If you’re looking for referral or affiliate software, you have plenty of options, from no-code referral builders to API-first engines to enterprise-grade software suites, each solving different problems. With that in mind, it can be challenging to choose the right software that offers the right features without forcing you to overpay for what you won’t use.

You may need multi-currency payouts, GDPR and FCA-adjacent compliance, advanced buyer or publisher control, or all of that and more within one platform. But you worry not – we’ve researched the market through and through to compile a list of 13 best referral and affiliate marketing software platforms as of the end of 2026.  

Get started with Phonexa to grow ROI on your lead distribution & acquisition campaigns.

Read on to find out which of these 13 platforms might fit your business.

How We Evaluate & Compare Platforms

We run every platform here through a multi-layer review, with a specific eye on the performance in the UK market:

• We start with platforms that rank well in search results for relevant queries and match the feature expectations for the category.
• We pull 24 months of website performance data from SimilarWeb, including traffic sources and patterns, along with on-page behaviour like bounce rate, time on page, and pages per visit.
• We score each brand on its presence in the target market, recent performance, year-over-year growth, and regional traction, weighting UK market presence and traffic in the latest quarter.
• We review platforms by hand to check the metrics and claims against real-world use and how their pros and cons matter specifically for the UK market.

Here’s our full brand evaluation and ranking methodology.

13 Best Referral & Affiliate Marketing Software Platforms

Note: Every platform below provides standard link tracking, which is something you expect from referral and affiliate marketing tools. Because link tracking is available by default, we didn’t include it in the list of features – otherwise, we had to repeat the same information over and over again.

At the same time, some platforms offer unique link tracking technologies, such as, for example, dual-path tracking. Such specific features were included and reviewed because they certainly add value on top of what standard affiliate or referral link tracking provides.

Mention Me: Managed Referral Programmes With Name Sharing® and A/B Testing

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
731.8K	−7.18%	62.29%	7.37%	7.45%	13.38%	6.63%	2.78%	0.11%

Overview

Mention Me is a referral platform for mid-market and enterprise brands that offers proprietary Name Sharing® technology, A/B testing, and a service team built around the UK market. 

Best For

UK retail, financial services, and subscription brands that want referral software that can be run by a third-party company, including A/B tests and optimisation.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Dual-path tracking: Referrals are tracked across standard links and Name Sharing®, where customers refer friends by name.
• Reward testing: Reward people with cash, discounts, gift cards, or your own custom rewards. You can reward the referrer and the new customer, or give bigger rewards as people make more referrals. You can also A/B test reward options to see which works best.
• Fraud controls: The platform catches duplicate referrals, people referring themselves, and suspicious accounts before any reward is paid.
• White-label experience: Referral pages, overlays, emails, and reward communications all carry the brand’s identity, and Name Sharing® is presented as part of the brand’s own programme.
• Optimised communications: Automated invitations, reminders, and reward notifications are all under one roof, with templates you can customize.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	Trustpilot	TrustRadius
4.4 (61)	4.6 (11)	2.0 (21)	4.0 (3)

Dub: Developer-First Affiliate Links With Global Payouts Built In

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
976.4K	173.82%	66.62%	11.03%	8.24%	6.79%	7.05%	0.05%	0.22%

Overview

Dub is a referral and affiliate platform for SaaS companies, offering while-labeling and global payout infrastructure.

Best For

SaaS and product-led teams that want to build a referral programme straight into the product while having ready-to-use infrastructure for integration.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Partner portal: Dub Partners allows you to pay affiliates anywhere in the world with one click and add your own branding to the portal. Each affiliate gets a performance tracking dashboard.
• Automated commissions: Dub calculates commissions, sends payouts, and handles paperwork.
• Shareable reports: You can share a live performance dashboard with a partner in one click and send report data to Segment and Google Tag Manager.
• Developer API: Dub has an API with secure sign-in (OAuth 2.0), detailed access permissions, and ready-made code libraries (SDKs). It also connects to webhooks, Zapier, and CRMs.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	Trustpilot	Product Hunt
4.9 (24)	4.8 (103)	3.7 (22)	5.0 (23)

ReferralCandy: Automated Ecommerce Referral Programmes, Live Fast

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
252.1K	−18.09%	53.06%	12.62%	12.52%	13.89%	5.69%	1.74%	0.47%

Overview

ReferralCandy is a referral and affiliate platform for ecommerce brands and Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce merchants who want to launch a partner program quickly without custom development. 

Best For

Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce merchants who want a dual-sided referral or affiliate program running without a development team.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Dual-sided rewards: Discounts and rewards – percentage discounts, fixed rewards, and free-product rewards – can go to both the referrer and referred sides.
• Loyalty via CandyBar: ReferralCandy’s companion product, CandyBar connects affiliate and referral management through the same infrastructure.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	TrustRadius	G2
4.5 (110)	4.5 (387)	4.9 (6)	4.5 (110)

ReferralHero: No-Code Waitlists and Viral Campaigns for Startups

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
48.1K	16.49%	54.78%	22.58%	4.39%	2.63%	7.02%	8.59%	0.00%

Overview

ReferralHero is a no-code platform for designing affiliate marketing programs and referral campaigns that also provides multi-channel customer tracking. 

Best For

Startup marketing teams that need to design an affiliate, referral, or viral campaign quickly while also having access to multi-channel tracking without coding knowledge.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Milestone rewards: Bonus points, discounts, cash, gift cards, and custom incentives are all available, including milestone and tiered structures for campaigns.
• Automated fraud checks: Automated duplicate detection and email validation help flag fraudulent submissions before they reach the reward queue.
• Full white-labelling: ReferralHero’s runs fully under your brand’s name, so users can associate all provided features and benefits with your company.

Ratings

Capterra	Product Hunt	GoodFirms
4.5 (40)	5.0 (1)	1.0 (1)

Referral Factory: No-Code Referral Programmes With Enterprise Compliance

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
93.4K	−23.67%	52.28%	15.13%	12.31%	11.90%	6.39%	1.91%	0.07%

Overview

Referral Factory is a referral and affiliate platform. You can build a white-label referral programme with ready-made templates while customizing payment and commission structure workflows.

Best For

B2B and B2C marketing teams that want referral and affiliate software that’s easy to use but still has fraud controls, compliance records, and CRM integration. 

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Verified-conversion rewards: Cash, credits, coupons, gift cards, manual approvals, automated issuing, and custom rules are all options.
• Design-level fraud prevention: The platform catches users trying to exploit the programme before a reward is paid out, structuring campaigns to reward verified conversions by default.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	TrustRadius	SourceForge	GoodFirms	Trustpilot
4.8 (182)	4.8 (152)	4.7 (27)	5.0 (8)	4.9 (12)	4.0 (4)

Captiv8: Enterprise Influencer & Affiliate Management With AI Brand Safety

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
30.8K	−30.47%	54.53%	26.57%	8.09%	2.23%	2.82%	5.54%	0.22%

Overview

Captiv8 is a referral and affiliate platform that uses AI to find creators and checks whether each creator is safe for your brand.

Best For

Large brands and agencies running big creator campaigns that want to automate how they vet and manage influencers 

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• AI creator search: Captiv8’s AI ranks creators by audience match and campaign performance, so you only review relevant profiles.
• Results by creator: Each influencer gets their own tracking link, discount code, and tracking pixel. You can see results by creator, type of post, platform, and campaign.
• All-in-one campaign management: You can plan, run, promote, and improve campaigns in one place. Captiv8 also handles creator recruitment, links, sales tracking, and commission payments.
• Fraud checks: Before any payment is made, Captiv8 checks each creator for fake followers, bought engagement, and other fraud.
• Commerce integrations: Integrations with Shopify, Refersion, WooCommerce, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube allow you to get everything you need together.

Ratings

G2	TrustRadius	Capterra
4.7 (505)	5.0 (2)	4.5 (2)

Referral Rock: A Dedicated Referral Engine for B2B and B2C Marketing Teams

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
190.7K	−13.78%	47.38%	24.12%	11.82%	11.15%	5.03%	0.36%	0.15%

Overview

Referral Rock is a referral and affiliate platform for building, launching, and improving referral programmes without developers, covering everything from customer referral structures to affiliate and partner recruitment.

Best For

Mid-sized B2B and B2C marketing teams that want a referral-built system.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Reward approval: You can offer and manually approve cash, gift cards, account credit, and custom rewards.
• Partner management: You get sign-up pages for partners, your own approval rules, and an affiliate performance tracking dashboard. Affiliates and referrers are managed in the same system.
• Your branding: Every page, button, email, and dashboard shows your brand, so participants never see the Referral Rock name.
• Integrations: Referral Rock connects directly to CRMs, ecommerce platforms, and marketing automation tools. For anything else, you can use its API or Zapier.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	TrustRadius	Gartner	GoodFirms
4.5 (15)	4.6 (100)	4.0 (11)	4.5 (4)	5.0 (2)

GrowSurf: Referral Programmes Embedded Inside Your Product

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
38.5K	−27.14%	32.21%	55.32%	7.64%	3.88%	0.41%	0.37%	0.16%

Overview

GrowSurf is a referral and affiliate marketing platform for B2C and B2B tech companies that need granular control over program design and management rather than a quick no-code solution. GrowSurf is used by growth and product teams in SaaS, fintech, and consumer tech.

Best For

Product and growth teams at tech companies that want referrals built into their app. 

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Rewards for actions: You can reward people with cash, gift cards, account credit, or your own custom rewards. You can also reward both the referrer and the new customer.
• One place for all participants: Affiliates and referrers are managed in the same system, with approvals, dashboards, and reports all in one place.
• Automatic fraud checks: Before a referral counts, the platform automatically checks for duplicates and self-referrals.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	TrustRadius	Product Hunt
4.6 (10)	4.7 (30)	4.1 (14)	5.0 (1)

LoyaltyLion: A Loyalty & Referral Engine Built Into Your Store

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
77.0K	−31.67%	55.68%	26.16%	4.82%	2.19%	0.70%	9.94%	0.51%

Overview

LoyaltyLion is a loyalty and referral platform for ecommerce brands, combining points-based loyalty programmes, referral campaigns, and personalised rewards to drive repeat purchases and new customer acquisition.

Best For

Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento merchants who use loyalty and referral programs to turn existing customers into repeat buyers. 

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Flexible rewards: You can offer points, discounts, free products, early access, and custom rewards.
• Fraud controls: Suspicious activity and duplicate accounts are flagged before rewards are paid.
• White-label design: The loyalty panel, referral pages, and emails use your store’s logo and colours.
• Shopify integration: The platform works directly with Shopify and Shopify Plus. It pulls in order history and customer profiles and passes loyalty and referral data on to your marketing tools.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	Trustpilot	TrustRadius
4.6 (601)	4.4 (19)	4.7 (55)	1.0 (3)

G2’s 4.6 across 601 reviews is a large, dependable sample that shows steady satisfaction among LoyaltyLion’s ecommerce base. Trustpilot’s 4.7 across 55 is quite strong for a B2C channel.

Buyapowa: Managed Referral Programmes for Regulated Industries

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
19.4K	−46.00%	73.51%	20.02%	4.54%	0.58%	0.05%	0.22%	1.08%

Overview

Buyapowa is a referral platform for large brands in financial services, telecoms, retail, and utilities.  The programme carries your brand, and it comes with the compliance checks regulated industries need.

Best For

Large brands in regulated industries, where a referral programme has to meet compliance rules as well as marketing goals.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Rewards that fit the industry: You can offer cash, gift cards, discounts, or loyalty points and set them up to meet your sector’s rules.
• Fraud controls: Buyapowa catches duplicate referrals, self-referrals, and suspicious activity across channels.
• Compliance checks: Buyapowa’s team checks that your programme is safe for the brand and meets regulations.
• White-label design: Referral pages, share buttons, emails, and reward messages all use your brand’s logo and colours.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	TrustRadius
4.5 (55)	4.6 (83)	2.5 (1)

SaaSquatch: API-First Referral & Loyalty for Subscription SaaS

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
8.6K	−51.87%	18.21%	53.79%	8.39%	1.98%	0.47%	16.37%	0.78%

Overview

SaaSquatch is an API-first referral and loyalty platform for enterprise and mid-market SaaS companies, with white-label capabilities and developer-friendly infrastructure. 

Best For

Subscription SaaS companies that need configurable reward logic and separate programmes for different products, regions, or segments, all managed from the same platform. 

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Flexible rewards: You can offer cash, account credit, discounts, and custom rewards for each supported affiliate programme.
• Several programmes in one place: Affiliates and referrers are managed in the same system. You set your own approval steps, and each programme gets its own dashboard.
• Automatic fraud checks: Before any reward is approved, the platform checks for duplicates, people referring themselves, and suspicious activity.
• Billing and CRM integrations: The platform is built around its API and connects directly to Stripe, Braintree, Recurly, Salesforce, and HubSpot.

Ratings

Capterra	TrustRadius
4.5 (10)	4.3 (6)

Viral Loops: Template-Driven Viral Campaigns From Proven Mechanics

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
50.2K	−61.18%	39.17%	27.24%	11.05%	6.32%	13.51%	2.43%	0.28%

Overview

Viral Loops is a referral and affiliate platform that helps to build viral campaigns, waitlists, and ambassador programmes through pre-built templates modelled on high-performing mechanics from established consumer brands.

Best For

Growth teams that want to launch with blueprints that have proven to work.

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• Template-baked rewards: Reward structures come built into each campaign template.
• Fraud checks for high-value rewards: Duplicate detection and self-referral checks run automatically on every join and referral event.
• Branded campaigns: Campaign pages, widgets, and emails run under the brand’s identity.

Ratings

G2	Capterra	Trustpilot	TrustRadius	Product Hunt	SourceForge
4.0 (42)	4.6 (137)	4.8 (109)	5.0 (1)	5.0 (2)	1.0 (1)

Levanta: Marketplace-Native Affiliate Tracking for Amazon Sellers

OverallTraffic,Q3 2026	TrafficDynamics,Q3 2026vs. Q3 2025	Traffic Distribution
		Direct	OrganicSearch	Referral	SocialMedia	Mail	PaidSearch	PaidReferral
125.4K	−2.34%	73.52%	9.63%	8.11%	1.73%	3.10%	0.65%	3.26%

Overview

Levanta is a referral and affiliate marketing platform for Amazon sellers, Shopify brands, and Walmart merchants that need to manage affiliate and creator programmes and marketplace channels in one place.

Best For

Amazon sellers and e-commerce brands on Shopify and Walmart that need Amazon affiliate tracking and per-product commission control. 

Core Capabilities on Top of Standard Link Tracking

• ASIN-level programme management: The Affiliate Manager handles publisher applications, active affiliate management, and per-partner tracking, while Product Manager pulls in every Amazon product automatically.
• Tag-based Amazon tracking: Publishers add an attribution tag to an existing Amazon link.
• Consolidated payouts: Brands get one monthly bill, and Levanta handles distribution to publishers, including 1099 tax reporting and filing.
• Creator recruitment: Creator Connections opens access to 60,000+ vetted creators across Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart.
• Multi-storefront reporting: One dashboard covers multiple brands, Amazon Ads accounts, and products

Ratings

G2	Capterra
4.4 (45)	5.0 (4)

How To Choose the Best Referral or Affiliate Marketing Software

By this point, you’ve probably started forming a sense of what matters for your own affiliate or/and referral programme. 

Here are a few things to check before making a final decision:

1. Start with your referral or affiliate marketing model. First things first: the choice of affiliate marketing tools and referral software depends on which specific reward types and structures you want to implement. Think it through carefully to choose software that supports everything you need, including reward and payment structures you might want to implement in the future.
2. Narrow down the list to best matches. Screen pre-selected tools across the most essential features, narrowing it down to a few best-fitting platforms worth reviewing in detail.
3. Evaluate the shortlisted software across the board. Conduct in-depth reviews of the few selected platforms across tracking accuracy, reward and commission flexibility, fraud protection, white-label control, integrations, compliance, and other meaningful aspects.

 

Run Your Referral & Affiliate Marketing With Phonexa

Once a referral or affiliate programme grows past a certain size, the challenges you have to face change. These are now tracking, distribution, fraud, and payments across every partner and channel – thousands of small actions daily that require precision, automation, and control.

That’s where Phonexa can help you strengthen lead and call tracking, distribution, and analytics through two core solutions – LMS Sync for leads and Call Logic for calls – and six features for omnichannel marketing.

Here are the two core products you get as a client with Phonexa:

Here are the six add-ons you get as a client with Phonexa:

Get started with Phonexa to maximise revenue on the leads and calls you buy, sell, or manage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between referral and affiliate software?

Referral software is built around existing customers introducing friends, colleagues, and family members to the product, with referral rewards usually being non-monetary, such as gifts and discounts. Affiliate software, on the other hand, manages publishers, creators, and resellers promoting you for a commission.

What features should I look for in referral or affiliate marketing platforms?

When choosing referral or affiliate program software, look for accurate link and conversion tracking, flexible reward or commission rules, fraud detection, and white-label branding if you want the programme to be represented as your own. 

Can I run a referral programme without a developer?

Yes, you can set up and run a referral or affiliate program without a developer by using a no-code builder, which is a visual drag-and-drop editor.