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UpPromote is the best affiliate app for most Shopify stores, with a free plan and room to grow. GoAffPro has the best free plan (unlimited affiliates), Shopify Collabs is the best free option for influencer partnerships, and ReferralCandy or Social Snowball suit brands scaling established programs.
An affiliate program lets creators, bloggers and happy customers promote your store in exchange for a commission on the sales they drive. You only pay when a sale happens, which makes it one of the lowest-risk ways to grow. A good affiliate app tracks referrals, manages your partners and handles payouts.
Best Shopify affiliate apps compared
| App | Starting price | Extra fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpPromote | Free plan (Growth $29.99/mo) | 2% of referral sales on some plans | overall |
| GoAffPro | Free (Hobby) (Premium $49/mo) | No percentage fee stated | free plan |
| Shopify Collabs | Free (Made by Shopify) | None stated | for creator partnerships |
| ReferralCandy | $39/mo (Basic; plus success fee on referred orders) | 10.5% down to 0.25% by plan | for existing partners |
| Refersion | $39/mo (Launch, monthly; plus 3% of affiliate sales) | 3% of affiliate sales | for first-party tracking |
| Social Snowball | $249/mo (Snow Day plan; plus 3% of affiliate revenue) | 3% of affiliate revenue | for automated payouts |
Prices as reported in 2026. Commissions you pay affiliates are a separate cost.
Understanding affiliate app costs
Affiliate apps charge in three ways, sometimes combined: a monthly plan, a percentage of referred sales, and the commission you pay affiliates (typically 10% to 20% of each sale for ecommerce). When comparing apps, add all three at your expected sales volume. A cheap plan with a high success fee can cost more than a pricier flat plan once sales grow.
The best Shopify affiliate apps
1. UpPromote: Best overall
- Free plan to start
- Popular and well supported
- Links and coupon tracking
- Room to grow into more programs
- Some plans add a percentage fee
- Advanced automation on paid tiers
- Lots of settings
UpPromote is one of the most popular affiliate apps on Shopify. Its free plan lets you run one affiliate program with tracked links and discount codes, and paid tiers add more programs and automation.
Check how fees apply to your plan: some tiers include a small percentage of referred sales. It is the best starting point for most stores.
Best for: Most stores launching their first affiliate program.
2. GoAffPro: Best free plan
- Unlimited affiliates for free
- Low cost to start
- Premium adds bonuses and scheduled payouts
- Flexible
- Branded portal needs Premium
- Interface is less polished
- Some features take setup
GoAffPro’s free Hobby plan includes unlimited affiliates and a basic portal, making it the cheapest way to run a real affiliate program.
Premium adds a branded portal, performance targets, bonuses and a payout scheduler once your program grows.
Best for: Stores that want to start an affiliate program for free.
3. Shopify Collabs: Best for creator partnerships
- Free, made by Shopify
- Helps you find and recruit creators
- Built-in payouts
- Integrated with your Shopify admin
- Focused on creators rather than all affiliates
- Fewer advanced rules
- Best for social-first brands
Shopify Collabs is Shopify’s own app for partnering with creators. It helps you find and recruit influencers, gives them affiliate links and codes, and handles commission payouts from inside Shopify.
It is free and a natural fit for brands that grow through social media and influencers.
Best for: Social-first brands working with creators.
4. ReferralCandy: Best for existing partners
- Same features on every plan
- Wide payout options
- Good portal for partners
- Easy to manage existing creators
- High success fee on Basic
- Costs add up at low volumes
- Higher plans needed to cut fees
ReferralCandy runs affiliate and referral programs with tracked links and codes, a hosted portal where partners see clicks and earnings, and flexible payouts.
Every plan includes the same features, but lower plans charge a higher success fee on referred orders, so compare total cost at your expected sales.
Best for: Brands with creators or ambassadors already signed up.
5. Refersion: Best for first-party tracking
- First-party tracking domain
- Established platform
- Product-level tracking on higher plans
- Suits larger programs
- Percentage fee on top of plan
- Advanced tracking on Growth plan
- Pricier for small stores
Refersion is an established affiliate platform with a first-party tracking domain, which can make tracking more reliable as browsers restrict third-party cookies.
It charges a monthly plan plus a percentage of affiliate sales, so it suits stores with an active program.
Best for: Stores with established affiliate programs.
6. Social Snowball: Best for automated payouts
- Automated affiliate payouts
- Tiered rewards
- Controls for leaked discount codes
- Built for scale
- High starting price
- Percentage fee on top
- Overkill for small programs
Social Snowball focuses on automation at scale, with automatic affiliate payouts, tiered rewards and controls that stop affiliate discount codes leaking onto coupon sites.
Its high starting price makes it best for brands already running large affiliate or ambassador programs.
Best for: Fast-growing brands with large affiliate programs.
How to set up a Shopify affiliate program
- Set a commission your margins can support; 10% to 20% is common.
- Choose tracking: links, unique discount codes, or both.
- Write simple terms: what counts as a sale, cookie length, payout schedule and rules on coupon sites and paid ads.
- Create an affiliate page on your store explaining the program.
- Recruit partners: happy customers, niche bloggers, creators and deal sites.
- Give affiliates assets: product photos, key messages and discount codes.
- Pay on time and reward your best partners.
UpPromote is the best affiliate app for most Shopify stores. Start free with GoAffPro or Shopify Collabs, and move to ReferralCandy or Social Snowball when your program scales.
More Shopify app guides: best apps for new stores and best review apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best affiliate app for Shopify?
UpPromote is the best all-round choice for most stores. GoAffPro has the best free plan, and Shopify Collabs is best for influencer partnerships.
Is there a free affiliate app for Shopify?
Yes. GoAffPro, UpPromote and Shopify Collabs all offer free ways to start.
How much commission should I offer affiliates?
Most ecommerce stores offer 10% to 20% of each sale, depending on margins. Higher commissions attract more active partners.
Should I use links or discount codes?
Both. Links track clicks and sales automatically, while discount codes work well for social media and podcasts where links are hard to click.
How do I stop affiliate codes leaking to coupon sites?
Set clear rules in your terms, monitor where codes appear, and consider apps with code-leak controls such as Social Snowball.
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