MedStands pays a recurring fixed marketing fee of $36 to $260 per active referred customer per month, set by the medication category, for as long as that customer keeps using the platform. Ro runs an in-house affiliate program built on a one-time CPA that is publicly reported at around $50 to $75 per conversion. That single difference, recurring monthly versus paid once, is the whole story, so this post lays out the facts and lets you decide.
At a glance
| MedStands | Ro | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment model | A recurring fixed marketing fee by medication category (a flat per-category dollar amount, not a commission, percentage, or share of sales) | A one-time CPA per conversion (publicly reported) |
| When you are paid | Every month a referral stays active | Once, at the qualifying conversion |
| How much per referral | $36 to $260 per active customer per month, by category | Publicly reported at around $50 to $75 per conversion (hedged, aggregator figure) |
| How long a referral counts | Tied to you for life, stored on the account at signup | Attribution not brand-confirmed; a roughly 30-day cookie is the sector norm, not a Ro-specific figure |
| Cost to join | $0, free to join, no setup or monthly fee | Not publicly disclosed |
| Sign-up requirements | Self-serve, live the same day, admin review, no follower minimum | Not publicly detailed |
| Referral cap | No cap on referrals or earnings | Not publicly disclosed |
| Who handles the clinical side | Licensed providers prescribe, licensed pharmacies fulfill; you do no clinical work and hold no inventory | Vertically integrated telehealth with in-house clinical operations |
The math: recurring monthly vs one-time
The structural difference is easiest to see over a year with one referred customer.
A one-time CPA pays you a single amount when the referral converts, and then it is done. Ro's CPA is publicly reported at around $50 to $75, so that referral pays roughly $50 to $75 total, one time, no matter how long the person stays a customer afterward.
MedStands pays a fixed marketing fee every month that same customer stays active. The fee is set by the medication category and falls between $36 and $260 per active customer per month. So a customer who stays active for a year is paid on twelve times, not once. Even at the low end of the range, a referral who stays active month after month is a recurring line on your monthly payout rather than a single event at signup.
To be clear and honest about it: this is not a promise of a guaranteed total. Your actual MedStands earnings depend on the medication category of each referral and on how many referred people qualify and stay active. Not everyone qualifies, and people can stop. The $36 to $260 figure is the per-customer monthly fee schedule by category, not a projection of what you will earn. The point of the comparison is the shape of the payment, recurring versus one-time, not a specific dollar guarantee.
There is also no cap on either side of the MedStands model. There is no ceiling on how many people you refer and no ceiling on total earnings, so recurring fees stack as your active base grows.
Lifetime binding vs an undisclosed window
Attribution decides whether a referral still counts to you weeks or months later, and the two programs handle it very differently.
With MedStands, a referred customer or business is bound to you for life. The link is stored on the account at signup, not in a browser cookie that expires. It does not matter when the person comes back or what device they use; the account stays tied to you.
Ro's attribution terms are not brand-confirmed. A roughly 30-day cookie window is the norm across telehealth affiliate programs, but there is no Ro-specific figure published, so we will not present one as fact. A cookie-based window, wherever it lands, is a fundamentally different mechanism from an attribution that is stored on the account and does not expire. If you want to understand why lifetime binding matters for long sales cycles, see How Telehealth Referral Attribution Works (Lifetime Tracking).
Cost, sign-up, and who does the clinical work
MedStands is free to join. There is no setup fee, no monthly fee, and nothing to buy. You get paid, you never pay. Sign-up is self-serve, your QR code and personal link are ready the same day you sign up, and an admin reviews the account. There is no follower or audience-size minimum, so you do not need a large platform to qualify. Ro does not publicly disclose its join cost or sign-up requirements, so we cannot compare specific numbers there.
On the clinical side, MedStands is not a medical practice and does not prescribe. Licensed providers do the prescribing, and licensed pharmacies handle fulfillment, refills, and shipping on a LegitScript-certified platform. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, and not everyone qualifies. As a partner or affiliate you do no clinical work and hold no inventory. Ro is a vertically integrated telehealth company that runs its own clinical operations in-house, which is a different structure for the company but is not something an affiliate is involved in either way.
One more MedStands-specific point worth knowing: affiliates can both sell directly on their own link and refer businesses into the partner program. A referred business still earns its own fee in full, so nobody earns less because you referred them. If you are weighing the two paths, Partner vs Affiliate: Which MedStands Program Fits You? breaks it down.
Where Ro might be a fit
Ro is a large, well-known, vertically integrated telehealth brand, and that name recognition can help conversion for some audiences. If your goal is a simple one-time CPA and you would rather be paid a lump sum at signup than manage a recurring relationship, a strict CPA model like Ro's is straightforward and predictable per conversion. It is a reasonable choice when you are optimizing for a single upfront payout rather than long-term recurring income.
Common questions
Is the MedStands fee a commission or a percentage of sales?
No. It is a fixed marketing fee set by the medication category, a flat per-category dollar amount between $36 and $260 per active customer per month. It is not a commission, a percentage, or a share of sales or revenue. For more on why that distinction matters, see Is a Telehealth Referral Fee a Commission?.
How is MedStands different from a one-time CPA like Ro's?
A CPA pays once, at signup. MedStands pays every month a referral stays active. Over a year, the same active referral is paid on repeatedly under the MedStands model, versus a single payment under a CPA.
How much does it cost to join MedStands?
Nothing. It is free to join with no setup fee and no monthly fee. You get paid, you never pay. Ro's join cost is not publicly disclosed.
When and how do I get paid?
MedStands pays monthly to your bank via Stripe Connect, with a US$25 minimum payout. A balance below the minimum rolls over to the next month.
Ready to earn recurring fees?
If recurring income beats a one-time payout for you, the MedStands affiliate program is free to join, live the same day, and pays a fixed monthly marketing fee for the life of every active referral. You can also read How to Earn Recurring Income Referring Businesses to Telehealth to see how the recurring model compounds over time.
Competitor program terms are as of July 2026 and come from each brand's published affiliate information. Programs change, so check their current terms.