If you are looking to start an affiliate program on Shopify, then you are going to need an app in order to be able to do this.
And as with every feature on Shopify, there are multiple apps to choose from and knowing which one to choose can be daunting, which is why we checked out nearly all of the Shopify affiliate apps and listed the ones that we think are the best.
We have looked at apps for all types of stores, from start-ups to enterprise level and found a range of apps that you can check out.
Best Shopify Affiliate App
UpPromote came out on top in our testing due to it:
- Offering a good selection of features
- Having an easy-to-use interface
- Being reasonably priced
It feels like an app that will grow with your business as it designed to be used with all sizes and was the one that we found to be the most intuitive to use.
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Testing The Apps
Testing out Affiliate Marketing apps is quite challenging as we don’t have numerous active stores running these apps along with a range of affiliates to test it out from the affiliate side, so for our testing we looked at:
- The features they offer
- The pricing
- What they are like to use
And this allowed us to come up with a list of the 7 apps that we would choose for our own store to give you an idea as to what you can use for yours.
1. UpPromote – Free to $199.99/month
UpPromote is by far the most popular affiliate app available for Shopify and there is good reason for it as it is a very good option and the app that we liked the most for a number of reasons:
- It is easy to use – managing your affiliate programs and partners is really easy to do and it can all be done through your Shopify dashboard
- It comes with a good selection of features – even the free plan includes unlimited affiliates, fraud protection, tracking by link/coupon and a live chat option so your affiliates can contact you
- Professional dashboard for partners – the dashboard for your affiliate partners is well designed and looks really professional, which gives a good impression for your partners
In terms of pricing, UpPromote is one of the more expensive options and even though they offer a range of plans, the best one is the $89.99/m Professional plan.
This is because it offers some features that can not only make managing your affiliate program easier but also makes it look more professional, including:
- PayPal Integration – on the professional plan, you can integrate PayPal and set up auto-payments, meaning you don’t have to manually process payments
- Auto-tier Commissions – allows you to create tiers for your programs and affiliates are automatically moved to the appropriate tier
- Custom Dashboard URL – set a custom URL for the affiliate dashboard so it can be branded to your business/store
- Integrations with Popular Email Marketing Platforms – sync your affiliates with your favorite email platforms (all plans include email but it is sent through UpPromote)
After trying UpPromote, we can see why it is the most popular affiliate marketing app as it offers all the tools you need to create a really successful affiliate program on your Shopify store and it was the one we enjoyed trying out the most.
2. RecomSale – Free to $49/month
We were impressed by the RecomSale affiliate app because it offers more than just being able to add and manage affiliates as it also includes a built-in referral program so that you can get existing customers alongside affiliates promoting your store.
It is also a really nice app to use as it can all be managed directly from your Shopify dashboard, with clear sections for your affiliate and referral programs, it also offers some nice features, including:
- Easy onboarding page for affiliates – the app includes a customizable sign-up page for your affiliates and you can choose to automatically or manually approve new sign-ups
- Tracking – quickly and easily see sales that have been generated by your affiliate partners
- Affiliate dashboard – an easy-to-use dashboard for your affiliates where they can generate links, view commissions and manage their account
- Create multiple programs (paid) – on the paid accounts you can create unlimited programs
The only thing that is missing from the app from an affiliate perspective is the lack of tiered programs, which can be done by creating multiple programs but it would be nice to have this feature.
In terms of pricing, RecomSale ranges from free to $49/m as can be seen in the image below:
The $29/m Growth plan is the pick of the bunch as it offers some nice features, including:
- PayPal Integration – this allows you to pay your affiliate via PayPal (it has to be done manually on the free & essential plans)
- Affiliate Portal on Custom Domain – allows you to put the affiliate portal on a custom domain, such as a subdomain, which looks more professional
- Remove RecomSale Branding – just makes it look cleaner and more professional
Overall, we found the RecomSale app to be really easy to use, it has a good selection of features and the $29/m Growth plan is reasonably priced plus there is a live chat support icon available directly in the dashboard should you run into any problems.
3. BixGrow – Free to $15/month
The cheapest affiliate app on the list is BixGrow and even though it is a lot cheaper than many of its competitors, it is still a very capable app and one we were very impressed because:
- The features – the app comes with some really good features including affiliate tracking, a customizable affiliate portal and fraud protection
- Simple dashboard – the dashboard that is used to manage your affiliates is really easy to use and can be completely managed directly in your Shopify dashboard
- Referral program – it isn’t just an affiliate app, they also include a referral program so that you can let your customers promote your store
When it comes to pricing, BixGrow have kept things very simple and offer three plans but the only one worth considering is the $15/m Pro plan as it offers some significant advantages that include:
- PayPal integration – allows you to pay your partners via PayPal and do bulk payouts
- Tiered commissions – set a tiered commission structure to encourage affiliates to promote your store even more
- Add a custom URL for your affiliate portal – set it up on a subdomain or whatever domain you choose
- Unlimited affiliates and no revenue quota – build your affiliate program as big as you want
BixGrow is definitely an impressive app for the money and is ideal for smaller stores looking to build an affiliate program with have to spend a lot of money.
4. Buzz – $39 to $499/month
Buzz is one of the more expensive options as it is aimed at larger stores who are doing both affiliate and influencer marketing and are looking for a solution that can manage a large number of partners.
As Buzz is aimed at larger stores, it offers features to match to make running programs as easy as possible, which includes:
- Automated processes – this includes applicant tracking, sales information and email communication and it is all done through a single dashboard
- Payment integration – you can use PayPal for one-click mass payouts or choose from over 700 payment options on the larger plans
- Campaign tools – check the performance of partners with real-time reporting on sales as well as being able to track engagement on social media for influencers
- Unlimited members & programs – it doesn’t matter which account you are on, you get unlimited partners and can create unlimited programs
In terms of pricing, Buzz offers four plans and we think that the $79/m Build plan is the best starter plan (depending on your requirements).
This is because it offers a good level of features including PayPal and Klaviyo intergration but removes all the Buzz branding from your forms, landing pages and emails, which just makes it look more professional.
On the larger plans, Buzz help you get things set up and Plus plan also includes a dedicated account manager and growth support, which is something that will be really helpful to larger stores.
5. GoAffPro – Free to $29/month
Another very popular affiliate plugin is GoAffPro and it is easy to see why as they offer a good selection of features, which includes:
- Unlimited affiliates – even on the free plan, you can add unlimited affiliate partners and there is no revenue limit
- Branded portal – add branding to your affiliate portal or upgrade to a paid plan to use it on a custom domain
- Tracking – see who is generating you sales and when they are generating them
- Automatic payments – connect your PayPal account to generate automatic payments worldwide or choose from multiple payment options to do this manually
Added to this is very straightforward pricing and we do think the $29/m premium plan is the one to go for.
This is because it offers some advantages over the free plan, including:
- Affiliate portal can be put on a custom domain (looks more professional)
- Set targets and give bonuses to affiliates
- Advanced analytics
- Email marketing
The app is also easy to use and the onboarding process takes a few minutes but it does lack an automatic tier system, meaning you have to manually move affiliates between commission groups but overall it offers what you need to from an affiliate marketing app.
6. Impact – $30 – $2,500/month
By far the most expensive option on the list is Impact and this is one that is definitely aimed at larger Shopify stores who may be looking to move away from another affiliate marketing app.
What makes Impact different from all the other apps on this list is that Impact is more than just an app, it is a complete marketplace that connects affiliates and influencers with brands, similar to the likes of Awin and Share-A-Sale (it is just rated far higher than those two) but what does it offer?
- Automation – automate many of the tasks that come with managing affiliates, including payments and onboarding
- Marketplace – access to thousands of affiliates and influencers who are already using impact
- Multiple types of partners – this includes affiliates, influencers, media publishers and ambassadors
Finding out about all the features is challenging but they do offer a lot!
As we’ve already said, Impact is a more expensive option than some of the other apps mentioned here but it must be good as Shopify themselves run their affiliate program through Impact after running it in-house for many years.
The Starter plan is $30/m or 3% of total revenue, whichever is greater, so it is still reasonably priced to get started with but if you want more features and tools, then you will need to upgrade but many companies have seen an increase in affiliate sales when going through Impact, so it is worth considering.
And from an affiliate perspective, being able to sign up to a company through Impact is a lot easier as most will probably have an account with them.
7. Simple Affiliate – Free to $69/m
Simple Affiliate definitely lives up to its name as it is a simple, straightforward and easy-to-use affiliate app and the reason why we added it to this list is:
- Ease-of-use – this is arguably the easiest app to use and the dashboard is very simple
- Auto-payouts – this is one of the few apps that allows auto-payouts that doesn’t require PayPal integration, which is useful as not every store uses PayPal
- Taxes managed – this is a big one as Simple Affiliate handles 1099 tax forms for your affiliates
But it is missing a few features, with one of the notable ones being tiered commissions and it seems to not offer as much automation as some of the other apps, so you may spend more time managing your affiliates.
In terms of pricing, Simple Affiliates offers 4 plans an the Premium $69/m plan is the pick of the bunch.
This is because it offers all the features that the app offers and has the lowest auto-pay fees (2.9% for bank transfers), plus includes priority support.
We did like using the app but feel that others apps offer better features and the auto-pay fees on the cheaper plans are quite expensive.
Conclusion
Choosing the right affiliate marketing app for your Shopify store can be daunting but we liked all of the apps that we listed in this post and have listed options for stores of all sizes and as most offer a free plan or trial, then can easily be tried out.
For us, UpPromote did come out on top due to it:
- Having a good selection of features
- Having an easy to use interface
- Being reasonably priced
The right app will make setting up a successful affiliate program easier but it still isn’t a guarantee that it will work as there are many other things involved, such as finding the right partners and we recommend checking out our Shopify Affiliate Marketing guide to help you get started if this is your first attempt at doing this.
Hi, I'm Paul, the Owner and Founder of EcommerceGold.
I ran my own Ecommerce Business for over 7 years and now help others start their own online retail empires!