Choosing the right referral platform

ReferralHero vs UpViral

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 UpViral what you can do in ReferralHero.

We will be the first to admit UpViral does have an infectious-looking website and might seem feverish from the outside looking in. But building a referral program that transforms your current customers into brand ambassadors is no quick prescription.

We’re biased but we’re not blind: for some of you, UpViral will be the better option. But this side-by-side comparison chart exposes what lies within the cells. We are going to examine a little closer and demonstrate when ReferralHero is a better antibody 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 companies and newsletter creators

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

Limited conversion tracking. Not capable of tracking multi-step conversion events such as purchases, booking an appointment, etc.

100% white-labeled user experience

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

Connects to your marketing stack with over 500+ integrations, including Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Slack, and Zapier

Native integrations only connect to standard CRMs

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

A referral campaign that encourages signups 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

Last update 2025.

Price

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

1,000 subscribers
15,000 subscribers
50,000 subscribers
150,000 subscribers
$399
$399
Enterprise Pricing
$399
$399
$149
$99
$399

*All prices are for a monthly subscription. Last update 2025.

Event Tracking

Knowing which conversion events to design your campaign around might be the most important aspect of a successful referral program. Ask yourself, “Which event(s) could double your business?” From signups to social shares, understanding these touchpoints helps you design a campaign that maximizes impact and drives growth.

Track Sign Up Events
One-Click Signup Button
Track Purchase Events
Track Phone Calls Scheduled
Track Social Shares
Track Custom Conversion Events
Track Mobile App Downloads
Track Offline Purchases
Track Blockchain On-Chain Events
Track Multiple Referral Conversion Events
Track Multiple Referral Transactions
Track Page URL Visits
Track Subscriber Statuses (Visitors/Unverified/Verified)
Cross-subdomain Tracking
Track Revenue and Commissions Paid
Track Manual Confirmation Events
Up to 3 events
Limited to signups

Last update 2025.

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
Campaign Unique Identifier
Email Social Buttons
REST API to Build a Custom Program
Rewards Based On # of Referrals or $
Dynamic Smart Leaderboard
Social Sharing Options
Use Your Current Signup Form
Drag-and-Drop Widget Builder
13
Email, Phone, Web3 Wallet, Other
Email
7
Limited

Last update 2025.

Branding

Your brand. Your customers. Your campaign. Unless you're willing to spend $119+/month, UpViral 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
Starting at $149/mo
Starting at $149/mo

Last update 2025.

Engagement

ReferralHero offers a powerful set of automated email and SMS tools to boost engagement and keep referrals active, whereas UpViral provides only basic email notifications.

Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Welcome
Reminder
Reward
Follow-up
Activation
Promoted
Confirmed Referral
Milestone
Pending Referral
Confirmation/Verification
'Quick Add' Referral
Referral Visitor
Referral
First Referral
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email & SMS
Email Only
Email Only
Email Only
Email Only
Email Only
Email Only

Integrations

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

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

Looking for another integration? Let us know and if we don’t have it, we’ll build it! Last update 2025.

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
Visitor Conversion Rate
Email Reports/Unsubscribes
Email Reports/Sent
Email Reports/Bounced
Email Reports/Referrals
Email Reports/Clicks
Email Reports/Opened
Share Breakdown
# of Referred Visitors by Source
# of Total Referrals
Referral Rate %
Referral Growth %
Top Conversion Pages
Referred Visitors Flow
Subscribers Hotspots
# of Referrals by Source
# of Shares
Participant Impression (unique & total)
Participant Impression %
Converion Rate by Source
Campaign Impression
# of Referrals by Device
Share Rate
Device Tracking
# of Subscribers by Device
# of Subscribers by Source
Advocate-Referral Network
# of Active Advocates
Top Referred Pages
Total Commissions Paid
Total Revenue
K-Factor
Top Advocates
# of Inactive Advocates
Timeline Selector

Last update 2025.

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
Repeat Verification
Flag Referrals as High Risk
Real-Time Anti-Fraud Algorithm
Blacklist
ReCaptcha
Manually Review and Confirm Referrals
SMS Verification

Last update 2025.

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