Referral Rock alternatives: referral and partner software compared
Some referral tools are big partner suites, some are built for online shops, and some charge a flat monthly fee whatever your volume. Here's how the main options compare on price and fit, including where each one beats Referral Nexus.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referral Nexus | B2B partner, customer and affiliate referrals, especially on Salesforce | No monthly fee. 1% of rewards paid | Platform fee on rewards paid (PayPal fees on top for PayPal payouts) |
| Referral Rock | Customer, partner, ambassador and affiliate programmes | $250/month | Flat monthly fee, priced on members |
| GrowSurf | Customer and user referrals for SaaS and apps | $179/month, or $125/month paid yearly | Tiered by participants |
| ReferralCandy | E-commerce refer-a-friend | $9/month + 10.5% success fee | Tiered monthly fee plus a % of referred sales |
| PartnerStack | B2B SaaS partner programmes and marketplace | Not public | Quoted after a demo |
| Crossbeam | Partner account mapping and co-selling | Free (limited), then $4,800/year | Annual platform fee plus seats |
| PartnerPage | Partner directories | Free (15 partners), then $500/directory/month | Per directory |
| Impartner | Enterprise partner relationship management | $25,000/year | Annual contract, $25,000–$150,000/year by edition |
Referral Rock
Pricing: Operator Plan $250/month, or 10% off paid annually. Extra programmes are $100/month each and extra members $125/month per 10,000. 14-day free trial. (source)
Best for: teams that want an advisor-led setup and a wide range of integrations and reward types.
How Referral Nexus differs: no monthly fee, unlimited programmes and members, and Salesforce included. You pay 1% of rewards paid instead. Read the full Referral Nexus vs Referral Rock comparison.
GrowSurf
Pricing: referral programmes are priced by participants. Startup is $179/month billed monthly or $125/month billed yearly, for up to 2,500 participants. Affiliate programmes are $0/month plus a 3% success fee. 14-day free trial. (source)
Best for: product-led SaaS and apps that want in-app refer-a-friend, widgets and fraud detection.
Things to consider: cost rises as more people join your programme. Salesforce is listed on the Business and Custom tiers with an annual plan.
ReferralCandy
Pricing: tiered monthly plans plus a success fee, from $9/month + 10.5% on Basic. Higher tiers have a higher monthly fee and a lower percentage. The success fee is a % of referred customers' purchases. 7-day free trial. (source)
Best for: online shops on Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce or Magento.
How Referral Nexus differs: ReferralCandy charges a % of referred sales, while Referral Nexus charges a % of rewards paid, and is built for B2B pipelines rather than online orders.
PartnerStack
Pricing: not public. PartnerStack says pricing is based on programme size, features and support, and is confirmed during a demo. (source)
Best for: B2B SaaS companies running large partner, affiliate and referral programmes, with a marketplace for recruiting partners.
Crossbeam
Pricing: a limited free plan, then Connector at $4,800/year with one seat (extra seats $1,800/user/year). (source)
Best for: partner account mapping and co-selling. It doesn't run referral reward programmes or payouts, so it complements a referral tool rather than replacing one: use Crossbeam to find the overlap, then a referral tool to track and reward the referral.
PartnerPage
Pricing: free for one directory and 15 partners, then Growth at $500 per directory per month. (source)
Best for: companies that need a public “find a partner” directory, with partner referral management included.
Impartner
Pricing: Impartner's own site offers pricing on request (source). Its AWS Marketplace listing shows 12-month contracts from $25,000 (Emerge) to $150,000 (Enterprise). (source)
Best for: large channel organisations that need a full PRM suite: partner portals, onboarding, deal registration and marketing development funds.
How to choose
- Would you rather have a fixed monthly cost, or pay only when rewards go out?
- Do referrals need to live in Salesforce?
- Are you rewarding partners for B2B deals, or customers for online orders?
- How many programmes and members will you have in 12 months?
- Do you need a PRM suite with deal registration and partner training, or referral tracking and payouts?
Where Referral Nexus fits
A good fit for B2B teams running partner, customer or affiliate referral programmes, especially on Salesforce, who want to start without a monthly bill.
Not the best fit for large enterprise channel programmes that need PRM features, or for Shopify stores right now, as our Shopify integration is still coming soon.
Referral Nexus is free to set up and use, with no monthly or setup fee. You pay a 1% platform fee on rewards paid, and the first 250 businesses keep that rate for life, apart from normal price rises to cover cost increases. Migration help is available on request.
Frequently asked questions
Is there referral software with no monthly fee?
Yes. Referral Nexus has no monthly fee and no setup fee, and charges a 1% platform fee on rewards paid (PayPal's own fees on top for PayPal payouts). GrowSurf lists affiliate programmes at $0/month plus a 3% success fee. Crossbeam and PartnerPage have limited free plans, but they're partner tools rather than reward payout tools.
What's a lower-cost alternative to Referral Rock?
It depends on your volume. Referral Rock lists $250/month. Referral Nexus charges 1% of rewards paid, so it costs less until you pay out about £18,750 a month in rewards on one programme. GrowSurf starts at $179/month, or $125/month paid yearly, priced by participants.
Which referral tools integrate with Salesforce?
Referral Nexus includes Salesforce at no extra cost. Referral Rock has a native Salesforce integration. GrowSurf lists Salesforce on its Business and Custom tiers with an annual plan. Crossbeam and Impartner also connect to Salesforce.
What's the difference between PRM and referral software?
Partner relationship management (PRM) suites such as Impartner cover partner portals, onboarding, deal registration and marketing development funds for large channel programmes. Referral software focuses on capturing referrals, tracking them through your pipeline and paying rewards.
Prices as listed on vendors' websites, checked October 2026. Prices and features change, so check each vendor's own page before you decide. Sources: Referral Rock, GrowSurf, ReferralCandy, PartnerStack, Crossbeam, PartnerPage, Impartner (AWS Marketplace listing).
All product names are trademarks of their owners. Referral Nexus is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the vendors listed. US dollar prices are as listed by each vendor.