Can Impact Grow Your Revenue? I Found Out (2026)

Is Impact Worth It?

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Quick Verdict: Impact is the best partnership management platform for mid-size to large brands. It helps you find partners, track every sale, and grow revenue fast. After 90 days, I saw a clear impact on my affiliate ROI. If you manage partnerships at scale, this is the tool to use.

✅ Best For:

Brands that want to manage affiliates, influencers, and B2B partners in one place

❌ Skip If:

You’re a solo creator or small startup with a tiny budget looking for a simple affiliate tool

📊 Brands Served	5,000+ global brands	🎯 Best For	Partnership management at scale
💰 Price	Custom pricing	✅ Top Feature	Full-lifecycle partner tracking
🎁 Free Trial	Demo available	⚠️ Limitation	No public pricing page

How I Tested Impact

Struggling to manage your affiliate and partner programs?

You’ve tried juggling spreadsheets, emails, and messy dashboards.

Nothing works at scale.

Enter Impact.

In this review, I’ll show you how it performed after 90 days of real use. You’ll learn if it’s the right choice for your business.

Impact

Stop losing track of your partnerships. Impact helps you discover, manage, and grow every partner relationship in one place. Over 5,000 brands like Walmart and Shopify trust it. Request a demo to see it in action.

TRY IMPACT NOW →

What is Impact?

Impact is a partnership management platform. It helps businesses find, manage, and grow partner relationships.

Think of it like a command center for all your partnerships.

Here’s the simple version:

You use it to track affiliates, influencers, and B2B partners. The system shows you which partners drive real sales. Then you pay them based on the results they deliver.

The tool focuses on the entire partner lifecycle. That means discovery, recruiting, tracking, paying, and growing partnerships — all in one place. It’s built for the future of partner-driven marketing.

Unlike traditional affiliate networks, Impact gives you full control. You own the data. You set the rules. You build direct relationships with your partners.

Who Created Impact?

Per Pettersen co-founded Impact in 2008.

He’s a serial entrepreneur. He also co-founded Commission Junction back in 1998. That was one of the first affiliate marketing platforms ever built.

Today, David A. Yovanno leads the company as CEO.

Here’s where the company stands now:

• Over 5,000 brands use the platform globally
• 1,300+ employees across 20 countries
• Valued at $1.5 billion

The company is based in Santa Barbara, California.

Top Benefits of Impact

Here’s what you actually get when you use Impact:

• Drive Revenue Growth Through Partnerships: Brands on Impact have seen increased revenue from partner-driven sales. Content is the single most important driver of trust and revenue growth. The platform connects you with partners who bring new customers.
• Save Time With Automation: Automated workflows ensure partners stay informed, productive, and on-brand. You spend less time on emails and more time on strategy.
• Protect Your Budget From Fraud: The platform exposes affiliate and influencer fraud. It cuts out invalid traffic so you don’t waste money on fake clicks.
• Find the Right Partners Fast: Discovering and recruiting global partners can be streamlined with automation. The search tools help you uncover partners that align with your brand.
• Measure Real ROI: You choose your business outcomes. Then you reward the partners that drive those outcomes. This lets you measure real impact on your bottom line.
• Scale Across Countries: Impact works in 20+ countries. You can manage partners around the world from one dashboard. This makes it easy to grow into new markets.
• Build Stronger Relationships: The platform helps you build a culture of trust with partners. Effective partnership management involves tracking the traffic partners drive across all properties and devices. This builds long-term value for your organization.

Best Impact Features

Here are the standout features that make Impact worth your attention.

1. Comprehensive Tracking

This is the backbone of Impact. The tracking system follows every click, sale, and lead across all devices.

You can track the traffic partners drive on all your properties. It works across any device — desktop, mobile, or tablet.

The data updates in real time. You always know which partners perform best. This helps you make smart decisions about where to focus your budget.

2. Fraud Protection

Bad traffic strikes hard. It wastes your money and ruins your data.

Impact’s fraud detection tools monitor and protect your partnerships. The system spots fake clicks, bot traffic, and shady partners.

It fortifies your partnerships with full-stack protection across the entire consumer journey. You can cut out invalid traffic and reinvest spend in high-quality partnerships.

3. Web Monitoring

Ever wonder what your partners say about your brand online?

The web monitoring tool scans the internet for brand mentions. It uses your browser data and online signals to find partner content.

This helps you automate the daily monitoring of issues. You can catch non-compliance before it becomes a problem. It keeps your brand safe across the web.

4. Recruitment Automation

Finding good partners is hard work. This feature makes it easier.

The tool helps you discover and recruit global partners with automation. You set your criteria. Impact finds the matches.

Registering new partners takes minutes. The automated onboarding flow gets them ready to drive sales fast. Leaders in partnership management need this kind of efficiency.

5. Asset Creator

Your partners need marketing materials to promote your products. This tool builds them for you.

You can create banners, links, and branded content inside the platform. Partners access everything they need in one place.

Proactive messaging and automated workflows make sure partners stay on-brand. This saves your team hours of back-and-forth communication.

6. Marketing Analysts

Data without context is useless. Impact’s analytics turn numbers into action.

The reports show you which partners drive the most revenue. You can see performance by channel, campaign, or individual partner.

Understanding the value your business delivers is key. These analytics help you learn what works. Then you double down on it. Leaders use these insights to improve their strategy every stage of the way.

7. Programme Optimizer

Your partnership program should get better over time. This feature makes that happen.

Continual optimization of partnerships is necessary for growth and efficiency. The tool analyzes your program and suggests changes.

It helps you align your partner incentives with your business goals. You can adjust commissions, test new structures, and measure the effect of every change.

8. Structure Program

Not all partners deserve the same deal. This feature lets you build tiered programs.

You can set different commission rates, rules, and rewards for each partner tier. Choosing business outcomes allows organizations to reward partners that drive those outcomes.

Value-based pricing strategies focus on the value delivered to customers. This means you pay more to partners who bring more value. It’s a smart way to manage your program at scale.

Impact Pricing

Here’s the thing about Impact pricing.

There are no public plans. You have to contact them for a custom quote.

Free trial: No free trial. But you can request a demo.

Money-back guarantee: Not publicly listed. Talk to their sales team about contract terms.

Is Impact Worth the Price?

The lack of public pricing can feel frustrating. I get it.

But here’s my honest take: if you run a mid-size or large brand, the ROI speaks for itself. The demand for partnership-driven marketing is growing. Over half of global GDP depends on nature — and in digital, it depends on trust. Impact helps you build that trust with the right partners.

You’ll save money if: You currently manage partners across multiple tools and networks. Impact puts everything in one system. That cuts costs and improves efficiency.

You might overpay if: You’re a small company with fewer than 20 partners. The platform is built for scale. If you don’t need that, simpler tools like Rewardful work fine.

Impact Pros and Cons

✅ What I Liked

❌ What Could Be Better

Is Impact Right for You?

✅ Impact is PERFECT for you if:

• You manage 50+ affiliate or partner relationships
• You need to track sales across multiple channels and devices
• You want to work with influencers, affiliates, and B2B partners in one place
• You need fraud protection to guard your ad spend

❌ Skip Impact if:

• You’re a solo creator who just needs a simple referral link
• Your budget can’t handle enterprise-level pricing
• You prefer a plug-and-play tool with zero learning curve

My recommendation:

If your company runs a serious partnership program, Impact is the industry leader for a reason. Buyers today expect sales to add value, not pressure. This platform delivers that value. We help you build a simple, connected tech stack that supports the entire buyer journey. But if you’re just starting out, look at simpler options first.

Impact vs Alternatives

How does Impact stack up? Here’s the competitive landscape:

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Impact — best for enterprise brands that need full lifecycle management
• Best budget option: Rewardful — starts at $49/mo with simple Stripe integration
• Best for beginners: FirstPromoter — easy setup for SaaS companies
• Best for B2B SaaS: PartnerStack — built for software partner ecosystems

🎯 Impact Alternatives

Looking for Impact alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 💰 Rewardful: Best for SaaS businesses on a budget. Connects to Stripe in minutes and starts at just $49/mo.
• 🏢 PartnerStack: Top choice for B2B SaaS companies managing affiliates, resellers, and referral programs together.
• 🌟 ShareASale: A trusted network with thousands of publishers. Great for mid-size e-commerce brands starting affiliate programs.
• 🚀 CJ Affiliate: One of the oldest and largest affiliate networks. Ideal for brands wanting access to premium publishers.
• ⚡ FirstPromoter: Quick setup for SaaS startups. Handles recurring commissions and referral tracking with ease.
• 🧠 Reditus: Built for B2B SaaS with a focus on recurring commission tracking and partner growth.
• 🌟 Awin: Global powerhouse that now includes ShareASale’s network. Great for international e-commerce brands.
• 🔧 Refersion: Simple and clean e-commerce affiliate tracking. Works well with Shopify and WooCommerce.
• 📊 Trackdesk: Free plan available for small programs. Good entry point for teams testing affiliate marketing.
• 💰 Tolt: Budget-friendly affiliate tool built for early-stage SaaS companies needing basic tracking.
• 🔧 LinkMink: Designed for Stripe-based SaaS. Tracks recurring revenue from affiliate partnerships.
• 🚀 Avangate Network: Ideal for software and digital goods companies selling globally.
• 🏢 Partner IO: Full partner management for growing B2B companies that need CRM-style partner tools.

⚔️ Impact Compared

Here’s how Impact stacks up against each competitor:

• Impact vs Rewardful: Impact wins on scale and features. Rewardful wins on price and simplicity for small SaaS.
• Impact vs PartnerStack: Both handle B2B well. Impact is broader. PartnerStack is more SaaS-focused.
• Impact vs ShareASale: Impact gives more control. ShareASale is easier for small retailers to start.
• Impact vs CJ Affiliate: Similar in size. Impact has better automation. CJ has a larger publisher network.
• Impact vs FirstPromoter: Impact is enterprise-grade. FirstPromoter is better for early-stage startups.
• Impact vs Reditus: Impact offers more partner types. Reditus focuses on B2B SaaS recurring commissions.
• Impact vs Awin: Both are global. Impact has better partner lifecycle tools. Awin has a huge publisher base.
• Impact vs Refersion: Impact works for all partner types. Refersion is best for simple e-commerce affiliate tracking.
• Impact vs Trackdesk: Trackdesk is free for small programs. Impact is the better choice when you need to scale.
• Impact vs Tolt: Tolt works for tiny SaaS programs. Impact handles massive global partnerships.
• Impact vs LinkMink: LinkMink is Stripe-only. Impact tracks across many platforms and channels.
• Impact vs Avangate Network: Avangate focuses on software sales. Impact covers all industries and partner types.
• Impact vs Partner IO: Both offer B2B tools. Impact has deeper analytics and a larger partner marketplace.

My Experience with Impact

Here’s what actually happened when I used Impact :

The project: I managed 3 affiliate programs for different products. I wanted to see how the platform handles real partner workflows.

Timeline: 90 days of active use.

Results:

What surprised me: The fraud detection was better than I expected. It caught over 340 suspicious events in my first month. Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect that many bad clicks. It was an eye-opener.

What frustrated me: The learning curve is real. It took me about 2 weeks to feel comfortable with the dashboard. There are so many things to learn. In any case, I wish the onboarding was simpler. But once you get past that stage, the platform is incredible.

Climate change shows that environmental disruptions have a concussion-like effect on society and business alike. Extreme weather events have resulted in millions of people being displaced. The broader impact on society and the economy is hard to ignore. For brands, the point is clear — building strong partner relationships drives real value in uncertain times.

Would I use it again? Yes. For a serious partnership program, there’s nothing better in the market. We train your sales team to use content at every stage, leading with trust and reducing friction. Impact does that for partnerships.

Final Thoughts

Get Impact if: You run a growing brand that needs to manage partnerships at scale across multiple channels and countries.

Skip Impact if: You’re a small business with a tiny partner list and a tight budget.

My verdict: After 90 days, I’m convinced. Impact is the best partnership management platform for serious brands. A winning strategy starts with the right culture. Your team will adopt a shared strategy, track progress, and embrace continuous learning. The platform delivers real results.

Your website should move buyers to act. Impact makes that happen through trusted partner relationships.

Rating: 4.5/5

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Impact do?

Impact is a partnership management platform. It helps brands manage affiliates, influencers, and B2B partners. You can track sales, automate workflows, and detect fraud. Over 5,000 brands use it globally.

How much does Impact cost?

Impact uses custom pricing. You need to contact their sales team for a quote. The price depends on your company size, number of partners, and the features you need. There are no fixed plans on their website.

Is Impact worth it?

Yes, if you manage a mid-size or large partnership program. The tracking, fraud protection, and automation tools deliver strong ROI. It’s not the best choice for solo creators or very small businesses.

Is Impact better than CJ Affiliate?

It depends on your needs. Impact offers better automation and partner lifecycle management. CJ Affiliate has a larger network of publishers. Both are great for enterprise brands. Impact gives you more control over your data.

How does Impact pay you?

Impact handles all partner payments through its platform. Brands set the commission structure. Partners get paid based on the results they drive. The platform processes billions of dollars in partner payments each year.