Refersion Alternatives: 9 Affiliate Apps for Online Stores

Three routes to an affiliate program

Refersion is one way to run affiliates for an online store, but it's far from the only one. Before you compare features, decide which of these three routes suits your store:

• Run it from your own store: AffiliateWP, Social Snowball and UpPromote are described by their vendors as affiliate tools for WordPress or ecommerce brands, so check how each fits your store.
• Tracking software for a programme you recruit yourself: LeadDyno, Referral Factory and Trackdesk centre on affiliate tracking or referral programs, so check what each covers before you trial it.
• Networks and partnership platforms with built-in reach: Awin, Impact and Partnerize bring access to publishers or tools for managing many partners at once.

Written for Shopify and WooCommerce store owners launching affiliates

This list is for Shopify and WooCommerce store owners who are launching an affiliate program, or relaunching one that never took off. You might have a few loyal customers who already recommend you, or a handful of creators asking for a code. Either way, you need tracking you trust and a program you can run alongside everything else.

Nine Refersion alternatives in no particular order

Listed A to Z. Each line is a short paraphrase of how the vendor describes its own product.

AffiliateWP

Best for: WordPress site owners who want an affiliate management plugin inside WordPress.

Awin

Best for: Brands that want to join a global community of publishers and advertisers.

Impact

Best for: Brands that want affiliates, influencers, creators and referrals managed on one partnership platform.

LeadDyno

Best for: Store owners who want affiliate tracking with automated payouts and conversion reports.

Partnerize

Best for: Businesses wanting AI-powered automation to manage, track and pay sales partners.

Referral Factory

Best for: Mid-market and multi-location businesses that want to launch and manage customer referral programs.

Social Snowball

Best for: Ecommerce brands that want to turn customers and creators into affiliates and referrers.

Trackdesk

Best for: Owners who care most about reliable tracking without caps on clicks.

UpPromote

Best for: Ecommerce brands turning affiliate partnerships into a data-driven growth channel.

At a glance

Tool	Kind of platform	Look at it if
AffiliateWP	WordPress plugin	Your site runs on WordPress
Awin	Affiliate network	You want a network, not just tracking
Impact	Partnership platform	Creators and affiliates both matter
LeadDyno	Tracking software	Payout admin eats your week
Partnerize	Partner automation	You manage many partners at once
Referral Factory	Referral software	Happy customers are your best promoters
Social Snowball	Creator and referral app	You want customers as affiliates
Trackdesk	Tracking software	Tracking gaps have burned you before
UpPromote	Ecommerce affiliate platform	You sell through an online store

You share responsibility for what affiliates say

Here's the part many store owners miss. The UK Advertising Standards Authority is clear that the business and the affiliate are both responsible under the CAP Code for affiliate ads. If an affiliate posts about your product without saying it's an affiliate link, that's your problem as well as theirs.

So when you compare platforms, look at how each one helps you brief affiliates: whether you can share guidelines in the affiliate dashboard, require them to accept terms, and keep a record of what you told them. It's a small check that protects your store's reputation.

One more thing worth checking is how each platform handles affiliates in different countries. If your store ships internationally, you'll want payouts that work for partners outside your home market and tax details collected in one place, not chased by email.

My advice for a store launching affiliates

Start smaller than you think. Invite your best customers and a few creators who already mention you, get tracking and payouts working smoothly for a month, then open it up. A tidy program with ten active affiliates beats a big one where nobody posts.

For the disclosure wording itself, see my guide on disclosing affiliate links. If you're still deciding on a platform, my Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison lays it out, and here are more apps for a small Shopify store.

Getting tracking right on Shopify and WooCommerce

Tracking is where most store affiliate programs quietly fail. A shopper clicks an affiliate link on their phone, comes back later on a laptop, uses a discount code and checks out. If your tool only counts the link, the affiliate loses the sale and soon stops promoting you. Ask each vendor how they credit sales from codes as well as links, and how long a referral stays attached to a shopper.

On Shopify, check whether the app installs from the app store and reads orders directly. On WooCommerce, check the plugin works with your theme and checkout extensions. Then place a test order through a test affiliate link and confirm it shows up correctly before you invite anyone.

Do you make affiliate or referral software for online stores? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between an affiliate app and an affiliate network?

An app or tracking tool gives you links, tracking and payouts for affiliates you recruit yourself. A network also gives you access to publishers who are already looking for programs to join, so you're not starting from zero.

Are store owners responsible for what affiliates post?

The UK Advertising Standards Authority says the business and the affiliate marketer are both responsible under the CAP Code for affiliate ads. Brief your affiliates on disclosure and keep a record of it.

Can I run referrals and affiliates in the same tool?

Some platforms on this list handle customer referrals and affiliate partners together. If your customers are your best promoters, check how each tool treats the two groups before you choose.

Should I start with a network or my own program?

If you already have customers and creators who talk about you, start with your own program and good tracking. A network makes more sense when you need reach and have the time to manage new partners.

How do I credit sales that use a discount code instead of a link?

Check whether the platform can attach a unique code to each affiliate and credit the sale when that code is used at checkout. That matters for creators who share codes in videos or podcasts, where nobody clicks a link at all.

Is this list ranked?

No. The platforms are listed A to Z in no particular order, with one line each based on the vendor's description.