RefRef vs Affonso
Affonso caps partner revenue at $30,000 a month. RefRef doesn't.
Affonso is a capable SaaS affiliate tool with an AI agent for finding new affiliates. Every Affonso plan caps the revenue your partners drive, from $1,000 to $30,000 a month; RefRef removes that ceiling with pricing by active participants and no overage, and adds loyalty, Shopify, and WooCommerce on one open-source integration.
Open sourceFree up to 1,000 active participantsNo share of your revenue
Updated October 20, 2026, checked against the official pages of Affonso.
Feature scorecard
RefRef
12/12
Affonso
2/12
+6 partly
- YesOpen sourceAffonso: Proprietary; its terms bar attempts to discover its source code.
- YesPricing that doesn't tax your growthAffonso: Plans capped by monthly partner revenue, from $1,000 to $30,000.
- YesReferral, affiliate, and loyaltyAffonso: Affiliate programs with an in-app referral dashboard; loyalty not listed.
- YesAI assistant and MCPAffonso: MCP on Growth and above; AI affiliate discovery on every plan.
RefRef vs Affonso: feature comparison
| Feature | RefRef | Affonso |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | YesAGPLv3 on GitHub. Use RefRef Cloud or run it yourself. | NoProprietary; its terms bar attempts to discover its source code. |
| No vendor lock-in | YesFull data export, REST API, and webhooks. | YesREST API, webhooks, CLI, and TypeScript SDK. |
| Pricing that doesn't tax your growth | YesPriced by active participants. No share of referred revenue, no fee on your own payout rail. | NoPlans capped by monthly partner revenue, from $1,000 to $30,000. |
| Referral, affiliate, and loyalty | YesAll three program types on one integration. | PartlyAffiliate programs with an in-app referral dashboard; loyalty not listed. |
| AI assistant and MCP | YesSet up and run programs from the in-app assistant, Claude, Cursor, or Codex. | PartlyMCP on Growth and above; AI affiliate discovery on every plan. |
| Cash payouts with tax forms | YesPayPal payouts in 98 countries. W-9 and W-8BEN collected. | PartlyManaged payouts from Growth, with fees; W-8 and W-9 collection on Elite. |
| Rewards inside your billing | YesAccount credit, discounts, and plan upgrades in Stripe, Paddle, Polar, Dodo Payments, and RevenueCat. | PartlyReferee coupons; credit rewards are applied by your own system. |
| Shopify and WooCommerce | YesNative Shopify app and WooCommerce plugin. | Not listedIntegrations page lists no Shopify or WooCommerce integration. |
| Signup attribution for your auth stack | YesBetter Auth plugin and recipes for Clerk, Supabase, Auth0, WorkOS, and Auth.js. | PartlyNo auth-provider integrations listed; signups tracked by script or API. |
| Embeddable widget and join pages | YesBranded referral widget and public partner join pages. | YesEmbeddable referral dashboard on every plan. |
| Custom link domains | YesShare links on your own domain. | PartlyCustom domain on Growth and above. |
| Free plan | YesFree up to 1,000 active participants. | No14-day trial; paid plans from $19/month, or $15 billed yearly. |
Affonso facts checked on October 20, 2026 against its official pages. See sources
Switch from Affonso to an open-source platform, free to start.
Start freeWhy teams choose RefRef over Affonso
No ceiling on partner revenue
Affonso caps each plan by the revenue your partners drive, so a good month pushes you to a higher plan. RefRef prices by active participants, with no share of referred revenue and no overage.
Shopify and WooCommerce, not only SaaS billing
RefRef is AGPLv3 on GitHub and runs on RefRef Cloud or your own infrastructure. Beyond SaaS billing, it ships a native Shopify app and a WooCommerce plugin.
Loyalty and billing rewards next to affiliates
Run all three program types on one integration, and grant account credit, discounts, or plan upgrades directly in Stripe, Paddle, Polar, Dodo Payments, and RevenueCat.
Everything you need, from the first click to the payout.
Referral, affiliate, and loyalty in one place
Run customer referrals, a partner program, and a loyalty program side by side, each with its own rewards and results.
Rewards inside your billing
Give account credit, discounts, or plan upgrades straight in Stripe, Paddle, Polar, Dodo Payments, or RevenueCat.
Partners, invitations, and applications
Invite partners, approve applications, and give each one a branded join page and link.
Cash payouts, done for you
RefRef pays partners through PayPal in 98 countries, collects W-9 and W-8BEN forms, and shows every statement.
Affonso pricing vs RefRef pricing
Your software bill at the same program size.
Example: $10,000 referred revenue and $2,000 commissions per month. Software and platform fees shown below; reward delivery costs are extra.
RefRef
Free · own payout rail
$0/mo
Affonso
Subscription + no platform fee on your own payouts
$39/mo
Within the 1,000 active-participant allowance.
Higher customer value alone does not change the RefRef bill.
Known monthly subtotal including $2,000 commissions: RefRef $2,000 vs Affonso $2,039. Add operating costs to both.
Affonso Growth · monthly: $10,000 partner revenue fits Growth's cap. No fee on your own rail; managed payouts add $25 plus a 2.8% to 3.25% surcharge. The $2,000 of commissions is the same in both.
RefRef
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 1,000 active participants |
| Starter | $49/month | 5,000 active participants ($29 billed annually) |
| Pro | From $119/month | 10,000 to 50,000 active participants, custom domains |
No overage, no share of referred revenue. Managed PayPal payouts cost 2%.
Affonso
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $19/month ($15/month billed yearly) | Up to $1,000/month in partner revenue, 1 team seat |
| Growth | $39/month ($29/month billed yearly) | Up to $10,000/month in partner revenue, managed payouts, custom domain, MCP |
| Elite | $99/month ($79/month billed yearly) | Up to $30,000/month in partner revenue, W-8 and W-9 forms, no branding |
| Enterprise | From $149/month | Over $30,000/month in partner revenue |
Plugs into the stack you already run.
Native billing, commerce, and auth integrations, plus an open API, webhooks, and MCP for AI agents. The ecosystem grows every month.
- Billing
- StripePaddlePolarDodo PaymentsRevenueCat
- Commerce
- ShopifyWooCommerce
- Auth
- Better AuthClerkSupabaseAuth0WorkOSAuth.js
- Payouts
- PayPalW-9 and W-8BEN forms
- Automation and AI
- REST APIWebhooksMCPZapierMakeActivepiecesClaudeCursorCodex
Switch from Affonso in three steps.
Your partners and customers keep what they earned. We help you move.
Export affiliates, referrals, and unpaid commissions from Affonso. Keep your current affiliate links live until the switch is complete.
Import affiliates and their balances into a RefRef affiliate program, and connect your billing provider so recurring commissions keep tracking.
Send affiliates their new RefRef link and join page, then run one test purchase and one refund before you switch traffic.
01How much does Affonso cost?
02Does Affonso support Shopify or WooCommerce?
03Does Affonso charge for managed payouts?
04Does Affonso have an MCP server?
05Can I migrate from Affonso to RefRef?
When Affonso fits
Choose Affonso if you sell a SaaS product on Stripe, Paddle, Polar, Creem, or Dodo Payments and want its AI discovery agent to help you find new affiliates.
Sources, checked October 20, 2026
Written by the RefRef team. Affonso is a trademark of its owner; RefRef is not affiliated with it. Plans change, so check the official pages before you buy. Spot an error? Tell us and we correct it.
Ready to switch from Affonso?
Start free. Your first 1,000 active participants cost nothing.