PromoteKit vs Kickrail: two Stripe-only affiliate tools compared
PromoteKit and Kickrail both start free and both only work with Stripe. Here's how they differ on revenue caps, payout fees, codes and setup.
PromoteKit and Kickrail are the two Stripe-only tools in most shortlists, and both have a free plan, so the choice comes down to details. PromoteKit figures come from its pricing page, read on 19 October 2026. We make Kickrail.
Side by side
| PromoteKit | Kickrail | |
| Free plan | Up to 3 referrals | Up to $1,000/mo of affiliate revenue |
| First paid plan | From $29, up to $10,000/mo | $29, up to $10,000/mo |
| API and webhooks | Pro and up | Growth ($79, up to $50,000/mo) |
| One-click payouts | Stripe Connect, 5% bank or 8% card | Stripe Connect on Growth, no Kickrail fee |
| Codes | Generated when an affiliate joins | Stripe promotion codes on a coupon you choose |
| Billing | Stripe only | Stripe only |
The free plans are different in kind
PromoteKit's free plan ends after three referrals. Kickrail's ends at $1,000 a month of affiliate revenue, with no limit on referrals or affiliates, so a small program can run on it for good.
Payout fees
Payout fees scale with your program. On $5,000 of commissions a month, a 5% fee is $250. Kickrail charges no fee on payouts: on Growth, payouts go through your own Stripe Connect account, and on every plan you can pay by hand and mark them paid.
Where Kickrail goes further
- Server-side attribution on every plan, for signups ad blockers would hide.
- Self-referral checks: matching emails, company domains and sign-in IPs are held for your review.
- Rewardful import by API key, keeping every
?via=link working. - An MCP server, so an AI agent can install tracking and set up campaigns.
See Rewardful alternatives compared for the rest of the field.