ReferralHero vs Viral Loops
ReferralHero
referralhero.comViral Loops
viral-loops.comSide by side
| Figure | ReferralHero | Viral Loops |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $199/mo | $35/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 12 |
| Spec score · Referral Management Software | 8.8 (#3) | 8.1 (#10) |
| Analytics | Analytics include attribution source, sharing channel, device, location, individual referral relationships and conversion data. | The real-time dashboard reports campaign performance by channel and shows participants’ referral and reward status. |
| Campaign setup | The company says it helps build an AI-powered program in 48 hours. | The Campaign Wizard guides users through campaign setup, customization, and launch. |
| Campaign types | The product supports referral and affiliate programs, influencer partnerships, pre-launch contests, ambassador programs and giveaways. | The product supports referral programs, referral waitlists, newsletter referrals, invite-based giveaways and AI-powered campaigns. |
| Company headquarters | The privacy policy lists the controller address as 8 Rocky Hill Rd., Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania 19317, United States. | LinkedIn lists headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an address at 422 Richards Street, Suite 170. |
| Founded | 2016 | LinkedIn lists Viral Loops as founded in 2016. |
| GDPR | ReferralHero says it completed its GDPR compliance roadmap and provides EU and UK Data Processing Agreements for review and signature. | Viral Loops provides GDPR data-rights and marketing-consent guidance and states that EU-protected customer data is stored in the EEA unless the customer agrees otherwise. |
| Integrations | ReferralHero advertises more than 500 integrations, including Stripe, HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Intercom, Zoho, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign and Zapier. | Documented integrations include Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Mailjet, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Slack, Segment, Salesforce, Marketo, GoHighLevel, Stripe, Brevo, Customer.io, Mixpanel, Zapier, webhooks and custom JavaScript. |
| Limit: customization | Software Advice reviews include complaints that aesthetic customization was once too limited for seamless visual integration without coding. | G2 reviewers report limited non-English customization and some settings requiring support intervention. |
| Limit: pricing | GetApp displays a reviewer complaint that setup was difficult and prices increased by $180 overnight. | Capterra’s review summary cites high or unpredictable pricing and disappointment with pricing changes, especially for startups. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.6 out of 5 from 43 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 from 137 reviews. |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.6 out of 5 from 43 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 from 137 reviews. |
| Support | The homepage states that customers have access to 24/7 technical customer support to help set up campaigns. | All plans list help center access and standard chat and email support; Power adds priority and video support. |
| What it does | ReferralHero is a cloud platform for building referral, affiliate, waitlist, contest and NPS campaigns with tracking, rewards and analytics. | Viral Loops is a template-based referral marketing platform for creating, tracking and rewarding customer referrals. |
Plans
ReferralHero
- Free ForeverFree
- Free Forever PlanFree
- PREMIUM (risk-free offer)$199 a month
- PRO$199 a month
- PREMIUM$399 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
Viral Loops
- Start-up (annual billing)$35 a month
- Start-up$49 a month
- Start-up (monthly billing)$49 a month
- Plus (annual billing)$99 a month
- Plus$139 a month
- Plus (monthly billing)$139 a month
- Growing (annual billing)$159 a month
- Growing$229 a month
- Growing (monthly billing)$229 a month
- Power (annual billing)$279 a month
In their own words
ReferralHero
ReferralHero is a platform for building referral, affiliate, waitlist, and contest programs. Participants receive unique referral links to share and may unlock rewards when referred friends become customers. Campaigns can use ReferralHero widgets or a custom form, with editable widget wording and colours. Email and SMS automations, user segmentation, a smart leaderboard, manual referral review, and automatic coupon or access-code delivery support campaign management. Analytics cover attribution channels, sources, sharing methods, device, and location, with subscriber-level views and CSV exports. ReferralHero lists more than 500 integrations, including Stripe, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Shopify, and Zapier; developer options include JavaScript and REST APIs and webhooks. Fraud controls include an algorithm, ReCaptcha, and optional SMS phone verification. The Free Forever Plan costs nothing for up to 25 subscribers and includes ReferralHero branding. PRO costs $199 a month for up to 10,000 members; PREMIUM also costs $199 a month for up to 50,000 subscribers. Android, iOS, web, and API are listed platforms.
Viral Loops
Viral Loops has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.