Top 10 Referral Program Software Tools: Epic Guide to Selecting Referral Software [2023]
Published on
Updated on March 3, 2023
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
We’ve researched the best referral software services out there to help businesses find the best solution for their needs.
Referral marketing campaigns help generate valuable word-of-mouth marketing, by empowering customers to share your business with their friends in a way you can track.
And since people trust their peers’ recommendations more than the ads and messages that come straight from your business, referrals reliably drive customer acquisition – and bring in customers who are more likely to stay loyal.
But for success with referral marketing, you’ll need the best referral program software for your business. And not all referral program tools are created equal.
Don’t worry – we’ve done the dirty work so you don’t have to.
Evaluating the best referral software that fits your use case
Referral marketing programs can have a lot of moving parts – you’ll need to track who makes each successful referral, and how many referrals become your customers.
You’ll also need to give out referral rewards as soon as they’re earned, to keep participants happy. And for the best results, you’ll want to reward both the referring customer and the new customer.
These factors are almost impossible to manage if you go the DIY route and try to run a referral program manually.
The good news is, there are a ton of options available to help with all your referral marketing and tracking needs.
Basic Evaluation Criteria
Even though there are many overlapping features across different refer-a-friend software services, not all referral tools are made the same.
As you’ll see in the table below, we’ve evaluated each referral software based on a number of different features, to help you choose the right tool to run a referral campaign.
Company
Who is providing the referral software to you?
Free trial
Not all referral program software comes with a free trial. We’ll let you know whether a software lets you try before you buy, and if so, how long the trial lasts.
Pricing
Not every company lists its pricing, but if a company has made its price range known, we’ll list it here.
Minimum commitment
Some referral tools require an annual commitment, while others are month to month. Month-to-month contracts mean you have the freedom to quit when it’s convenient for you.
Note: Most month-to-month commitments also offer the option to pay for multiple months at once (this could reduce the cost per month).
Customer service
What types of customer support are available with the referral program software? For instance, does it offer in-app chat, onboarding specialists, or a knowledge base? And is certain customer service only available on higher-priced plans?
Best for
You may think a refer a friend software is pretty cut and dry. That’s not always the case. Some referral software choices work exclusively with one type of business. And even if a software is not exclusive to a specific business type, it can be obvious which type of businesses will fit well with their platform. Here are a few examples of each type:
Local services: roofing companies, realtors, tree removal services, pet grooming, spas
Ecommerce: online clothing stores, subscriptions
SaaS: email service providers, lead generation apps, in-app chat providers
B2B: social media management, CRM, file sharing, customer success platforms
Small business: retail, coffee shops, plumbers, personal training
Enterprise: big chain grocery stores, department stores, big brand car dealerships
B2C: accounting firms, electronics retailers, other retailers
Reviews
We’ve aggregated the star rating (out of 5 stars) and number of reviews that each software has received on two top review sites, Capterra and GetApp. This way, you can see how existing users feel about the referral software.
Mobile app friendliness and API integration
If you’re looking to build a mobile referral program, or looking for robust customization options via an API, we’ll tell you whether each software opens these options.
Our Editorial Categories
Whether you’re wanting to build a SaaS referral program, ecommerce program, small business referral program, or referral program for any type of business, there is a referral software out there for you. We’ve grouped them all in these categories:
Automatically track every referral back to the customer responsible, via unique referral links
Instantly issue reward payouts when customers earn them
Keep tabs on detailed referral program metrics, so you can refine your program for the best results
Top features:
Options to fully customize your referral program so it reflects your brand
Top-notch customer success team to guide you through the program setup and management process
Auto-enroll feature that registers every customer for your referral program when they purchase from you
Easy integrations with other software tools that you already use in your business processes
Referral Rock
“More referrals for your business (on autopilot) – Scale and track word of mouth with referral programs”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
30-day free trial
$200-$800
Monthly
Onboarding specialists, customer success managers, chat support, product and resource guides, support center, webinars
Local services, ecommerce, small business, SaaS, B2B, B2C
About this software: Referral Rock‘s product is a next-generation referral tool designed to help any business get more customers using the power of their own network. Online and offline businesses can design incentive-based programs, automatically promote these programs to engage customers, enroll existing customers and referral partners, capture the new leads and sales, then issue rewards automatically.
Referral Rock automates every step of the referral process so a business can scale and consistently measure the success of referral marketing programs. This robust, user-friendly software has the flexibility to be used for customer referrals, employee referrals, partner programs, and affiliate marketing programs. It can also accommodate any reward type and structure your business wants to use (including tiered and multi-step formats). So, whatever your partnership and incentive needs are, Referral Rock has you covered.
Notably, the Referral Rock team is known for its exceptional customer service, which has earned plenty of rave reviews on sites like Capterra and GetApp. No matter which Referral Rock plan you select, an onboarding specialist will assist you during every stage of setting up and running your program.
Pros
Cons
Works well for all business types and sizes
Onboarding specialist helps you get your program up and running
Highly customizable and works with any reward structure (including multi-step and tiered rewards)
Flexible enough to run affiliate and partner programs as well
Reviewers love the product. customer service, and price point
Might be too robust if you want to run a simple ecommerce program
Our take: Many customers have left good reviews focusing on Referral Rock’s customer service and product, and over 1,000 businesses trust the software to run their referral and affiliate programs. So, it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s a robust referral software solution with fair pricing that works for many business types and sizes.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.5
55
Yes
Yes
Talkable
“Talkable helps ecommerce companies acquire new customers and increase sales”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
No
N/A
N/A
Email support
Ecommerce
About this software: Talkable offers a referral marketing platform for ecommerce marketers to generate new customers and increase sales. The platform is completely flexible in terms of who the campaign targets, how it looks, who is rewarded, and how they are rewarded. Talkable has a one-click installation with Shopify and Magento.
Pros
Cons
Integrates well with Magento and Shopify
Easy to launch, and customize the look of, your program
Only built for simple ecommerce programs
Pricing not transparent; we’ve heard it’s expensive, especially for offering only a basic program format
Our take: Talkable seems to have a few nice templates, and the software seems relatively easy to use. The platform has a strong focus on eCommerce stores, though. We’ve seen many businesses use Talkable as their referral marketing solution, but we’ve only seen Talkable consistently used by ecommerce businesses that want a simple program structure.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.7
29
Yes
N/A
SaaSquatch
“For a bigger customer footprint”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
No
$1,750+ (enterprise plan also available)
Monthly
In-app chat, knowledge base
SaaS, ecommerce, Mobile
About this software: SaaSquatch is a trusted referral marketing partner for the Fortune 500 and is built primarily for SaaS companies. With SaaSquatch, you can design and integrate referral program touchpoints to fit across all of your marketing channels, fully customize your program to fit your brand, and engage customers to encourage sharing.
Pros
Cons
Highly customizable: customize the appearance, rewards, and more
Can handle complex sales processes
Great for mobile apps
Expensive
Fewer integrations than other programs
Reviewers say it’s not always user-friendly
Not a good option for smaller businesses
Our take: SaaSquatch seems to have fewer third-party integrations than other referral marketing software options. The software tool also seems expensive and geared towards larger businesses, compared to other options.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.5
10
Yes
Yes
>> E-commerce Group
Friendbuy
“Create a customer referral program today. Referral tracking and campaign optimization”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
30-day free trial
$249-$749 (enterprise plan also available)
Monthly
Dedicated success manager (certain plans), knowledge base, email support
Ecommerce
About this software: Friendbuy helps marketers optimize customer loyalty and referral campaigns. The software replaces basic sharing buttons with assets that are highly engaging and fully customized to reflect a brand’s look and feel. You can create a refer a friend program in hours, not weeks, thanks to Friendbuy’s library of templates. And once your program is live, it’s easy to A/B test it and find out which messaging resonates best with customers.
Pros
Cons
Easy to create and launch a program
Also runs loyalty programs
Not designed for more complex programs
Some reviewers say support is iffy
Our take: Friendbuy is another one of the referral software veterans alongside Ambassador. It seems heavily geared towards ecommerce businesses. It also looks widget-based, so you might not be able to tweak the program to fit your needs if you need a more complex setup (say, a tiered or multi-step program).
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.5
4
Yes
Yes
ReferralCandy
“Give any ecommerce store a referral program”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
30-day free trial
$39-$299+ month (not including commissions; enterprise plan also available)
Monthly/Annually
Knowledge base, email support
Ecommerce
About this software: ReferralCandy is a customer referral program web application for online stores to boost sales. ReferralCandy is an ecommerce plugin that helps with word-of-mouth sales. Set up your program and customize your rewards without getting developers involved. (Some of the top Shopify stores use this plugin to successfully increase referral traffic and revenues.)
Pros
Cons
Very experienced with building ecommerce referral programs
Large suite of features geared towards online stores
Integrates well with Shopify
Charges a percentage commission on referral sales
Can only build simple programs
Won’t work for you if you’re not an ecommerce business
Our take: ReferralCandy does have quite a few features, and they put an emphasis on catering to ecommerce stores. The software’s price structure is very interesting, though. If you choose the lower-tier plan, you end up paying either the flat monthly fee or a percentage of the referral sales (you pay whichever ends up being the higher price). And even though the enterprise-tier plan doesn’t include commission payments, sources indicate it’ll set you back nearly $48,000 per year.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.5
235
No
Yes
>> Lower Budget Small Business Referral Software
Mention Me
“Supercharge your customer growth with referral marketing through Mention Me”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
No
N/A
N/A
In-app chat, email support
Ecommerce
About this software:Mention Me is a plug-and-play refer-a-friend platform. This quick solution lets businesses launch their referral program so it’s up and running “in 30 days or less.” Mention Me also offers built-in A/B testing, and features to identify customers most likely to refer, so a business can create a well-performing program.
Pros
Cons
Performance optimization feature helps you find and mobilize your best advocates
Customer success is very responsive
Pricing isn’t transparent; reviewers say the pricing is on the high side
Can be challenging to learn how to use
Our take: Mention Me covers a lot of information on their website that can be hard to distill. The software also seems to be designed for bigger ecommerce brands, given its lack of pricing transparency. And although the platform claims to track offline referrals through an “enter my name at checkout” feature, it’s difficult to say how helpful this feature really is since we couldn’t see an example in action.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.6
10
Yes
No
Referral Factory
“Sign up, build a referral program, and ask your customers to spread the word. No coding required.”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
15-day free trial
$95-$1600+
Monthly
Email support, knowledge base, priority support (higher plans only)
Ecommerce, B2B, Local service
About this software: Referral Factory is designed to help a variety of businesses create referral programs quickly. They offer 1000+ templates for a quick launch, or you can start from scratch for more customization options. Create a referral program in over 20 languages, and for mobile as well as desktop.
Pros
Cons
Templates make it easy to launch a referral program
Simple to build a program on mobile
Likely only works for the simplest referral programs (and can’t support multi-step processes or tiered reward structures)
Integrations are limited
Our take: For a relatively new referral software, Referral Factory looks promising. Based on the examples shown on their website, though, it looks like the software is geared towards basic referral programs only.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.8
5
Yes
Yes
Viral Loops
“Referrals made easy for everyone”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
14-day free trial
$49-$399 (enterprise plan also available)
Monthly
In-app chat, email support
Ecommerce
About this software: The all-in-one viral marketing platform to launch your referral programs, sweepstakes, competitions and pre-launch campaigns. Select the referral template that suits your business and your needs. They’ve created a bunch of templates, inspired by the success of great companies. All you have to do is change the text to match with your campaign type and your context.
Pros
Cons
Lots of plug-and-play templates
Affordable price point
Limited customization
Can only handle basic programs (no multi-step processes or complex reward structures)
Our take: The large library of Viral Loops templates is based on companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, and MailChimp. You plug in your info, and then the program is set up. It doesn’t seem like Viral Loops offers that much customization, though.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.5
34
No
N/A
>> Enterprise Highly Custom
Extole
“The leading enterprise advocacy platform”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
No
N/A
N/A
In-app chat
Enterprise, large B2C, financial services
About this software: With Extole, you can deliver and optimize a sharing experience tailored to your brand. Their advocacy platform integrates the lead generation solution across all devices and channels. Marketers create an acquisition channel by encouraging their customers to refer new customers on site, in-app, and offline.
Extole offers plenty of customization, reward, audience segmentation, and data options that enterprises want in a turn-key referral program. It also provides detailed profiles of all your advocates, so you know which referrers are bringing in the most revenue.
Pros
Cons
Turn-key referral program customized for your own business needs
Robust data and tracking, including audience segmentation
Very expensive, especially for the features it offers
Only designed for larger businesses and enterprises
Reviewers say integrations aren’t always reliable
Our take: Extole works with some well-known brands, but it’s clearly meant for only the biggest businesses. Expect a very hefty price tag with a completely custom solution. We’ve heard that Extole referral programs can cost upwards of $3500 per month – so rule this software solution out if you’re a small or emerging business. Many other referral software solutions appear to offer the same core feature set as Extole for a much lower price point.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.7
21
N/A
N/A
Buyapowa
“The complete referral platform”
Free trial
Pricing
Commitment
Customer service
Best for
No
N/A
N/A
In-app chat, email support
SaaS, ecommerce
About this software: Buyapowa hosts referral programs for all industries, including regulated businesses. It uses a business’s existing online presence to encourage customers to refer their friends via multiple channels, including Instagram, which isn’t supported by most other referral software options. It’s an extremely customizable recommendation engine that keeps running for your business, and that optimizes the advocate engagement process to drive the most sharing.
Pros
Cons
Extensive list of features designed for enterprises
Instagram support
Highly customizable
Only meant for the largest businesses
Not always easy to use
Pricing not transparent (likely very expensive)
Our take: In Buyapowa’s own words, they’re an enterprise advocacy solution. The platform offers an extensive suite of features, but you probably won’t need all of them if you aren’t a big business. You might consider Buyapowa if you’re a massive corporation, but definitely stay away if you’re a small or medium-sized business.
Ratings and usability:
Star rating
# of reviews
Mobile app friendly
API integration
4.8
16
Yes
Yes
Frequently asked questions – Referral Software
Looking for more answers about referral software – and other aspects of starting and running a referral program? Let us help you through with this FAQ.
Why should you start a referral program?
Word of mouth can be hard to track, but a referral program makes it easy to measure how often you’re being mentioned by others.
A referral program lets you encourage and track the word of mouth that your customers generate. It rewards customers when the friends they refer make their first purchase.
Other benefits of referral programs include:
They repeatedly bring in new customers through the power of trusted recommendations
The customers referral programs bring in are more likely to stay loyal
The costs to bring in a new customer are lower than with other marketing methods
After you purchase the software, you only pay when the program brings in results (when customers bring in new business)
What is referral software?
Referral software is a digital marketing tool that helps you track referrals your customers make, and automate processes associated with running a referral program. Thus, it lets you leverage and keep track of the word of mouth your customers generate.
With the help of referral tracking, you’ll easily know which customer is responsible for each referral, and be able to instantly reward customers for the business they bring in.
What are the benefits?
Referral marketing software tools help you run successful referral campaigns. A great line of success is if the program can run automatically and generate referrals without much action on your part. You automatically track which customers make referrals, and reward customers when their referrals result in sales. It also generates detailed referral program metrics, so you can make informed decisions on how to refine your program.
The best software will also let you customize your program to meet your needs, and integrate with your existing software and processes.
What are the best referral program examples?
Some of the best referral programs that businesses have run include:
Now that we’ve gone over all the top referral software solutions in this epic list, you’re ready to choose the referral marketing software that works best for your business needs. So get going and watch the word of mouth – and new sales – roll in!
“Referrals made easy for everyone”
