Is this comparison worth considering?

Yes. PartnerStack and Cello.so both offer purchasable software for B2B partner or referral programs. They overlap on partner referrals, although PartnerStack puts more emphasis on partner recruitment and co-selling, while Cello.so puts more emphasis on referrals embedded in software products.

Which is better for recruiting new partners?

PartnerStack is the clearer fit for marketplace-based recruitment because it publishes access to a B2B partner marketplace. Cello.so publishes partner-program features but does not publish a comparable recruitment marketplace.

Which supports referrals inside my app?

Cello.so publishes embedded referral experiences for web and mobile apps, including iOS, Android, React Native and Flutter. PartnerStack does not publish an equivalent in-product referral SDK.

Can I use Cello.so without a logged-in product?

No. Cello.so says its referral technology requires an authenticated web or mobile software experience and that it cannot onboard products without one.

Does either offer a free partner-program plan?

Cello.so publishes a $0-per-month partner plan with one campaign, five transacting partners and a 5% transaction fee. PartnerStack publishes Launch, Growth and Enterprise plans but confirms vendor pricing during a demo.

Can both manage affiliate referrals?

Yes. PartnerStack lists affiliate programs among its supported partner types, and Cello.so offers partner referrals for affiliates and influencers.

What limits should I check before choosing a plan?

Cello.so limits partner campaigns and transacting partners on its Free, Plus and Pro tiers; its user-referral tiers have referral-ARR thresholds. PartnerStack says it does not limit the number of partners or internal account users, but buyers should confirm the features included in their proposed plan.

How do their payment terms differ?

PartnerStack publishes automated partner commissions and a single monthly invoice, but does not publish a vendor price or transaction-fee schedule. Cello.so publishes partner-plan prices and transaction fees of 5% on Free, 3.5% on Plus and Pro, and 2% on Enterprise.

PartnerStack vs Cello.so

Choose PartnerStack if you need to recruit and manage a broad B2B partner ecosystem; choose Cello.so if you want referrals embedded in a logged-in software product, with published plans for user and partner programs. Both offer referral tracking and payouts, but PartnerStack emphasizes its partner marketplace and co-sell workflows, while Cello.so emphasizes in-product sharing across web and mobile.

Last updated November 1, 2026.

At a glance

PartnerStack compared with Cello.so, one row per dimension
Dimension	PartnerStack	Cello.so
Program focus	Affiliate, co-sell, influencer and customer referrals	User and partner referrals
Partner recruitment	B2B partner marketplace	Not published
In-product referrals	Not published	Embedded web and mobile referral experiences
Product eligibility	B2B partner programs	Software with authenticated web or mobile users
Partner-program pricing	Launch, Growth and Enterprise; price confirmed by demo	Free $0/month; Plus $80/month; Pro $280/month; Enterprise custom
User-referral pricing	Not published	Start $65/month; Grow $200/month; Scale $750/month; Enterprise custom
Partner-plan limits	No stated partner or internal-user limit	Free: 1 campaign and 5 transacting partners
Partner transaction fees	Not published	Free 5%; Plus and Pro 3.5%; Enterprise 2%
Lead and deal workflows	Lead and deal registration; CRM sync	Referral attribution and CRM sync
Integrations	CRM integrations and PartnerStack API	Stripe, Chargebee, Paddle, Recurly, CRM integrations and REST API
Payouts	Automated partner commissions; one monthly invoice	Automated referral rewards and payouts
Support	Guided onboarding on all plans; priority support on Enterprise	Slack support on user Start; priority Slack support on higher listed tiers

Scroll the table sideways to compare each row.

Which should you choose?

Choose PartnerStack if

Teams recruiting through a B2B partner marketplace
Companies running co-sell alongside affiliate programs
Partner teams needing onboarding and enablement journeys
Programs needing lead and deal registration

See PartnerStack — 10% CASHBACK

Choose Cello.so if

Software teams embedding referrals in a logged-in product
Teams running user and partner referral programs
Companies needing web and mobile referral experiences
Teams wanting a published free partner-program tier

See Cello.so

The verdict

The deciding factor is where your referral program begins. Pick PartnerStack when finding partners, enabling them, and managing affiliate and co-sell relationships are central to the job. Pick Cello.so when authenticated users should encounter and share referrals inside your product, or when you want to start a partner program on a published free tier. Compare the relevant plans carefully: Cello.so sets campaign and transacting-partner limits on its lower partner tiers, while PartnerStack confirms vendor pricing during a demo.