TL;DR: ReferralCandy publishes month-to-month plans with a documented Grow example of $79/month + 3.5% success fee (first three referred orders). GrowSurf publishes participant-tier referral subscriptions (Startup from $179/mo at 2,500 participants on its machine-readable plan table) plus a $0 + 3% affiliate path. Friendbuy and similar enterprise referral suites are quote-led. Order follows public $0 / published price first, quote-led last.
Referral software lets current customers invite new buyers, issues rewards, and attributes the resulting orders. It is not a full affiliate network and it is not a generic loyalty points wallet, though some vendors sell both motions.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, free plan or trial, core focus, and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Public $0 / published price first, quote-led last.
Referral software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Fee model | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GrowSurf (affiliate path) | $0/mo + 3% of referral revenue on the official affiliate pricing table. No setup fee on that path. | Success fee only | SaaS / subscription programs that prefer $0 base + revenue share | Visit β |
| ReferralCandy | All features on every plan. Grow example on the official FAQ: $79/mo + 3.5% success fee on first three orders from net-new referred customers. Scale $249 + 1.5% in the same example. Extra stores $20/mo. | Monthly platform + success fee | Ecommerce brands on Shopify and similar carts | Visit β |
| GrowSurf (referral subscriptions) | Official referral-programs table: Startup $179/mo (2,500 participants) or $279/mo (5,000). Business from $449/mo (10,000). 14-day trial. | Participant-tier subscription | Product-led teams that want a public participant ladder | Visit β |
| Referral Rock | Historically product-led with published tiers; confirm current self-serve vs quote on referralrock.com/pricing. | Subscription; confirm live | B2B and services teams running member portals | Visit β |
| Friendbuy | Primarily quote-led ecommerce referral and loyalty platform | Quote | Larger ecommerce programs that want a scoped enterprise suite | Visit β |
ReferralCandy and GrowSurf official pricing/docs were reviewed on 30 September 2026. Confirm current success-fee percentages and participant caps on the live pages.
Success fees apply to referred revenue, not to the reward you pay the advocate. Model both.
How referral software is bought in 2026
Ecommerce buyers usually want Shopify apps and coupon rewards. SaaS buyers want participant portals and Stripe payouts. The commercial fork is subscription-on-participants versus platform-fee-plus-revenue-share. Quote-led suites appear when brands want loyalty + referral + creative services in one contract.
The 5 providers in detail
1. GrowSurf β affiliate (success-fee) path
Best for: Teams that want $0 monthly software fee and will pay 3% of referred revenue.
| Published pricing | $0 per month + 3% of referral revenue. Unlimited referral revenue on the Free affiliate table. Custom quote for extras such as expert onboarding. |
| Free plan / trial | The affiliate path is $0 base by design |
| Core focus | Affiliate-style referral revenue share, Stripe/PayPal payouts |
| Main limitation | 3% continues as volume grows unless you negotiate a custom row |
- Official affiliate markdown table lists $0/mo + 3% with example fees at $10k / $50k / $100k referred revenue.
- Separate from GrowSurfβs participant-subscription referral plans.
- Tax-form filing can carry a per-form fee at year end per help-center policy.
View GrowSurf affiliate pricing β
2. ReferralCandy
Best for: Ecommerce merchants that want every feature on every plan and a month-to-month contract with a falling success fee at higher platform rows.
| Published pricing | Official FAQ walkthrough: Grow $79/month + 3.5% success fee; Scale $249 + 1.5% on the same $12,000 referred-revenue example. Additional stores $20/month at the main storeβs success-fee rate. No annual lock-in per vendor FAQ. |
| Free plan / trial | Shopify trial path promoted; confirm current trial length in the app listing |
| Core focus | Referral and affiliate campaigns, coupons, cash or store-credit payouts |
| Main limitation | Success fee on the first three orders of each net-new referred customer β model that, not only $79 |
- Success fee is on purchase subtotal after discounts, before tax and shipping, and only on net-new customersβ first three orders.
- Vendor states it does not mark up Tremendous card payouts; PayPal/Venmo/bank fees pass through.
- Upgrading can reduce blended cost when referred volume is high β the FAQ example is the worked math.
View ReferralCandy pricing β
3. GrowSurf β referral subscriptions
Best for: Product-led companies that prefer a flat participant-tier subscription instead of a success fee.
| Published pricing | Official referral-programs table (30 Sep 2026): Startup $179/mo up to 2,500 participants ($1,503.60/yr) or $279/mo up to 5,000. Business $449/mo (10k) through $1,429/mo (150k). Custom above 150k. 14-day trial. |
| Free plan / trial | 14-day trial with paid features |
| Core focus | Referral programs billed on participants (referrers + referred) |
| Main limitation | Participant definition includes both sides of the loop β silent users still count |
- Do not mix these dollars with the 3% affiliate SKU; they are different commercial products.
- Yearly billing on the published table is cheaper than 12Γ monthly.
- Team-member and program caps rise from Startup (2/2) to Business (5/5).
View GrowSurf referral pricing β
4. Referral Rock
Best for: B2B and services teams that want a member portal and will re-check the live self-serve grid.
| Published pricing | Vendor maintains a pricing page; confirm current self-serve dollars versus sales-assist the day you buy. |
| Free plan / trial | Trial common; confirm live |
| Core focus | Referral campaigns, member portal, rewards for non-ecommerce motions |
| Main limitation | List prices move; do not reuse an old screenshot |
- Often a better narrative fit for agencies and B2B than a Shopify coupon app.
- Ask how βmembersβ map to billable units.
- Integrations (CRM, billing) decide implementation time more than the plan name.
View Referral Rock pricing β
5. Friendbuy
Best for: Larger ecommerce programs that want a scoped referral and loyalty suite and will run a sales process.
| Published pricing | Primarily quote-led |
| Free plan / trial | Demo-led |
| Core focus | Enterprise referral, on-site campaigns, related loyalty motions |
| Main limitation | No durable public starter price for apples-to-apples list comparison |
- Fits brands that already have a CRO and lifecycle team.
- Expect creative, on-site testing, and success fees or minimums in the quote.
- Compare total cost of ownership against ReferralCandyβs published Grow/Scale math before assuming enterprise is cheaper at volume.
Kurums Match: which referral tool fits?
$0 software fee, pay on referred revenue β GrowSurf affiliate path (3%).
Shopify / ecommerce, month-to-month β ReferralCandy Grow/Scale math.
Flat SaaS on participant count β GrowSurf referral subscriptions from $179/mo.
Enterprise ecommerce suite β Friendbuy-style quote.
Buying tip: Build a spreadsheet with referred monthly revenue, reward cost, software subscription, and success fee. A lower platform fee with a higher success percentage can cost more than a $249 row once volume appears.
How this comparison was put together
Official ReferralCandy and GrowSurf pricing pages and plan tables were checked on 30 September 2026. Quote-led tools are labeled as such. No quality ranking badges are applied.
FAQ
Does ReferralCandy charge on every referred order forever?
No. Official FAQ: success fee applies to each net-new referred customerβs first three orders only.
What is a GrowSurf βparticipantβ?
Someone who refers or is referred. Both sides consume the participant cap on subscription plans.
Is referral software the same as affiliate software?
Overlap exists. Referral programs usually start from existing customers; affiliate programs recruit partners. Some vendors sell both with different fee models.
Related: Best Affiliate Marketing Software 2026 Β· Best Loyalty Software 2026 Β· Best Ecommerce Platforms 2026
Last updated: 30 September 2026. Packaging changes; always verify with the vendor before purchase.
Discover more from Kurums | Business Intelligence
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.