8 Best GrowthHero alternatives for your store in 2026

GrowthHero bundles affiliate, referral, and influencer programs into one Shopify app.

It is a fair all-in-one, but it centers on Shopify and leans toward affiliate management, so if what you really want is a strong customer referral program, there are apps built more squarely for that job.

This guide lists nine GrowthHero alternatives, all Shopify apps, judged on one thing: how good the referral side is. Every price was checked on the vendor’s own page in June 2026.

Why look past GrowthHero for referrals

GrowthHero is a capable app. The trouble for a referral-focused store is that its strength is affiliate and influencer management, with customer referrals as one piece of a bigger suite.

If your main goal is getting existing customers to bring in friends, a referral-first app or a loyalty-plus-referral bundle often does that part better, and sometimes cheaper.

The nine apps below cover the full range: dedicated referral tools, loyalty apps with referrals built in, and cheap, simple trackers. Each entry notes who it suits, so you can pick fast.

8 GrowthHero alternatives at a glance

Every price was checked on each vendor’s own page in June 2026. Order limits and per-sale fees move the real number, so read the starting price as a floor, not the full bill.

Reviews and referrals in one tool

WiserReview pairs review collection with a referral widget for Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, and Squarespace. Free plan, no code.

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The 8 best GrowthHero alternatives

Each one below gets a short intro, its main referral features, and the starting price.

1. ReferralCandy

ReferralCandy is the dedicated referral veteran, running on Shopify since 2012.

It was built for word-of-mouth from the start, so the workflow is well tested, and the reward options are deep. If you want a referral-only program that just works, this is the safe pick.

• Two-sided rewards for the referrer and the new customer
• Tiered incentives that grow as advocates refer more
• Automated invites, fraud checks, and payouts

Price: from $59/mo, or a lower tier plus a fee. More in the ReferralCandy alternatives piece.

2. UpPromote

UpPromote runs referrals and a full affiliate program from one Shopify app.

It is one of the most popular options on the App Store, helped by a free plan and a built-in marketplace to find partners. That makes it a strong fit if you want referrals and affiliates handled together.

• Post-purchase popup that invites buyers to refer
• Built-in marketplace to recruit affiliate partners
• Free plan to start, with flexible commission rules

Price: free, then $29.99/mo plus 2%. More in the UpPromote alternatives piece.

3. Social Snowball

Social Snowball is the automation specialist that turns buyers into referrers instantly. The moment someone buys, it shows a share link and code on the thank-you page, so there is no signup step to lose people. It is a favorite among fast-growing DTC brands that lean on word-of-mouth.

• Share link and code shown on the thank-you page
• Customers become affiliates with no signup friction
• Safelinks fraud protection on referred sales

Price: free, then from $29/mo. More in the Social Snowball alternatives piece.

4. Growave

Growave folds referrals into a broad retention suite for small Shopify stores. Alongside referrals, you get reviews, loyalty, wishlists, and UGC, all under one subscription.

For a small team, replacing several apps with one tool keeps both the admin and the bill simpler.

• Reward-both-sides referral tied into loyalty points
• Reviews, wishlists, and UGC in the same app
• Replaces several separate tools with one bill

Price: free up to 100 orders, then from $49/mo.

5. Joy

Joy, by Avada, is a budget-friendly loyalty app with referrals built in. It runs points, referral campaigns, and VIP tiers with a clean setup, and it holds a high 4.9-star rating. If you want loyalty and referrals together without a big bill, Joy is an easy starting point.

• Referral campaigns alongside points and VIP tiers
• Clean setup with a high 4.9-star rating
• Integrates with Klaviyo, Judge.me, and Shopify Flow

Price: free up to 250 orders, then from $25/mo.

Reviews and referrals, one dashboard

WiserReview pairs review collection with a referral widget. Free plan, no per-sale fee, no developer.

Start Free →

6. BON Loyalty

BON Loyalty offers a flexible reward-both-sides referral program. Both the referrer and the new customer can earn a reward, and you can pick from points, discounts, or free shipping as the incentive.

The widgets drop neatly across your store, so customers see the offer at the right moments.

• Both referrer and friend earn a reward
• Multiple incentive types: points, discount, free shipping
• Customizable widgets placed across the store

Price: free, then from $25/mo.

7. Rivo

Rivo blends referrals with loyalty for fast-growing DTC brands. It is a modern, highly customizable platform with deep Shopify integration and strong automation.

If you are scaling fast and want referrals running next to a points program, Rivo is built for that pace.

• Referrals running next to a points program
• Deep Shopify integration and strong automation
• Highly customizable storefront widgets

Price: free up to 200 orders, then from $49/mo.

8. Bloop

Bloop is the bargain entry that merges referrals with affiliate links. It combines customer referrals and influencer affiliate tracking in one clean dashboard, at a price well below most apps here.

For a small store that wants both without overspending, it is a sensible first step.

• Customer referrals plus influencer affiliate links
• One clean dashboard with scam detection
• Klaviyo integration and flexible incentives

Price: from about $20/mo.

Start here based on your store

Match your situation to one of these:

• Want reviews and referrals together: WiserReview
• Pure customer referrals: ReferralCandy
• Referrals plus an affiliate program: UpPromote or Bloop
• Auto-convert buyers into referrers: Social Snowball
• Referrals inside a loyalty program: Joy, BON Loyalty, or Rivo
• Spending as little as possible: Bloop

Wrapping up

GrowthHero is a solid all-in-one, but it is not the only way to run referrals on Shopify, and for word-of-mouth specifically it is rarely the sharpest tool.

So name what you want first. A dedicated referral tool if word-of-mouth is the goal, a loyalty app with referrals if you want points and rewards too, or a cheap tracker if cost decides it.

Name the need, and the shortlist drops to two or three apps fast.

Also check: How to write a referral email that people actually act on