AgentRef vs Sprout Affiliate

AgentRef is affiliate tracking and management software for SaaS businesses. It tracks referral clicks, attributes conversions and helps merchants manage affiliates and payout status. Merchants and affiliates can use a dashboard, and merchants can connect AI agents through MCP. Affiliate portals can provide referral links and coupon codes, earnings and click statistics, payout history and custom branding. The merchant dashboard includes revenue and conversion analytics, affiliate approvals, payout tracking with invoice exports and program settings. AgentRef documents Stripe integration and setup guides for Next.js, React, Vue, Nuxt, Astro, Svelte, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Framer, Wix and Squarespace. Stripe Connect access is read-only for payment events; the service says it cannot process payments, access bank balances, create charges or change Stripe settings. Fraud monitoring flags patterns including self-referrals and unusual click activity for review. Payouts are manual: merchants send payments externally, and the documented default threshold is $50 USD. The free plan covers one active program and unlimited affiliates while affiliate revenue is $0–$100/month; Starter costs $9.00 per month and covers $100–$1,500/month in affiliate revenue.

Sprout Affiliate is a Shopify-focused service for managing affiliate programs and tracking referral sales. Merchants can attribute sales through discount codes or referral links, set percentage or flat-amount commissions including tiers, and manage multiple stores, programs, affiliates, orders, payouts, and messages. Affiliates get a branded signup page and account for referral links, earnings, and discount codes. Suspicious orders are held for review rather than rejected automatically. Growth and higher plans support automatic PayPal payouts; Free payouts are manual. API access and signed webhooks cover affiliates, programs, orders, and payouts, and listed integrations include PayPal, Shopify, REST API, webhooks, and MCP AI assistant integration. Companion apps are available for iPhone and Android. The Free plan covers one program and up to 200 referral orders per month. Growth costs $9.99 a month plus 2% of referral sales; Professional is $49.99 a month plus 1.5%; Enterprise is $119.99 a month plus 1%. Paid Growth, Professional, and Enterprise plans include a 14-day free trial.