Most affiliate tools tell you how many people clicked a link. The harder question — which partner actually drove a paying customer — is where Dub is built to win.
Affiliate tracking software records which partner, link or creator drove each signup and sale, attributes the revenue back to them, and calculates payouts automatically.
Dub is a modern option built on first-party conversion tracking: it ties every click to real Stripe revenue rather than raw clicks, and runs the full program — partner links, analytics, global payouts and tax forms — through Dub Partners (Business plan and up, around $75/mo, verify).
Older platforms lean on third-party cookies to connect a click to a conversion. Safari, Firefox and iOS now block those by default, so attribution silently disappears — and the affiliate who actually closed the sale never gets credited.
Dub uses first-party tracking. Once a lead is captured, every later action from that visitor attributes back to the original partner link, so the chain from click to paid customer stays intact even when cookies are gone.
Where Dub sits against two common alternatives.
| Tool | Best for | Tracking model | Payouts & tax | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dub Partners | SaaS/PLG teams on Stripe | First-party click → lead → sale | 1-click global, auto W-9/1099 | ~$75/mo |
| PartnerStack | B2B partner/reseller programs | Partner portal + marketplace | Built-in payouts, network | Custom |
| Stripe-native tools | Simple Stripe affiliate programs | Stripe-based referral tracking | Manual/PayPal-style (varies) | Lower (varies) |
Directional, not a spec sheet — pricing, fees and features change. Dub also charges a 3–5% payout fee. Verify each vendor.
Add Dub's tracking and connect Stripe so clicks, leads and sales are recorded first-party from day one.
Pick pay-per-lead, pay-per-click or rev-share, generate partner links, then invite affiliates — or embed the dashboard in your app.
Watch real-time EPC, LTV and ROAS per partner, then run 1-click global payouts with tax forms handled.
Dub makes the most sense when a real paying customer is the event you care about — not a raw click. If you run a SaaS or product-led business on Stripe, the attribution lines up with how you get paid.
It's also strong for creator and influencer programs that expect reliable real-time data, and for teams that want an embedded referral flow inside their own product. If your program is tiny and price is the only concern, a lighter Stripe-native tool may be enough to start.
Start on Dub's free plan, then unlock Dub Partners when your program is ready to scale.
Try Dub freeFor teams that bill through Stripe, it's a strong option. Its edge is first-party click-to-revenue attribution plus built-in payouts and tax compliance. It's less of a fit if you want a huge pre-built affiliate marketplace, or if your program is too small to justify the Business plan.
Affiliate features (Dub Partners) unlock on the Business plan, around $75/month billed annually, with partner payouts up to roughly $2,500/month at that tier. A 3–5% payout processing fee applies on top. Higher tiers raise limits. Verify on Dub.
It uses first-party tracking rather than third-party cookies. A visitor clicks a partner link, Dub records the lead, and its Stripe integration attributes later signups and payments back to that original link — so credit survives cookie blocking.
It can, depending on your needs. Dub reports teams migrating from PartnerStack for a more modern, attribution-first workflow, and it covers the core Stripe-based tracking that lighter tools like Rewardful offer, adding global payouts and tax handling.