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Referral plugins allow you to create and run a referral program on WordPress stores.
If you don’t have these plugins, you can’t take advantage of the available automation tools, ready-to-use templates, fraud detection to prevent any fraudulent activities, and more.
To help you choose a WordPress referral plugin, we have reviewed the top options. We have outlined the key features, pros and cons, pricing, and whether the plugin has a free trial or not.
If this sounds interesting, keep on reading.
The 8 best WordPress referral plugins you should use in 2024
Below are listed the 8 best WordPress referral plugins:
- ReferralCandy
- WPLoyalty
- Coupon Affiliates
- WPSwings
- SliceWP Affiliates
- Referral Factory
- Genius Referrals
- ReferralRock
We have reviewed each plugin in more detail below.
1. ReferralCandy
WordPress rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 stars (200+ reviews)
Free trial: There is a 14-day free trial available
Pricing: The paid plans start from $59 per month
Best for: Merchants who want to start and grow their referral/affiliate program
ReferralCandy helps merchants run successful referral programs. To start, you can select from one of the available referral email and landing page templates. The referral program setup process is intuitive, and you will be guided through it.
ReferralCandy offers reports and analytics to follow the performance of your referral program. You can see your daily referral revenue, referred traffic, customer insights, social media shares, and more.
If you want to see what other ReferralCandy customers, such as Toki Mats, generateing over $500,000 through it’s referral program, check out our case studies.
Pros and cons
- Simple set-up process
- Live chat customer support
- Referral email and landing page templates
- Fraud detection system
- Automation capabilities
- Admin dashboard to track performance
- 14-day free trial available
2. WPLoyalty
WordPress rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 stars (70+ reviews)
Free trial: A free trial is available
Pricing: Annual plans start at $99
Best for: Managing WooCommerce loyalty program
WPLoyalty is a commonly used points and rewards program tool for WooCommerce stores. You can reward customers with free products, free shipping, fixed discounts, percentage discounts, or store points.
WPLoyalty offers various approaches to rewarding customers, such as when they leave reviews, sign up, make purchases, or share your brand on social media.
WPLoyalty is designed for WordPress users who use WooCommerce.
Pros
- Different referral reward types are available
- Reward customers when they sign up or purchase
- Create and schedule campaigns in advance for special occasions, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Enable customers to earn rewards
Cons
- There is only a yearly plan available. If you want to test out the platform with a monthly plan, it is not possible
3. Coupon Affiliates - Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce
WordPress rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 stars (60+ reviews)
Free trial: Monthly plans start at $19.99
Pricing: There is a free trial available for 7 days
Best for: WooCommerce affiliate program with coupons
Coupon Affiliates is specifically made for running coupon-based affiliate programs on WooCommerce. Through the affiliate dashboard, you can manage registrations, create coupons, assign users to coupons, and generate admin reports.
You get a unique affiliate dashboard for each coupon to track the performance.
Affiliate users can submit and track payment requests through their affiliate dashboard.
Pros
- Run a coupon-based program on WooCommerce
- Good customer support available
- Built specifically for WooCommerce
- Affiliate dashboard to see detailed statistics, such as sales, commissions, and recent orders
Cons
- Focuses mostly on coupon-based program features and lacks advanced referral tools
4. Coupon Referral Program by WPSwings
WordPress rating: n/a
Free trial: Not available
Pricing: There is a $49 annual fee
Best for: Setting up a simple referral program
One of WPSwings' products, the Coupon Referral Program, is a referral tool for WooCommerce stores. With it, you can offer sign-up and purchase discounts to new users or exclusively to referred users.
The dashboard can be used by both the admin and the customer to track referral performance. Customers can see their points, rewards, and coupons, while admins can track revenue generated through admin reports.
Admins can use the dashboard to create referral codes and links.
Pros
- Dashboard for customers to track rewards, points, and coupons
- Reports for analyzing coupon utilization
- Compatible with WooCommerce Points and Rewards
- Create restrictions on coupon usage
Cons
- Offers only the most basic referral tools
- There are no templates for referral emails and landing pages
5. SliceWP Affiliates
WordPress rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 stars (90+ reviews)
Free trial: No free trial available
Pricing: Annual plans start at $229
Best for: Running an affiliate program on WordPress
SliceWP is mainly designed for running affiliate programs on WordPress, but it also offers tools for referral programs. Advocates can view their referred visits, commissions, and payouts through the affiliate dashboard.
Affiliates have access to banners and texts to advertise the referral program.
SliceWP Affiliates is available in the WordPress plugin directory.
Pros
- Suitable for running affiliate programs
- Intuitive affiliate dashboard for advocates
- Customizable affiliate registration form
- Customizable emails to invite customers
Cons
- Useful add-ons include an extra cost
- No monthly plans available to test out the platform
6. Referral Factory
WordPress rating: n/a
Free trial: There is a 15-day free trial
Pricing: Monthly plans start at $95
Best for: Ecommerce and SaaS businesses looking to start a referral program
Referral Factory is a referral program tool for ecommerce businesses. It offers a drag-and-drop builder for creating referral landing pages and emails. To advertise your program, you have access to promotional tools such as pop-ups, widgets, and join links.
Referral Factory can be used with WordPress, but it isn’t available in the WordPress plugin directory. This is a slight drawback as the integration process isn’t as straightforward.
Pros
- Referral program templates are available
- Hubspot & Salesforce integrations
- Multilingual option available for 21 languages
- Easy setup process
- Referral analytics
Cons
- The price of every plan increases quickly if you bypass the referral limit
- Isn’t available in the WordPress plugin directory, which means the integration process is more complicated
7. Genius Referrals
WordPress rating: n/a
Free trial: 30-day free trial available
Pricing: Paid plans start from $89/month
Best for: Ecommerce stores that want to start a referral program
Genius Referrals is a referral solution for ecommerce brands. You can design your emails and landing pages with the drag-and-drop builder and choose from different referral rewards. Advocates can share the referral program via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, email, and more.
Genius Referrals isn’t available in the WordPress plugin directory and has to be integrated with WordPress through its website.
Pros
- Pick from various referral rewards
- Many sharing options for advocates
- Invite customers to join via email
- Reward advocates through cash, credit, vouchers, or physical products
Cons
- Only email support is available for the cheaper plans. This is a slight drawback, as ReferralCandy, for example, offers a live chat for all of its available plans
- A Capterra user mentions that he hasn’t gotten any responses from the Genius Referrals customer support team
8. ReferralRock
WordPress rating: n/a
Free trial: Free trial available
Pricing: Starting at $200/month for ecommerce stores
Best for: SaaS & ecommerce businesses who want to start a referral program
ReferralRock is used by ecommerce, SaaS, and tech businesses to run referral programs. You can choose from pre-made templates for reward payouts, emails, and landing pages.
Admins and customers get access to a referral dashboard to track the performance.
The tool isn’t available in the WordPress plugin directory, but offers an integration for WordPress stores. You first need to sign up on the ReferralRock’s website to use it.
You can select an onboarding service for $400 as an additional option.
Pros
- Suitable for many industries
- Advanced referral capabilities
- Reward payout templates
- Referral email & landing page templates
- Integrations with third-party tools
Cons
- Referral Rock is one of the most expensive solutions, which can be problematic for companies just getting started
- The price adds up quickly as you manage more referrals
Selecting the best referral plugin for WordPress
When selecting a referral plugin for WordPress, make sure it has the following features:
- Ready-to-use templates for landing pages and emails
- Ability to send referral emails
- Fraud detection system
- Good customer service
- Third-party integrations
- Easy set-up process
One platform that offers all of the above and more is ReferralCandy.
If you're interested in creating your own referral program, you can sign up for ReferralCandy’s 14-day free trial.
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Hey, I'm Elmeri Palokangas. I'm an e-commerce and online marketing specialist with over five years of experience. My expertise extends to various publications and companies, including WordStream, QuickMail, Scribe, Marketcircle, and Digital.com. When I'm not enjoying a cup of coffee and writing awesome articles, you can find me running in the nearby mountains.
