Tired of relying on paid advertising or affiliate marketing to bring in new business? Turn your most loyal customers into an organic acquisition channel! These people already love your brand. All it takes is the right incentive to get them to recommend you to their friends and family.
Referral marketing is a powerful tool, but you need the optimal platform to harness it for your Shopify brand. ReferralCandy is one of the many solutions at your disposal.
Whether you’re interested in building a referral program vs affiliate program, you can do it with ReferralCandy. The platform is trusted by thousands of brands already, and you can get started in minutes without dev work.
Maybe you’re looking to weigh your options - or you’ve tried it already and were left underwhelmed in one way or another. Don’t worry, we’ve brought together all the best ReferralCandy alternatives to help you pinpoint the perfect solution.
Rivo is the #1 platform to build your Shopify referral program on. Saves you time and stress, as we make it easy to build an on-brand landing page, create tiered rewards for advocates, and place the reminders throughout the shopping experience for a strong ROI.
It’s affordable, too. Learn more about the Rivo solution by requesting a demo today, and turn your brand advocates into a consistent, reliable acquisition channel!
What is ReferralCandy?
This referral and affiliate marketing platform has earned a reputation for helping e-commerce brands grow through word-of-mouth. But for starters, how does a referral program work? Simple - reward your existing customers for bringing in new ones.
What makes ReferralCandy stand out is how fast and hands-off that process can be, though. Shopify brands in particular appreciate the quick setup. You can launch a tailored referral program in under an hour, without writing a single line of code or calling in your developers.
ReferralCandy tracks referral sales automatically, sends rewards, and gives you a dashboard to monitor performance once you get the platform integrated with your storefront. You can offer a percentage discounts, store credit, cash, or even tiered incentives that grow with performance.
You can also recruit creators or influencers, give them their own tracking links, and compensate them based on sales all in the same system if you want to grow your business beyond leveraging your most loyal customers.
ReferralCandy sets you up with fraud protection features as well, including code-leak detection, self-referral flagging, and shady order blocking. This way, you can rest assured you’re not losing money to unscrupulous behavior.
ReferralCandy integrates with most major tools in the Shopify ecosystem, so your entire marketing stack plays nicely. Klaviyo, Recharge, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and Meta Pixel - the list goes on and on.
The platform is designed for lean teams that want results without complexity. But there’s a reason you’re here looking for a ReferralCandy alternative…
Why You May Be Better Off With an Alternative to ReferralCandy
There’s no question that ReferralCandy has developed a solid platform for Shopify brands looking to leverage word-of-mouth marketing to grow their brand organically. But is it right for every Shopify brand? Definitely not - but then again, no platform is “one-size-fits-all.”
The biggest limitations with ReferralCandy comes down to customization, performance tracking, or program control as your brand scales. Here’s why you might want to consider some of the ReferralCandy alternatives we’ve curated for you below.
Limited Campaign Logic & Segmentation
ReferralCandy’s reward structure works well for simple give/get offers, but it falls short when you need granular control over reward rules.
You don’t get the same level of loyalty segmentation that other platforms provide. There doesn’t appear to be a way to segment rewards by customer type, purchase history, or campaign trigger.
Power users looking to run tiered campaigns or incentivize specific actions may feel boxed in. The right referral program should empower you, not hold you back.
Dashboard & Tracking Gaps
The analytics dashboard shows basic referral metrics, but tracking conversions across channels or integrating with custom post-purchase journeys can require workarounds. Brands that rely heavily on data to iterate quickly may find the reporting lacks necessary depth.
Commission and Pricing Structure Issues
It’s not nearly as expensive as some referral platforms (looking at you Friendbuy and Talkable), but ReferralCandy’s commission-based pricing can get expensive fast - especially if your AOV is high.
You’ll be charged at least $59 to 299 per month, and anywhere from 1.5% to 3.5% in commissions for referral sales. That quickly cuts into your margin and makes it tough to justify ReferralCandy unless you can nurture those customers and generate a solid LTV from them.
Now, we’re not saying you should choose a referral platform based on cost alone. You do get what you pay for in the SaaS realm. But, there’s a better solution at a more affordable price point if you’re looking for ReferralCandy alternatives.
What ReferralCandy Reviews Say
There is no shortage of ReferralCandy reviews in the Shopify app store. But we took a closer look at some of them to find out exactly what leads brands to look for a ReferralCandy alternative, and found a few common themes:
“Good: Simplicity. Just a couple of minutes and it's up and running. You never have to worry about payments or any of the tracking, all automatic. Bad: it's difficult to customise to a way that feels like people are naturally interacting with your site. There is always this awkward layer of referral candy which can be off-putting for customers.” - Enda
“Overall the product is easy to use but very poor in execution. You have to create what seems like a million discount codes which clutter your shopify discounts area. You have a seperate tool to upload your look and feel which is archaic and not very intuitive. No gamification and little customisation on what is offered. Overall the product is very poor especially given the other products on the market.” - PÄRLAToothpasteTabs
“$149 a month if you want to use your own HTML templates for the emails that the app sends to customers. The standard 'free' templates are very basic with very few options. Discount code limitations mean that you can either have full automation or adequate fraud prevention, but not both. Very high fees for what is basically an automated email dispatch system.” - Savvyrow
The Best ReferralCandy Alternatives in 2025
ReferralCandy be a great way to jumpstart your referral marketing campaign - but you’ll be selling yourself short in terms of customization. That’s not something you can afford to compromise on. Fortunately, you don’t have to.
We’ve put together this list of the best ReferralCandy alternatives in 2025 so you can streamline the process of getting your referral program off the ground and generate an ROI fast. Look no further than Rivo as the #1 alternative to ReferralCandy.
Rivo
Rivo is the referral solution that actually feels like it was built for your store if you’re on Shopify. That’s because it was! While other tools tack on Shopify support as an afterthought, Rivo’s referral program is fully native.
You can launch beautiful, on-brand campaigns in minutes without developer help, embed referral CTAs across your storefront, and sync rewards directly to Shopify orders in real time. It takes just a few minutes to get started, and as you’ll soon discover, the possibilities are endless.
Flexibility is where Rivo really shines. We never box brands into rigid templates or reward structures. Want to offer store credit for referrals? Go for it. Prefer to segment campaigns by customer tags or reward based on purchase value? Easy. Everything’s built to support DTC teams that want agility, not constraints.
You’ll also find enterprise-level fraud protection, zero-code design tools, and advanced reward rules that actually make sense for how Shopify brands operate. Add in tight integrations with Klaviyo, Postscript, and Shopify Flow, and you’re getting a platform that plays nicely with the rest of your stack.
The best part? Transparent pricing. No percentage-of-sales fees. No add-on costs for loyalty. Just one unified platform built to help you drive real growth without the mess.
We’ve already helped some of the leading Shopify brands build out their referral program, and we’re eager to do the same for you. Want to get a better idea of what you can do with Rivo? Check out some of our many case studies, including the HexClad story (spoiler alert: they generated almost $500k in less than 3 months!).
ReferralCandy’s a solid product, there’s no doubt about that. But Rivo is faster, cleaner, and more Shopify-specific. Brands that want power without friction choose Rivo, and you should too. Book a demo today and take the next step towards building a thriving referral program.
“First time looking into reward programs & I landed with Jel from the Rivo Team - 5/5 STARS. Super helpful, very friendly and she knew what she was talking about! She alleviated all of my doubts as well as my concerns and even walked me through the setup. Don't go any further than Rivo, you won't find better service!” - Cam’s Custom Graphics
“Some of the best support of any app. Sent weeks searching for a good loyalty app, and this one shined, the support is second to none and is great when you're an active business owner on a crunch, with little knowledge about code-related stuff. Always there to help and cant wait to launch the store with Rivo!” - Redneck Modifications
“Using Rivo for a referrals progam and so far so good. Had some initial issues testing (due to their fraud detection tools I was unaware of), but was able to get some superb customer service from Jel on the support team. She was kind enough to provide a screen recording to validate that everything was working as expected. Looking forward to seeing this help drive loyalty with our customers and brand!” - ClearFur
Smile.io
Smile.io is a well-known name in the loyalty space, and for good reason. Their referral features slot neatly into their broader points-based loyalty platform, giving brands a familiar way to launch “Give $10, Get $10” style programs with minimal effort.
You can leverage reward types like discounts, points, and free shipping, and Smile plugs into tools like Klaviyo and Mailchimp to promote referral links through email flows. It also makes sharing easy for customers with automatically generated links and post-purchase nudges.
But here’s where things get tricky for Shopify-first brands: the referral features feel more like an add-on than a core product. You’re limited in campaign logic, especially if you want to run tiered incentives or segment campaigns by customer tags or lifetime value.
There’s no visual builder for designing and embedding campaigns, either. Another deal breaker? You don’t get deeper Shopify integrations like dynamic checkout-based rewards or automated order validation.
Smile works well for simple use cases if you’re already using the Shopify loyalty program. However, it quickly becomes a limiting factor if you want to scale with flexible reward logic and true Shopify-native controls.
Rivo is not only the best ReferralCandy alternative, but it’s also the #1 Smile.io alternative. Don’t settle for anything less.
Friendbuy
From flexible reward options (like coupons, points, or third-party gift cards) to advanced analytics and white-glove onboarding, Friendbuy puts forth a robust engine for both referrals and loyalty - making a strong case as one of the best ReferralCandy alternatives.
Brands with dedicated dev teams will appreciate how deeply customizable it is, from on-brand widgets to tailored integrations. The possibilities are endless if you have the bandwidth to tap into them.
Friendbuy is an enterprise-grade platform trusted by household names like Walmart, but the needs of these massive corporations are very different from yours. So while Friendbuy seems to be a good alternative to ReferralCandy, it’s not the ideal solution for most Shopify brands.
Ultimately, Friendbuy ends up feeling a bit like overkill for most DTC brands running on Shopify. Its referral and loyalty tools are sold as separate modules, so you’ll likely need additional onboarding and coordination to get up and running.
Pricing is a question-mark as well, since these enterprise solutions are tailored to your brand - but you can rest assured it’s expensive. Friendbuy is designed around sales calls and long ramp-up periods. Not great for fast-moving teams that want to test and iterate.
You’ll also likely need developer support to embed campaigns, tweak reward logic, or set up deeper personalization. There’s no drag-and-drop builder, no Shopify-native order validation, and no way to spin up campaigns in minutes without hand-holding. It’s powerful, but not nimble.
Rivo gives you the same level of reward flexibility and program control in a format that’s faster, cleaner, and built specifically for Shopify. That means less dev time, lower cost, and more velocity.
Refersion
Refersion is a smart option if you're focused on affiliate and ambassador programs. The platform is designed to help brands manage influencer partnerships, track unique referral codes, and pay commissions automatically through platforms like PayPal or Trolley.
One of the standout features that separates Refersion from other ReferralCandy alternatives is the ability to separate ambassadors from traditional affiliates.
It’s great for managing hundreds or thousands of relationships at scale if you need granular reporting on who’s driving sales. You’ll get customizable dashboards, decent integration options, and payment automation that solves for a big pain point in ambassador marketing.
That said, Refersion leans heavily into affiliate-first logic. The customer-to-customer referral piece is what most brands are looking for in a ReferralCandy alternative, and this falls short with Refersion.
This is to say, there’s not necessarily an easy way to launch a simple “Give/Get” program inside Shopify with the design and targeting flexibility most DTC teams want.
In contrast, Rivo gives you all the tools you need to run ambassador and customer referral programs under one roof, with less complexity and more Shopify-native functionality. Stick with Refersion for affiliate marketing, Rivo for ambassador/referral programs.
Talkable
Talkable helps larger eCommerce brands run structured referral campaigns with flexible reward logic, fraud detection, segmentation tools, and the ability to run scheduled campaigns (like giveaways or ambassador pushes).
It’s everything experienced marketers with a dedicated dev team want and need in ReferralCandy alternatives. You can customize referral flows, build out use cases like QR code referrals or post-purchase promotions, and track everything in a centralized dashboard.
So what’s the issue? Well, there are a few. For one, Talkable lacks deep Shopify-native integration. It’s designed to be platform-agnostic, which makes sense if you’re running a custom stack but not so much if you want to start rolling out your Shopify referral program fast.
There’s no native embedding in Shopify themes, no checkout-based reward previews, and a heavier setup experience. Campaigns must be coordinated with support or devs to get the styling just right, and scaling up often means looping in more technical resources.
At the end of the day Talkable sort of falls under the same umbrella as Friendbuy. Great for enterprises, maybe not the right fit for Shopify brands though.
Being able to spin up, test, and deploy Shopify-native campaigns without dev time is probably one of your top priorities, and there’s only one solution on this list of ReferralCandy alternatives that checks every box: Rivo.
Bringing Our ReferralCandy Alternative Guide to a Close
ReferralCandy has come to be known as one of the leading solutions for building a referral and affiliate program, but it’s definitely not the only option.
In fact, it falls short for a lot of brands looking for tighter Shopify integration, better control over rewards, or a platform that doesn’t require workarounds to launch campaigns your way. The good news is you won’t have to look far for a better ReferralCandy alternative.
We hope this guide has helped you weigh your options and feel more confident in your next steps. Of all the alternatives to ReferralCandy, Rivo is the only one that combines Shopify-native features, flexible campaign logic, and a drag-and-drop setup that actually puts you in control.
Launch your first campaign with Rivo in minutes. Start converting your best customers into your best marketers today by booking a demo!
