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GrowSurf vs Refersion

GrowSurf and Refersion are both affiliate & referral programs tools. GrowSurf is aimed at small businesses and developers, while Refersion is aimed at E-commerce and small businesses. Refersion costs less, from $39/mo versus $179/mo for GrowSurf. Both have a free plan.

GrowSurf

Referral and affiliate program software for SaaS and tech startups

Refersion

Affiliate and influencer program software for Shopify and DTC brands

PricingFreemium · $179Paid · $39
Starting price$179/mo$39/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial14 days—
Built forSmall businesses, DevelopersE-commerce, Small businesses
Platformswebweb
CountryUSUS
Rating——

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).

Choose Refersion if

DTC ecommerce brands on Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce that want to run an affiliate and influencer program with accurate first-party tracking.

  • Purpose-built for ecommerce rather than SaaS referral programs
  • Cookieless first-party tracking holds up against browser restrictions
  • Unlimited affiliates, clicks and conversions on every paid plan

Look elsewhere if: B2B SaaS partner programs or simple customer referral loops (PartnerStack, ReferralCandy, FirstPromoter).

GrowSurf vs Refersion pricing

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

Refersion

  • Marketplace Listing$0Public listing only; tracking and payouts need a paid plan
  • Launch$39/mo$29/mo billed yearly; plus 3% of affiliate-driven sales
  • Growth$199/mo$159/mo billed yearly; plus 2% of sales; API access
  • ScaleCustomFlat monthly fee, white-glove onboarding, Slack channel

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

Refersion · Key features

  • First-party tracking domain attribution without third-party cookies or redirects
  • Affiliate marketplace where creators discover and apply to brand offers
  • Branded affiliate registration pages and recruitment tools
  • Commission rules by product, customer email, subscription or new customers
  • One-click affiliate payouts including PayPal, with tax form collection
  • Multi-store management and API access on the Growth plan

Cons

  • Percentage of affiliate sales on top of the subscription adds up
  • API access and advanced commissions start at $199 per month
  • No published free trial for the paid plans

GrowSurf vs Refersion: FAQ

Which is cheaper, GrowSurf or Refersion?

Refersion starts at $39/mo and GrowSurf at $179/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do GrowSurf and Refersion have a free plan?

Yes, both GrowSurf and Refersion have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?