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Affiliate tracking for SaaS that credits the right partner

A SaaS buyer clicks a link, starts a trial and pays weeks later on another device. OpenPromoter follows the sale through checkout and books the commission on the paid invoice.
Start freeRead the docs
OpenPromoter Analytics page with clicks, signups, EPC, a daily traffic chart and the conversion funnel
attribution signals checked in order
5
attribution signals checked in order
default cookie window
60 days
default cookie window
cookies set in cookieless mode
0
cookies set in cookieless mode
link formats from other tools
4
link formats from other tools

The problem

A sale the browser never saw earns the partner nothing

A SaaS buyer clicks a partner link and starts a trial. Weeks later they pay on another device or behind an ad blocker.

Tracking that lives only in the browser loses that sale. The partner who sent the buyer goes unpaid and stops promoting you.

How OpenPromoter solves it

OpenPromoter books the commission from the paid invoice

The click id travels into checkout with the buyer. When your billing system reports the paid invoice, OpenPromoter credits the partner.

Coupon codes credit a partner with no click at all. Links you shared from another tool keep working after you switch.

  • Five signals checked in a fixed order
  • Coupon codes that need no click
  • Commissions from billing webhooks
  • A first-party proxy for ad blockers
  • Consent mode and cookieless mode
  • Links from Rewardful, Tolt and FirstPromoter
  • First click or last click per program
  • Sub-ids and a QR code on every link

The real screens

Captured from the demo program in the OpenPromoter app.

CustomersCustomers list with each referred customer's status, partner, source, MRR, revenue and signup date
Every referred signup and customer with the partner who sent them.
PartnersPartners list sorted by referred revenue with tier, customers, revenue, earnings and risk
Partners sorted by the revenue they referred with their tier and risk score.
Partners > Maya ChenPartner page for Maya Chen with clicks, customers, revenue, her links and coupon code
One partner's links, coupon codes and most recent commissions.
Partner portalPartner portal Links page with a deep link form, the partner's links and coupon code
Partners make deep links with a sub-ID and copy their coupon codes.

How it works

  1. 01

    Add op.js to your site

    Use one script tag, the npm SDK or one prompt for Claude Code or Cursor. The setup wizard turns green on the first ping.

  2. 02

    A visitor clicks a partner link

    op.js keeps the click id in a first-party cookie for 60 days by default. Redirect links record the click on the server first.

  3. 03

    The click id reaches checkout

    op.js adds it to Stripe Payment Links and the Pricing Table. Your own checkout passes it as client_reference_id or op_click metadata.

  4. 04

    The paid invoice books the commission

    The billing webhook credits the partner. Refunds and chargebacks adjust that commission later.

How affiliate tracking works in five signals

OpenPromoter credits a sale by checking five signals in a fixed order. The first one that matches wins.

A coupon code comes first because the customer typed it on purpose. After that the most specific signal wins.

  • 1

    Coupon code

    A code the customer typed at checkout. It needs no click.

  • 2

    Click id at checkout

    Passed in Stripe client_reference_id or op_click metadata.

  • 3

    Partner code in metadata

    An op_ref value on the customer or the checkout session.

  • 4

    Cookie window

    The visitor's partner click inside the window. It is 60 days by default.

  • 5

    Lead email

    The email recorded at signup. A later payment by that customer is credited.

Server-side affiliate tracking from paid invoices

Commissions come from your billing webhooks. A browser script can be blocked but a webhook from Stripe cannot. OpenPromoter reads the click id from checkout and books the commission once the invoice is paid.

The commission base is what the customer paid after discounts and without tax. Renewals inside the commission window book their own lines. Refunds and chargebacks adjust them later.

Stripe Payment Links and the Pricing Table need no code. op.js adds the click id to them as client_reference_id.

Coupon code tracking with no click

A coupon code credits its partner even when the buyer never clicked a link. That covers podcasts and videos where people type a code they heard. Any sale that uses the code goes to that partner.

Enter a Stripe coupon id on a partner's page and OpenPromoter creates the matching promotion code in your Stripe account. Discount codes from Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Chargebee work the same way.

Ad blockers and cookie banners

OpenPromoter keeps tracking when an ad blocker or a consent banner gets in the way. Each case has its own setting.

Some blockers drop requests to tracking domains. Cookie banners can keep the cookie off for days.

  • First-party proxy

    data-api="/op" sends tracking through a path on your own domain.

  • Server-side links

    Redirect and short links record the click before your page loads.

  • Consent mode

    data-consent="required" writes no cookie until your banner says yes.

  • Cookieless mode

    data-storage="none" never writes a cookie. Same-visit sales still count.

In consent mode the click id stays in memory until the visitor agrees. A visitor who buys in the same session is still attributed. Check your own consent rules with counsel.

The proxy works with any host that forwards /op/* to OpenPromoter. That includes Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare and nginx.

Links from Rewardful, Tolt and FirstPromoter keep working

Partner links you already shared keep attributing sales after you switch. op.js reads ?via=, ?ref=, ?fpr= and ?gspk= on top of your own parameter. Rewardful, Tolt, FirstPromoter and PartnerStack links use those formats.

Import your partners with their old codes and their posted links carry on. See moving from another tool.

  • Sub-ids and UTMs

    Add ?sub= to any link and filter reports by it.

  • Deep links

    Short links can point at any page on your site.

  • QR codes

    Every partner link has a QR code in the portal.

  • Signups and trials

    Record a lead at signup. The first paid invoice books the commission.

First-click or last-click attribution

Each program sets its own attribution model and cookie window. Last click is the default. A newer partner click replaces the older one.

With first click the first partner keeps the customer for the whole window. Change either one in Settings > Program.

Check that tracking is live

The setup wizard tells you when tracking works on your site. op.js pings OpenPromoter once per browser session. The wizard turns green as soon as the first ping arrives.

Install it with one script tag, the npm SDK or one prompt for Claude Code or Cursor. The tracking docs cover every attribute and each checkout setup.

The settings involved

These settings control this feature.

Cookie window
Settings > Program
How many days after a click a sale still credits the partner.
Credit goes to
Settings > Program
Whether the first or the last partner click wins the customer.
Link parameter
Settings > Program
The query parameter in partner links such as ?via=code.
Stripe coupon id
Partners > a partner
Creates a promotion code in your Stripe account that credits this partner.

Questions

Something else? The docs cover every setting.

Does affiliate tracking work without cookies?
Yes. With data-storage="none" op.js never writes a cookie. The click id still reaches checkout through Payment Links, the Pricing Table or your own client_reference_id. A buyer who returns days later without a partner link is not attributed.
What happens when an ad blocker stops op.js?
Redirect and short links record the click on the server before your page loads. You can also serve op.js from your own domain with one rewrite rule.
Can I track affiliate sales from coupon codes alone?
Yes. A sale that uses a partner's coupon code is credited to that partner with or without a click. It works with Stripe promotion codes and with Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Chargebee discount codes.
Which billing systems does tracking work with?
Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Chargebee have built-in webhook handlers. Any other system can report payments and refunds through the REST API.
How big is the tracking script?
op.js is about 2 KB with no dependencies. It sets one first-party cookie on your domain.

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