Referral and partner programs · November 2026 Edition
ReferralCandy vs FirstPromoter
Zero of fourteen models named ReferralCandy first on the direct prompt; zero named FirstPromoter. ReferralCandy was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and FirstPromoter by eight and ReferralCandy carries 46 labels and FirstPromoter 13, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
Named in five categories this edition.
First-choice share6%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate28%0%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#6#7A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels4613A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, ReferralCandy 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 ReferralCandy · PartnerStack vs FirstPromoter · Referral Rock vs ReferralCandy
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.
ReferralCandyFirst choices, of fourteen modelsFirstPromoter
Direct001 against ReferralCandy
Paraphrase00
Comparative40
Budget-constrained313 against ReferralCandy
Scale-constrained00
Negative009 against ReferralCandy
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 ReferralCandy and FirstPromoter 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 | | | |
ReferralCandy FirstPromoter first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, ReferralCandy on the left and FirstPromoter on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where ReferralCandy and FirstPromoter stood in it.
Neither was the first choice, one was named
4 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
Qwen 3.7 FlashPartnerStack alternatives: Ambassador, FirstPromoter, Referral Factory
Kimi K2Referral Rock alternatives: FirstPromoter, PartnerStack, Referral Factory
GLM 4.7 FlashXPartnerStack, Referral Factory alternatives: Ambassador, FirstPromoter, Referral Rock
Neither was named
10 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Referral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, Cello, Referral Factory
GPT-5.4 miniPartnerStack alternatives: Friendbuy, Referral Rock
Gemini 3.5 FlashPartnerStack alternatives: Influitive, Referral Factory, Referral Rock, SaaSquatch
Perplexity SonarReferral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, Referral Factory
Mistral SmallPartnerStack alternatives: GrowSurf, Referral Factory, Referral Rock
DeepSeek V4 FlashReferral Factory alternatives: Cello, Friendbuy, PartnerStack, Referral Rock
Llama 4 MaverickReferral Factory, Referral Rock
MiniMax M2.5Ambassador, Referral Factory alternatives: UpPromote
GPT-6 LunaReferral Rock alternatives: PartnerStack, impact.com Advocate
Muse Glimmer 30BReferral Factory, Referral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, PartnerStack
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
ReferralCandy leads by two points.
ReferralCandy5%#4 of 9FirstPromoter3%#6 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
ReferralCandy leads by four points.
ReferralCandy6%#6 of 13FirstPromoter2%#7 of 13Enterprise
Level: the same share of first choices.
ReferralCandy0%#14 of 14FirstPromoter0%#– of 14What the models said about ReferralCandy
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Why to Avoid: If you sell high-ticket items (e.g., $1,000+ courses or furniture), paying a % commission can be incredibly expensive” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid ReferralCandy (despite its popularity) if your margins are very thin” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative
“Criticized for being consumer-first and unsuitable for B2B programs” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“ReferralCandy is the "plug-and-play" standard for online stores... Extremely low maintenance; seamless dashboard for tracking payouts” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Shopify store and want the absolute lowest monthly cost: ReferralCandy $9/mo + success fee, or Joy free plan.” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · first choice
“For Small E-commerce: Start with ReferralCandy or Friendbuy—quick ROI with minimal effort.” Grok 4.20 · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about FirstPromoter
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Two of two in this category shown.
“Bootstrapped SaaS: Choose FirstPromoter ($49/mo) or Rewardful ($49/mo).” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“Best for Subscription / SaaS Companies: FirstPromoter ... offers a more affordable infrastructure for this sector” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · alternative
Also compared
PartnerStack vs ReferralCandyPartnerStack vs FirstPromoterReferral Rock vs ReferralCandyReferral Rock vs FirstPromoterReferral Factory vs ReferralCandyReferral Factory vs FirstPromoterSmile.io vs ReferralCandySmile.io vs FirstPromoterViral Loops vs ReferralCandyViral Loops vs FirstPromoterReferralCandy vs AmbassadorFirstPromoter 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.