Partner Channel ROI Calculator
Partner channels (resellers, agencies, marketplaces) often have lower CAC than direct sales but pay 15-30% revenue share. Calculate true partner channel ROI vs direct sales.
| Partner cost / deal (rev share) | — |
| Partner SPIFF / deal | — |
| Allocated partner mgmt cost / deal | — |
| Partner CAC / deal (effective) | — |
| Effective gross margin (after partner fee) | — |
| Profit / deal — partner | — |
| Profit / deal — direct | — |
| Recommendation | — |
Partner channels (resellers, system integrators, agencies, marketplaces) often have lower customer acquisition cost than direct sales because partners already have customer relationships. But the trade-off is 15-30% revenue share + occasional SPIFF bonuses. Calculate the true profit per deal and compare to direct sales to optimize your channel mix.
Partner Economics
Standard SaaS partner economics: resellers 15-25% revenue share, system integrators 20-30%, AWS Marketplace 3-5%, Salesforce AppExchange 25%, Microsoft AppSource 20%, Atlassian Marketplace 15%. Plus partner manager headcount cost and occasional SPIFFs (volume bonuses 5-10% on top of base share).
When Partners Win
(1) Hard-to-reach segments (international, vertical-specific, mid-market mid-tier). (2) Implementation-heavy products where agencies add customer value. (3) Marketplaces where customers prefer to buy through (AWS Marketplace, Salesforce AppExchange). (4) Public sector / SLED where procurement requires reseller relationship. (5) When direct CAC > 30% of ACV.
When Direct Wins
(1) Self-serve / PLG products with low CAC. (2) Products with high feature velocity (partners can't keep up). (3) Strategic accounts where direct relationship matters. (4) When direct CAC < partner revenue share (e.g., $5K CAC vs $7K partner fee on $30K ACV). (5) When partner conflict / channel cannibalization risks exist.
Last updated May 2026. Sources: Gartner Partner Research, Crossbeam Partner Ecosystem.