
| Programs (cheapest plan) | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Varies |
| Affiliate marketplace | Built-in | No | No | No | Yes ($500/mo+) |
| Tax form collection (W-9/W-8BEN) | Built-in | 3% add-on only | Business ($99/mo) | Via Trolley | Built-in |
| 1099 filing | Not yet | 3% add-on only | Managed payouts only | Via Trolley | Yes |
| Payment rail | Stripe Connect | PayPal / Wise | PayPal / Wise | Trolley | Proprietary |
| E-commerce integrations | 6 platforms | 4 platforms | 3 platforms | 30+ platforms | 5+ platforms |
| API access | Starter ($29/mo) | All plans | All plans | All plans | All plans |
Free tier
Cheapest paid plan
Transaction fee on sales
Per-payout fee
Automated payouts
Revenue cap (cheapest plan)
Affiliates (cheapest plan)
Programs (cheapest plan)
Affiliate marketplace
Tax form collection (W-9/W-8BEN)
1099 filing
Payment rail
E-commerce integrations
API access
Free tier: LinkQuill is the only platform with a functional free plan. You can launch an affiliate program at zero cost.
Transaction fee on sales: impact.com charges 2.5% on the full sale amount driven by partners — not the commission, the entire order value.
Per-payout fee: LinkQuill charges a flat $2.50 per payout — you only pay when money moves. Other platforms bundle payout costs into higher subscriptions, so you pay even in months with no payouts.
Automated payouts: Tapfiliate requires the $179/mo Scale plan for automated payouts via Trolley.
Affiliate marketplace: LinkQuill includes a two-sided discovery marketplace where affiliates can find and apply to your program. impact.com offers this on Essentials ($500/mo) and above.
1099 filing: LinkQuill collects tax forms and provides export data for your accountant. Automated 1099 e-filing is on our roadmap.
E-commerce integrations: LinkQuill integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, and Square. Tapfiliate leads in integration count.
Real cost scenarios
Monthly cost estimates using ACH payouts (recommended). Card processing costs noted where applicable.
A small brand just getting started with affiliate marketing.
$29 + $17.75 fees = ~$47/mo
Card processing: $29 + $31.50 = ~$61/mo
$49/mo
$7,500/mo revenue cap
$49/mo
$5,000/mo revenue cap
$89/mo
No automated payouts at this tier
LinkQuill is price-competitive at this size with ACH payouts, with a $25K revenue cap vs. $7.5K (Rewardful) and $5K (FirstPromoter). Tapfiliate doesn't include automated payouts until $179/mo.
A growing brand with an established program.
$79 + $87 fees = ~$166/mo
Card processing: $79 + $196 = ~$275/mo
$99/mo
$15K/mo revenue cap
$99/mo
$15K/mo revenue cap
$179/mo
Automated payouts via Trolley
LinkQuill's per-payout model costs more at this volume, but you get a $100K revenue cap vs. $15K, plus a built-in affiliate marketplace. If your program drives over $15K/mo in revenue, the others require upgrading or custom pricing.
A serious brand scaling to six figures in affiliate-driven revenue.
$149 + $258 fees = ~$407/mo
Card processing: $149 + $665 = ~$814/mo
$599+/mo
$149 base + 3% managed payouts
$149+/mo
Custom pricing at this volume
$1,000+/mo
$500 base + 2.5% of total sales volume
At scale with ACH, LinkQuill is cheaper than Rewardful's managed payouts ($599+) and significantly cheaper than impact.com's 2.5% transaction fee on total sales volume. ACH is strongly recommended for high-volume programs.
Trade-offs to consider
Every platform makes trade-offs. Here's an honest look at ours.
Pay-per-payout vs. flat subscription
LinkQuill charges $2.50 per payout instead of bundling it into a higher subscription. This means you pay nothing when no payouts happen, but at high volumes the per-payout model costs more than a flat fee. We recommend ACH payouts to keep processing costs low — and at scale, you're still cheaper than platforms charging 3% managed payout fees.
Stripe Connect payouts
Payouts run through Stripe Connect, which supports bank transfers in 40+ countries. If your affiliates specifically need PayPal or Wise, platforms like Rewardful or Tapfiliate offer those options.
1099 export (automated filing coming soon)
We collect W-9 and W-8BEN forms from affiliates and provide a one-click CSV export with all the data your accountant needs to file 1099s. Automated IRS e-filing is on our roadmap.
Growing marketplace
Our built-in affiliate marketplace is included free on every plan — something competitors charge $500+/mo for. As a newer platform, our network is growing. If you need access to an established network of thousands of affiliates today, a legacy network like CJ Affiliate may complement LinkQuill.
What we do differently
Start at $0
Launch an affiliate program for free. No monthly fee, no trial countdown. Pay 5% rev share only when affiliates drive actual revenue.
Pay-per-payout
The $2.50 payout fee is a pass-through for Stripe processing. No payouts this month? No charge. You only pay when money actually moves.
Built-in marketplace
Affiliates discover your program directly on LinkQuill. No separate network fee, no $500/mo add-on. It's included on every plan.
Competitor pricing sourced from public pricing pages as of March 2026. Prices may have changed. Rewardful / FirstPromoter / Tapfiliate / impact.com