Happy Valley

Awin vs GrowSurf

Awin and GrowSurf are both affiliate & referral programs tools. Awin is aimed at E-commerce and small businesses, while GrowSurf is aimed at small businesses and developers. Awin costs less, from $49/mo versus $179/mo for GrowSurf. Only GrowSurf has a free plan.

Awin

Global affiliate network linking advertisers with 1M+ publishers

GrowSurf

Referral and affiliate program software for SaaS and tech startups

PricingPaid · $49Freemium · $179
Starting price$49/mo$179/mo
Free planNoYes
Free trial—14 days
Built forE-commerce, Small businesses, Enterprise, Agencies, CreatorsSmall businesses, Developers
Platformswebweb
CountryDE · 2000US
Rating——

Choose Awin if

E-commerce brands that want access to a large ready-made publisher network and are comfortable paying a fee on each sale.

  • Very large publisher network across Europe and the Americas
  • Low-risk entry plan with the first month free
  • Commission rules flexible enough for complex catalogs

Look elsewhere if: SaaS companies running referral or partner programs with their own customers (PartnerStack, Rewardful, Refersion).

Choose GrowSurf if

SaaS and tech startups that want an in-product customer referral program with fraud checks and automated rewards.

  • Fast to launch inside a SaaS product without custom code
  • Free affiliate plan charges only when referrals generate revenue
  • Handles tax forms and payouts, not just tracking

Look elsewhere if: Shopify stores (ReferralCandy), viral pre-launch campaigns on a small budget (Viral Loops) or cheap Stripe-only affiliate tracking (Rewardful).

Awin vs GrowSurf pricing

Awin

  • Access$49/mo+3.5% tracking fee per sale; first month free, 3-month minimum
  • AccelerateFrom $99/mo+2.5% tracking fee per sale; APIs, benchmarks, private network
  • AdvancedCustomAll features, custom reports and commission rules

GrowSurf

  • Affiliate Free$0Affiliate programs only; 3% success fee on referral revenue
  • Startup$179/mo$125/mo billed yearly; up to 2,500 participants, 2 programs
  • Business$449/mo$314/mo billed yearly; up to 10,000 participants, 5 programs
  • CustomCustom150,000+ participants, onboarding and volume discounts

Awin · Key features

  • Directory and marketplace with more than a million publishers
  • Partner recommendations and campaign discovery for new programs
  • Commission rules by product, category, SKU, coupon or new customer
  • Transaction tracking, auto-approval and performance reporting
  • Customer journey analysis and industry benchmarks on Accelerate
  • Branded private networks for your own invited partners

Cons

  • Per-sale tracking fee on top of commission makes costs climb with volume
  • Access limits you to three commission groups
  • Network approval and partner vetting take time to set up

GrowSurf · Key features

  • Automatic referral link for every user via one code snippet
  • White-labeled referral portal with custom domain on Business
  • Qualification rules on signup, first purchase or custom events
  • Automatic rewards as gift cards, cash payouts or account credits
  • Fraud protection with manual reward approval options
  • Affiliate programs with Stripe, PayPal and Wise payouts

Cons

  • Referral plans start at $179 a month, steep for early startups
  • Pricing scales with participants, so large user bases get expensive
  • Startup plan limits you to two team members and two programs

Awin vs GrowSurf: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Awin or GrowSurf?

Awin starts at $49/mo and GrowSurf at $179/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Awin and GrowSurf have a free plan?

Awin has no free plan. GrowSurf has a free plan.

Not sure yet?