Nutshell Review: How to Make Money as an Affiliate

Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What Is Nutshell?

Nutshell is a CRM and marketing tool for small businesses and sales teams. It keeps your contacts, deals, emails, and follow-ups in one place, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Why does that matter? Most small teams start with a spreadsheet and an inbox. That works for a while. Then a lead goes cold because nobody remembered to call back. A CRM like Nutshell fixes that.

Nutshell has been around since 2009. It says it supports more than 5,000 companies in 50 countries, and it's based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's also part of the WebFX family of companies.

Here's the simple version of what you get:

• Contact and deal management with drag-and-drop sales pipelines
• Two-way email and calendar sync with Gmail and Outlook
• Reporting and sales forecasting
• Email marketing, landing pages, and forms (some as paid add-ons)
• AI tools for call notes, meeting summaries, and a website chatbot
• Quotes, invoices, and e-signatures as an add-on
• iOS and Android apps, plus free live support on every plan

How Does Nutshell Work?

You bring in your contacts, set up a pipeline with the stages your deals go through, and connect your email. From there, Nutshell logs your emails and meetings, reminds you who to follow up with, and shows you where every deal stands.

For Users

1. Start the 14-day free trial. No credit card needed.
2. Import your contacts, or use the free data migration help during the trial.
3. Set up your pipeline stages and connect Gmail or Outlook.
4. Track deals, log calls, and send follow-ups from one screen.
5. Pick a plan when the trial ends, and add marketing tools if you need them.

For Affiliates

1. Apply to the Nutshell partner program (it runs on PartnerStack).
2. Get your referral link once you're approved.
3. Share it in reviews, CRM comparisons, tutorials, or with your clients.
4. Earn a 20% to 40% revenue share on what your referrals pay in their first year.

That's the whole model. You send small businesses to a CRM that fits them, and Nutshell handles the demo, onboarding, and support.

Nutshell Pricing

Nutshell charges per user, per month. There's no free plan, but there is a free trial, and paying yearly saves you a few dollars per user each month.

A few things worth knowing:

• The Marketing add-on is $49/month and adds A/B testing, SMS marketing, and an AI email and landing page builder
• Email marketing sends start from $5/month and are priced by contact count
• The Engagement add-on (two-way SMS, WhatsApp, and social inboxes) is $16/user/month
• Proposals and invoices are a $79/month add-on
• Nutshell says there are no setup or implementation fees, and onboarding is free

Every plan comes with a 14-day Nutshell free trial, and no card is needed. The trial ends on its own, with no charge.

Always check Nutshell's pricing page for current numbers, including annual prices and which add-ons you actually need. Plans change.

Who Should Use Nutshell?

Users

Nutshell is a good fit if you:

• Run a small business or a small sales team
• Have outgrown spreadsheets and sticky notes
• Want sales and email marketing in the same tool
• Want a CRM that's easy to learn, with real people to help
• Work in B2B services, agencies, manufacturing, or other relationship-based sales

Affiliates

It's a good fit if you:

• Write about CRMs, sales, or small business software
• Have an audience of business owners, sales leaders, or marketers
• Consult or coach businesses that need a better sales process
• Want a higher-than-average first-year revenue share

Pros and Cons of Nutshell

Pros

• Low starting price at $13 per user
• Free 14-day trial with no card, plus free migration help
• Free live support on every plan
• Sales CRM and email marketing in one place
• Generous 20% to 40% revenue share for affiliates

Cons

• No free plan, unlike some other CRMs
• Foundation caps you at 100 open leads
• Many marketing features are paid add-ons, so the real cost can climb
• Per-user pricing adds up fast for bigger teams
• For affiliates, commissions only cover the customer's first year, and the cookie length isn't published

Nutshell vs Alternatives

If your readers want the simplest CRM possible, my Capsule CRM review covers a lighter option.

For sales teams that make a lot of calls, my Close review is worth a look. And if automation is the main goal, my Keap review walks through a tool built around it.

Here's the short answer. If you want an easy, affordable CRM with email marketing built in and real support behind it, Nutshell is a solid place to start.

How to Make Money with Nutshell as an Affiliate

CRMs are great to promote. Businesses stick with them for years, and the price is per user, so one good referral can be worth a lot.

The Commission

Nutshell pays a 20% to 40% revenue share on every new customer you refer. The commission is based on the customer's total subscription for their first year. Nutshell says your rate grows as you refer more customers, but it doesn't spell out the tiers.

A few other details:

• The program runs on PartnerStack
• It's free to join, with no fees and no sales quotas
• Commissions become available about one to two months after the customer buys
• You withdraw through your PartnerStack account to the payment provider you connect
• Paid ads are allowed, but you can't bid on Nutshell's brand keywords or put affiliate links directly in ads

Nutshell's page doesn't list a cookie length or a minimum payout. Check those in your PartnerStack dashboard once you're approved.

Content Angles That Work

1. Comparisons. People shopping for a CRM compare a lot. Write Nutshell vs Pipedrive, or Nutshell vs HubSpot. Those readers are close to buying.

2. "Best CRM for..." posts. "Best CRM for small business" or "best CRM for agencies." Show where Nutshell fits next to tools like the ones in my folk review.

3. Tutorials. "How to set up a sales pipeline" or "how to move from spreadsheets to a CRM." Walk through it in Nutshell, step by step, using the free trial.

Keyword Ideas

• Nutshell review
• Nutshell CRM pricing
• Nutshell alternatives
• Nutshell vs Pipedrive
• Best CRM for small business
• CRM with email marketing

Comparison and "best of" posts tend to convert well, because the reader is already deciding.

Common Questions About Nutshell

Does Nutshell have a free plan?
No. Nutshell doesn't list a free plan. It offers a 14-day free trial instead.

Does Nutshell have a free trial?
Yes. The trial lasts 14 days, needs no credit card, and ends on its own with no charge.

How much does Nutshell cost?
Plans run $13, $25, $42, $59, and $79 per user per month. Paying yearly saves $6 to $10 per user each month. Marketing and other add-ons cost extra.

Does Nutshell do email marketing?
Yes. Email marketing is built in, with sends priced by contact count. The Marketing add-on unlocks A/B testing, SMS, and an AI campaign builder.

How much do Nutshell affiliates earn?
A 20% to 40% revenue share on the referred customer's first year of subscription, paid through PartnerStack.

Final Thoughts

Nutshell does one job well. It gives small sales teams an easy, affordable CRM with email marketing close at hand.

Is it perfect? No. There's no free plan, the cheapest tier caps your open leads, and the add-ons can push the price up.

But for small businesses that want a CRM they'll actually use, with real support behind it, it's an easy tool to recommend. And with a 20% to 40% first-year revenue share, it's a good one to have in your affiliate lineup.

Try Nutshell here.

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