Choosing the right referral platform

ReferralHero vs GrowSurf

Have you ever seen a comparison page where the “challenger” comes out better than the company writing the comparison?

Exactly. Neither have we. So when we set about comparing our referral software to others we wanted to take a different approach. Here’s the approach we’re taking:

  • The comparison we’ve put together is based on whether it’s possible (and how much it costs) to do in GrowSurf what you can do in ReferralHero.

We will be the first to admit GrowSurf does have a rad-looking website and might seem gnarly from the outside looking in. But building a referral program that transforms your current customers into brand ambassadors is no small wave. 

We’re biased but we’re not blind: for some of you, GrowSurf will be the better option. But this side-by-side comparison chart exposes what lies beneath the water. We are going to paddle a little harder and demonstrate when ReferralHero is a better catch than our competitor.

Summary

The breakdown. Read this if you're short on time.

Building a scalable referral program to 10x your SaaS, fintech, web3 company, software platform, or mobile app

Running referral campaigns for eCommerce companies

Customizing to your product, service, or marketing funnel for any industry

Limited customization specific for tech companies only

100% white-labeled user experience

If you don’t mind a "Powered by GrowSurf" back-link on widgets, emails, etc.

Budget-friendly businesses (ReferralHero is 1/3rd the cost of GrowSurf)

Businesses who want to pay $650+/mo to unlock basic features (ex. ability to remove "Powered by GrowSurf")

A referral program that encourages continuous user engagement through gamification, social and email touchpoints

A referral campaign that encourages subscriptions only

Marketers who want detailed analytics and performance reporting

Marketers who want basic reporting

Access to 24/7 technical marketing consultants and customer support

Access to standard support

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Price

ReferralHero and GrowSurf have different pricing plans, so this chart compares pricing for same size campaigns.

1,000 subscribers
15,000 subscribers
50,000 subscribers
200,000 subscribers
$200
$1,050
$1,950
$400
$400
$650
$450
$100

*All prices are for a monthly subscription. Last update 2024.

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Event Tracking

Knowing which conversion event to design your campaign around might be the most important aspect of a successful referral program. Ask yourself, “which event(s) will double your business?”.

Track Sign Up Events
One-Click Signup Button
Track Purchase Events
Track Phone Calls Scheduled
Track Social Shares
Track Manual Confirmation Events
Track Custom Conversion Events
Track Mobile App Downloads
Track Offline Purchases
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Customization

Building a successful referral program isn’t just about slapping a template on a page. ReferralHero allows much greater customization of your referral program to fully integrate with your marketing funnel.

Plug and Play Widgets
Floating Button Widget
Customize Widget Designs
Dynamic Smart Leaderboard
Social Sharing Options
Use Your Current Signup Form
Memorable Referral Links
9
9
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Branding

Your brand. Your customers. Your campaign. Unless you're willing to spend $450+/month, GrowSurf forces its brand on your campaign with a "Powered by" backlink on its widget and emails. ReferralHero is a 100% white-label solution where you entirely own your brand experience from start to finish.

White Label Widget
White Label Emails
Use Your Branded Email Template
White Label Sender Address
Use Your Domain for Campaign URL
$650
$69
$69
$69
$169
$69
$650
$650
$650
$450

*All prices are for a monthly subscription. Last update 2022.

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Engagement features

ReferralHero is built to double your business which is why it comes with a set of automation emails to skyrocket your subscriber's engagement while GrowSurf has only five.

Welcome Email
Referral Email
Follow-up Email
Activation Email
Referred Email
Reward Email
Unique Coupons
Confirmation Email
'Quick Add' Referral Email
Promoted Email
Reminder Email
Milestone Email
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Integrations

When choosing the right platform you want to make sure it connects to your existing marketing stack.

Slack
MailChimp
Hubspot
Segment
Webhooks
Tango Card
Intercom
Fomo
Moosend
Sendlane
Zapier
MixPanel
Facebook Pixel

Looking for another integration? Let us know and if we don’t have it, we’ll build it!

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Analytics & Reporting

Data analysis is crucial to understanding the performance of your referral program. ReferralHero provides you with deep data and insights on user behavior and where to optimize your campaign.

# of Total Subscribers
Email Reports/Sent
Email Reports/Bounced
Email Reports/Referrals
Email Reports/Clicks
Email Reports/Opened
Email Reports/Unsubscribes
# of Total Referrals
Referral Rate %
Referral Growth %
Top Referrers
# of Subscribers Referred
Tracking Referral Sources
# of Referrals by Source
# of Shares
Participant Impression (unique & total)
Participant Impression %
Email Invites Sent
Campaign Impression
# of Referrals by Device
# of Subscribers by Country
Device Tracking
# of Subscribers by Device
# of Subscribers by Source
# of Subscribers Not Referred
# of Inactive Referrers
# of Active Referrers
Timeline Selector
social, websites & custom
sources & channels
channel/shares
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Security

Campaign manipulation is a reality, especially when the rewards are high-stake! Rest assured as the ReferralHero anti-fraud algorithm works in the background so you can be confident only real people are joining your referral program.

Confirmation Email
Real-Time Anti-Fraud Algorithm
Blacklist
ReCaptcha
Manually Review and Confirm Referrals
SMS Verification
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From startups to Fortune 500, helping the very best  grow their business through word of mouth.
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