Referral and partner programs · September 2026 Edition
ReferralCandy vs FirstPromoter
Zero of twelve models named ReferralCandy first on the direct prompt; zero named FirstPromoter. ReferralCandy was named by twelve of the twelve models and FirstPromoter by eight and ReferralCandy carries 31 labels and FirstPromoter 16, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in three categories this edition.
First-choice share10%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate10%6%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#6A position in a field of 11; printed, not drawn.
Labels3116A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, ReferralCandy reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Referral Rock was named alongside these two in eleven of the twelve direct answers. PartnerStack vs ReferralCandy · PartnerStack vs FirstPromoter · Referral Rock vs ReferralCandy
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the referral and partner programs page.
By framing
How many of the twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
ReferralCandyFirst choices, of twelve modelsFirstPromoter
Direct001 against ReferralCandy
Paraphrase00
Comparative41
Budget-constrained51
Scale-constrained00
Negative102 against ReferralCandy · 1 against FirstPromoter
Bars are first choices, 0 to 12 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to twelve.
Every model, every framing
The seventy-two answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where ReferralCandy and FirstPromoter stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | ||||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | |||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | |||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | | | ||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | |||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | ||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | |
ReferralCandy FirstPromoter first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, ReferralCandy on the left and FirstPromoter on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where ReferralCandy and FirstPromoter stood in it.
Neither was named
12 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Cello alternatives: Friendbuy, Influitive, Partnero, Referral Rock
GPT-5.4 miniReferral Rock alternatives: Friendbuy, Referral Factory
Gemini 3.5 FlashReferral Rock alternatives: GrowSurf, PartnerStack, impact.com Advocate
Perplexity SonarAmbassador alternatives: CustomerGauge, GrowSurf, Referral Rock
Grok 4.1 FastReferral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, Influitive
Mistral SmallReferral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, Cello, GrowSurf
DeepSeek V4 FlashReferral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Qwen 3.7 FlashCello alternatives: Friendbuy, GrowSurf, Referral Rock
Kimi K2Referral Rock alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, Influitive
GLM 4.7 FlashXAmbassador, PartnerStack alternatives: GrowSurf, Referral Rock, impact.com
MiniMax M2.5Referral Rock alternatives: Mention Me, impact.com
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Level: the same share of first choices.
ReferralCandy9%#4 of 12FirstPromoter9%#6 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
ReferralCandy leads by eight points.
ReferralCandy10%#3 of 11FirstPromoter2%#6 of 11Enterprise
Level: the same share of first choices.
ReferralCandy0%#13 of 13FirstPromoter0%#– of 13What the models said about ReferralCandy
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“What to avoid for mid-market B2B” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · hard negative
“it historically charges a 1.5% to 10.5% "success fee" on e-commerce sales generated through referrals... it becomes incredibly expensive as your brand grows.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“*Cautious approach to pricing model* While generally well-reviewed (4.9/5 on Shopify), be aware of: Success fees” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Most budget-constrained companies find ReferralCandy or ReferralHero provide the best balance of features versus cost” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“If you can spend ~$40-50/month: ReferralCandy offers the best balance of features and ease-of-use for e-commerce” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · first choice
“For most small-to-medium businesses, ReferralCandy or Viral Loops offer the best balance of features and ease of use” MiniMax M2.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about FirstPromoter
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“rely on cookies that get stripped by Safari ITP and ad blockers” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Top Recommendation: FirstPromoter ($49/month) - Most practical option for small businesses” MiniMax M2.5 · budget prompt · first choice
“If you run SaaS, choose FirstPromoter (for deep billing logic)” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
PartnerStack vs ReferralCandyPartnerStack vs FirstPromoterReferral Rock vs ReferralCandyReferral Rock vs FirstPromoterReferralCandy vs AmbassadorReferralCandy vs Viral LoopsReferralCandy vs Referral FactoryAmbassador vs FirstPromoterViral Loops vs FirstPromoterFirstPromoter vs Referral FactoryAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full referrals standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.