Referral partner software collects the leads your referral partners send you, tracks each one to a signed deal and works out the commission you owe, with a written agreement for every partner. It is built for businesses that win clients through introductions and pay the people who make them: estate agencies, mortgage brokers, accountants, contractors, solar installers. It replaces the spreadsheet, the leads lost in text messages and the commissions worked out by hand.
Key point: choose by who refers you. Partners paid a commission need a written agreement per partner and tracking through to payout. Customers rewarded with a discount call for a customer referral tool. Resellers and affiliates of a software company call for a partner relationship management (PRM) platform.
10 criteria for choosing referral partner software
Run every tool through these ten points before you subscribe.
- Lead capture. A partner should be able to pass you a contact in under a minute from their phone. Check every channel on offer: app, web form, shareable link, or entry by you.
- Tracking and statuses. Each referral carries a date, the partner's name and a stage: received, in progress, won, lost. Partners see that stage without having to chase you.
- Commission calculation and payout tracking. Percentage, flat fee or tiers: you set the rule once, and the software works out what is owed and shows what remains to be paid.
- The agreement. A written referral agreement with each partner sets the basis, the rate and when the fee falls due. Look for software that generates it, gets it accepted online and records the date.
- A partner app or portal. Partners check their referrals and commissions whenever they like. Ask whether access is free for them, whether there is an iOS and Android app, and whether they can refer without installing anything.
- Languages. If some of your partners or clients speak French or Spanish, the interface and the agreement have to follow. Compare the languages each vendor states in the table.
- CRM integration. Referrals should reach your CRM without retyping, through a native connector, Zapier or an API. Kiflo lists native HubSpot and Salesforce sync, Referral Factory lists HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho and Pipedrive, and Referaly includes API access on its Agency plan.
- A directory to find new partners. Good software helps you recruit as well. Referaly Finder introduces verified professionals whose work complements yours, and PartnerStack gives access to a marketplace of B2B partners.
- White label. A network of agencies may want an app under its own name. Referaly's White Label plan, priced on quote, puts your logo and your app on the App Store, and Referral Factory removes its branding from the Pro plan upwards.
- The pricing model. Work out the cost over twelve months: subscription, set-up fees, commitment period, extra seats and any percentage taken on sales.
Referaly and 7 other tools compared
The table sets out what each vendor publishes on its own website. It covers three families of tools: referral partner management, customer referral programmes and partner platforms for software companies.
| Tool | Built for | Published price | Languages | Mobile app for partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referaly | Businesses in every sector that pay referral partners: a named agreement with each partner, tracking of every referral and commission | Free plan, no card (5 leads received, 1 agreement). Independent €49.90 a month, Agency €79.90 a month plus €29.90 per extra account, excl. VAT. No commitment | English, French, Spanish | Yes, iOS and Android, free for partners. Browser form as well |
| Referral Rock | Service businesses, healthcare, financial services and franchises: automated customer referral programmes with a dedicated advisor | $250 a month (Operator), month to month | English, extra programme per language as an add-on ($100 a month) | Hosted member portal. Mobile app not stated on their site |
| PartnerStack | B2B SaaS companies: affiliate, referral and co-sell programmes, with a partner marketplace | Not published, set during a demo | English | Not stated on their site |
| Crossbeam | B2B go-to-market teams: account mapping with partner companies to find overlaps and co-sell | Free plan. Connector $4,800 a year | English | Not stated on their site |
| Kiflo | SaaS companies: referral, reseller and affiliate partners, synced with HubSpot or Salesforce | $399 a month for 25 partners (Core) | English | Web partner portal. Mobile app not stated on their site |
| impact.com | Brands running affiliate, creator and customer referral programmes on one platform | Starter from $30 a month (requires an e-commerce integration). Essentials from $500 a month | Website in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Chinese | Yes, a mobile app for partners |
| ReferralCandy | Online stores (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento): customer referral and affiliate programmes | $39 a month plus a 10.5% success fee on the first three orders of each new referred customer (Basic). Month to month | English, Spanish | Not stated on their site |
| Referral Factory | Mid-market and enterprise teams, multi-location businesses: customer, affiliate and partner referral programmes | $200 a month (Basic) | Website in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese | Not stated on their site |
Referaly publishes this page; competitor information checked on their public sites on 26 September 2026.
Prices as displayed by each vendor. Languages: those of the vendor's website plus any it states for its programmes. "Not stated on their site": we found the information on none of the vendor's public pages. The pages we checked are listed under sources.
Which tool fits which situation
- Referaly suits independent professionals and small teams who pay referral partners a commission and want a named agreement with each one, on a plan with no commitment, in English, French or Spanish.
- Referral Rock fits better if you run a service business or a franchise network and want a customer referral programme set up with a dedicated advisor.
- PartnerStack fits better for a B2B SaaS company that recruits affiliates and partners and pays their commissions from the same platform.
- Crossbeam fits better when you want to map accounts with partner companies and co-sell on shared prospects.
- Kiflo fits better for a SaaS company managing resellers, affiliates and referral partners from HubSpot or Salesforce.
- impact.com fits better for a brand that runs affiliates, creators and customer referrals together at scale.
- ReferralCandy fits better for an online store that rewards customers with coupons, store credit or cash.
- Referral Factory fits better for a mid-market or enterprise team that needs many integrations, lead forms and white-label referral pages.
What changes by trade
Each trade has its own referrers, its own commission basis and sometimes its own professional rules. Our trade pages go through the differences.
- Mortgage brokers: files come from estate agents, notaries and accountants, and each partner follows their files and commissions in real time.
- Accountants: referrals flow both ways with lawyers and bankers, and you check the remuneration with your professional body.
- Law firms: you measure reciprocity with peer firms, and you choose what the referrer sees, with no case data exposed.
- Wealth managers: referrers are notaries, lawyers and accountants, and you decide how much of the progress they see.
- Building contractors: a client refers a neighbour through a link sent by text, and the commission is written down before the quote.
- Interior designers: a handful of estate agencies and trades send you projects, and the commission most often applies to your fee.
- Kitchen and fitted furniture specialists: the project is decided at a move or a renovation, so agencies, interior designers and trades each get their own link.
- Solar installers: the equipped customer becomes a referrer, and every request carries the name of whoever brought it.
Useful resources before you choose
- How much businesses pay referral partners, the 2026 study: what 117 businesses offer their referral partners, sector by sector.
- Referral fee and commission rates by industry: typical rates, with a calculator.
- Referral agreement template and generator: the parties, the fee and when it is paid, ready to copy.
- What a referral partner is: role, pay, contract and tax basics.
How to choose your software in 5 steps
- Describe your referrers. Partners paid a commission, customers rewarded with a discount, resellers of your software: each points to a different family of tools.
- Keep your must-haves. Go back to the ten criteria above and keep three or four, for example the agreement, the partner app and languages.
- Work out the cost over twelve months. Add up subscription, set-up fees and extra seats, then note the commitment period.
- Walk the partner's path. Send yourself a referral from a phone, the way your best partner would, and time it.
- Start with a few partners. Invite the most active ones, sign a first agreement and track a first commission before you open the programme to your whole network.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between referral partner software and customer referral software?
Referral partner software manages people you pay a commission to introduce clients, usually under a written agreement. Customer referral software rewards customers who invite friends, with a discount, store credit or a gift card, and mostly serves retail and e-commerce.
How much does referral partner management software cost?
On the vendors' own sites, as of 26 September 2026: Referaly has a free plan capped at 5 leads received and 1 agreement, then €49.90 a month excl. VAT on Independent and €79.90 on Agency. Referral Factory starts at $200 a month, Referral Rock at $250 and Kiflo at $399 for 25 partners. PartnerStack does not publish its prices.
Do my referral partners have to pay or install an app?
Not with Referaly. The partner account is free, and partners refer from the iOS or Android app or through a form that opens in the browser. Ask the other vendors the same question before you choose.
Is a spreadsheet enough to manage referral partners?
For three or four partners and a handful of deals a year, yes. Beyond that, a spreadsheet proves neither who introduced a client nor when, and it warns nobody when a commission falls due.
Does referral partner software replace a CRM?
It sits upstream of it and handles the referral, the relationship with the partner and their commission. On Referaly, the Agency plan includes API access to connect your CRM.
Can I manage partners who speak French or Spanish?
With Referaly, yes: the app works in English, French and Spanish. Check the languages column in the table, since several tools state only one or two.
Who wrote this comparison?
Arnaud Attencia, founder of Referaly. Referaly appears in the table. The information on the other tools comes from their public websites, checked on 26 September 2026, with links at the end of the page. If something has changed, write to us and we will correct the page.
Sources
- Referral Rock: pricing, home page.
- PartnerStack: pricing, home page.
- Crossbeam: pricing, home page.
- Kiflo: pricing, referral partners, home page.
- impact.com: plans, mobile app for partners, home page.
- ReferralCandy: pricing, home page.
- Referral Factory: pricing, home page.
- Referaly: pricing, web app, Referaly at a glance.
Pages checked on 26 September 2026. If something has changed, write to us and we will correct the page.