Choosing the right referral platform

ReferralHero vs ReferralCandy

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 ReferralCandy what you can do in ReferralHero.

We will be the first to admit that ReferralCandy does have a sweet-looking website and might seem tempting from the outside looking in. But building a referral program that transforms your current customers into brand ambassadors is no walk down Candy Cane Lane. 

We’re biased but we’re not blind: for some of you, ReferralCandy will be the better option. But this side-by-side comparison chart exposes our inner ingredients. We are going to open the candy jar and demonstrate when ReferralHero is a healthier choice 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, software platform, mobile app, offline, or service business.

Running referral campaigns for eCommerce shops

Customizing to your product, service, or marketing funnel

A post-purchase referral template

An all-in-one platform that integrates with your marketing stack

Hosting a campaign with “eCommerce friendly” integrations only

100% white-labeled user experience

50% white-labeled user experience

Budget-friendly businesses (ReferralHero is half the cost of ReferralCandy)

Businesses who want to pay $59/mo + sales commission

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

A referral campaign that encourages purchases only

Marketers who want detailed analytics and performance reporting

Marketers who want basic reporting

Access to 24/7 technical customer support

Access to standard support

Price

ReferralHero and ReferralCandy have very different pricing plans. ReferralCandy charges a monthly fee plus commission based on sales, so it’s hard to compare candies to candies. But if we assume that 5% of subscribers are referrals and purchase $50 monthly, we can generate some sweet insights.

1,000 Subscribers
& $2,500/mo Referral Sales
15,000 Subscribers
& $37,500/mo Referral Sales
50,000 Subscribers
& $125,000/mo Referral Sales
200,000 Subscribers
& $500,000/mo Referral Sales
$200
$59 + commission ($1,690)
$59 + commission ($2,627.50)
$400
$400
$59 + commission ($552.50)
$59 + commission ($102.50)
$100

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

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

Customization

Building a successful referral program isn’t just about slapping a template on a post-purchase 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
# of REST API Endpoints to Build a Custom Program
Social Sharing Options
Use Your Current Signup Form
Memorable Referral Links
12
13
9
3

Branding

Your brand. Your customers. Your campaign. 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
partial

Engagement

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 ReferralCandy has only three.

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

Integrations

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

Slack
MailChimp
Hubspot
Segment
Webhooks
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!

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
Referred Purchases
Referral Link Clicks
Revenue from Referrals
Website Visits
New Customers
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
# 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
social only

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

Trusted by the best in the world.

From startups to Fortune 500, helping the very best  grow their business through word of mouth.
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