How to migrate from FirstPromoter without breaking a single affiliate link

The reason most teams stay on affiliate software they've outgrown isn't the export — it's the links. Hundreds of affiliates have shared thousands of URLs, and switching platforms usually means every one of them breaks until every affiliate updates every placement. Many never do. Attribution dies quietly, trust follows, and the migration gets blamed.

This guide walks through migrating from FirstPromoter to affixo the way it's designed to be done: no link ever changes, and FirstPromoter keeps running until you've verified everything.

Why the links survive

Three mechanisms, working together:

• Slugs import unchanged. Each affiliate's referral code carries over exactly, so yoursite.com/?fpr=maria_k still resolves to Maria. On the rare collision, affixo mints a safe variant and shows you exactly which links to check.
• FirstPromoter's parameters are native. affixo's snippet reads ?fpr=, ?via= and the other FirstPromoter-era parameters out of the box — the link format your affiliates already use just keeps working.
• Even pre-switch clicks count. The snippet also reads the FirstPromoter cookie already sitting on a visitor's device, so someone who clicked an affiliate link before you migrated still credits the right affiliate when they buy after.

What comes across in the import

The API import brings the whole program, each dataset individually selectable: campaigns with their cookie windows and attribution models; commission rules including per-plan scope, recurring terms and step-down schedules; affiliates; referral links and slugs; coupon-code mappings; referrals; full commission and payout history including chargebacks (imported as proper reversals); payout terms; sub-affiliate hierarchies; and tier level-up rules.

Two honest footnotes. Coupon mappings are preserved so attribution resolves, but you'll re-create the codes themselves in your own Stripe — affixo doesn't touch your Stripe during import. And links that run through FirstPromoter's own hosted redirect domain depend on their infrastructure; it's the links pointing at your site that keep working, which is what the pre-switch coverage check confirms with you.

The money question

You will not pay anything twice. Historical commissions import as history, not liability — affixo starts your ledger at $0 owed. Outstanding balances stay FirstPromoter's ledger: settle them there as your last act on the platform, and only new sales become payable in affixo. This is also what makes the parallel-run pattern safe.

When to flip the switch

Keep both platforms live until three things are true: the tracking test passes on your domains, a real affiliate link attributes correctly in the link test, and you've seen a real conversion resolve end-to-end in affixo. Then send the announcement, wind down FirstPromoter, and pocket the difference — affixo starts at $19/mo against FirstPromoter's $49, and undercuts them at every level above that, with zero transaction fees on the payouts you make.

For the full comparison — pricing, attribution, and where the two tools genuinely differ — see the FirstPromoter alternative page.