GrowSurf vs Referral Factory (2026): which should you pick?

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

Pick Referral Factory if

• Fits if you run a mid-sized or larger company and want referral campaigns without developers
• Works for teams that want 200+ reward types in one place

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are small: Basic is $200 a month and covers 20,000 users
• Skip it if you need white-labelling, your own domain, SSO or PayPal payouts, as none are on Basic
• Watch out: price follows users who join a campaign, whether referring or invited
• Tight if you want self-hosted data or a dedicated manager, as those are Enterprise at $1,000 and up

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.

Referral Factory

• Price follows the number of users who join a campaign, whether referring or invited: 20,000 on Basic and 40,000 on Pro.
• White-labelling, your own domain, SSO and PayPal payouts are not on Basic.
• Self-hosted data, invoice billing and a dedicated account manager are Enterprise only.
• The vendor positions it for mid-market and enterprise teams rather than very small programs.

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.

Referral Factory

No-code program builder

An AI-assisted builder creates a branded referral program, with page editing or custom HTML upload, widgets, pop-ups and embeds.

Several ways to capture referrals

Referrals can come from unique links, referral codes, QR codes, lead-submission forms, uploads, the API and integrations.

Rewards automation

Over 200 reward types including gift cards in several currencies, cash payouts via PayPal, discounts, coupons and custom rewards.

Fraud alerts

Flags sign-ups from the same IP address or suspect emails so rewards are not issued for fake referrals.

Integrations and API

Connects to HubSpot, Stripe, Intercom, Salesforce, Zoho, Pipedrive and Zapier, plus webhooks and an API on every plan.

Security and compliance

The pricing page lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with SSO on the Pro plan and above.

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.

Referral Factory

• Basic$200

  per month for up to 20,000 users

  Self-serve. Unlimited campaigns, 200+ reward types, fraud alerts, tracking and reporting, all integrations, webhooks and API.

• Pro$400

  per month for up to 40,000 users

  Everything in Basic plus white-labelling, SAML SSO, email verification, teammate access and guided onboarding.

• Enterprise$1000

  per month and up, for 100,000+ users

  Everything in Pro plus a dedicated account manager, invoice billing, self-hosted data and custom HTML. Sold through a demo.

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.

Referral Factory

• Annual discount

  20% off yearly billing

  The pricing page has a Monthly/Yearly toggle labelled Save 20%. The prices above are the monthly ones.

• Startups

  50% off for startups and small businesses

  Startups and small businesses can apply for 50% off qualifying subscriptions, with the same 15-day trial.