Referral Candy & Affiliate vs Referral Gem ‑ Refer a Friend
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Nov 8, 2026 for Referral Candy & Affiliate, Oct 13, 2026 for Referral Gem.
The short answer
- Only Referral Gem lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $39/month for Referral Candy & Affiliate and $19/month for Referral Gem.
- Referral Candy & Affiliate lists 21 features Referral Gem’s listing doesn’t mention, including Achievement tracking, Affiliate programs, Automated rules.
Head to head
Reach new customers with a referral marketing program
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Germany
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Basic
- · All features on every plan
- · For brands getting started
Grow
- · All features on every plan
- · For brands scaling referral revenue
Scale
- · All features on every plan
- · For high-volume where margins matter
Enterprise
- · All features on every plan
- · Dedicated onboarding & account manager
FREE
- · Basic referral analytics
- · Post-purchase share widget
- · Up to 50 referral links
- · WhatsApp, SMS and copy link sharing
Growth
- · 14-day free trial
- · Automatic Shopify discount code rewards
- · CSV export
- · Fraud detection and self-referral block
- · Klaviyo integration
- · Real-time revenue attribution dashboard
Pro
- · 14-day free trial
- · Advanced fraud detection
- · Everything in Growth
- · Priority support
- · Weekly email digest reports
- · Welcome discounts for referred customers
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureGrow your brand with referral & affiliate programs, instead of expensive ads. ReferralCandy helps you get more sales by rewarding loyal customers and working with affiliates. Our new Referral Expert, a built-in AI assistant, helps you launch and fine-tune campaigns from your store's real data. You already own the best acquisition channels: your own customers & affiliates.
Referral Gem adds a word-of-mouth programme to your Shopify store in minutes. After every purchase, customers get a unique share link they can send via WhatsApp, SMS, or copy. When a friend orders using that link, Shopify discount codes are issued automatically - no manual work.
- Set up a referral or affiliate program and get the first sales within 30 minutes
- Enable post-purchase popups, emails and pages to enroll customers in the program
- Automate customer rewards: Cash and coupons for one-off and subscription sales
- Customize your referral program with your logo, images and brand colors
- Automatic referral links after every purchase — WhatsApp, SMS, and copy
- Shopify discount codes issued instantly when a referred order is placed
- Fraud detection blocks self-referrals, duplicate IPs, and velocity abuse
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 |  Referral Candy & Affiliate |  Referral Gem |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | 778 | Not published |
| Net store change, 28 days | −5 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | 21 | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | 21% | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Health & Beauty, Food, Beverages & Tobacco, Apparel & Accessories | Not published |
| Top store countries | United States, United Kingdom, Germany | Not published |
Reviews
| Measure | Referral Candy & Affiliate | Referral Gem |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 4.9 ★ | Not published |
| App Store reviews | 1,480 | Not published |
| New reviews, 28 days | 0 | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | 12% | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Referral Candy & Affiliate | Referral Gem |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not listed | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $39/month | $19/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 7 days | 14 days |
| Plans listed | 4 | 3 |
Listing
| Measure | Referral Candy & Affiliate | Referral Gem |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #12(ahead) | #124 |
| Shopify App Charts | #16 in Affiliate programs | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | Yes | No |
| Launched | Sep 28, 2010 | May 20, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | ReferralCandy | Valar Digital |
FAQ
Referral Candy & Affiliate and Referral Gem: common questions
- Is Referral Candy & Affiliate or Referral Gem cheaper?
- Only Referral Gem lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $39/month for Referral Candy & Affiliate and $19/month for Referral Gem. 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?
- Referral Candy & Affiliate lists 21 the others don’t mention, such as Achievement tracking, Affiliate programs, Automated rules, Bulk link generation. Referral Gem lists 7 the others don’t mention, such as Auto-tracking, Custom branding, Custom dashboards, Custom domain. 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 Nov 8, 2026 for Referral Candy & Affiliate, Oct 13, 2026 for Referral Gem; 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 Nov 8, 2026 for Referral Candy & Affiliate, Oct 13, 2026 for Referral Gem. 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.