There’s no question that building out a customer referral program can pay for itself fast. As other acquisition channels become more competitive, getting your existing customers to bring their friends, family, coworkers, or even strangers into your ecosystem is more cost-effective.
You just need the right platform to build your program on, and you might have considered Talkable, only to discover how expensive it is. In fact, Talkable doesn’t even advertise its pricing. You have to get on a call with a sales rep, at which point you’ll realize it’s probably not a good fit.
The good news is there are plenty of great Talkable alternatives you can consider for better pricing, more control over rewards, and superior customization of every little detail. Your search for the best Shopify referral program ends here at Rivo.
Effortlessly white-label a referral marketing program that natively matches your brand and website. You can get started in minutes and turn your most loyal customers into an organic acquisition channel that fuels growth sustainably. Join hundreds of leading DTC brands today!
What is Talkable?
Talkable is an enterprise-grade referral and loyalty platform designed to help brands harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
You gain access to a full suite of customizable campaign templates, from simple refer-a-friend programs to post-purchase prompts and ambassador campaigns. Brands can easily launch high-converting experiences without having to build anything from scratch.
What sets Talkable apart is its deep segmentation and targeting capabilities. It’s easy to set up loyalty segmentation to serve different users based on behavior, purchase history, or even loyalty status.
Talkable integrates directly into your website to support full control over design and copy without sacrificing performance. Everything is built to be highly on-brand, keeping the experience cohesive at every step for users.
The platform also comes with intuitive A/B testing tools and built-in fraud prevention features, like referral tracking, verification flows, and optional moderation layers. There’s also analytics support, so you can easily tie referral revenue back to campaigns and optimize accordingly.
A lot of Talkable reviews we see say it’s the best in its class. That class specifically is enterprise referral marketing solutions. That’s part of the disconnect, though, that may lead you to look for Talkable alternatives. It’s certainly not for every brand, especially those on Shopify.
How Much is Talkable?
There’s a reason you’ll have a hard time finding any information on pricing for Talkable. This platform is geared towards mid-market and enterprise brands with custom needs, which means pricing is not one-size-fits-all.
Instead, you may find yourself getting on a call with a sales representative, at which point you’ll realize it costs several thousand dollars per month, with total cost depending on your traffic volume, program complexity, and required services.
It’s not uncommon for brands to pay $3,000-$10,000+ per month when factoring in onboarding, service fees, and usage-based tiers. Now, that type of investment is justified for some brands. You get hands-on strategy support, a dedicated success team, and plenty of enterprise features.
But most of this feels like overkill if you’re a Shopify Plus merchant looking for faster setup, flexible pricing, or a solution you can run in-house without relying on agency-style services. You’re paying for stuff you don’t need.
More Reasons Your Brand Might Need an Alternative to Talkable
Price isn’t the only reason you might check out better Talkable alternatives, either. Here’s why Talkable isn’t always the best fit for Shopify brands.
Built for Enterprise, Not for Speed
Talkable is undeniably powerful for large, enterprise teams. This means you’ll usually find yourself working closely with their in-house team to build and manage your campaigns.
While this hands-on support can be helpful, it also slows down iteration. Want to tweak a campaign or launch a new flow? Expect a few rounds of back-and-forth. It just feels like too much overhead for nimble eCommerce brands that move quickly.
Disjointed Approach to Loyalty and Referrals
Rather than offering a unified rewards engine, Talkable splits its loyalty and referral features into separate products. Each comes with its own add-on fees, configuration process, and operational workflows.
This makes it harder to create seamless, cross-functional programs where referrals, points, and rewards speak the same language. It’s not ideal for brands trying to boost LTV through integrated incentives.
No Native Shopify Integration
Here’s the biggest dealbreaker for most eCommerce brands: Talkable isn’t plug-and-play with Shopify or Shopify Plus. That doesn’t mean you can’t make it work, but you will have to jump through hoops.
You’ll need to rely on custom API work, developer resources, or middleware to get things humming. That adds friction, especially since alternatives offer true native integration, real-time syncing, and full campaign control inside your Shopify admin.
The Best Talkable Alternatives in 2025
Talkable can work well if you have a massive team, deep pockets, and the appetite for a white-glove solution. The truth is, though, most Shopify brands want something simpler that they can have complete control over in-house.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of the top Talkable alternatives you can choose from right now. These solutions are flexible, self-serve, scale simply, launch fast, and don’t require a dedicated project manager to make edits. Look no further than Rivo instead of Talkable.
Rivo
Rivo is built from the ground up for Shopify and Shopify Plus so you get a fully native, no-code referral platform that launches in minutes, not weeks. Everything from the campaign page to the advocate experience is customizable so your program looks and feels like your brand.
You get tiered reward structures, personalized sharing links, and strategic in-cart and post-purchase placements to keep referrals top-of-mind at every touchpoint.
Whether you want to offer cash, discounts, free products, or custom perks, Rivo gives you full control over reward types, conditions, and delivery all within your Shopify admin. It couldn’t be simpler!
But we know the fraud prevention features in Talkable are a huge selling point, and you might have your doubts about how other solutions compare. Don’t stress. Rivo stops self-referrals, duplicate signups, and coupon abuse automatically using a blend of IP tracking, browser fingerprinting, email logic, and fulfillment-based reward triggers. No more paying out on fake referrals!
There’s also no need to loop in a developer to make changes. Rivo has a powerful visual editor that lets marketers fully own and edit the campaign layout, messaging, and flow. You can create a new campaign from scratch using templates OR build your own entirely from the ground up.
You also get world-class customer support, built-in analytics, and a pricing model that scales with your growth, starting for just $49/month. That’s right - the best Talkable alternative is also one of the most affordable solutions on the market.
There are countless case studies from Shopify brands who made the switch to Rivo if you want to get a better sense of what’s possible. Take Hexclad, for example. This e-commerce company partnered with us to drive over $450K within the first 90 days of launching their referral program!
Rivo is the obvious choice for Shopify brands that care about speed, branding, and performance. Get in touch today to learn more, request a one-on-one demo of what’s possible, or hit the ground running with Rivo Referrals.
“I have been a customer for over 2 years now. Each time I have contacted their support for our business they were pleasant, kind, and super helpful. I recently updated my stores website and had some glitches with our rewards platform, Pete was super helpful and patient as I was confused with the steps to take. If you need an app that is straightforward with great customer service this is the one!” - Little House on the Homestead
“Amazing app. It has some really useful features and the customer support team is phenomenal. They respond within seconds and they are very knowledgable. As a store owner, this app is showing a lot of results and our customers are super happy to be using the rewards system we have. It increased engagement and purchases.” - CSVAPE.com
“Amazing customer service. It can be tricky testing a referrals scheme where there are necessary anti-fraud protections in place and Paul from Rivo showed great patience talking us through the various technicalities. Highly recommended. Thank you” - Firepot
Referral Rock
Referral Rock is another really commonly recommended alternative to Talkable, with a super polished experience for Shopify brands. It also integrates with HubSpot and other CRMs.
You get features like branded widgets, one-click sharing, and integrated nudge reminders. The platform also supports multi-channel campaign placement. Implement referral reminders in emails, on-site, at checkout, and across multiple other touchpoints to really maximize ROI.
Referral Rock’s tiered plans start at $175/month and come with advanced reward management and dedicated advisor support, so you still get that same level of white-glove service you’d expect with Talkable but at a far more affordable price point. This helps you get your program off the ground fast so you can start turning loyal customers into an acquisition channel.
But, the platform isn’t built natively for Shopify specifics. You’ll need to set up Zapier or code snippets to extract order data and validate referrals. That setup burden slows you down compared to platforms like Rivo that sync out-of-the-box with Shopify.
Does it work with Shopify? Yes. Is it a seamless experience? Far from it. At the end of the day, the absolute best alternative to Talkable for Shopify brands in particular is Rivo.
Lootly
Lootly has claimed to be the best Talkable alternative, and certainly makes a compelling case. The platform’s points-based rewards, VIP tiers, and retention-focused incentives pair with basic referral tools to help you foster loyalty at the highest level possible.
It integrates well with Shopify and delivers good analytics on both loyalty and referral behaviors. A lot of the reviews we’ve read through mention how much they appreciated features like expiration reminders and multi-channel notifications, making it easy to re-engage dormant customers.
That said, referral mechanics are basic at best with Lootly. There’s no flexibility for tiered or behavior-based referral rules, and fraud protection is limited. You also pay a premium (starting around $299/month) to leverage this platform.
Many brands say they outgrew Lootly pretty quickly upon realizing how much they needed stronger referral logic or fraud controls. Set yourself up for lasting success from the get-go with Rivo instead.
Viral Loops
As the name suggests, Viral Loops empowers teams to launch viral campaigns like giveaways, leaderboards, waitlists, and milestone rewards - along with referral programs. So, they’re definitely an alternative to Talkable worth considering.
Viral Loops has an intuitive, no-code flow that makes getting started simple and straightforward. How does a referral program work with this platform, though? You gain access to elegant templates and lightweight integrations to streamline the workflow.
Simply set up a campaign, customize widgets, and connect to Shopify or email tools like Klaviyo within hours. It’s that easy. You can then leverage the real-time analytics dashboard to monitor referral activity, making it easy to monitor engagement and reward top advocates quickly.
Its Shopify App automates link and coupon generation per user, and the solution has a reputation for world-class customer service. You can also choose between one-sided and two-sided referral programs, supporting milestone-based incentives over time.
UpViral does offer basic fraud detection tools like IP tracking and duplicate email filtering. These aren’t connected to Shopify order data, though. You won’t be able to automatically verify purchases, block self-referrals tied to past order history, or trigger rewards based on fulfillment status.
That leaves a lot of the heavy lifting to you, which can become a serious bottleneck for any Shopify brand looking to scale without constant oversight.
Advanced customization also leans technical compared to more drag-and-drop solutions. Needing to inject code or build unique behaviors can require developer time (and that’s expensive!).
Upviral
There’s one more alternative to Talkable worth considering, Upviral. This is another viral marketing engine for giveaways, sweepstakes, and waiting lists, kind of like Viral Loops.
It has a drag-and-drop interface coupled with strong template and automation tools, which makes it easy to deploy campaigns in hours rather than days or weeks. You can reward referrals with points that translate into contest entries, driving social sharing and lead collection.
Upviral syncs with email tools and offers plans ranging from $79 to $299/month, with increasing lead volume and support features on each additional tier. Some brands love the point-based contest structure, especially because it supports milestone rewards and email triggers.
However, it’s certainly not for every brand, especially those looking to explicitly track Shopify purchases or validate referrals against checkout data. It’s designed around list building, not monetary transactions. That means there’s little post-purchase validation, fraud prevention tied to actual sales, or dynamic reward automation.
Costs can also escalate quickly as campaign size increases. Even the lowest-priced tier starts at almost double what you’d pay for Rivo. But price aside, you get more control with a better Shopify experience with Rivo. So, don’t settle for less than the best alternative to Talkable.
Wrapping Up Our List of Talkable Alternatives
Talkable is a solid platform with enterprise appeal, but as you can see, it introduces more complexity than it solves for Shopify brands in particular. The good news is you should feel more confident in which Talkable alternatives better suit your needs.
Rivo offers seamless Shopify Plus integration, a visual campaign builder, and advanced fraud prevention built specifically for growing DTC brands. You’ll enjoy world-class customer service from A to Z, too - whether you need help getting started or fine-tuning your program.
Our blog has additional resources on building a referral program vs affiliate program, streamlining the customer acquisition journey, or setting up your customer loyalty ladder. But whether you’re looking to build a Shopify loyalty program or referral program, it’s time to take the next step at Rivo.
Get your referral engine running without the headaches. Launch a referral program that actually fits your brand’s pace with the help of Rivo today!
