Mad Circle vs Refersion Affiliate Marketing
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Sep 23, 2026 for Mad Circle, Nov 9, 2026 for Refersion Affiliate Marketing.
The short answer
- Only Refersion Affiliate Marketing lists a free plan.
- Refersion Affiliate Marketing lists 21 features Mad Circle’s listing doesn’t mention, including ACH payments, Achievement tracking, Auto-payments.
Head to head
Track Brand Reps, Ambassadors, Influencer & Affiliate Programs
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Marketplace
- · Affiliates can view and apply
- · List Offer in the Refersion Marketplace
- · Publish a percent of sale offer
Launch
- · % of Sale or Subscription commissions
- · Branded, Embedded-Discount Links
- · First party tracking domain (no cookies)
- · MCP Server for any AI Assistant
- · One‑click payouts- includes PayPal
- · Unlimited affiliates
Growth
- · 30+ email & marketing integrations
- · Everything in Launch plus...
- · Flat-rate, SKU & tiered commissions
- · Live chat support
- · Multi-currency support
- · Multi-domain support
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureMadCircle is an affiliate and trade-partner platform built to make performance partnerships simple, transparent, and scalable. Merchants can create affiliate programs, manage commissions, track referred orders, handle payouts, prevent fraud, and monitor performance all from one clean dashboard.
Refersion helps Shopify brands build & scale their affiliate marketing program with our cookieless 1st party tracking. Onboard, track, recruit, and pay any affiliate, influencer, or publisher, whether it is for a single product, a subscription or a complex MLM from the app or with our MCP server. Build commission offers that fit your business. Integration is easy, with no dev teams required.
- Affiliate Management — Manage, approve, and track affiliates easily.
- Commission & Payout Tracking — Track commissions, payout status, and payment his
- Fraud Protection — Detect suspicious activity, coupon leaks, and blocked affilia
- Track unlimited affiliates with unlimited offers, custom commissions & rewards
- Reliable, first-party tracking ensuring accurate commission payments
- Recruit top customers as ambassadors or brand reps with post-purchase pop-up
- Get discovered by new affiliates in the Refersion Marketplace
All the numbers
Every figure, side by side
A green dot marks the app ahead on a measured figure. Estimates, gaps and apps that leave no storefront trace never take the lead.
Adoption
| Measure |  Mad Circle |  Refersion Affiliate Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | Not published | 2,966 |
| Net store change, 28 days | 0 | +9 |
| Stores added, 28 days | Not enough data | 47 |
| Big-brand share | Not enough data | 26% |
| Top store categories | Not published | Health & Beauty, Food, Beverages & Tobacco, Apparel & Accessories |
| Top store countries | Not published | United States, Canada, United Kingdom |
Reviews
| Measure | Mad Circle | Refersion Affiliate Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | Not published | 4.8 ★ |
| App Store reviews | Not published | 495 |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | 1 |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | 58% |
Pricing
| Measure | Mad Circle | Refersion Affiliate Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not listed | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | No monthly plan listed | $39/month |
| Longest free trial | Not listed | Not listed |
| Plans listed | Not published | 3 |
Listing
| Measure | Mad Circle | Refersion Affiliate Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #210 | #22(ahead) |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | #7 in Affiliate programs |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Sep 21, 2026 | Apr 30, 2013 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | Brilliant Madness | Refersion, Inc. |
FAQ
Mad Circle and Refersion Affiliate Marketing: common questions
- Is Mad Circle or Refersion Affiliate Marketing cheaper?
- Only Refersion Affiliate Marketing lists a free plan. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- Mad Circle lists 1 the others don’t mention, such as Multi-level marketing. Refersion Affiliate Marketing lists 21 the others don’t mention, such as ACH payments, Achievement tracking, Auto-payments, Bank transfers. A feature missing from a listing may still be supported; this compares what each App Store listing says.
- Where does this comparison’s data come from?
- Shoplist crawls Shopify storefronts to detect which apps each store runs, and reads each app’s Shopify App Store listing for reviews, pricing, features and integrations. Store counts are as of Sep 23, 2026 for Mad Circle, Nov 9, 2026 for Refersion Affiliate Marketing; estimated figures are labeled.
How Shoplist compares apps
Store counts come from Shoplist’s crawl of Shopify storefronts, which detects the apps each store runs; they are as of Sep 23, 2026 for Mad Circle, Nov 9, 2026 for Refersion Affiliate Marketing. Reviews, ratings, plans, features and integrations come from each app’s Shopify App Store listing. 28-day figures are labeled when estimated, and a figure that is missing or estimated never decides who leads. Read the methodology.