11 Best Shopify Referral Apps In 2024

Do you want to grow your Shopify business? If so, you need to start a referral program. Referral programs are a great way to acquire new customers and increase sales. They work by rewarding your existing customers for referring their friends and family to your store.

There are a number of Shopify referral apps that can help you set up and manage your referral program. These apps make it easy to set up and manage your referral program, provide detailed analytics so you can track the effectiveness of your program, and offer a variety of features to incentivize customers to refer their friends, such as discounts, gift cards, and free products.

The best Shopify referral app for your business will depend on your specific needs and budget. However, some of the most popular Shopify referral apps include ReferralCandy, Smile.io, Retainful, Referrals and Affiliates by Shopjar, BLOOP Referrals and Rewards, UpPromote, Gather, Social Boost, Conjured Referrals, and Coopt.

When choosing a Shopify referral app, there are a few factors you should consider, including your budget, the features you need, the ease of use, and the customer support. We recommend reading reviews of different Shopify referral apps before making a decision. This will help you get a better understanding of the pros and cons of each app.

A referral program is a great way to grow your Shopify business. Shopify referral apps can help you set up and manage your referral program more easily. By choosing the right Shopify referral app, you can overcome the pain points of running a referral program and achieve your business goals.

What are Shopify Referrals?

Shopify Referrals is a referral program that allows Shopify merchants to incentivize their customers to refer their friends and family to their stores. When a customer refers a friend, they are given a unique referral link that they can share. If the friend clicks on the link and makes a purchase, the customer will earn a reward.

Shopify Referrals are a great way to acquire new customers and increase sales. It is also a great way to improve customer loyalty and retention. When customers are rewarded for referring their friends, they are more likely to continue shopping with your store.

There are a few different ways to set up a Shopify Referrals program. You can use the built-in referral program functionality in Shopify, or you can use a third-party referral program app.

If you are using the built-in referral program functionality, you will need to create a referral link for each customer. You can then share these links with your customers through email, social media, or your website.

If you are using a third-party referral program app, the app will handle the creation and distribution of referral links for you.

No matter which method you choose, Shopify Referrals is a great way to acquire new customers and increase sales.

Why do you need a Shopify referral app?

A Shopify referral program is a great way to acquire new customers, improve customer loyalty, and build brand awareness. It incentivizes existing customers to refer their friends and family to your store by offering rewards such as discounts, free products, or cashback. Shopify referral apps make it easy to set up and manage a referral program, and can automate the referral process, track referral activity, and customize the referral program to meet your specific needs.

There are a few reasons why a Shopify store might need a referral program.

• To increase sales. Referral programs are a great way to acquire new customers. When existing customers refer their friends and family to your store, you’re essentially getting free advertising.
• To improve customer loyalty. Referral programs can also help to improve customer loyalty. When customers are rewarded for referring their friends, they’re more likely to continue shopping with your store.
• To build brand awareness. Referral programs can also help to build brand awareness. When customers share your referral link with their friends, they’re essentially promoting your brand for you.

Here are some of the reasons why a Shopify store might need a referral app:

• To automate the referral process. Referral apps can automate the referral process, which can save you time and effort.
• To track referral activity. Referral apps can track referral activity, which can help you to measure the success of your referral program.
• To customize the referral program. Referral apps can be customized to meet the specific needs of your business.

Overall, a Shopify referral app can be a valuable tool for businesses that are looking to increase sales, improve customer loyalty, and build brand awareness.

Benefits of Using a Shopify Referral Apps

A Shopify referral app is a software tool that allows you to create and manage a referral program for your Shopify store. Referral programs are a great way to increase sales, boost customer loyalty, and improve your brand reputation.

There are many benefits to using a Shopify referral app. Here are just a few:

• Increased sales: Referral programs can help you increase sales by encouraging your existing customers to refer their friends and family to your store. When a customer refers a friend, they are more likely to make a purchase themselves.
• Boosted customer loyalty: Referral programs can help you boost customer loyalty by rewarding your customers for referring their friends. This shows your customers that you appreciate their business and that you want them to stay loyal to your brand.
• Improved brand reputation: Referral programs can help you improve your brand reputation by showing potential customers that your products are popular and that your customers are happy with them. When potential customers see that your products are being recommended by their friends and family, they are more likely to trust your brand.
• Reduced marketing costs: Referral programs can help you reduce marketing costs by generating new leads and sales without having to spend money on traditional marketing channels like advertising.
• Improved customer satisfaction: Referral programs can help you improve customer satisfaction by showing your customers that you appreciate their business and that you want them to be happy with your products or services. When customers are happy, they are more likely to refer their friends and family to your store.
• Ease of use: Referral apps are easy to set up and use. Most apps can be installed and configured in minutes, and they offer a variety of features that make it easy to manage your referral program.
• Affordability: Referral apps are affordable. Most apps offer a free plan that includes basic features, and there are also paid plans that offer more features and support.

How to Choose the Best Referral App for Shopify?

There are many great referral apps available for Shopify, so it can be tough to choose the best one for your business. Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision:

• Your budget: Referral apps range in price from free to hundreds of dollars per month. It’s important to choose an app that fits your budget and your needs.
• Your business goals: What do you hope to achieve with your referral program? Do you want to increase sales, generate leads, or build brand awareness? Choose an app that can help you achieve your goals.
• Your customer base: Who are your customers? What are their interests? Choose an app that offers rewards that will appeal to your target audience.
• The app’s features: Make sure the app you choose has the features you need, such as the ability to track referrals, send automated emails, and create custom rewards.
• The app’s ease of use: You don’t want to spend hours setting up and managing your referral program. Choose an app that is easy to use and set up.

Once you’ve considered these factors, you can start narrowing down your options. Here are a few of the best referral apps for Shopify:

1. Referral Candy is a popular option that offers a wide range of features, including customizable rewards, automated tracking, and integration with Shopify.
2. Retainful is another great option that offers a more comprehensive suite of features, including automated email marketing and customer support.
3. Referrals and Affiliates – Shopjar is a simple and affordable option that is perfect for small businesses.
4. UpPromote: Affiliate & Referral is a powerful option that offers a wide range of features and customization options.
5. BLOOP Referrals & Rewards is a great option for businesses that sell physical products.
6. Conjured Referrals is a great option for businesses that sell digital products.
7. Gratisfaction is a great option for businesses that want to give away free products as rewards.
8. Gather is a great option for businesses that want to track referrals across multiple channels.
9. Social Boost is a great option for businesses that want to promote their referral program on social media.
10. Coopt is a great option for businesses that want to create a referral program that is easy to share.
11. Smile.io is a great option for businesses that want to create a referral program that is personalized.

No matter which referral app you choose, make sure it is the right fit for your business and your customers. A well-designed referral program can be a powerful tool for growing your business.

Here are some additional tips for choosing the best referral app for Shopify:

• Read reviews from other Shopify merchants. This is a great way to get an idea of what other people think of the app and whether it is a good fit for your business.
• Try out the app for free before you commit to a paid plan. Most referral apps offer a free trial period, so you can test out the app and see if it meets your needs.
• Contact the app’s customer support team. If you have any questions or concerns, the customer support team should be able to help you.

11 Best Shopify Referral Apps In 2024

If you’re interested in setting up a referral program for your Shopify store, several apps available on the Shopify App Store can help. Here are some of the best Shopify referral program apps:

Afflr – Effortless Shopify Referral Apps

Afflr is one of the top Shopify Referral apps that transforms your affiliates and customers into brand advocates. You can incentivize them to promote your business, boost your sales, and drive new customers. 

Afflr helps with the creation of affiliate and referral programs, onboarding affiliates, easy performance tracking, and quick payout processes. What sets Afflr apart from the other Shopify referral apps is the provision to customize affiliate commissions and customer discounts. 

Afflr auto generates a unique referral link and code for each customer. Nevertheless, you can also personalize the referral code anytime. Afflr has streamlined the tracking of sales and commissions to help optimize your programs. 

This Shopify referral app offers more than one way to pay affiliates and referrals. It also provides a means to integrate with other apps like Klaviyo and Zapier to automate your workflow.  

This is how the referral marketing program works in Afflr:

• Launch a referral program for your Shopify store
• Customize the program with different commission rates. The commission rate can be a fixed percentage or amount or you can use a tiered structure and fix the commission based on the performance of the customer. 
• Your customer discounts can also be customized as a percentage, fixed amount, or free shipping. You can also select the specific products and customers for which these discounts can be applied. 
• Recruit customers and affiliates through manual addition or sign-up forms. You can also bulk-import your customer list into the app
• Track the performance of your referral program to measure the important metrics and improve the marketing efforts. 
• Payout the commission using Afflr’s easy payout options like offline, coupons, rewards, or PayPal. Payout is streamlined and transparent. 

Key Features

• Effortless and easy-to-launch referral program 
• Unique referral link and code that can be customized
• Tailor design commission and discount of the program 
• Dedicated portal for affiliates and customers
• Fully customizable referral landing page
• A referral sign-up form that is social media friendly to share 
• Easy tracking of important sales and commission metrics 
• Integration with Klaviyo and Zapier
• Payouts are available through PayPal and Tremendous 
• Personalized support for onboarding 
• Automatic email notification of important updates
• Email and chat support

Rating: 5/5

Pricing

Afflr offers a free package with limited features and its starter pack is priced at $9/month

Referral Candy

ReferralCandy is one of the most popular Shopify referral app that allows online businesses to set up and run their own referral programs. It helps businesses create referral campaigns that incentivize existing customers to refer new customers to the store, increasing customer acquisition and sales.

Some of the key features of ReferralCandy include customizable referral programs, real-time analytics, automatic reward distribution, and integrations with popular email marketing tools. The app also provides businesses with various referral marketing templates and designs to choose from, ensuring that their referral campaigns align with their branding and marketing goals.

In terms of performance, Referral Candy has an impressive track record. According to their website, Referral Candy customers have generated over $100 million in referral sales, and the app has been used by over 30,000 businesses worldwide. These statistics speak to the effectiveness of Referral Candy as a referral program app for Shopify.

One of the standout features of Referral Candy is its user-friendly interface. The app is designed to be easy to use and navigate, even for those who are new to referral marketing. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.

Referral Candy is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a powerful and user-friendly referral program app for Shopify. With its seamless integration, customization options, and impressive performance, it’s easy to see why Referral Candy is one of the best Shopify referral apps on the market today

Features

• Integrate with your favorite ESPs in a few clicks
• It is more flexible as it has JS and API integration options.
• Third-party apps like ReCharge, ChargeBee, and PayWhirl can be connected
• Connect with other marketing apps effortlessly
• You can automate your referral program
• Customize your landing pages, emails, etc.
• Automatically detect successful referrals.
• Use the theme editor – no coding knowledge is required
• Get notified when referral codes are released on coupon sites
• Fraudulent activities will be automatically banned.

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Premium Pricing

A 30-day free trial is available. Premium plans of ReferralCandy start at $39/per month.

Referrals and Affiliates – Shopjar

The Referrals and Affiliates app is one of the best referral app for Shopify that allows you to create a Shopify Referral Program with flexible rewards. And it’s free. You can reward both the referee and the referrer with this referral app. The referring person can earn a reward for each successful referral.

One of the unique features of this referral app is the Referral Landing page. You can create a landing page for customers to join the referral program and invite their friends easily. Customers must type in their friend’s email addresses to invite them to your store. The app also provides a Referral Portal where the referring persons can view their unique referral URL, rewards, and referral sales.

Another important feature is the OTP-based guest login. It is not necessary for the referrers to create a Shopify account. They can enter their email address and receive a one-time passcode to access the Referral Portal

Another key feature of this referral app for Shopify is its conditional rewards. This allows you to create a tiered referral program in Shopify. Example:

• Refer 5 friends, and get $10 for each successful referral
• Refer 10 friends, and get $20 for each successful referral
• Refer 50+ friends, and get $50 for each successful referral

Also, you can create rewards based on several conditions

• Friend Email domain – The new customer(referral) will earn only when they sign up using a particular email domain.

• Total referral sales amount – If you set the sales amount to $500. The Advocate is only rewarded when his referrals generate $500 in sales for your store.

• Friend order contains – Products – You can reward the friend only if they purchase the specified product.

This Best Shopify referral app tracks your campaign performance in real-time and displays detailed reports – Sales and rewards issued for the advocates and friends.

Features

• Quick referral campaign setup, easy-to-use interface
• Flexible referral rewards – Percentage, Fixed discount, Free Product, Free Shipping
• Landing page for the Referral Program
• Easy registration for referrers / existing customers
• Friends can claim the reward for their first purchase itself
• Popup to showcase referral program on thank you page
• Fraud prevention – Manual reward approval workflow for advocates/referrers
• Referral Portal for Referrers
• Reports – Sales, Rewards, Members, and more
• Unlimited members
• Customizable Email Templates – Invite friends, successful referrals for friends and referrers
• No coding knowledge required

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Pricing

Referrals and Affiliates provide the referral feature as free. Get started today.

UpPromote: Affiliate & Referral

UpPromote: Affiliate & Referral is the top recommended affiliate marketing and referral app on Shopify App Store. It’s an excellent choice for all-size businesses with outstanding features that fill the needs of recruiting, managing, and paying affiliate marketers with a personalized dashboard.

With this all-in-one solution, you can build and manage your professional marketing campaign with minimum effort. Beginners and experienced users can create complete affiliate programs with varied commission programs with a few clicks. Also, it provides detailed reports for merchants to keep track of affiliates’ performance through clicks, orders, sales, etc.

It is one must-have Shopify affiliate marketing/referral app that offers all the basic to excellent advanced features. Furthermore, UpPromote implements customization upon request for Enterprise customers.

Features

• Easy-to-use: Quick setting up process with detailed instructions. Automated processes with automated functions can help to save time, such as Auto-generated affiliate links, coupons, and auto-approval affiliates/referrals.
• Build your affiliate team: Customizable affiliate registration form. Besides, you can create unlimited affiliate programs with different commission offers.
• Manage your affiliate campaign: Track all referral orders and manage your affiliate performance through a reliable real-time tracking process.
• Fraud protection: Reduce the risks of affiliate fraud and referral scams that may cause loss to your business
• Integrating with PayPal allows you to automatically perform payment processes for your affiliates within a few clicks.
• Grow with affiliates/ambassadors team: Support to recruit affiliates by free listing on UpPromote Marketplace; or with a Multi-level Marketing feature.
• The customer referral feature allows customers to refer your products to their friends and family and earn a small commission.

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Premium Pricing

UpPromote has a 14-Day free trial, and the ENTERPRISE plan starts at $199.99/month.

BLOOP Referrals & Rewards

Bloop Rewards & Referrals makes referring-a-friend never be this simple! With this app, store owners can build and launch a Shopify referral & loyalty program in less than 3 minutes, accelerating the power of word-of-mouth marketing and expanding lifetime value through rewards. As a top-tier Shopify loyalty app, Bloop assists in:

• Auto-launch a code-free referral program
• Set up reward rules as store owners wish
• Encourage customers to share & get incentives
• Auto-detect referrer emails at the checkout to prevent them from playing tricks
• Smart tracking & analysis of referral program performance
• Boost revenue and increase customers lifetime value

Even more, BSS Commerce is well-known for their top-notch customer service, serves you with 24/7 technical support and answers all of your questions whenever you need them. This app is exactly what you’re looking for!

Conjured Referrals

Why don’t you let your customers do the marketing for you? A recent study suggests that people are more likely to purchase a product that was referred to by their friends. Create a dynamic platform for your customers to refer their friends using Conjured Referrals.

Conjured Referral is similar to the Shopify referrals apps discussed above, where you can turn existing customers into advocates and ask them to refer their friends. When their friend completes a purchase, the referrer will be rewarded.

With Conjured Referrals, you can manage your referral campaign from the dashboard without leaving the Shopify store. Review your performance statistics and view your referral program’s success from the dashboard. The conjured referral is entirely automated, so you can send coupon codes or gift cards without manual effort.

A vital aspect of this Shopify referral app is its fraud management. If you find out that the referral link given to your customers is being used again & again, you can manually disable it. The conjured referral is built-in with a special feature that forbids shoppers from referring themselves, and you can also ban specific users by their IP and email address.

Features

• You can prevent self-referrals and frauds.
• Easily integrate with Recharge and Bold subscription.
• You can send any number of reminder emails.
• Options for blocking referrals sent to existing customers.
• Every customer gets a unique referral link.
• You can limit referrals to one-time redeemable.
• Integrates with any currency.
• Say no to transaction fees.
• Say no to ‘Powered by branding.

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Premium Pricing

A 14-Day free trial is available. The Pro version starts at $29/per month.

Gratisfaction

Unlike the Shopify referral apps discussed above, Gratisfaction is an all-in-one loyalty, referral, instant win, birthdays, anniversaries, promotions sweepstakes, and giveaways platform. And yes, gratisffaction also incentivizes your customers to refer your store to their friends.

Using this referral program app for Shopify, you can make your sweepstakes and contests go viral by making your customers invite their friends through social media to earn additional entries and unlock exclusive rewards. Customers can also collect these points as loyalty points for reward redemption.

Users can share their referral links, customized text, and images on social media to invite new leads. You can view all details about the referrals, the name of the referral, who they were referred by, etc., in your dashboard.

Features

• You can activate a double or single-sided referral program.
• You can run multiple sweepstakes and giveaways.
• You can reward customers instantly when they make a specific reaction.
• Reward customers on their special occasions.
• Run exciting quizzes and surveys for customers to earn points.
• Reward customers for subscribing to your newsletter.
• Rewards customers when they share socially.

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Pricing

Gratisfaction pricing plans start at $19.95 per month

Gather

Customers usually listen to other customers’ recommendations rather than advertisements, so spending money on ads is unnecessary. Gather can manage an automatic referral program for you, rewarding existing customers when their friend makes a purchase.

Gather is capable of offering you 2 types of referral campaigns,

• A referral program solely focused on sales growth.
• Referral program focussed on expanding your customer base.

It is one of the best Shopify referral apps with more targeting options for customers to invite their friends to your store. With Gather, you can easily track your customer’s referral data, and the app seamlessly syncs with other marketing apps for better targeting.

Gather is simple to integrate and can be easily set up in under a minute, and no coding is required.

Features

• Each customer gets a unique discount code.
• Provide newsletter referral campaigns.
• Referrals through Facebook Messenger are supported.
• Easy sync with marketing apps.
• Provide exit intent, site session timer, and page timer.
• You can send referral emails on behalf of customers.
• You can manage your referral easily.
• Prevent fraudulent activities like self-referrals.
• Effortlessly track customer data.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Premium Pricing

Gather has a 14-Day free trial, and the Pro version is priced at $350/month.

Social Boost

Social Boost is one of the Shopify referral apps that allows you to run social media-based viral offers, giveaways, contests, referral marketing & sweepstakes on your website, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. It is a dynamic incentivization platform that enables you to grow email lists, referrals, followers, etc. With the social boost, you can enrich your customer engagement and boost your sales exponentially.

With this best Shopify referral app, you can quickly turn your store visitors into customers by paying them to share your personalized messages on social media. Social boost increases connections on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter by showcasing your business to new customers.

Social Boost is one of the best Shopify referral program apps for increasing social media traffic. The setup is very simple, and also It is easy to integrate. Once you’ve set it up, you can start creating various referral campaigns effortlessly.

Features

• Create unlimited campaigns
• Single Social media sign-in
• Coupons will be automatically created for winners.
• You can set multiple restrictions like age, country, and zip.
• It has an in-built anti-cheat algorithm.
• You can embed it anywhere.
• Email deliverability is high.
• Campaign templates are built-in.
• You can launch a campaign within minutes.
• You can translate it into any language.

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Pricing

Premium pricing plans start at $9.95 per month

Coopt

Coopt enables your customers to showcase the product they purchased in return for a little discount. You can offer immediate cashback to customers for sharing their purchases on Facebook.

Nowadays, paid advertisements have little impact on customers as they prefer social proof before making a purchase decision. Coopt benefits customers and store owners as they reach a larger audience through social media promotions.

Features

• Partial refund for every successful referral.
• Integrates with Facebook.
• Rewards will be offered instantly.
• Quick check-out time.

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Premium Pricing

Coopt has a 14-Day free trial, and the Pro version starts at $19/per month

Conclusion:

Shopify referral apps are an effective way to increase traffic and sales for your online store. By leveraging the power of word-of-mouth marketing, you can turn your satisfied customers into brand ambassadors and drive new business.

After researching and testing various options, we recommend ReferralCandy as the best Shopify referral app. Its easy-to-use interface, customizable rewards, and automated referral tracking make it a top choice for small and large businesses.

Another great option is Retainful, which offers automated email marketing in addition to referral marketing. This can help you build long-term relationships with customers and encourage repeat purchases.

Ultimately, the best referral app for your Shopify store will depend on your specific needs and budget. However, investing in a referral program can be a game-changer for your business, so it’s worth considering.

If you’re ready to take your Shopify store to the next level, try implementing a referral program with one of the recommended apps. With a little effort and the right tools, you can turn your customers into your best marketing asset and grow your business exponentially.

Get to know more about creating the best referral programs for Shopify using Retainful. So, what do you think of the best Shopify referral apps listed in this article? Do you think we left out something? Share your thoughts.

Frequently Asked Questions