ReferralCandy vs GrowSurf

A shop that sells products and a software company that signs up users end up on different sides of this pair. ReferralCandy is built around online stores and charges a fixed monthly fee plus a percentage of a new customer's first three orders. GrowSurf prices by participants, meaning everyone who refers or is referred, and aims at SaaS teams that want rewards inside the product. Both publish plans and both offer a trial, seven days for ReferralCandy and fourteen for GrowSurf. The cost shape differs most: one grows with referred sales, the other with the size of your referral audience.

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Both are reviewed in full in our referral marketing software ranking: ReferralCandy and GrowSurf.

1. 01

   Shop floor or product dashboard

   ReferralCandy describes itself around online stores. Its one-click app is for Shopify, while BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento and custom stores connect through plugins or an email install. GrowSurf is self-serve referral software for SaaS and app teams, with a referral portal, embeddable widgets, vanity links and email invites in one product. Neither vendor hides who it is for. A merchant with a catalogue fits the first, and a product team with sign-ups fits the second, so this round depends entirely on what you sell.

   Depends on the buyer

2. 02

   What a referred customer costs you

   ReferralCandy takes a percentage success fee on a new customer's first three orders only, on top of a fixed monthly fee, with nothing charged on repeat orders or on the reward paid to the advocate. GrowSurf instead sets its price by participants, the people who refer or are referred, in Startup and Business plans, with a custom quote above 150,000 participants. The first cost tracks revenue you can see, while the second tracks audience size, which is harder to predict before launch.

   Edge: ReferralCandy

3. 03

   Paying the advocates

   ReferralCandy pays rewards through PayPal, Venmo, bank transfer, Tremendous virtual cards or store credit, and states that it adds no transaction fee. GrowSurf lists tax forms and 1099 filing on every tier, marked as filings charged separately. GrowSurf's reward payout methods are absent from what we checked, so a direct comparison of channels is not possible. On the evidence available, ReferralCandy is clearer on how money reaches advocates and on what extra it will not add.

   Edge: ReferralCandy

4. 04

   Trial length and getting out

   GrowSurf starts every account on a 14-day trial with access to all paid features and integrations, and says yearly billing saves 30%. ReferralCandy offers 7 days, starting when you activate the app, with no success fee on sales made in that window. It also runs every plan month to month without a contract and keeps your data accessible after cancelling. GrowSurf gives longer to test, while ReferralCandy is the plainer exit, so each wins a different half.

   Depends on the buyer

5. 05

   Fraud checks and developer hooks

   GrowSurf lists API, webhooks and MCP access on its Startup and Business tiers, plus fraud protection, burner email and data-centre IP detection, and GDPR and CCPA compliance. Business adds a custom portal domain, more programs and more team members. ReferralCandy states that all features come on every plan, but no API, webhooks or fraud detection appear by name in our reading. For a team that wants to wire referrals into code, GrowSurf documents far more.

   Edge: GrowSurf

6. 06

   Who stands behind the terms

   ReferralCandy's terms are issued by Anafore Pte Ltd and governed by the laws of the Republic of Singapore. GrowSurf, Inc. sits in the United States, incorporated in Delaware with its principal office in Newark. GrowSurf quotes all prices in USD, while ReferralCandy's currency is not stated in the facts we used. European buyers should check the contract side, the invoicing currency and the data handling terms before signing with either vendor, since both sit outside Europe.

   Depends on the buyer

Is the ReferralCandy fee charged on every order a referred buyer places?

No, the success fee applies only to a new customer's first three orders. Repeat orders after that carry no fee. The reward paid to the advocate is also not charged.

What counts as a participant on GrowSurf?

GrowSurf defines participants as people who refer or are referred. That means a successful loop adds to the count on both sides. Above 150,000 participants the plan is a custom quote.

Can a software company use ReferralCandy at all?

The vendor frames its plans around online stores, and its one-click app is for Shopify. Other stores connect through plugins or an email install. An in-app SaaS referral flow is not something the vendor pages here spell out, so ask before committing.

• ReferralCandy pricing page: fee structure, 7-day trial, payout channels, month-to-month terms and store platform connections.
• ReferralCandy terms: Anafore Pte Ltd as issuer and Singapore governing law.
• GrowSurf pricing page: participant pricing, 150,000 cap, 14-day trial, 30% yearly saving, features, and separate filing charges.
• GrowSurf terms: Delaware corporation with its office in Newark.