# PartnerStack vs Cello: which do AI models recommend for referrals, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Referral and partner programs. One of fourteen models named PartnerStack first on the direct prompt; three named Cello. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/partner/referral-and-partner-programs/partnerstack-vs-cello/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PartnerStack | 22% | #1 of 15 | 0% | 30 | 14 of 14 |
| Cello | 6% | #6 of 15 | 0% | 13 | 9 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: partnerstack first (first choices: PartnerStack) (alternatives: Cello.so, Partnero)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: cello first (first choices: Cello) (alternatives: Friendbuy, PartnerStack, Referral Rock)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: cello first (first choices: Cello, Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, PartnerStack)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: cello first (first choices: Cello) (alternatives: Ambassador, Extole, Referral Factory, Referral Rock)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Factory) (alternatives: Ambassador, PartnerStack, Referral Rock, impact.com)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: GrowSurf, PartnerStack, Referral Factory, impact.com Advocate)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Ambassador) (alternatives: PartnerStack, Referral Rock)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: FirstPromoter, PartnerStack)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, Friendbuy, PartnerStack)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: SaaSquatch) (alternatives: PartnerStack, Referral Rock)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Ambassador) (alternatives: Extole, PartnerStack, Partnerize, Referral Rock)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, CustomerGauge, GrowSurf, Referral Factory)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: SaaSquatch)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Friendbuy) (alternatives: Partnero, Referral Rock, SaaSquatch)

## What the models said about PartnerStack

- "PartnerStack - a full-lifecycle partner management platform that allows companies to build, track, and scale partner, affiliate, and reseller programs in one place." (Llama 4 Maverick, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Cello

- "Best Overall: Cello ... For most mid-market B2B companies, Cello offers the best balance of features, pricing, and B2B-specific functionality" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct prompt, first choice)
- "If you're a B2B SaaS company where referrals happen inside the product, Cello is the clear winner" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Cello - Best for B2B SaaS" (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, first choice)

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. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.