Cello vs GrowSurf (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Cello if

• Fits if you run B2B SaaS and want referrals from both users and partners
• Works for small partner programs that stay under 5 transacting partners

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if your referral ARR is above $10K, where the next user plan is $200 a month
• Tight if you grow past 5 partners, as the next partner plan is $80 a month
• Watch out: partner plans take a transaction cost of 5% on Free and 3.5% on Plus and Pro
• Watch out: the page shows dollars but its pricing data lists euros, so check the currency at sign-up

Pick GrowSurf if

• Fits if you want both referral and affiliate programs from one tool
• Works for developers who'll use the SDKs

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if your program grows: referral pricing follows participants and steps up from $125 to $314 a month
• Watch out: there's no free referral plan, and the free affiliate plan takes 3% of referral revenue with no cap stated
• Skip it if you file 1099 tax forms, which are charged separately
• Tight if you use Marketo or Salesforce, as some integrations need an annual plan

Cello

• User-referral plans are capped by referral ARR: $10K, $50K and $100K, with Enterprise for more.
• The page text shows dollars, but its structured pricing data lists euro amounts, so confirm the currency at sign-up.
• Partner referrals charge a transaction cost of 5% on Free, 3.5% on Plus and Pro, and 2% on Enterprise.
• Dedicated success manager is not on the Start plan.

GrowSurf

• Referral pricing follows participants, meaning people who get or use a referral link; the price steps up as the program grows.
• There is no free referral plan, and Business starts at 10,000 participants.
• 1099 tax filings are charged separately, and some integrations such as Marketo and Salesforce need an annual plan.
• The affiliate Free plan takes 3% of the referral revenue you earn, with no cap stated on the page.

Cello

In-product referrals

A web SDK and a mobile SDK for iOS, Android, Flutter and React Native put personal referral links inside the product, with no separate sign-up.

Sharing and attribution

Share by email, social, QR code or unique link, with branded landing pages and auto attribution that recovers missed attributions.

Campaigns and rewards

Campaigns carry payout rules, and users are notified and rewarded automatically when a referral succeeds.

Activation sequences

Automated engagement sequences across in-product and email touchpoints encourage users to share.

Partner referrals

A separate line for affiliates and influencers, priced by campaigns and transacting partners, with a growth portal.

Performance analytics

Referral performance is tracked in a portal in real time, with text customizable in more than 10 languages.

GrowSurf

Referral programs

Reward users with gift cards, credits, cash and other one-time rewards when they refer leads or customers, with dynamic rewards and upfront discounts.

Affiliate programs

Pay partners a fixed commission for a lead, or one-time or recurring commissions on sales, tracked through payment integrations.

Fraud protection

Automatic blocking of fraudulent referrals using server-side and client-side detection, data center IP checks and IP thresholds.

Developer tools

REST API with libraries for TypeScript, Python, PHP, Ruby and Java, SDKs for JavaScript, iOS, Android and React Native, webhooks and an MCP server.

Tax forms and payouts

1099 tax form filing for payouts (filings are charged separately), and reward delivery through PayPal, Wise, Tango Card and Tremendous.

Wide integrations

Connects to email, CRM, analytics and ad tools such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Segment and Google Ads.

Cello

• User referrals Start$65

  per month for up to $10K referral ARR

  Unlimited referrals, 1 campaign, all integrations and features, Slack support, 0% transaction costs. Shown with a 32% discount.

• User referrals Grow$200

  per month for up to $50K referral ARR

  Unlimited campaigns, priority Slack support and a dedicated success manager. Shown with a 33% discount.

• User referrals Scale$750

  per month for up to $100K referral ARR

  Same features as Grow at a higher referral ARR ceiling; Enterprise has unlimited ARR at a custom price.

• Partner referrals Free$0

  1 campaign and up to 5 transacting partners, with a 5% transaction cost.

• Partner referrals Plus$80

  per month for up to 25 transacting partners

  3 campaigns, with a 3.5% transaction cost.

• Partner referrals Pro$280

  per month for up to 100 transacting partners

  10 campaigns, 3.5% transaction cost. The Enterprise tier has custom pricing and a 2% transaction cost.

GrowSurf

• Free (affiliate programs)$0

  No subscription; 3% of the referral revenue you earn. Stripe, Chargebee, Recurly, PayPal and Wise integrations.

• Startup (referral)$125

  per month for up to 2,500 participants, billed yearly ($179 monthly)

  2 referral programs, 2 team members, fraud protection and API. Tiers reach 5,000 participants.

• Business (referral)$314

  per month for up to 10,000 participants, billed yearly ($449 monthly)

  5 programs, 5 team members, custom domain, multi-language. $649 a month at 25,000 participants, billed monthly.

• CustomCustom

  Above 150,000 participants: onboarding program, volume discounts and priority support.

Cello

No public discounts listed.

GrowSurf

• Annual discount

  Save 30% with yearly billing

  The pricing page shows yearly billing as a 30% saving, for example Startup at $125 a month instead of $179.