20 Best Referral Marketing Software Reviewed In 2024
Best Referral Marketing Software Shortlist
Here’s my shortlist of the best referral marketing software:
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
Finding the right referral marketing software can be tricky. With so many options out there, it’s hard to know which one will truly help you grow your customer base and build loyalty. As a company, you need tools that deliver real value without adding unnecessary complexity.
That’s why, as part of our RevOps focus, we’re diving into referral marketing software. After all, a great referral program doesn’t just increase sales—it fosters deeper customer relationships and turns loyal customers into your best advocates. By leveraging my experience with marketing technology, I’ve tested and compared top referral software to provide detailed insights that will help you find the perfect fit for your business.
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Best Referral Marketing Software Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top referral marketing software selections, helping you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| impact.com | Pricing upon request | Website |
| PartnerStack | Pricing upon request | Website |
| Referral Factory | From $76/month (when billed annually) | Website |
| Mention Me | From $299/month | Website |
| Referral Rock | From $175/month | Website |
| Refersion | From $99/month (paid annually) | Website |
| GrowSurf | From $125/month | Website |
| InviteReferrals | From $99/month | Website |
| Affiliatly | From $16/month | Website |
| Levanta | From $150/month | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareHow to Choose Referral Marketing Software
It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:
| Factor | What to Consider |
| Scalability | Will the software grow with your team’s needs? |
| Integrations | Does it integrate with the tools your team already uses? |
| Customizability | Can you tailor the software to fit your specific requirements? |
| Ease of Use | Is the software intuitive enough for your team to adopt quickly? |
| Budget | Does the software fit within your financial constraints? |
| Security Safeguards | Are there adequate measures to protect your data? |
| Analytics | Does it provide insights into customer behavior and referrals? |
| Support | Is there reliable customer support when you need help? |
Best Referral Marketing Software Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best referral marketing software that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features of each tool including pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases to help you find the best one for you.
impact.com is a partnership management platform designed for businesses looking to manage and scale their affiliate, influencer, and strategic partner relationships. It provides tools for tracking, analyzing, and optimizing partner performance, helping businesses enhance their marketing strategies through effective partnerships.
Why I picked impact.com: impact.com's Advocate solution allows brands to build customizable referral programs, tailoring experiences to match their branding and strategic goals. It supports the creation of on-brand referral assets such as widgets and emails, which can be strategically placed throughout the customer journey to maximize engagement. The software's automated workflows also enhance the management of the referral process, from tracking and reward fulfillment to fraud detection, saving time and resources for marketing teams.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include flexible reward systems, allowing for various incentives like discounts and gift cards, engagement tools that include gamification elements and personalized sharing options, and analytics dashboards to track performance metrics, enabling marketers to make informed, data-driven decisions to optimize their referral programs.
Integrations include Shopify, Adobe Commerce (Magento), WooCommerce, Ecwid, BigCommerce, Salesforce, HubSpot, Stripe, Adjust, Branch, AppsFlyer, and Google Tag Manager.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Embeddable widgets and personalized share links
- Automated workflows for referral tracking
- Highly configurable referral programs
Cons:
- Integration with certain systems may require additional tools like Zapier
- The platform may be technically complex
PartnerStack is a partner management platform designed for businesses aiming to expand through B2B partnerships. It's primarily used by companies that want to manage and scale their partner programs effectively.
Why I picked PartnerStack: PartnerStack enables you to automate partner onboarding, making it easier for your team to manage new partnerships. Its dashboard provides real-time insights into partner performance, helping you optimize your strategies. The platform's support for multiple partner types allows you to diversify your partnership programs. PartnerStack is tailored for businesses seeking to expand their reach through strategic alliances.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include automated partner onboarding that simplifies the integration of new partners, real-time performance tracking to keep you informed, and support for various partner types to enhance program diversity. These features help streamline the management of your B2B partnerships.
Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Stripe, Shopify, Zapier, Xero, and Google Analytics.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Scalable program management
- Provides real-time insights
- Automated onboarding
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- High starting price
Referral Factory is a referral marketing software designed for businesses looking to create and manage their own referral programs without extensive coding knowledge or technical expertise. It's ideal for marketing teams and small businesses that need a straightforward way to boost customer referrals.
Why I picked Referral Factory: This tool offers a user-friendly interface that lets you build referral campaigns with ease. With its drag-and-drop editor, you can customize your campaigns to align with your brand. The platform provides templates to help you get started quickly and efficiently. Additionally, Referral Factory supports multiple languages, making it a versatile choice for diverse markets.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include referral analytics that provide real-time insights into your program's performance. The platform also offers fraud alerts to notify you of suspicious activities, ensuring that only legitimate referrals are rewarded. Additionally, Referral Factory provides built-in email notifications to keep both referrers and invitees informed throughout the referral process.
Integrations include HubSpot, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Slack, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, Google Analytics, Facebook, and Instagram.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Campaigns can run in multiple languages
- Flexible reward options
- Offers a variety of customizable templates
Cons:
- Analytics could be more in-depth
- Customization limits in basic plans
Mention Me is a referral marketing platform designed for businesses that want to harness the power of customer advocacy. It's geared towards companies that aim to grow through word-of-mouth referrals and strong customer relationships.
Why I picked Mention Me: This tool provides advanced referral tracking that gives you insights into customer behavior. With A/B testing features, you can optimize your referral campaigns to see what works best. The platform's focus on customer advocacy helps you build long-term relationships. Mention Me's personalized referral experiences set it apart, allowing you to tailor interactions to your audience.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include advanced referral tracking that provides detailed insights, A/B testing to improve campaign performance, and personalized referral experiences to engage your customers. These features help you build and maintain strong customer relationships.
Integrations include Salesforce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Google Analytics, and Facebook.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Long-term relationship building
- Strong customer advocacy focus
- A/B testing and personalize experience capabilities
Cons:
- Requires technical knowledge
- Limited template options
Referral Rock is a referral marketing software tailored for small businesses that want to grow through customer referrals. It's designed to automate and manage referral programs, making it easy for businesses to expand their customer base.
Why I picked Referral Rock: This tool offers automation features that simplify referral management for small teams. Its user-friendly interface lets your team set up and customize referral programs quickly. The reporting tools provide insights into referral performance, which is crucial for small businesses. Referral Rock supports multiple reward types, allowing you to tailor incentives to your audience.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include automated referral tracking that saves your team time, customizable referral programs to meet your unique needs, and insightful reporting tools that provide you with performance data. These features work together to make managing your referral efforts straightforward.
Integrations include HubSpot, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Zapier, Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Constant Contact, Google Analytics, and LinkedIn.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Automated tracking
- Detailed reporting
- Easy setup
Cons:
- Needs more tutorial resources
- Limited customization
Refersion is an affiliate marketing platform tailored for businesses looking to manage influencer and affiliate relationships effectively. It's ideal for marketing teams that need detailed tracking and management of influencer campaigns.
Why I picked Refersion: The platform offers advanced tracking capabilities, allowing your team to monitor sales and commissions accurately. You can customize commission structures to fit different influencer agreements. With its analytics, you can gain insights into campaign performance, helping you optimize your strategies. Refersion's focus on influencer marketing makes it a strong choice for businesses wanting to leverage influencer partnerships.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include advanced tracking that ensures accurate monitoring of sales and commissions, customizable commission structures to suit various agreements, and analytics that provide insights into campaign performance. These features help you manage your influencer and affiliate efforts efficiently.
Integrations include Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Stripe, PayPal, Squarespace, Weebly, Google Analytics, and Mailchimp.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Detailed analytics
- Custom commission structures
- Strong influencer focus
Cons:
- Needs regular updates
- Steeper learning curve
GrowSurf is a referral marketing software tailored for startups looking to grow their customer base through referral campaigns. It's designed for small teams that need an efficient way to manage and track their referral efforts.
Why I picked GrowSurf: The platform offers automated referral tracking, which saves your team time and effort. You can easily customize referral campaigns to fit your brand's needs. With real-time analytics, you can monitor campaign performance and make necessary adjustments. GrowSurf's simplicity and focus on startups make it a valuable tool for growing businesses.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include automated referral tracking that reduces manual work, customizable campaigns to match your brand's identity, and real-time analytics to keep track of performance. These features help you manage referral campaigns efficiently.
Integrations include Zapier, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Slack, Google Analytics, Stripe, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, and Squarespace.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Real-time analytics
- Customizable campaigns
- Automated tracking
Cons:
- Basic reporting tools
- Limited advanced features
InviteReferrals is a referral marketing tool designed for businesses looking to expand their reach through social media. It's used by companies that want to leverage customer networks to gain new clients.
Why I picked InviteReferrals: The tool simplifies the process of creating and managing referral campaigns, allowing your team to focus on growth. With social media sharing features, you can easily extend your reach across various platforms. The customizable campaign options let you tailor your referrals to match your brand. InviteReferrals provides analytics that help you track the success of your campaigns.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include simple campaign creation that saves time, social media sharing to extend your reach, and customizable options to fit your brand's needs. These features help you manage your referral efforts effectively.
Integrations include Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, WordPress, Mailchimp, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Customizable options
- Simple campaign setup
- Easy social sharing
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Requires manual tracking
Affiliatly is an affiliate marketing tool geared towards businesses looking to efficiently track commissions and manage affiliate relationships. It's ideal for companies that need detailed tracking without the complexity of larger platforms.
Why I picked Affiliatly: The tool offers straightforward commission tracking, allowing your team to monitor affiliate earnings effectively. With customizable commission structures, you can tailor payouts to fit your business model. The platform's user-friendly interface makes it easy to set up and manage your affiliate network. Affiliatly's focus on simplicity and efficiency sets it apart for businesses that need reliable tracking.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include easy commission tracking to keep tabs on earnings, customizable commission structures to suit your business needs, and a simple interface that makes managing affiliates easy. These features provide a straightforward approach to affiliate management.
Integrations include Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Ecwid, Squarespace, Weebly, PrestaShop, OpenCart, and PayPal.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Reliable performance
- Supports multiple stores
- Customizable commissions
Cons:
- Limited design flexibility
- No mobile app
Levanta is an affiliate marketing software designed specifically for Amazon sellers and creators. Its primary users are those looking to increase sales through influencer and affiliate partnerships. The software provides tools to manage these relationships and track performance effectively.
Why I picked Levanta: Levanta offers an AI-powered dashboard that simplifies the management of affiliate programs. With features like automated payment processing and performance tracking, your team can handle affiliate partnerships efficiently. The software's integration with Amazon's API ensures fluid data flow and accurate tracking. Levanta stands out for its competitive commission rates and Brand Referral Bonus, which can be attractive to both sellers and affiliates.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include an AI-powered dashboard to manage affiliate relationships, automated payment processing that saves you time, and performance-tracking tools to monitor your affiliate efforts. These features help streamline your affiliate marketing activities.
Integrations include Amazon API.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Brand Referral Bonus
- Competitive commission rates
- AI dashboard
Cons:
- Limited third-party integrations
- Limited to Amazon sellers
Other Referral Marketing Software
Here are some additional referral marketing software options that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:
- Viral Loops
For viral campaigns
- ReferralCandy
For ecommerce stores
- Post Affiliate Pro
For affiliate program tracking
- SaaSquatch
For subscription services
- Ambassador
For enterprise solutions
- Everflow
For performance tracking
- VYPER
For viral content creators
- ReferralHero
For quick setup
- Buyapowa
For retail brands
- Birdeye Referrals
For local businesses
Referral Marketing Software Selection Criteria
When selecting the best referral marketing software to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like ease of integration with existing systems and intuitive campaign management. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Referral tracking
- Reward automation
- Customizable referral campaigns
- Integration with popular ecommerce platforms
- Referral performance analysis
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Multi-language support
- Advanced fraud detection
- API Access
- Customizable reward structures
- Flexible integration options
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Interface Intuitiveness
- Ease of navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Clear documentation
- Responsive design
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Access to interactive product tours
- Ready-to-use templates
- Live webinars
- Chatbot assistance
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- Availability of live chat
- In-depth knowledge base
- Email support response time
- Access to phone support
- Dedicated account manager
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Competitive pricing
- Tiered pricing options
- Free trial availability
- Pricing transparency
- Feature set relative to price
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Positive feedback on performance
- Commonly reported issues
- Praise for customer support
- User satisfaction with features
- Recommendations from existing users
Trends In Referral Marketing Software
In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different referral marketing software vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on:
- AI-driven insights: More software vendors are incorporating AI to provide deeper insights into customer behavior and referral patterns. This helps businesses tailor their strategies more effectively. Some tools even suggest optimal times to send referral requests based on user activity.
- Personalization features: Users are demanding more personalized referral experiences. Software now offers options to customize referral messages and rewards based on user preferences. This trend enhances engagement and increases the likelihood of successful referrals.
- Gamification elements: Adding gamification to referral programs is becoming popular. By incorporating points, badges, and leaderboards, companies can make the referral process more engaging. This approach motivates customers to participate more actively.
- Advanced fraud prevention: As referral marketing grows, so does the need for security. Vendors are introducing sophisticated fraud detection tools to ensure genuine referrals. These features help maintain the integrity of referral programs and protect businesses from fraudulent activities.
- Cross-platform referrals: With users engaging on multiple platforms, the ability to track and manage referrals across channels is in demand. Some vendors are offering features that allow seamless tracking of referrals from social media, email, and direct web traffic, providing a more comprehensive view of referral effectiveness.
What Is Referral Marketing Software?
Referral marketing software is a tool that helps businesses manage and track customer referral programs. Marketing professionals, sales teams, and business owners typically use these tools to increase customer acquisition and engagement. Tracking referrals, automating rewards, and providing analytics support businesses in optimizing their referral strategies. Overall, these tools simplify the process of leveraging word-of-mouth marketing to grow a company's customer base.
Features of Referral Marketing Software
When selecting referral marketing software, keep an eye out for the following key features:
- Referral tracking: Monitors and records referral activity to help businesses understand the effectiveness of their campaigns.
- Automated rewards: Streamlines the process of distributing rewards to participants, saving time and reducing manual errors.
- Customizable campaigns: Allows businesses to tailor referral programs to align with their brand and engagement strategies.
- Analytics and reporting: Provides insights into referral performance, enabling businesses to optimize their strategies for better results.
- Fraud detection: Protects the integrity of referral programs by identifying and preventing fraudulent activities.
- Social media integration: Facilitates easy sharing of referral links across popular social platforms to increase reach.
- Multi-language support: Enables businesses to run referral programs in multiple languages, catering to a global audience.
- Gamification elements: Adds engaging aspects like points and leaderboards to motivate participants.
- API access: Offers flexibility by allowing businesses to integrate referral marketing solutions with other systems.
- A/B testing: Helps determine the most effective referral strategies by comparing different campaign variations.
Benefits of Referral Marketing Software
Implementing referral marketing software provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Increased customer acquisition: By leveraging existing customers to bring in new ones, referral programs boost your reach and grow your customer base.
- Cost-effective marketing: Referral marketing often requires less investment compared to traditional advertising, making it a budget-friendly option.
- Enhanced brand loyalty: Customers who refer others are more likely to stay loyal, strengthening your customer relationships.
- Data-driven insights: Analytics and reporting features provide valuable insights, helping you make informed decisions to improve your strategies.
- Time savings: Automation of tasks like reward distribution reduces manual work, freeing up time for your team to focus on other priorities.
- Improved campaign performance: Features like A/B testing and gamification help optimize campaigns, leading to better results.
- Fraud prevention: Advanced fraud detection safeguards your referral programs, ensuring only genuine referrals are rewarded.
Costs and Pricing of Referral Marketing Software
Selecting referral marketing software requires an understanding of the various pricing models and plans available. Costs vary based on features, team size, add-ons, and more. The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in referral marketing software solutions:
Plan Comparison Table for Referral Marketing Software
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
| Free Plan | $0 | Basic referral tracking, limited campaign customization, and community support. |
| Personal Plan | $10-$30/user/month | Referral tracking, automated rewards, social sharing, and basic analytics. |
| Business Plan | $50-$100/user/month | Advanced analytics, fraud detection, custom branding, and email integrations. |
| Enterprise Plan | $150-$300/user/month | API access, dedicated account manager, advanced customization, and priority support. |
Referral Marketing Software FAQs
Here are some answers to common questions about referral marketing software:
What are the limitations of referral marketing?
Referral marketing can bring in customers you might not want, and it’s difficult to control growth since it relies on others spreading the word. You might also find it challenging to increase prices if customers are used to getting referrals for less. It’s important to have a clear strategy to manage these issues effectively.
How do you market a referral program?
To market a referral program, make sure it’s easy for users to find, both on your website and within your product. Use blog posts, email marketing, and social media to spread the word. In-app prompts and clear calls to action can also encourage users to participate.
How do you run an effective referral program?
Running effective referral marketing programs means setting clear goals and KPIs, choosing the right incentives, working within your budget parameters and acquisition costs, and determining the best channels for promotion. It’s important to continuously review and improve your program based on performance data and consider metrics such as conversion rates, the overall ROI, and long term customer loyalty, engagement, and retention to make sure you are attracting the best customers possible. Referral program templates and predefined workflows can streamline the process.
How does referral software work?
Referral program software helps businesses gain new customers by using referral bonuses as a way to incentivize current users to refer friends. It uses referral tracking software to log new referrals based on metrics such as clicks from a referral page or UTM link through to a specific landing page and automatically distributes rewards to those who bring in referred customers (clicks that convert and sign up.) This functionality simplifies managing a referral program and keeps everything organized. This system can be part of referral marketing campaigns, a refer-a-friend program, a general referral system, or something like influencer marketing and brand ambassadors.
What are the main challenges of implementing referral software?
Implementing referral software can be challenging due to integration issues with existing systems and ensuring that the software aligns with your business processes. Training staff to use the new tool effectively and setting up the program to match your brand’s needs can also require additional time and resources.
How can referral marketing software integrate with existing systems?
Many referral marketing tools offer API access or native integrations with platforms like ecommerce sites, CRMs, and email marketing services. This allows you to sync data easily and ensure your referral program works seamlessly with your current technology stack. It’s crucial to choose a tool that fits well with your existing systems.
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