AffiliList
Submit
Software comparisons

Affiliate software comparison · Reviewed 2026-07-16

ReferralCandy vs ReferralHero

ReferralCandy and ReferralHero both serve teams comparing referral software, but they differ in pricing and operating fit. Choose ReferralCandy when customer referral programs is the priority; choose ReferralHero when you need customer referral programs.

Quick answer

Choose ReferralCandy if

  • From $39/month + success fee matches your budget and buying model
  • You need designed for customer-led acquisition
  • Customer referral, ambassador, and advocacy programs is the closer fit for your program

Choose ReferralHero if

  • Free plan available matches your budget and buying model
  • You need designed for customer-led acquisition
  • Customer referral, ambassador, and advocacy programs is the closer fit for your program

Side-by-side comparison

Best fit
ReferralCandyCustomer referral, ambassador, and advocacy programs
ReferralHeroCustomer referral, ambassador, and advocacy programs
Public price
ReferralCandyFrom $39/month + success fee
ReferralHeroFree plan available
Pricing model
ReferralCandySubscription plus referred-sales fee
ReferralHeroSubscriber-based tiers
Billing & commerce
ReferralCandyCustomer events, rewards, and commerce integrations
ReferralHeroCustomer events, rewards, and commerce integrations
Partner discovery
ReferralCandyCustomer and advocate activation
ReferralHeroCustomer and advocate activation
Payouts
ReferralCandyCash, credit, gift, or vendor-specific reward workflows
ReferralHeroCash, credit, gift, or vendor-specific reward workflows
Trial
ReferralCandyVerify with vendor
ReferralHeroVerify with vendor

ReferralCandy

ReferralCandy is worth evaluating for teams comparing referral software. Confirm its current integrations, attribution rules, pricing, and payout workflow against your program requirements.

Read full reviewOfficial site

ReferralHero

ReferralHero is worth evaluating for teams comparing referral software. Confirm its current integrations, attribution rules, pricing, and payout workflow against your program requirements.

Read full reviewOfficial site

Capability check

Subscription attribution
ReferralCandyVerify — Confirm how referrals connect to purchases and recurring revenue.
ReferralHeroVerify — Confirm how referrals connect to purchases and recurring revenue.
Affiliate portal
ReferralCandyPartial — Participant experiences vary from share widgets to full portals.
ReferralHeroPartial — Participant experiences vary from share widgets to full portals.
Partner recruitment
ReferralCandyPartial — Activation usually starts with an existing customer or community audience.
ReferralHeroPartial — Activation usually starts with an existing customer or community audience.
Automated payouts
ReferralCandyVerify — Check cash, credit, gift, fulfillment, approval, and fraud workflows.
ReferralHeroVerify — Check cash, credit, gift, fulfillment, approval, and fraud workflows.
Multi-motion PRM
ReferralCandyLimited — Referral tools are generally narrower than partnership platforms.
ReferralHeroLimited — Referral tools are generally narrower than partnership platforms.

After choosing the software, help affiliates find the program

Your tracking platform runs the program. AffiliList makes the offer discoverable by marketers comparing commission rates, payout models, cookie windows, and audience fit.

List your affiliate program

Sources

ReferralCandy websiteReferralCandy pricingReferralHero websiteReferralHero pricing