RefRef vs impact.com
Drop the 12-month contract and the 2.5% revenue fee.
impact.com is an enterprise platform for affiliate, creator, and retail media partnerships, and RefRef is the open-source choice for referral, affiliate, and loyalty programs on one integration. impact.com takes 2.5% of revenue on Starter and requires a 12-month contract; RefRef prices by active participants on self-serve monthly plans.
Open sourceFree up to 1,000 active participantsNo share of your revenue
Updated October 20, 2026, checked against the official pages of impact.com.
Feature scorecard
RefRef
12/12
impact.com
5/12
+3 partly
- YesOpen sourceimpact.com: Proprietary; its terms reserve all rights in its software.
- YesPricing that doesn't tax your growthimpact.com: Starter takes 2.5% of revenue; higher tiers cap included partner payouts.
- YesReferral, affiliate, and loyaltyimpact.com: Affiliate, creator, and customer referral (Advocate); loyalty not listed.
- YesRewards inside your billingimpact.com: Advocate credit and discount rewards; billing sync not listed.
RefRef vs impact.com: feature comparison
| Feature | RefRef | impact.com |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | YesAGPLv3 on GitHub. Use RefRef Cloud or run it yourself. | NoProprietary; its terms reserve all rights in its software. |
| No vendor lock-in | YesFull data export, REST API, and webhooks. | YesBrand API; API-based tracking on Pro and above. |
| Pricing that doesn't tax your growth | YesPriced by active participants. No share of referred revenue, no fee on your own payout rail. | NoStarter takes 2.5% of revenue; higher tiers cap included partner payouts. |
| Referral, affiliate, and loyalty | YesAll three program types on one integration. | PartlyAffiliate, creator, and customer referral (Advocate); loyalty not listed. |
| AI assistant and MCP | YesSet up and run programs from the in-app assistant, Claude, Cursor, or Codex. | YesAsk impact in-app assistant and an MCP server. |
| Cash payouts with tax forms | YesPayPal payouts in 98 countries. W-9 and W-8BEN collected. | YesPays partners and collects W-9 and W-8 forms. |
| Rewards inside your billing | YesAccount credit, discounts, and plan upgrades in Stripe, Paddle, Polar, Dodo Payments, and RevenueCat. | PartlyAdvocate credit and discount rewards; billing sync not listed. |
| Shopify and WooCommerce | YesNative Shopify app and WooCommerce plugin. | YesShopify and WooCommerce; Starter requires a supported store platform. |
| Signup attribution for your auth stack | YesBetter Auth plugin and recipes for Clerk, Supabase, Auth0, WorkOS, and Auth.js. | Not listedNo auth-provider plugins listed. |
| Embeddable widget and join pages | YesBranded referral widget and public partner join pages. | YesAdvocate referral widgets and microsites. |
| Custom link domains | YesShare links on your own domain. | PartlyCustom tracking domains on some editions or add-ons. |
| Free plan | YesFree up to 1,000 active participants. | NoStarter is $30/month after a 30-day trial; other tiers need a demo. |
impact.com facts checked on October 20, 2026 against its official pages. See sources
Switch from impact.com to an open-source platform, free to start.
Start freeWhy teams choose RefRef over impact.com
Keep the 2.5% of revenue
impact.com's Starter plan takes 2.5% of revenue, and its higher tiers cap the partner payouts each plan includes. RefRef prices by active participants, with no share of referred revenue and no fee on your own payout rail.
No 12-month contract or sales demo
impact.com requires a 12-month contract, and tiers above Starter start at $500/month after a sales demo. RefRef is free up to 1,000 active participants, with self-serve monthly plans from $49.
Loyalty and billing rewards in one open platform
RefRef is AGPLv3 on GitHub. Run referral, affiliate, and loyalty programs on one integration, and reward with account credit, discounts, or plan upgrades 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.
impact.com 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
impact.com
Subscription + 2.5% revenue fee
$280/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 impact.com $2,280. Add operating costs to both.
impact.com Starter · monthly: $10,000 referred revenue × 2.5% = $250. Starter needs a supported store platform and a 12-month contract. 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%.
impact.com
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $30/month + 2.5% of revenue | Shopify, WooCommerce, and other store platforms only; 30-day trial |
| Essentials | $500/month | Up to $2,500/month in partner payouts, marketplace, Creator, Advocate |
| Pro | $2,500/month | Up to $14,300/month in partner payouts, API-based tracking, SAML |
| Enterprise | $10,000/month | Up to $82,500/month in partner payouts, white-label portal |
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 impact.com in three steps.
Your partners and customers keep what they earned. We help you move.
Export partners, advocates, and unpaid commissions from impact.com. Keep your current tracking links live until the switch is complete.
Import partners and their balances into a RefRef affiliate program, and connect your billing or store so commissions keep tracking.
Send partners their new RefRef link and join page, then run one test purchase and one refund before you switch traffic.
01Is RefRef a good impact.com alternative?
02How much does impact.com cost?
03What is impact.com's revenue fee?
04Does impact.com Starter work for SaaS?
When impact.com fits
Choose impact.com if you are a large brand that wants one contract for affiliate, creator, and retail media partnerships, with access to its partner marketplace and advanced fraud scoring.
Sources, checked October 20, 2026
Written by the RefRef team. impact.com 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 impact.com?
Start free. Your first 1,000 active participants cost nothing.