# PartnerStack vs Friendbuy: 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; one named Friendbuy. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/partner/referral-and-partner-programs/partnerstack-vs-friendbuy/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PartnerStack | 22% | #1 of 15 | 0% | 30 | 14 of 14 |
| Friendbuy | 4% | #7 of 15 | 9% | 23 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: partnerstack first (first choices: PartnerStack) (alternatives: Cello.so, Partnero)
- Llama 4 Maverick: friendbuy first (first choices: Friendbuy) (alternatives: Partnero, Referral Rock, SaaSquatch)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Cello) (alternatives: Friendbuy, PartnerStack, 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)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Cello, Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, PartnerStack)
- 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)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Cello) (alternatives: Ambassador, Extole, Referral Factory, Referral Rock)

## 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 Friendbuy

- "Use Referral Factory or Friendbuy if you want a customer referral program that is relatively easy to launch and optimize." (Perplexity Sonar, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Friendbuy - Best for mid-market and enterprise eCommerce brands that want customization and testing." (Llama 4 Maverick, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Popular picks like Friendbuy or Talkable excel for enterprises" (Grok 4.1 Fast, scale 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.