Migrate from Tapfiliate to TrackRev: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Tapfiliate is one of the most established affiliate platforms on the market, and its strength is e-commerce — Shopify stores with thousands of SKUs, multi-currency carts, and complex coupon stacking. For Stripe-native SaaS programs that need none of that, Tapfiliate is a heavy tool sold at an e-commerce price. Most SaaS-to-TrackRev migrations cut tooling cost 40–50% and quietly retire 6–10 features the SaaS team never used — multi-language storefront tracking, SKU-level commissioning, coupon-stack attribution, Shopify deep-link routing.

This guide is the operational checklist for SaaS programs moving off Tapfiliate. Every export menu, the API-based bulk export path for programs above 500 affiliates, the campaign structure remap, the JS swap, the 14-day parallel run, and the affiliate notification email. Plan 4–7 working days for a typical SaaS migration, regardless of program size — Tapfiliate's data model is rich enough that the time is in the mapping, not the affiliate count.

Why teams migrate from Tapfiliate to TrackRev

Three structural reasons drive most Tapfiliate-to-TrackRev migrations. The fourth — feature surplus — is the one buyers don't realise matters until they list what they actually use.

• Price-to-use ratio. Tapfiliate's pricing is calibrated for e-commerce programs running SKU-level commissioning. SaaS programs using maybe 30% of the surface area pay for 100% of it.
• Stripe-native rather than Shopify-native. Tapfiliate's Stripe integration is solid but the platform's centre of gravity is Shopify. TrackRev's centre of gravity is Stripe — every primitive maps to a Stripe object.
• Server-side attribution by default. Tapfiliate offers server-side via REST API, but configuration is significant. TrackRev's server-side fallback is on by default, which is what closes the ITP/ad-blocker gap. See server-side vs client-side click tracking.
• Feature surplus. Multi-language storefront UI, SKU-level commission overrides, Shopify deep-link routing, coupon-stack attribution, full MLM affiliate hierarchies — these are powerful for e-commerce and unused weight for most SaaS programs.

What you'll preserve from Tapfiliate

The SaaS-relevant subset of Tapfiliate maps cleanly into TrackRev. Most of what you'll preserve is what you actively use.

• Affiliate accounts — email, name, custom referral code, commission tier, payout details.
• Referral link slugs — re-issue identical slugs to keep existing creator content live.
• Conversion history — past conversions imported as historical records.
• Lifetime-paid totals — payout ledger imported so affiliate dashboards stay continuous.
• Standard commission structures — flat, tiered, recurring, lifetime windows. The SKU-level overrides typically aren't worth migrating for SaaS programs.

What you can't (or shouldn't) directly migrate

Tapfiliate has powerful features that don't have direct TrackRev equivalents — and for most SaaS programs, that's fine. Be honest about what you'd lose.

• Multi-tier MLM hierarchies beyond 2 levels. Tapfiliate supports deep MLM trees (3+ levels). TrackRev supports two-tier (sub-affiliate) commissions. If your program genuinely uses 3+ levels and revenue depends on it, evaluate this gap carefully before committing.
• SKU-level commission overrides. If different products in your catalogue pay different commission rates per SKU, Tapfiliate models this directly. TrackRev models commission by plan or campaign — most SaaS programs are at the plan level, not the SKU level, but confirm yours.
• Multi-language affiliate dashboard. Tapfiliate's affiliate portal supports multiple languages; TrackRev's is English-default. Communicate this to international affiliates explicitly.
• Coupon-stack attribution. Tapfiliate handles stacked discount codes natively (affiliate code + storefront promo code on the same order). TrackRev's promo-code attribution is single-code-per-conversion. Rare in SaaS, common in e-commerce.
• Custom field migration. Tapfiliate lets you add arbitrary custom fields to affiliate profiles. TrackRev has a fixed schema with notes. Export custom fields as a sidecar CSV and store separately if they matter for reporting.

Pre-migration checklist

Half is data export, half is honest assessment of what you actually use.

• List the Tapfiliate features you've used in the last 30 days. If it's 4 or fewer, the migration is straightforward; if it's 8+, audit each one against TrackRev's feature list before committing.
• Export the affiliate list (Settings → Export → Affiliates CSV).
• Export conversions (Settings → Export → Conversions CSV). For programs above ~5,000 conversions, use the API endpoint instead — the UI export times out.
• Export the payout ledger (Settings → Export → Payouts CSV).
• Screenshot the Programs configuration page (Tapfiliate's Programs map to TrackRev Campaigns).
• Pull custom-field data as a sidecar CSV if you've used custom fields.
• Identify your tracking subdomain (e.g. refer.yourdomain.com) and DNS provider.
• Decide your attribution window upfront. Tapfiliate defaults vary by config; TrackRev defaults to 90 days.
• Pick the cutover date right after a payout run — quiet affiliate window.
• Draft the affiliate notification email and queue it for cutover day.

Step 1: Export your data from Tapfiliate

Tapfiliate's exports live under Settings → Export. The UI exports work for programs under ~5,000 conversions; above that, use the REST API endpoints (/affiliates, /conversions, /payouts) with pagination.

• Affiliates CSV: email, name, custom code, commission tier, payout method.
• Conversions CSV: per-conversion Stripe customer ID, affiliate, commission, status, timestamp.
• Payouts CSV: lifetime-paid totals per affiliate.
• Programs configuration: not fully in the CSV — screenshot the Programs page and note each Program's commission rule.
• API export (for 5,000+ conversions): GET /1.6/conversions with pagination. Bearer token from Settings → API.

Step 2: Set up your TrackRev workspace

Two integrations get attribution working.

• Create a TrackRev workspace and connect Stripe with a restricted API key (read charges, customers, subscriptions).
• Set the attribution window in workspace settings. Match Tapfiliate's window for the parallel-run comparison.
• Add your tracking subdomain via TrackRev's domain settings. Use a second subdomain (e.g. refer2.yourdomain.com) during the 14-day parallel run, swap at decommission.
• Recreate each Tapfiliate Program as a TrackRev Campaign + Commission Rule pair. Use the screenshots from Step 1.

Step 3: Import affiliates and links

Reshape Tapfiliate's Affiliates CSV into TrackRev's import format. Tapfiliate's column names differ but the data is a direct match for the SaaS-relevant subset.

email,first_name,last_name,custom_slug,commission_tier,recurring,payout_method,payout_email
riley@example.com,Riley,Brown,riley-b,20,true,paypal,riley@example.com
morgan@example.com,Morgan,Cho,morgan,25,true,wise,morgan@example.com

Tapfiliate's referral_code becomes TrackRev's custom_slug. Re-issue every affiliate's existing code so the same short URLs continue resolving. If you've used SKU-level commission overrides, decide upfront whether to flatten to a single plan-level rate per affiliate or to migrate the overrides as TrackRev campaign-level rules.

Step 4: Configure attribution and commissions

Rebuild the commission structure that maps to your actual SaaS billing model — not Tapfiliate's full configuration.

• Recreate each commission tier under Workspace → Commissions.
• Set the same minimum payout threshold.
• Configure the same cookie window for new clicks.
• If migrating two-tier commissions, configure tier-2 (sub-affiliate) under TrackRev's commission rules.
• If you used SKU-level overrides in Tapfiliate but are flattening for SaaS, document the decision so the SKU-by-SKU breakdown isn't lost in case you need to revisit.
• Set currency handling explicitly. Tapfiliate handles multi-currency conversions automatically; in TrackRev, confirm Stripe's settlement currency matches your commission calculation currency.

Step 5: Switch tracking script and notify affiliates

Swap Tapfiliate's snippet for TrackRev's. Their namespaces don't collide, so both can run during parallel verification. Send the announcement email at cutover.

1Subject: New affiliate dashboard — your account is ready2 3Hi {{first_name}},4 5We're moving the affiliate program to a leaner platform that's built6specifically around Stripe billing.7 8What stays the same:9- Your referral link: {{old_short_link}}10- Your commission rate: {{commission_rate}}%11- Your lifetime balance: ${{lifetime_balance}}12 13What's changing:14- New dashboard: {{trackrev_login_url}}15- Account already created — use {{affiliate_email}} to set a password.16- Tapfiliate dashboard stays read-only for 30 days at17  {{old_dashboard_url}} so you can cross-check anything.18 19The new dashboard shows real-time revenue attribution and faster20payout processing. If you only promoted via your referral link, no21action needed — every link you've shared keeps working.22 23If you've used a promo code, we've already mapped it across.24 25Questions? Reply to this email — we'll respond same day.26 27Thanks for being part of the program.

Step 6: Run both in parallel for 14 days

Tapfiliate migrations benefit from the full 14 days because the platforms model some concepts differently — campaign structure, commission rules — and edge cases surface in days 7–14 rather than days 1–7.

• Daily: compare conversion counts. Expect TrackRev within ±10% of Tapfiliate. Larger deltas usually indicate a campaign-mapping issue.
• Day 7: hand-reconcile 20 random conversions against Stripe charges. Both should match Stripe.
• Day 10: verify currency handling. Pull a sample of multi-currency conversions and confirm commission amounts match between platforms within FX-rate tolerance.
• Day 14: review parallel-run report. If counts, balances, and currency totals match, proceed to decommission.

Step 7: Decommission Tapfiliate

Confirm before cancellation. Tapfiliate's account-closure flow is straightforward but historical raw data isn't recoverable.

• Archive final Affiliates, Conversions, Payouts, and custom-field CSVs (12-month dispute window).
• Remove Tapfiliate's webhook from Stripe (Developers → Webhooks).
• Strip Tapfiliate's tracking snippet from the site. Keep TrackRev's.
• Hold the Tapfiliate account in read-only for 30 days before full cancellation.

Tapfiliate vs TrackRev: feature and pricing comparison

Honest comparison. Tapfiliate has a deeper feature set across e-commerce-specific scenarios; TrackRev is narrower and Stripe-focused. For SaaS programs, the narrower surface is usually a feature, not a limitation.

Common gotchas specific to Tapfiliate migrations

Three issues dominate Tapfiliate-to-TrackRev support load. Plan around them in the import phase.

Program-to-Campaign structure

Tapfiliate's Programs bundle a tracking config + commission rule + brand assets. TrackRev splits these. Map each Program to a TrackRev Campaign + Commission Rule pair before importing affiliates — otherwise affiliates get assigned to a default campaign with the wrong commission rule.

Custom field handling

If your team has used Tapfiliate's custom affiliate fields (e.g. for partner manager assignment, region tagging, account size), TrackRev's schema doesn't model arbitrary fields. Either flatten into the notes field (good for human reference, bad for reporting) or maintain a sidecar lookup CSV — most teams pick the sidecar.

Multi-currency commission settlement

Tapfiliate auto-converts commission amounts to the affiliate's payout currency. TrackRev settles in the Stripe charge currency by default, with payout-currency conversion at payout time. Confirm with affiliates upfront — international affiliates spotting different commission amounts in their dashboard mid-month is the single most common day-one support ticket.

Migration timeline

Plan 4–7 working days end-to-end regardless of program size. The time isn't in affiliate count — it's in mapping Tapfiliate's richer feature surface (Programs, custom fields, multi-currency, SKU overrides) into TrackRev's narrower SaaS-shaped model. Programs above 1,000 affiliates run the same 4–7 days plus a slightly longer parallel-run window.

Why TrackRev for Stripe-native SaaS programs

TrackRev is purpose-built for SaaS programs running on Stripe. The data model matches Stripe's primitives — customer, subscription, charge — without the e-commerce overhead. The same pipeline that handles affiliates also attributes every other channel on the same Stripe revenue. The feature surface lives at Stripe affiliate tracking, payouts, and analytics. For a feature-by-feature head-to-head, see our Tapfiliate alternative writeup. Free tier at /pricing, 10-minute walkthrough at /how-it-works, start the workspace at /signup.