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A Guide to Choosing the Best CRM for Partner Management: 15 Top Tools For 2025
Partner Management

A Guide to Choosing the Best CRM for Partner Management: 15 Top Tools For 2025

If PRM is a priority for your business, it’s vital to invest in a CRM that will support your efforts. Here’s how to choose the best CRM for partner management.

Andreas Geamanu
Co-founder & Growth
5 min. read
07 Apr 2025
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“We’ve seen partner engagement shoot up by over 30% after launching our partner portal on Introw”
Mirko Buonerba
Partnership Manager at Sandsiv
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⚡ TL;DR

A CRM-first approach is now essential for running high-performing partner programs. Traditional siloed PRM tools no longer cut it — modern SaaS teams need CRMs that offer native integrations, real-time deal tracking, partner engagement visibility, and forecasting capabilities. In this post, we break down the top 15 CRMs for partner management in 2025, from HubSpot and Salesforce to Creatio and Netsuite. Plus, we show how Introw — a CRM-native PRM — enhances your CRM with scalable workflows, co-sell automation, and clean, partner-attributed revenue tracking.

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A strong CRM system should be the backbone of your partner programs. 

Embrace your CRM when it comes to partner management, and you can expect centralized relationships, seamless collaboration, full alignment with business operations, fewer channel conflicts, and improved revenue projections. 

What's more, by embedding partner management within a CRM, businesses gain a unified source of truth, improving efficiency, accountability, and long-term success in partner ecosystems.

Traditional, siloed partner tools simply can't keep up with the power of modern CRMs. 

It makes sense, then, that businesses are increasingly shifting to CRM-first workflows, integrating partner management into broader customer and revenue strategies. 

This transition eliminates inefficiencies caused by disconnected systems, enabling real-time visibility into partner performance.

When moving to a CRM-first workflow, businesses must understand the importance of native integrations, deal tracking, and forecasting. 

Look for CRM tools that offer native integrations with marketing automation, sales pipelines, and support tools to ensure that partner activities are fully aligned with business operations. 

Meanwhile, deal tracking within a CRM allows businesses to monitor partner-driven opportunities, assign leads effectively, and prevent channel conflicts. 

And forecasting capabilities provide data-driven insights into revenue projections, helping companies optimize their partner strategies.

To sum up, a CRM-first approach fosters stronger, data-backed partnerships that drive sustainable growth.

⬇️In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know to make the best CRM decision for your business and your partners. 

What to Look for in a CRM for Partner Management

When considering which CRM to go for, you'll undoubtedly already have several 'must have' features in mind. 

But here are the most important features to look out for when it comes to partner management: 

  • Partner lead/deal registration
  • Custom fields and workflows for channel/reseller/referral types
  • Engagement tracking and collaboration tools
  • Reporting and forecasting across partner-attributed pipeline
  • Integration with PRM tools like Introw
  • Scalability and API access for custom automation

15 Best CRM Platforms for Partner Management in 2025

So, we know that a CRM-first approach has a wide variety of benefits for partner management. 

But choosing the right CRM can be daunting; after all, it's a pretty big decision. 

And not every CRM is fit for partner management. 

To help you out, we've compiled a list of the best 15 CRM for partner management, along with their pros and cons. 

#1 HubSpot

A giant of the CRM world, HubSpot's CRM is super popular among growing SaaS teams. 

​This comprehensive, AI-powered platform is designed to unify customer data, streamline business operations, and enhance customer experiences. 

It offers a suite of tools across marketing, sales, customer service, content management, and operations, all integrated into a single system to facilitate seamless collaboration and efficiency. ​

And when it comes to partner management, Hubspot's CRM boasts several key features, including:

For partner management, HubSpot CRM provides several key features:​

✅ CRM partner relationship management (PRM) integrations: Access PRM software Introw through HubSpot's App Marketplace for partner engagement tracking, lead registration, and Slack-based collaboration.

✅ Association labels: Define and manage relationships with partners by labelling companies as "Partner" or "Distributor," clarifying roles and facilitating targeted communication. ​

✅ Partner services: Utilize Partner Services to track and manage services provided by partners, ensuring organized and efficient collaboration. ​

✅ Automation: Save time by automating workflows and repetitive processes 

These features enable businesses to effectively manage and nurture their partner relationships within HubSpot CRM.

🔗 Find out more about how Introw and Hubspot work together

#2 Salesforce

Salesforce remains the gold standard for enterprise partner programs. 

This comprehensive, cloud-based platform streamlines customer relationship management and partner relationship management by integrating sales, marketing, customer service, and more into a unified system. 

It empowers businesses to enhance customer interactions, improve satisfaction, and drive growth through data-driven insights and automation.

For partner management in CRM, Salesforce CRM offers several key features:​

✅ Partner relationship management software integration: Seamlessly integrates with Introw to place PRM functionalities firmly within the CRM, enabling tracking of partner pipeline, engagement, and performance — all natively.

✅ Powerful reporting and forecasting: Delivers key data insights to enable data-driven decisions, as well as accurate forecasting.

✅ Personalized partner engagement: Provides personalized templates and data-driven enablement tools to engage partners effectively, enhancing communication and collaboration. ​

✅ Automated processes: Automates marketing fund requests, discounting, and service case management, reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency in partner interactions. ​

✅ Real-time updates with partner connect: Facilitates secure deal tracking and real-time, automated updates on co-selling deals across different CRMs, ensuring transparency and reducing data duplication.

✅ Scalability: Built on the Salesforce platform, it scales easily to accommodate growing partner ecosystems, adapting to evolving business needs. ​

🔗 Learn more here:  Introw + Salesforce Integration

#3 Zoho CRM

Zoho offers a flexible, cloud-based CRM that helps businesses manage sales, marketing, and customer relationships efficiently. 

It's also a good option for those looking for a CRM that will support partner relationship management for sustainable business growth. 

✅ Territory management: Organize and manage partner territories effectively, aligning sales strategies with specific regions or market segments.

✅ Workflow automation: Automate routine tasks and processes, enabling partners to focus on strategic activities and improving overall efficiency.

✅ Advanced analytics: Gain insights into partner performance through detailed reports and dashboards, facilitating data-driven decision-making. ​

✅ Customizable modules: Tailor CRM modules to fit specific partner management needs, ensuring a personalized and relevant experience. ​

✅ Multi-channel communication: Engage with partners across various channels, including email, phone, and social media, ensuring seamless communication.

Pros: Affordable, customizable, partner portal add-on

Cons: Weaker reporting, fewer native integrations

Best For: SMEs or mid-market teams just starting their partner motion.

#4 Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an AI-powered suite of business applications that combines CRM and ERP capabilities to enhance customer experiences and business operations. 

It integrates sales, marketing, service, and financial data to help organizations innovate, automate processes, and drive growth.

It encompasses several key features for partner management:

✅ Manage partner relationships with shared data insights

✅ Automate lead and opportunity tracking

✅ Integrate partner sales data for streamlined collaboration

✅ Enable partner performance monitoring through analytics

✅ Use AI to provide personalized partner support

Pros: Deep integrations, enterprise-friendly

Cons: Steep learning curve, dev-heavy

Best For: Enterprises already deep in Microsoft's stack or those with in-house CRM admins

#5 Pipedrive

Pipedrive offers a clean, simple CRM that's easy to use. 

It automates repetitive tasks, tracks communications, and provides actionable insights to help sales teams optimize performance.

Admittedly, this one isn't purpose-built for partners, but it can support small partner programs with the right tagging and workflows.

When it comes to partner management, Pipedrive allows you to:

✅ Organize and track partner interactions in one space

✅ Automate partner follow-ups and communications

✅ Visualize partner pipeline for better decision-making

✅ Use AI for personalized partner management insights

✅ Centralize partner data for easy collaboration and reporting

Pros: Visual pipeline, easy setup

Cons: Limited partner automation, no partner-specific fields

Best For: Early-stage teams experimenting with partnerships

#6 Close.com

Close CRM is a platform designed to streamline sales processes for small businesses, focusing on automation, communication, and deal management. 

It offers an intuitive, fast interface for managing leads and communications — and can also prove useful for partner relationship management. 

Here's how:

✅ Track partner interactions and pipeline progress

✅ Automate partner outreach and follow-ups

✅ Centralize partner data and activity

✅ Monitor partner performance with analytics

✅ Seamlessly integrate with other tools for collaboration

Pros: Simple, easy-to-use

Cons: Limited customization

Best For: Small businesses with big growth ambitions 

#7 Freshsales

Freshsales by Freshworks is an AI-powered sales CRM that enhances revenue growth with automation, lead scoring, and predictive analytics. 

It streamlines workflows and provides insights to improve sales efficiency.

Here's how it can boost partner management:

✅ Track and manage partner relationships efficiently

✅ Automate follow-ups and communication with partners

✅ Centralized data for seamless collaboration

✅ AI-powered insights to optimize partner engagement

✅ Customizable pipelines to monitor partner deals

Pros: Easy to use and excellent customer support

Cons: Limited features and a steep learning curve

Best For: Start-ups and SMEs that need a friendly, affordable CRM solution. 

#8 Copper

A relationship-focused CRM designed for Google Workspace users, Copper is all about streamlining contact management, deal tracking, and workflow automation. 

It also minimizes data entry and integrates seamlessly with Gmail.

Key features for partner management:

✅ Centralized partner contact and activity tracking

✅ Automated workflows for partner communications

✅ Custom pipelines to monitor partner deals

✅ Seamless integration with Google Workspace

✅ Real-time reporting and analytics for partner performance

Pros: Easy integration with Google properties, user-friendly 

Cons: Limited scalability

Best For: Businesses that depend on Google Workspace 

#9 Insightly

Insightly is a scalable CRM designed for businesses to manage customer relationships, sales, and marketing in one platform.

It offers automation, project tracking, and analytics to drive growth and efficiency.

Looking for a CRM to boost partner management?

Here's how Insightly can support PRM:

✅ Centralized partner relationship tracking

✅ Automated workflows for partner interactions

✅ Customizable pipelines for deal management

✅ Advanced analytics for partner performance monitoring

✅ Integration with third-party apps for collaboration 

Pros: Great customer support and deep customization  

Cons: Steep learning curve

Best For: SMEs and start-ups looking for a customizable and scalable CRM. 

#10 SugarCRM

A flexible, AI-driven CRM platform, SugarCRM is designed for B2B sales, marketing, and customer service. 

It automates data collection, provides predictive insights, and streamlines workflows for enhanced efficiency.

Key features for partner management include:

✅ Centralized partner relationship tracking

✅ AI-powered insights for partner engagement

✅ Automated workflows for seamless collaboration

✅ Custom dashboards for partner performance monitoring

✅ Integration with third-party tools for extended functionality

Pros: Lots of features, good customer support

Cons: Long implementation, steep learning curve

Best For: Large businesses and enterprises looking to commit to a CRM long-term

#11 Nutshell CRM

Nutshell is a user-friendly CRM that combines sales, marketing, and pipeline management into one intuitive platform. 

It simplifies lead tracking, automates workflows, and integrates with essential tools to enhance team collaboration and efficiency.

Here are Nutshell's most useful partner management features:

✅ Centralized partner contact and deal tracking

✅ Automated follow-ups and task reminders

✅ Customizable pipelines for partner relationship management

✅ Integration with marketing automation tools for outreach

✅ Real-time reporting and analytics for partner performance

Pros: Simple, easy to use, great customer support

Cons: Steep learning curve, limited integrations 

Best For: Smaller businesses looking for a simple, affordable CRM 

#12 Creatio

Creatio is an AI-powered, no-code CRM platform.

It automates workflows and customer relationship management for sales, marketing, and service teams, empowering businesses to streamline operations, optimize engagement, and enhance productivity.

It's pretty helpful when it comes to partner management, too. 

Here's how:

✅ Centralized partner relationship tracking

✅ AI-driven insights for partner engagement

✅ No-code automation for partner collaboration

✅ Custom dashboards for performance monitoring

✅ Seamless integrations for extended functionality

Pros: Great automation, customization, and usability 

Cons: Steep learning curve

Best For: Large businesses with multiple departments that require smooth company-wide adoption

#13 NetSuite CRM

NetSuite is a cloud-based business management suite that includes CRM, ERP, and financial tools to streamline operations, automate workflows, and improve decision-making. 

It provides robust partner management capabilities, such as:

✅ Partner relationship management with centralized data

✅ Automated workflows for seamless collaboration

✅ Real-time analytics for partner performance tracking

✅ Custom dashboards to monitor deal progress

✅ Integration with third-party applications

Pros: Great functionality and ease of use. 

Cons: Steep learning curve, expensive, complex implementation

Best For: Enterprises that need to streamline their processes. 

#14 Monday CRM

Monday CRM is a flexible, no-code customer relationship management platform that helps businesses manage sales, projects, and workflows.

It centralizes data, automates tasks, and enhances collaboration to improve efficiency.

Monday's key features for partner management include:

✅ Centralized partner tracking and collaboration

✅ Automated workflows for partner onboarding and engagement

✅ Customizable pipelines to manage partner deals

✅ Integration with third-party tools for seamless operations

✅ Real-time analytics for partner performance insights

Pros: Great range of features, scalable, easy to customize

Cons: Steep learning curve

Best For: SMEs and service businesses 

#15 Zendesk Sell

A modern sales CRM, Zendesk Sell enhances productivity, provides full pipeline visibility, and integrates automation to streamline deal management. 

It helps sales teams manage leads, track interactions, and optimize workflows.

However, its features can also be used for PRM, including:

✅ Centralized partner tracking and collaboration

✅ Automated workflows for partner engagement

✅ Customizable sales pipelines for partner deals

✅ Real-time analytics for partner performance insights

✅ Seamless integrations with external tools

Pros: Simple user interface, intuitive to use, good automation features

Cons: Complex setup

Best For: Businesses of any size that want to streamline their processes

How to Choose the Right CRM for Partner Management

Ready to decide on your new CRM?

Here are some handy guidelines.

Make sure your new CRM has:

  • Native or customizable deal reg
  • CRM alignment with partner program complexity
  • Integration with a PRM like Introw
  • Automation and reporting

And watch out for these common pitfalls:

  • No partner-specific fields or segmentation
  • Manual tracking outside the CRM
  • No integration between CRM and partner activities

Three final tips for choosing a CRM for partner channel management:

  1. Align with RevOps early
  2. Evaluate scalability and workflow compatibility
  3. Test integrations with tools like Introw

How Introw Supercharges CRM for Partner Management

Of course, when it comes to partner relationship management, a CRM alone won't do. 

Sure, investing in the right CRM can significantly boost your partner relationships, but if you aim to establish a profitable ecosystem, PRM software is crucial. 

And your PRM must integrate seamlessly with your CRM. 

This is where state-of-the-art PRM Introw comes in. 

Here's why Introw stands out among other PRMs:

  • CRM-first: your team works entirely within Salesforce or HubSpot — no extra logins, no tool-switching. Partners still collaborate via a dedicated portal, fully synced with your CRM.
  • Deal and lead registration are mapped directly to the CRM
  • Partner engagement tracking is synced with both the CRM and Slack
  • Forecasting and visibility operates across all partner-attributed revenue
  • No-code workflows for referrals, resellers, and MSPs

But don't just take our word for it — book your personalized demo today and see Introw in action.

Conclusion

The message is clear — choosing the right CRM is foundational to scaling partner revenue. 

The best CRMs support visibility, collaboration, and clean partner data.

They also integrate seamlessly with your PRM, empowering you to effectively manage your partners without leaving your CRM. 

To recap, here are the 15 best CRMs for partner management in 2025:

  1. HubSpot
  2. Salesforce
  3. Zoho CRM
  4. Microsoft Dynamics 365
  5. Pipedrive
  6. Close.com
  7. Freshsales
  8. Copper
  9. Insightly
  10. SugarCRM
  11. Nutshell CRM
  12. Creatio
  13. NetSuite CRM 
  14. Monday CRM
  15. Zendesk Sell

Want to manage your entire partner program from your CRM? Try Introw — the CRM-first PRM.

Author

Andreas Geamanu

Co-founder & Growth

Andreas helps SaaS companies unlock revenue through stronger, more aligned partnerships. With a background in building data-driven systems for go-to-market teams, Andreas is passionate about reducing friction between partner managers, RevOps, and revenue leaders. At Introw, he focuses on delivering CRM-first partner collaboration that fits how modern teams actually work — inside Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack.

Andreas helps SaaS companies unlock revenue through stronger, more aligned partnerships. With a background in building data-driven systems for go-to-market teams, Andreas is passionate about reducing friction between partner managers, RevOps, and revenue leaders. At Introw, he focuses on delivering CRM-first partner collaboration that fits how modern teams actually work — inside Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack.

FAQs

Still curious? Here are some quick answers to help clear things up.

Contact us

What is PRM, and how is it different from a CRM?

PRM (Partner Relationship Management) is software designed to help businesses manage partner programs, track partner sales, and optimize collaboration with channel partners, resellers, and affiliates. Unlike CRM software, which focuses on direct sales teams and customer relationships, a PRM system is built to support indirect sales channels by providing features like partner onboarding, deal registration, and performance tracking.

How do I choose the best PRM for my business?

When selecting a PRM platform, consider factors such as ease of implementation, CRM integration, automation features, and partner engagement tools. A good PRM solution should help you streamline business processes, reduce manual data entry, and improve partner collaboration. Look for features like 2-way CRM sync, marketing collateral management, and automated partner updates via Slack or email.

What are the key benefits of using a PRM solution?

A PRM system helps businesses manage partner relationships efficiently, leading to higher revenue growth, better sales performance, and improved customer satisfaction. Key benefits include: - Automated partner onboarding – Get new partners up to speed quickly. - Deal registration & lead tracking – Reduce conflicts and improve visibility. - Performance management – Track partner success, revenue targets, and engagement metrics. - Marketing & content sharing – Ensure partners have the necessary resources to sell effectively.

Why is Introw the best PRM solution in 2025?

Introw stands out as a modern PRM platform that prioritizes fast setup, seamless CRM integration, and partner engagement beyond the portal. Unlike traditional PRMs that require months of setup, Introw is ready to use in minutes. It also offers: - 1-click CRM integration – Works effortlessly with HubSpot, Salesforce, and other CRM systems. - Real-time analytics & reporting – Track partner performance and sales opportunities. - Automated partner updates – Keep partners informed via Slack, email, or in-app notifications.

Boost Partnership Revenue & Engagement in minutes

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Related blog articles

Partner Management

Top 9 PartnerStack Alternatives to Consider in 2025

Andreas Geamanu
Co-founder & Growth
5 min. read
30 May 2025
⚡ TL;DR

Outgrowing PartnerStack? You're not alone. Many SaaS teams are seeking alternatives that offer deeper CRM integration, better automation, and real-time partner insights. This guide explores top alternatives like Introw, Partnero, and Allbound, and outlines what to look for in a modern PRM — including native Salesforce/HubSpot sync, customizable workflows, and co-selling alignment. Introw leads the pack with its CRM-first approach, no-code partner portal, Slack/email workflows, and AI-powered support — making it the top choice for revenue-focused SaaS partner programs in 2025.

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While partner platform PartnerStack works well for some businesses, it can fall short for SaaS teams needing deep CRM integration, a custom partner portal, and more reporting and automation capabilities.

If you're struggling with data silos, limited automation, or partner portals that don't work with your needs, it's time for a change. 

Look for a solution built for RevOps, embedded in your CRM, and focused on revenue—not vanity metrics.

➡️ Explore why Introw is a top PartnerStack alternative — book your live demo today.

Why Look for a PartnerStack Alternative in 2025?

As the SaaS landscape evolves, businesses must continually re-evaluate their partnership management tools. 

While PartnerStack remains a strong contender, shifting needs around customization, reporting, automation, and integration options may prompt some SaaS brands to explore alternatives that better align with their growth strategies and tech demands.

Is it time for your business to consider PartnerStack alternatives? 

Read on to find out. 

Where PartnerStack Falls Short for Scaling SaaS Teams

PartnerStack can help launch a partner program — but once you're driving real revenue through partners, it often hits its limits. 

Here are three common friction points for SaaS companies trying to scale with PartnerStack:

1. CRM Disconnect

A lack of seamless integration with your CRM can lead to data silos, duplicated work, and missed opportunities for cross-team alignment. 

In short — a headache. 

After all, when your sales and partnership marketing platforms don't speak the same language, efficiency and visibility suffer.

Instead, look for partner management platforms that are fully embedded in your CRM. 

2. No Off-Portal Collaboration

If your partners have to log into a portal just to stay in the loop, you're already creating friction. PartnerStack requires portal access for updates or engagement — which often leads to drop-off and delays.

There’s no support for off-portal collaboration, like replying to deal updates via email or Slack and having it sync back to your CRM. That disconnect slows down momentum and makes it harder to keep partners engaged.

Modern partner teams need tools that meet partners where they are — with frictionless, off-portal collaboration baked in.

3. No Customizable Portal Experience

As your partner program matures, a one-size-fits-all portal just doesn’t cut it. PartnerStack offers limited flexibility when it comes to customizing the partner experience — making it hard to support different partner types, tiers, or regional nuances.

If your team needs to tailor onboarding, branding, or workflows for referral partners vs. resellers vs. MSPs, PartnerStack likely falls short.

Look for platforms that offer fully customizable, white-labeled portals with CRM-driven logic — so every partner gets the right experience, at scale.

What to Look for Instead

If you've decided it's time to move on from PartnerStack, what should you be looking for from your partner management system? 

1. CRM-Native with Real-Time Sync

In 2025, your partner platform must live inside Salesforce or HubSpot. That means native CRM integration — not just pushing spreadsheets into a dashboard. Real-time deal sync, automated registration, and shared pipeline visibility help you eliminate silos and keep everyone on the same page.

2. Frictionless Off-Portal Collaboration 

Look for tools that make it easy for partners to engage without logging in — think Slack or email updates that sync directly to your CRM. Off-portal collaboration keeps momentum high and ensures reps and partners stay aligned in real time, not stuck chasing each other across platforms.

3. Custom-Branded, Flexible Partner Portal

Your partner portal should reflect how your business operates — not force you into a rigid template. Look for a PRM that lets you fully customize the portal layout, branding, and workflows to match your processes, partner model, and go-to-market motion. From content to deal reg flows, every part should feel like an extension of your company — not a bolt-on. 

If PartnerStack is starting to slow your momentum — whether due to collaboration friction, limited CRM alignment, or lack of customization — it’s worth evaluating purpose-built tools designed for scale.

Let’s see… 

Top PartnerStack Alternatives to Consider

When considering moving on from PartnerStack, it's essential to explore your options and identify the best fit for you. 

1. Introw — Best CRM-Native PRM for SaaS Teams

Introw is a sophisticated partnership relationship management (PRM) platform with deep Salesforce and HubSpot integrations. 

Its CRM-first approach ensures that partnership data — such as leads, deals, engagement, and pipeline metrics — flows automatically between Introw and your CRM, keeping Salesforce or HubSpot as your single source of truth.

Other Introw highlights include:

  • Real-time co-selling 
  • No-code partner portal builder
  • AI Agent, providing 24/7 support to your partners
  • No login needed for partners — off-portal experience
  • Real-time deal reg, forecasting, and MAPs
  • Modular workflows (referral, reseller, etc)
  • Slack sync for nudges, updates
  • Strong RevOps and CCO/CRO alignment
  • Transparent pricing

Who Is Introw Best For?

Introw is perfect for SaaS teams with two or more partner managers and who already use (or intend to use) Salesforce or HubSpot.

Pricing: Introw is free for one partner. Its basic tier starts at $329 per month for ten partners, Pro costs $579+ per month for ten partners, and Enterprise pricing is bespoke. Book a live demo here. 

2. Partnero

Partnero is an all-in-one partnership management platform designed for SaaS and e-commerce businesses to create, manage, and scale affiliate, referral, and newsletter referral programs.

Partnero supports automated payouts, offers fully customizable reward structures, white-label partner portals, and boasts seamless integrations with tools like Stripe, Shopify, PayPal, and WooCommerce.

Features include:

  • All-in-one program management
  • Customizable reward structures
  • White-label partner portals
  • Seamless integrations
  • Automated payouts
  • Real-time analytics
  • Custom referral marketing links and coupons
  • Partner enablement tools
  • Developer-friendly API

Who Is Partnero Best For?

Partnero works best for companies running affiliate and influencer programs. Its lighter feature set works well for early-stage companies, but it's less ideal for scaling SaaS with mature CRMs.

Pricing: Partnero's starter bundle costs $49 per month, its Partner tier is $149 per month, and the Advanced option for larger companies comes in at $479 per month. 

3. Kiflo

Kiflo is a PRM platform designed to help B2B companies grow and scale their partner programs. 

It enables users to track partner-sourced revenue, manage leads, onboard and enable partners, and foster long-term, profitable partner relationships.

Specific features include:

  • Partner onboarding and enablement
  • Lead and deal management
  • Revenue tracking and attribution

Who Is Kiflo Best For?

Kiflo is a great option for startups, with super easy onboarding. 

However, it lacks a native Salesforce integration, so companies that rely on this CRM may want to consider alternatives. 

Its analytics are also quite basic. 

Pricing: Kiflo's Core tier — for teams just launching their partner program — starts at $359 per month. The Plus and Premier tiers operate on bespoke pricing plans. 

4. Tolt

Tolt is an all-in-one affiliate marketing platform tailored for SaaS startups looking to swiftly launch and manage affiliate and referral programs. 

With a heavy focus on partner onboarding, real-time analytics, and customizable commission structures, Tolt streamlines affiliate management, enabling startups to scale efficiently and cost-effectively. 

Tolt's features include:

  • Branded affiliate portals
  • Real-time performance tracking
  • Customizable commission structures
  • Passwordless login for affiliates
  • Quick setup within 15 minutes

Who Is Tolt Best For?

Tolt's focus is on partner onboarding, so it works well for companies that expect to attract a high number of new partners or simply want to impress their partners from the outset.

However, this tool is still maturing when it comes to deal registrations and pipeline management, and it doesn't natively support MAPs or Slack workflows — all of which make it a better option for startups and smaller businesses rather than mature partner programs. 

Pricing: Tolt's Basic bundle starts at $49 per month, its Growth package is $99 per month, and the Pro option costs $199 per month. 

5. Allbound

PRM Allbound is designed to streamline and automate every aspect of partner programs for B2B organizations. 

It offers tools for onboarding, enablement, co-marketing, co-selling, and performance tracking, all within a unified interface.

Highlights include:

  • Partner journey automation
  • Content library and management
  • Learning tracks and certifications
  • Deal registration and playbooks
  • Multi-tier distribution support
  • Gamification and incentive dashboards
  • Channel insights and reporting
  • CRM integrations with real-time updates

Who Is Allbound Best For?

Allbound is a great option for mid-market to enterprise-level B2B tech businesses with mature or scaling partner ecosystems. 

Pricing: Allbound's pricing is bespoke. 

6. Impartner

Comprehensive PRM platform Impartner is designed to help B2B companies manage and scale their partner ecosystems effectively.

It supports all types of partners, including reseller partners, distributors, affiliates, ISVs, and more. 

Impartner offers comprehensive tools designed to help businesses enhance partner engagement, streamline operations, and drive revenue growth through indirect sales channels. 

Highlights include:

  • Automated partner onboarding and training
  • Centralized partner portals with role-based access
  • Deal registration and lead management
  • Performance tracking and analytics dashboards
  • Co-branded marketing asset creation
  • Partner business planning and goal-setting
  • Tiering and compliance automation
  • CRM integrations with real-time data sync
  • Referral and affiliate program support

Who Is Impartner Best For?

Impartner is a comprehensive PRM solution that works best for mid-sized to enterprise-level B2B companies with complex, global, or high-growth partner ecosystems. 

Pricing: Impartner offers tailored pricing. 

7. Impact.com

Impact.com is a comprehensive partnership management platform that enables businesses to manage and optimize various types of partnerships — including affiliates, influencers, creators, B2B partners, and referrals — within a single system. 

Its features include:

  • Partner discovery and recruitment automation
  • Automated payments and contracts
  • Real-time tracking and performance analytics
  • Fraud detection and prevention
  • Customizable attribution modeling
  • CRM and e-commerce platform integrations
  • Role-based access and permissions
  • Automated partner onboarding workflows
  • Benchmarking reports against industry peers

Who Is Impact.com Best For?

Impact.com is best for companies that want to build, manage, and scale diverse, performance-based partnerships in a unified platform.

It's particularly well-suited for large companies, e-commerce and DTC brands, and agencies and networks that are running partnership programs for multiple clients. 

Pricing: Impact pricing is bespoke.

8. Rewardful

Rewardful is an all-in-one affiliate and referral management platform tailored for SaaS companies and subscription-based businesses. 

It enables users to launch affiliate programs in under 15 minutes through seamless integrations with Stripe and Paddle.

Here are its top features:

  • Easy Stripe and Paddle integrations
  • Customizable commission structures
  • User-friendly affiliate portal with branded customization
  • Automated payouts via PayPal and Wise
  • Real-time tracking of referrals and conversions
  • Coupon code and link-based referral partners tracking
  • Fraud detection and prevention mechanisms
  • Affiliate finder tool 
  • White-label capabilities 
  • Analytics dashboard 

Who Is Rewardful Best For?

Rewardful is best for bootstrapped to mid-sized SaaS companies that use Stripe or Paddle for billing and want fast, no-code affiliate setup.

It's also great for subscription businesses that need recurring or one-time commission models.

Pricing: Rewardful's Starter package costs $49 per month, and its Growth bundle is $99 per month, while Enterprise pricing starts at $149 per month.  

9. Partnerize

Partnerize is a comprehensive end-to-end partnership management platform designed to help brands discover, manage, and optimize diverse partner relationships at scale.

It supports various partner types, including affiliates, influencers, and content creators. 

Its key features are as follows: 

  • Automated partner discovery and recruitment
  • Dynamic commissioning based on performance metrics
  • Real-time tracking and analytics dashboards
  • Brand safety and fraud prevention tools
  • Customizable reporting and attribution models
  • Integration with major e-commerce and CRM platforms
  • Role-based access controls and user permissions
  • Dedicated partner portals 

Who Is Partnerize Best For?

Partnerize is ideal for mid-sized to enterprise-level businesses seeking to scale their partnership programs efficiently. 

It's especially beneficial for companies that manage a diverse range of partners and/or operate in multiple regions.

Pricing: Fees vary depending on your requirements. 

How to Choose the Right PartnerStack Alternative

Ready to find the very best partner management platform for your business?

Here are three major points to consider. 

1. Prioritize CRM Compatibility

It's vital that your PRM integrates seamlessly with your CRM — such as Salesforce or HubSpot. 

A partner management platform that doesn't sync in real time can create data silos, duplicate efforts, and missed opportunities. 

So, look for a solution that supports native, two-way CRM integration to ensure accurate reporting, streamlined workflows, and a single source of truth. 

2. Focus on Channel Revenue, Not Just Signups

It's easy to get caught up in growing partner signups — but quantity doesn't equal quality. 

The right PRM should help you measure what really matters: channel revenue. 

Prioritize tools that track partner-sourced and influenced deals, connect activity to pipeline stages, and surface performance metrics. 

3. Evaluate User Experience for Partners

A great partner experience drives engagement and results. 

If your PRM requires complex logins or clunky portals, partners simply won't use it. 

It's crucial to find tools that offer frictionless interaction — like replying to deal threads via email or Slack without logging in. 

The right platform should also provide visibility into partner activity (opens, clicks, replies), allowing you to track engagement and follow up effectively without requiring constant manual check-ins.

Why Introw Leads the Pack in 2025

Introw stands out as the leading PartnerStack alternative by delivering a modern, revenue-focused approach to partner management with deep CRM integration. 

This user-friendly PRM platform delivers a fully embedded experience in platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot and offers real-time co-selling capabilities, keeping your partners and pipeline in sync. 

Meanwhile, its no-code portal builder enables tailored partner experiences, and its Slack and email integration makes communication easy, while a built-in AI Agent offers 24/7 support. 

Purpose-built for SaaS, RevOps, and scale, Introw prioritizes actual revenue over vanity metrics.

➡️ Ready to experience the future of partner management? Request a live Introw demo here.

Partner Management

Partner Analytics - Metrics & Tools to Measure Partnership Channel ROI

Andreas Geamanu
Co-founder & Growth
5 min. read
29 May 2025
⚡ TL;DR

Partner analytics is mission-critical for SaaS growth in 2025. This guide covers the six key metrics to track — from partner-sourced revenue and deal registration to forecasting accuracy and engagement. It also shows how to operationalize these insights using CRM-native tools like Introw. With real-time dashboards, automated scorecards, and Slack-based alerts, Introw helps SaaS leaders track performance, align teams, and scale high-impact partnerships without manual effort or data silos.

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Get your SaaS channel partnerships right, and they should drive a significant portion of your revenue and growth. 

But to enjoy strong results from partner programs, SaaS leaders must first understand how they are performing and why. 

This is where partner analytics comes in. 

After all, without clear visibility, leaders risk missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and poor ROI. 

Invest in partner analytics, and you’ll be empowered to make better decisions, develop stronger relationships, and enjoy more scalable, predictable partner-led growth.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the core partner analytics that SaaS businesses should be tracking, explain how to operationalize these metrics, and cover the top tools — like Introw — that power these processes. 

📈 Introw makes partner analytics easy, empowering you to make the data-driven decisions necessary to take your program to the next level. Book a demo here. 

What Is Partner Analytics?

Operating a strong partner analytics scheme is crucial for partnership success. 

But what exactly do we mean by ‘partner analytics’, and why is it so important for SaaS brands?

Defining the Term

‘Partner analytics’ refers to tracking and analyzing data on how channel, referral, or strategic partners contribute to revenue, sales pipeline, and customer acquisition. 

This means tracking key metrics that show progress towards your partner-related goals, and using these insights to regularly make data-driven decisions designed to optimize your partnership program. 

While this may sound time-consuming (and once upon a time it was), in 2025, there are plenty of partner analytics tools on the market that make tracking and analysis quick and easy. 

And it’s worth investing in these tools — in the fiercely competitive SaaS landscape of 2025, partner ecosystems are increasingly becoming a key revenue stream for brands. 

This means that understanding partner performance is more important now than ever before. 

Indeed, with tighter budgets, rising growth targets and more competition, SaaS leaders need precise insights to prioritize high-performing partnerships and scale efficiently. 

Why It’s Mission-Critical for SaaS Growth

As partner ecosystems become a core segment of SaaS go-to-market strategy, partner analytics is mission-critical for SaaS growth. 

Here’s why. 

Firstly, chief revenue officers (CROs) and chief customer officers (CCOs) rely on having a forecastable pipeline to plan and hit growth targets. 

Without clear partner data, this vital visibility breaks down. 

Meanwhile, RevOps teams demand clean, clearly-attributed data to accurately report on performance and optimize processes across channels. 

And channel managers must prove the impact of their partners to secure budget and resources. 

This is impossible without real-time insights. 

Partner analytics addresses these needs simultaneously, enabling teams to track sourced and influenced revenue, identify top-performing partners, and make confident, data-driven decisions. 

Ultimately, in a highly competitive SaaS landscape where efficiency and accountability are key, measuring and managing partner performance isn’t just helpful — it’s essential for driving sustainable, scalable growth.

Core Partner Analytics Metrics to Track

So, we’ve established that tapping into partner analytics is essential for SaaS success, and we know why it’s so important. 

But how can you effectively harness the power of partner analytics? 

Here are six types of core partner analytics metrics to track. 

1. Partner-Sourced Revenue

The most important metric when it comes to tracking third party performance, this quantifies the total revenue generated directly through leads, opportunities, or deals sourced by external partners. 

To make this metric actionable, break it down into components like:

  • Total Revenue
  • Number of Partner-Sourced Deals
  • Average Deal Size
  • Sales Cycle Length
  • ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) and MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)

Analyzing these dimensions by partner, deal stage, or deal type can reveal what’s working and where to optimize.

CRM alignment is critical. When your PRM integrates natively with your CRM (like Introw does with HubSpot and Salesforce), these metrics are automatically tracked — no need for disconnected spreadsheets or manual exports.

Instead, you get real-time, reliable insights directly inside your CRM, improving forecasting accuracy, boosting efficiency, and making strategic decisions easier and faster.

2. Partner-Influenced Revenue

Not every deal starts with a partner — but that doesn’t mean they don’t play a critical role. Partner-influenced revenue captures the deals where your direct sales team owns the motion, but a partner steps in to support, accelerate, or strengthen the outcome.

There are a few common scenarios where looping in a partner makes sense:

  • Integration Partners: let’s say your prospect mentions they use a platform you integrate with. Inviting that partner’s CSM or account manager into the deal can build trust, reduce perceived risk, and help speed up the close.
  • Reseller or Regional Partners: maybe you’re selling into a region like Australia, but don’t have local coverage. A trusted reseller can step in to help with sales execution and post-sale support — making the deal more likely to land.

While these deals aren’t “sourced” by partners, the partner’s involvement clearly adds value. The challenge is attribution: how do you track and measure that influence?

That’s where having CRM-native attribution models comes in. When you tag partner involvement — at the contact, opportunity, or activity level — you start to get real visibility into which partners are actually driving results. And over time, this data becomes a key part of understanding partner ROI, optimizing enablement, and scaling what works.

3. Deal Registration Metrics

Deal Registration Metrics track partner-submitted sales opportunities, measuring volume, approval rates, conversion rates, deal velocity, win rates and average deal size. 

These metrics help SaaS leaders evaluate partner engagement, pipeline quality, and program effectiveness, revealing how effectively partners contribute to revenue growth through registered deals.

Introw automatically syncs partner data through its integrations with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. 

It detects partner accounts, imports contacts, and maps deal registrations in real time, keeping your CRM as the single source of truth. 

The result?

Seamless collaboration and accurate tracking of partner-sourced revenue. 

4. Engagement Analytics

Your engagement analytics measure how actively partners interact with your communication and enablement channels. 

Put simply, high engagement means better partner performance and deal outcomes. 

Key indicators include email opens, showing interest in campaigns or updates; Slack replies, reflecting real-time collaboration and responsiveness; and portal views, indicating how frequently partners access resources or training materials. 

These metrics help channel managers gauge partner interest, identify engaged versus disengaged partners, and optimize communication strategies. 

Tracking these interactions enables more personalized support, targeted enablement, and data-driven decisions to improve overall partner program effectiveness and return on investment (ROI).

5. Pipeline Contribution & Forecasting Accuracy

Want to assess how much revenue partners generate and how reliably their deals close?

This is where pipeline contribution and forecasting accuracy come in. 

Tracking your partners’ contribution to your pipeline helps identify high-performing partners and predict future revenue. 

It gives you oversight of their pipeline-related activities, such as sourcing leads, registering deals, and co-selling opportunities. 

Accurate forecasting is a huge advantage for SaaS brands. 

To optimize your forecasting, you must first track accuracy using forecasting dashboards inside Salesforce or HubSpot.

6. Partner Health & Activity Score

This metric measures partner engagement and effectiveness based on key interactions and performance. 

For example, you may wish to track touchpoints like meetings or communications, shared content such as training or enablement materials accessed, and recent deals registered or closed. 

In 2025, this doesn’t have to be consuming, with partnership trackers doing the hard work for you. 

Your partner health and activity score helps to identify active, high-potential partners versus inactive ones. 

This enables channel teams to prioritize support, optimize enablement, and drive stronger pipeline contribution through more engaged partnerships.

How to Operationalize These Metrics

Once you’ve chosen the most relevant metrics for your partner program, how can you implement them? 

Here are three vital tips for actioning your partner metrics. 

Use Your CRM as the Source of Truth

Stop managing your partner analytics in spreadsheets, and instead use your CRM as your single source of truth. 

Benefits of this approach include:

  • Real-time, centralized data
  • Better data integrity and more accurate data
  • Improved scalability
  • Better security
  • Automated reporting
  • Partner trust and transparency 

To ensure your CRM is your single source of truth, it’s vital to invest in a PRM that plugs into your CRM (Introw, for example, integrates with Salesforce and HubSpot). 

Set Up Alerts and Triggers for Partner Teams

Leverage Introw’s workflow automation features to set up alerts and triggers for your partner teams in your CRM. 

This setup allows you to define specific events that automatically trigger notifications, such as a partner registering a lead, a deal reaching a new stage, or a task being assigned. 

These notifications can be sent via Slack or email, ensuring real-time communication with your partners.

This approach keeps partners informed and engaged without requiring them to log into a portal, facilitating off-portal collaboration and timely updates. 

Build Scorecards for Executive Stakeholders

Creating scorecards for executive stakeholders helps to align your partner program with your business goals — and achieving this is essential for success. 

You can use dashboards to clearly show the impact of partners on pipeline and revenue, which is crucial for engaging CROs and driving continued investment. 

With this in mind, scorecards should highlight KPIs like partner-sourced revenue, win rates, and deal velocity. 

Include mutual action plans to show progress on shared goals and timelines, and incorporate automated reporting to keep leadership informed in real time. 

This data-driven approach builds credibility, helps prioritize strategic partnerships, and ensures the partner program is seen as a measurable growth driver — not just a support function.

Tools That Power Channel Partner Analytics

In 2025, plenty of tools can significantly boost your partner analytics efforts. 

Excellent partner relationship management (PRM) software like Introw is vital for success.

Not only does it improve forecasting, performance tracking, efficiency and partner relationships, but it centralizes your collaboration and automates tedious, time-consuming tasks. 

What to Look For in a Partner Analytics Tool

  • Native CRM integration: Ensures seamless, real-time syncing of partner data with your CRM platform, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, reducing data silos and improving accuracy.
  • No manual data mapping: Automatically recognizes and aligns partner fields and objects without requiring a tedious setup.
  • Custom workflows per partner type: Allows you to tailor processes, alerts, and reporting based on partner tiers.

Why Introw PRM Stands Out

Here’s why you should consider investing in Introw PRM.

  • A powerful analytics engine built into your CRM. Introw seamlessly integrates with your existing CRM, such as Salesforce or HubSpot, embedding partner analytics directly within your primary sales platform to eliminate data silos. 
  • Track deal flow, engagement and revenue — no external tools needed. With Introw, you can monitor partner deal registrations, engagement metrics, and revenue contributions in real-time, all within your CRM, removing the need for separate tracking tools.
  • Fully white-labeled scorecards enabling partner performance insights. Introw provides customizable, white-labeled partner scorecards that offer real-time insights into partner performance, enabling you to evaluate and prioritize partnerships effectively.

➡️ Find out more about Introw’s partner portal or request a demo here

Summary: From Insight to Impact

In 2025, tracking partner analytics is non-negotiable.

After all, partner ecosystems are driving a growing share of SaaS revenue. 

Without clear data on deal flow, engagement, and ROI, companies risk underperforming partnerships, misallocated resources, and missed growth. 

Partner analytics empower smarter decisions, stronger collaboration, and measurable impact in today’s ecosystem-led go-to-market strategies.

To recap, the six key metrics every SaaS team should monitor are:

  • Partner-sourced revenue
  • Partner-influenced revenue
  • Deal registration metrics
  • Engagement analytics
  • Pipeline contribution and forecasting accuracy
  • Partner health and activity score

✅ Is it time to audit your current partner analytics system? Explore how Introw could level up your partnerships by booking a demo here today.

Partner Management

The 4 ways to manage your B2B partners in Salesforce and attribute revenue

Andreas Geamanu
Co-founder & Growth
5 min. read
30 Apr 2025
⚡ TL;DR

There are four ways to manage B2B partners in Salesforce—picklist, lookup field, relation table, or custom object. Each suits different levels of complexity. Start simple or go advanced depending on how many partners you work with and how detailed your attribution needs to be.

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When working with B2B partners, it's important to have a clear way of tracking who’s involved in your opportunities and how they contribute to revenue. In Salesforce, there’s no one-size-fits-all method — and that’s the beauty of it. Depending on your organization’s needs, technical maturity, and the complexity of your partner ecosystem, you can choose from several flexible approaches.

Below, we break down 4 common ways to manage partners in Salesforce and attribute revenue to them effectively.

1.  Picklist field on an Opportunity

Best for: Simpler programs with one partner per Opportunity

The most straightforward method is to add a picklist field to the Opportunity object — for example, a field called Partner Name or Partner Source. You pre-define a list of your partners and let your sales team select the right one during opportunity creation.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅ Easy to implement

✅ No complex relationships needed

✅ Good for easy single-partner attribution

‍What are the cons?

❌ Not ideal for scaling or multi-touch attribution

2.  Lookup field to an Account object Recommended

Best for: One-to-one attribution with better data control

A step up from a picklist is using a lookup relationship field that connects an Opportunity to an Account object. This allows you to reference a full account record (your partner) and pull in relevant details automatically.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅  Clean reference to partner data being stored in your accounts

✅  Can support reporting and automation more effectively

✅  Easy to update if the Account record changes

‍What are the cons?

❌  Limited to one partner account per opportunity

3. Via a Relation table

Best for: Multi-partner attribution or shared deals

If you need to support multiple partners per opportunity, you’ll want to use a relation table that sits between Opportunities and Partner Accounts. This creates a many-to-many relationship, enabling flexible collaboration and advanced revenue sharing logic.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅  Ideal for ecosystems with resellers, distributors, and co-marketing partners

✅  Enables advanced logic for revenue splits or co-selling

✅  Ideal for ecosystems with resellers, distributors, and co-marketing partners

‍What are the cons?

❌ Requires a more technical setup and configuration

❌  More complex for reporting unless standardized

4. Custom Object for Partners

Best for: Large-scale partner programs with tiering, statuses, and multiple partner touchpoints

For organizations that want to treat their partners as a core part of the Salesforce data model, creating a dedicated Partner object is the most robust option. You can relate this object to Opportunities, Contacts, Accounts, and more — and track custom partner attributes like tier, region, industry focus, etc.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅  Fully flexible and scalable

✅  Allows for richer partner data and automation

✅  Better suited for partner performance analytics and program insights

‍What are the cons?

❌  Requires upfront planning and schema design

❌  Needs buy-in from operations and potentially dev teams

Conclusion

Choosing the right method to manage and attribute your B2B partners in Salesforce depends on the complexity of your partnerships and the level of reporting or automation you need. While simple picklists work for early-stage programs, relation tables or custom objects are better suited for mature ecosystems.

At Introw, we help customers integrate their partner workflows directly into Salesforce — making it easy to attribute, collaborate, and scale with partners, no matter which method you use.

👉 Curious how this would work in your setup? Request a demo now.