Referral Rock vs ReferralCandy (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ReferralCandy grades higher than Referral Rock: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
ReferralCandy grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Referral Rock
Referral program software for businesses with sales and support teams
ReferralCandy
Customer referral and affiliate programs for online stores
Which one is for you
Pick Referral Rock if
- Fits if you have a sales or support team that will run a referral program
- Makes sense if you want a program advisor included
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're small: the entry plan is $250 a month, with no free tier
- Watch out: extra capacity is an add-on, such as $125 a month for 10,000 more members
- Not for you if you run franchises or many locations, as that needs Multi-Org from $1,000 a month
- Tight if you need SSO or 100,000+ members, which means Scale at a $25,000 yearly minimum
Pick ReferralCandy if
- Fits if you want your customers to refer friends for a reward
- Works for stores running a small affiliate or ambassador program next to referrals
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if referred sales are big on Basic, as its success fee is 10.5% of each referred customer's first three orders
- Tight if you run several stores, as each extra one is $20 a month plus the fee
- Not for you if you want a yearly discount, as billing is month to month only
- Watch out: PayPal, Venmo and bank payouts carry the provider's own fees on top
- Tight if you want a long trial: it's 7 days, and the listing doesn't say whether a card is needed
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAReferral RockWeak | 2.2GPAReferralCandyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DThe only entry plan is $250 a month, over three times the middle ($74) and above the dearer quarter ($125). | DGraded on $5,000 a month of referred sales: Grow is $79 plus a 3.5% success fee ($175), so $254 a month, with no yearly price. Basic, now $39 plus its 10.5% fee, would make it $564. That's just inside this category's dearest tenth. |
| Free plan and trial | D14-day free trial with no word on a card, and no free plan. | CNo free plan, but a 7-day free trial on any plan, and the clock starts when you switch the app on, not when you install it. The listing doesn't say whether it wants a card. |
| Features | CMember portal, landing pages, sharing, a recruiter portal, rewards and analytics. A referral program tool, narrower than a full affiliate suite. | BCustomer referrals and affiliates side by side, unlimited campaigns, custom coupon codes, store credit or cash through PayPal, Venmo, bank or virtual cards, a Fraud Center that blocks self-referrals, and full API access. Every plan has every feature. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up a portal, rewards and recruiters, with an advisor included. | CNo rating on record. It's one click on Shopify and a plugin elsewhere, but you'll still set rewards, coupons and fraud rules before friends start referring. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 8 integrations on the listing. | BWeb, with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Magento, plus Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Recharge and Tremendous, and full API access on every plan. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
| Best for | referral programs for businesses with sales teams | refer-a-friend programs for online stores |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Referral Rock and ReferralCandy. How we grade
Price against what you get
Referral Rock starts at $250 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ReferralCandy starts at $39 a month and scores 2.7.
ReferralCandy scores higher and starts $211 a month lower. Of the other affiliate and referral tools on the chart, 13 score higher than Referral Rock for less, and none scores higher than ReferralCandy for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Referral Rock also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| Referral Rock | ReferralCandy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $250 per month, billed monthly | $39 per month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 7-day free trial on any plan, starting when the app is activated |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Referral Rock | Anafore Pte Ltd |
| Price read from | referralrock.com | referralcandy.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Referral Rock
- The Operator Plan is $250 a month with no free tier.
- Extra capacity is an add-on: 10,000 more base members $125 a month, 10 more users or recruiters $50 a month each, another program $100 a month.
- Members are counted per unique email; rolling members from automated sources get 1,000 free a month.
- Multi-location and high-volume programs need the Multi-Org or Scale plans.
ReferralCandy
- Each plan adds a success fee of 10.5%, 3.5%, 1.5% or 0.25% of referred new customers' first three orders, after discounts and before tax and shipping.
- Each extra store costs $20 a month plus the main store's success-fee rate.
- PayPal, Venmo and bank-transfer payouts carry the provider's own fees; Tremendous cards and store credit do not.
- Billing is month to month only; no yearly price is listed.
Key features
Referral Rock
- Member portal and landing pages
- Hosted portal and personalized landing pages for referrers, with one-click access and no passwords.
- Sharing and invites
- Links, codes and QR sharing, plus email invites and reminders the platform sends.
- Recruiter portal
- Sales, support and field staff get their own links and are credited for the customers they bring in.
- Rewards
- Pays cash through PayPal or Wise, coupons, pay-as-you-go gift cards or custom rewards.
- Program advisor
- Every plan includes a one-on-one advisor for program design, rewards, messaging and launch at no setup fee.
- Analytics
- Program analytics, data exports and audit logs.
ReferralCandy
- Referrals and affiliates in one app
- Run a customer referral program and an affiliate program side by side, with unlimited campaigns and custom coupon codes; a loyalty program is offered on Shopify.
- Store platforms
- One-click install on Shopify, plugins for BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Magento, and an email-based install for custom stores, at the same price.
- Cash or store-credit rewards
- Pay advocates in store credit, or in cash through PayPal, Venmo, bank transfer or Tremendous virtual debit cards, with no transaction fee added.
- Fraud Center
- Exact self-referrals, existing customers and already-referred friends are blocked automatically; close name matches, shared IPs and bursts of referrals are flagged for review.
- Integrations and API
- Connect Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, Recharge and Tremendous, and build on full API access on every plan.
- REx AI assistant
- An AI helper on every plan sets up referral and affiliate programs, suggests rewards and commissions and explains results; changes apply only once you approve them.
Plans
Referral Rock
Operator Plan$250
per month for up to 10,000 base members, billed monthly
Up to 10 admin users and 10 recruiters, unlimited referrals, 1,000 rolling members a month, a program advisor, hosted portal and custom domain.
Multi-Org Plan$1,000
per month and up
Five partitioned programs for franchises, multi-location businesses and agencies. Sold through sales.
Scale PlanCustom
One brand with more volume, 100,000+ members, SSO and SLAs. Quoted from a $25,000 yearly minimum.
ReferralCandy
Basic$39
per month
Plus a 10.5% success fee on referred new customers' first three orders. Every feature, unlimited campaigns and full API access.
Grow$79
per month
Plus a 3.5% success fee. For brands growing referral and affiliate revenue; the vendor's example puts $12,000 of referred sales at $499 for the month.
Scale$249
per month
Plus a 1.5% success fee, for high-volume brands where margins matter.
Enterprise$799
per month
Plus a 0.25% success fee, with dedicated onboarding and an account manager.
Ways to pay less
Referral Rock
- Annual discount
Save 10% on annual billing
The pricing page says annual billing saves 10% against month-to-month.
ReferralCandy
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Referral Rock or ReferralCandy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ReferralCandy is cheaper to start with: $39 a month, against $250 a month for Referral Rock. Referral Rock starts at $250 per month, billed monthly, and ReferralCandy starts at $39 per month.
Which has a free plan, Referral Rock or ReferralCandy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Referral Rock nor ReferralCandy has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.