Referral and partner programs · November 2026 Edition
PartnerStack vs Smile.io
Five of fourteen models named PartnerStack first on the direct prompt; zero named Smile.io. PartnerStack was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and Smile.io by ten and PartnerStack carries 28 labels and Smile.io 12, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in five categories this edition.
Named in four categories this edition.
First-choice share35%12%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate11%17%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#4A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels2812A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, PartnerStack reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Referral Rock was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. PartnerStack vs Referral Rock · PartnerStack vs Referral Factory · PartnerStack vs Viral Loops
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the referral and partner programs page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
PartnerStackFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSmile.io
Direct50
Paraphrase130
Comparative00
Budget-constrained06
Scale-constrained00
Negative003 against PartnerStack · 2 against Smile.io
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where PartnerStack and Smile.io stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | ||||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | |||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | ||
| Mistral Small | | | | | ||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | |||
| Kimi K2 | | | | |||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | ||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
PartnerStack Smile.io first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, PartnerStack on the left and Smile.io on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where PartnerStack and Smile.io stood in it.
PartnerStack first, Smile.io not the choice
5 of 14 modelsSmile.io was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniPartnerStack alternatives: Friendbuy, Referral Rock
Gemini 3.5 FlashPartnerStack alternatives: Influitive, Referral Factory, Referral Rock, SaaSquatch
Mistral SmallPartnerStack alternatives: GrowSurf, Referral Factory, Referral Rock
Qwen 3.7 FlashPartnerStack alternatives: Ambassador, FirstPromoter, Referral Factory
GLM 4.7 FlashXPartnerStack, Referral Factory alternatives: Ambassador, FirstPromoter, Referral Rock
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Grok 4.20Referral Factory alternatives: Cello, FirstPromoter, GrowSurf, PartnerStack, Referral Rock
DeepSeek V4 FlashReferral Factory alternatives: Cello, Friendbuy, PartnerStack, Referral Rock
Kimi K2Referral Rock alternatives: FirstPromoter, PartnerStack, Referral Factory
GPT-6 LunaReferral Rock alternatives: PartnerStack, impact.com Advocate
Muse Glimmer 30BReferral Factory, Referral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, PartnerStack
Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Referral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, Cello, Referral Factory
Perplexity SonarReferral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, Referral Factory
Llama 4 MaverickReferral Factory, Referral Rock
MiniMax M2.5Ambassador, Referral Factory alternatives: UpPromote
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
PartnerStack leads by eight points.
PartnerStack12%#2 of 9Smile.io3%#– of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
PartnerStack leads by twenty-four points.
PartnerStack35%#1 of 13Smile.io12%#4 of 13Enterprise
PartnerStack leads by twelve points.
PartnerStack12%#2 of 14Smile.io0%#– of 14What the models said about PartnerStack
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“Frequent Trustpilot complaints (overall ~1.8/5 rating) about delayed or missing payouts... Some users label it a "scam" for advertisers.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“PartnerStack is built specifically for B2B... Best For: Mid-market B2B SaaS and tech companies scaling customer, affiliate, and channel partner programs in one ecosystem.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“PartnerStack is my top recommendation for a mid-sized B2B company looking for a partner ecosystem and referral tracking tool.” Grok 4.20 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Smile.io
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“Noted for billing complaints (charges after cancellation) and poor customer service.” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Best Overall (Free Plan): Smile.io ... widely considered the best option for small businesses because it offers a genuine free plan” GLM 4.7 FlashX · budget prompt · first choice
“Best Overall Free Option for E-Commerce: Smile.io ... widely considered the best starting point for small e-commerce businesses” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
Also compared
PartnerStack vs Referral RockPartnerStack vs Referral FactoryPartnerStack vs Viral LoopsPartnerStack vs ReferralCandyPartnerStack vs FirstPromoterPartnerStack vs AmbassadorReferral Rock vs Smile.ioReferral Factory vs Smile.ioSmile.io vs Viral LoopsSmile.io vs ReferralCandySmile.io vs FirstPromoterSmile.io vs AmbassadorAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full referrals standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.