It would be recurring assuming he gets a certain amount of signups each month. But in month 2, he no longer gets that money from the customers - that goes strai

It would be recurring assuming he gets a certain amount of signups each month. But in month 2, he no longer gets that money from the customers - that goes straight to the other company. He may get a one-off payout of $100 or so per signup, but if he had his own service he would continue to make money from the original signups while gaining new ones each month. Recurring payments > One-time payment.