Free Affiliate and Referral Program Software
Which affiliate and referral program software a startup can launch its own partner program with for free today, which have a free plan and which a free trial, the transaction fee, the revenue or partner caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Affiliate platforms change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Affiliate software a startup can start with for free today includes PromoteKit (Free plan: first 3 referrals), Rewardful (14-day free trial, all plans), GrowSurf (Free plan: $0/mo, no subscription), FirstPromoter (14-day free trial), and Cello (Free plan, $0 a month). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its transaction fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
An affiliate program pays partners, creators and customers a share of the revenue they refer, and affiliate software tracks the clicks, attributes the sales and pays the commissions. A few platforms have a free plan that takes a fee on referred revenue instead of a subscription; most offer a free trial before a monthly plan.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans may cap referrals or partners or take a share of referred revenue, and trials end in a plan priced by the partner revenue you track. Each platform below shows what is free, its main limit, its transaction fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which platforms we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which platforms are listed or where.
Affiliate software with a free plan
Run a partner program with no monthly fee, sometimes for a share of tracked revenue.
- 1
PromoteKit
Stripe businesses that want a free program to start
PromoteKit's Free plan covers up to 3 referrals and 1 affiliate campaign, with unlimited affiliates and no transaction fees. The first paid plan is Pro at $29 a month.
- Transaction fee
- No transaction fees (source: promotekit.com)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $29 a month (source: promotekit.com)
Start free at PromoteKitReferral linkTerms read on promotekit.com on PromoteKit: the free allowance and how to start - 2
GrowSurf
Startups that pay affiliates on success, not a fee
GrowSurf's affiliate Free plan is $0 a month with unlimited referral revenue. It charges a 3% success fee on the referral revenue your affiliates bring in.
- Transaction fee
- 3% success fee on referral revenue (source: growsurf.com)
Start free at GrowSurfTerms read on growsurf.com on GrowSurf: the free allowance and how to start GrowSurf for Startups: what startups get - 3
Cello
Teams starting a partner program with a few partners
Cello's Free plan is $0 a month, with 1 partner campaign and 5 transacting partners. Partner referral transactions carry a 5% fee on Free, and Plus is $80 a month.
- What's free
- Free plan, $0 a month (source: cello.so)
- Transaction fee
- 5% transaction fee on partner referrals (source: cello.so)
- First paid plan
- Plus: $80 a month (source: cello.so)
Affiliate software with a free trial
Paid platforms you can try free before the first bill.
- 1
Rewardful
Stripe SaaS that want a 14-day trial, no transaction fee
Every Rewardful plan includes a 14-day free trial. Starter is $49 a month for up to $7,500 a month in affiliate-attributed revenue, with a 0% transaction fee on that revenue.
- First paid plan
- Starter: $49 a month (source: rewardful.com)
Start free at RewardfulTerms read on rewardful.com on Rewardful: the free allowance and how to start - 2
FirstPromoter
Teams that want a trial with no card needed
FirstPromoter's 14-day free trial needs no credit card. Starter is $49 a month for up to $5,000 a month in affiliate revenue.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: firstpromoter.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $49 a month (source: firstpromoter.com)
Start free at FirstPromoterTerms read on firstpromoter.com on FirstPromoter: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Tolt
Teams that want payouts handled with no Tolt fee
Tolt's plans start with a 14-day free trial that needs no credit card. Growth is $99 a month and covers up to $20k a month in partner revenue, and auto payouts carry no fee from Tolt.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial (source: tolt.com)
- Transaction fee
- No fee from Tolt on auto payouts (source: tolt.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: tolt.com)
- First paid plan
- Growth: $99 a month (source: tolt.com)
- 4
Reditus
Teams testing a referral program on a 14-day trial
Reditus has no free plan, only a 14-day trial of Growth with no credit card required. Automated payouts carry a 5% card fee or a 2% invoice fee on top of the commissions.
- Transaction fee
- 5% card or 2% invoice payout fee (source: getreditus.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: getreditus.com)
- 5
Dub Partners
Startups building affiliate and creator partnerships
Dub Partners has a 14-day free trial on its paid plans. The Business plan is $81 a month, covers $30K partner payouts a year, and takes a 5% payout fee.
- Transaction fee
- 5% payout fees on Business (source: dub.co)
- First paid plan
- Business: $81 a month (source: dub.co)
- 6
Tapfiliate
Small programs that want a 7-day trial on Launch
Tapfiliate offers a 7-day free trial on Launch, which allows 50 affiliates and 1 program. Launch is $89 a month, and clicks over the limit cost $1.5 per 1,000.
- Transaction fee
- Overage $1.5 per 1,000 clicks (source: tapfiliate.com)
- First paid plan
- Launch: $89 a month (source: tapfiliate.com)
Start free at TapfiliateTerms read on tapfiliate.com on Tapfiliate: the free allowance and how to start - 7
Refgrow
Teams that accept a card for a 7-day trial
Refgrow starts with a 7-day free trial, and charges after 7 days unless canceled. Starter is $29 a month for up to $1,000 a month in affiliate-generated revenue, with 0% transaction fees.
- What's free
- 7-day free trial (source: refgrow.com)
- Transaction fee
- 0% transaction fees on paid plans (source: refgrow.com)
- Payment card
- Card required (source: refgrow.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $29 a month (source: refgrow.com)
- 8
Post Affiliate Pro
Teams that want a long trial before paying
Post Affiliate Pro offers a 30-day free trial. Its Starter plan is $89 a month for 10,000 tracking requests a month.
- First paid plan
- Starter: $89 a month (source: postaffiliatepro.com)
Start free at Post Affiliate ProTerms read on postaffiliatepro.com on Post Affiliate Pro: the free allowance and how to start - 9
Affonso
SaaS teams that want to try a paid plan first
Affonso's paid plans start with a 14-day free trial. Launch covers up to $1,000 a month in partner revenue, and Affonso takes no cut of partner revenue.
- Transaction fee
- No cut of partner revenue (source: affonso.io)
Start free at AffonsoReferral linkTerms read on affonso.io on Affonso: the free allowance and how to start Affonso for Startups: what startups get
Marketing startup programs
Programs from marketing companies that give startups credits or discounts on paid plans.
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How this comparison is built
The list covers affiliate and referral program software a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each platform's terms. Every term comes from the platform's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on affiliates or tracked revenue, a transaction fee instead of a subscription, payouts or integrations kept for paid plans can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these platforms pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a platform appears, and no platform pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
Is there free affiliate software?
A few platforms have a free plan. By the terms each provider states, PromoteKit's free plan covers your first 3 referrals with no transaction fees, GrowSurf's affiliate Free plan is $0 a month with a 3% success fee on referral revenue, and Cello's Free plan is $0 a month with a 5% fee on partner referrals.
Is Rewardful free?
No. Rewardful has a 14-day free trial on all plans; its Starter plan is $49 a month for up to $7,500 a month in revenue, with a 0% transaction fee on affiliate revenue.
Does Reditus have a free plan?
No longer. Reditus says it replaced its free plan with a 14-day free trial of its Growth plan.
What does Tolt cost?
Tolt has a 14-day free trial; its Growth plan is $99 a month for up to $20k a month in partner revenue.
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