As a SaaS company, you need to build an ecosystem of resellers, affiliates, consultants, and integration partners to bring your software to new customers.
A well-designed partner program can double your reach, increase revenue, and improve your brand without you having to double your sales team. The trouble comes with the “well-designed” part.
Most partner programs are hard to manage, have unclear incentives, or are built without partner success in mind. But there are ways to design one that partners will actually want to join and stick with.
Let me talk you through the best SaaS partner programs and break down how you can build an even better one for your business.
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What Is a SaaS Partner Program?
A SaaS partner program is a way to team up with other businesses, consultants, or people who can help bring your solution to more customers. Instead of relying only on your in-house sales and marketing, you can create an ecosystem where your partners benefit when you grow.
Most SaaS partner programs fall into these categories:
- Referral programs: Your partners introduce your product to their network, and you pay them when the lead converts.
- Reseller programs: Your partners sell your software directly, usually with their own services, and get a cut of the fee.
- Technology partnerships: You partner with other companies to make your product more attractive and useful to end users.
- Affiliate programs: Your partners promote your product through links, content, or ads and earn commission on each sale.
- Service partners/consultants: You work with agencies or consultants to help your customers implement your platform or product.
6 Best SaaS Partner Programs [Breakdown]
Here are the six best SaaS partner programs in 2025:
1. Semrush
Partners join Semrush’s affiliate program and earn between $200 and $350 per sale, depending on how many new customers they bring in. Here’s a breakdown:
- Basic (0-4 sales/quarter): $200/sale
- Silver (5-19/quarter): $250/sale
- Gold (20-49/quarter): $300/sale
- Platinum (50+ sales/quarter): $350/sale
On top of this, Semrush gives partners quarterly content bonuses worth $200 to $1,500 for creating high-quality, relevant content. It also gives partners access to training materials, promotional tools and, at higher tiers, custom creative assets they can use to build stronger campaigns.
Partners need a minimum of 1,000 monthly visitors to join, and websites centered on coupons, cashbacks, or deals won’t be approved.
2. HubSpot
HubSpot affiliates earn a 30% recurring commission for each new customer they refer (up to one year). The program is tiered and gives partners more opportunities as they scale:
- Starter (0-29 signups/month)
- Sprocket (30-99 signups/month)
- Elite (100+ signups/month)
HubSpot also gives partners access to ready-made promotional assets like banners, landing pages, demo videos, and ad copy to make it easier to create content that drives conversions.
3. Systeme
Systeme affiliates can earn a 60% lifetime commission on every qualified purchase made through their link. That means if a customer keeps paying month after month, affiliates keep receiving recurring revenue.
Also, much like Semrush and HubSpot, Systeme gives partners access to ready-to-use marketing assets like banners, logos, pre-built landing pages, opt-in forms, and tracking dashboards to convert more traffic.
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM that uses AI to help businesses automate their sales pipeline. The company’s affiliate program gives people the chance to earn recurring commissions for 12 months for every new paying customer they refer.
Commissions are tiered to reward consistent performance:
- Rising Affiliate: 20% commission
- Growth Affiliate: 30% commission (2-5 sales/month for six months)
- Power Affiliate: Custom commission (6+ sales/month for six months)
The company tracks referrals with a 90-day cookie window, and processes payments on the 13th of every month, though people need a $5 balance to withdraw. Pipedrive also gives partners access to a complete media kit and a library of ready-to-use banners to improve their campaigns.
5. Moosend
As a Moosend affiliate, partners get 30%-40% commission on the sales they make:
- Bronze: 30% commission
- Silver: 32% commission
- Gold: 33% commission
- Platinum: 35% commission
- Diamond: 40% commission
Much like Pipedrive, the company tracks referrals with a 90-day cookie and sends payouts through PayPal or Stripe once a partner’s account reaches $5. Moosend also provides access to banners, blog images, and email swipe templates for campaigns.
6. Rewardful
Rewardful affiliates get a 25% commission on all referred purchases during a customer’s first 12 months. The company uses a 60-day cookie to track referrals, which means people have two full months to convert customers.
Partners get payments on the first of each month through PayPal once they’ve reached the $50 minimum payout threshold.
Also read: check out our full Rewardful review here!
What Makes These Programs Successful?
Not every SaaS partner program is equal, and the difference usually shows in how they treat partners. Here’s why the programs we’ve included stand out:
- They give partners clear value upfront. The best programs don’t make partners guess what’s in it for them. They spell out commission rates, cookie durations, payout schedules, and eligibility to help people decide if they’ll be a good fit.
- They reward growth with higher commissions. Tiered structures (like 20%, 30%, or custom rates) help partners push higher once you’ve started seeing conversions. The upside grows as results do.
- They give real support. Most of the programs on our list provide partners with resources like media kits, swipe files, training, and access to community forums. This means partners spend less energy reinventing the wheel and more time connecting with customers.
- They build loyalty with recurring revenue. A good program keeps paying partners as long as their referrals stay subscribed. This creates predictable income and motivates people to send quality traffic, not just clicks.
- They set realistic guardrails. Strong programs make it clear who they’re for and who they’re not. While these requirements can feel restrictive, they also ensure that brands only work with partners who can actually drive results.
How to Build an Even Better SaaS Partner Program
If you’re thinking about creating your own SaaS partner program, you’ll want to treat it like building a product. Here’s how to start:
1. Decide if a Partner Program Actually Fits Your Business
Not every SaaS company should rush into building a partner program. In our experience, if your product isn’t sticky or your customers aren’t already recommending you to others, partners won’t be able to sell what doesn’t naturally sell itself.
Before you start sketching out commission levels or recruiting affiliates, we recommend making sure:
- You know exactly who your best customers are and why they chose you
- People are already signing up without heavy discounts or gimmicks
- Current users are recommending you or saying they’d refer you to others
- You can point to the markets, verticals, or customer segments you want to reach
- You have the resources, incentives, and enough margin to support partners
If you can’t tick any of these, a partner program may not be worth your time right now. But if you can, you’ve got what it takes to attract partners who’ll see the value in your product.
2. Put Someone in Charge of the Program
If no one owns your program, it’ll slip to the bottom of your to-do list, and your partners will end up feeling ignored. That’s why you need someone in charge early on. This could mean a dedicated partnerships team if you have the resources.
But if you’re just starting out, you could put one person, ideally someone who’s already skilled at building relationships, in charge. Just make sure they aren’t operating in a silo because they’ll need input from customer success, marketing, and support to give partners the same level of attention as your paying customers.
3. Create a Compensation Plan
People join a partner program because there’s something in it for them. If the incentives feel weak or overly complicated, many won’t bother. This means your compensation plan has to do two things:
- It should reward partners for driving results.
- It should make those rewards clear from day one.
You could go with a percentage of revenue, tiered commissions, recurring payments, or perks like co-marketing dollars and free product access. The key is to be generous if you want more referrals.
4. Build Training and Enablement That Actually Works
Even your most motivated partner can’t sell or recommend your product if they don’t understand it. This means you need to set up a structured onboarding process that explains your product, your ideal customer, and what success looks like for a partner to help them succeed.
Once you’ve got that set up, you can layer in resources like a partner portal, certification programs, demo environments, and a living knowledge base that stays updated as your product changes over time.
5. Put It in Writing with a Channel Partner Agreement
You need to spell out expectations upfront to protect your business and help your partners understand that their efforts will be fairly rewarded. A channel partner agreement sets these rules before anyone starts selling.
It outlines how referrals are tracked, when commissions get paid, and what happens if something falls through the cracks. For instance, you need to know:
- If partners will use affiliate links or a deal registration form to claim referrals
- How long after a referral converts should they still get credit
- How to solve disputes, such as when a customer forgets to use the right link
These are small details that can help you prevent misunderstandings that could otherwise cause friction down the road.
6. Choose PRM Software that Actually Works for You
You’ve pretty much designed your partner program at this point, but you still need to find the right tool to track referrals, manage payouts, and give your partners a dashboard to see their progress. This is where a partner relationship management (PRM) software like Rewardful comes in.
PRM helps you see which partners are driving leads, how much revenue is tied to those referrals, and when commissions need to be paid out. It’ll also protect your program from fraud, automate payments, and help you scale without drowning your team in admin.
On your partners’ side, it keeps things transparent and helps them log in anytime to check their numbers instead of chasing you.
7. Share Resources With Your Partners
You’re actually done building your SaaS partner program here. But if you stop now, you’ll leave your partners hanging. Before you finalize your program, make sure you have these resources to help your partners succeed on their own:
- Onboarding guides
- Product training
- Sales assets they can use right away
You should also create channels to help your partners keep up with product updates and provide a point of contact for quick answers. This way, they’ll act less like affiliates and more like they’re part of your team or “partners.”
Let Vivian Agency Help You Build a SaaS Partner Program That Incentivizes People to Sign Up
A well-designed partner program brings in referrals and helps you work with partners who want to see you win. The challenge is that getting there takes more than software; you need the right structure, the right incentives, and the right partner experience from day one.
That’s where we come in.
At Vivian Agency, we’ve built and managed SaaS partner programs across industries. Our team can help you:
- Set up a partner model that fits your growth stage
- Create commission structures that partners care about
- Develop onboarding experiences that partners actually finish and use
If you want to skip the trial-and-error phase, we can help you build a SaaS partner program that people want to join and stay in. Book a call with our team or send us a message to get started!
