--- title: "Best Shopify Affiliate Apps: GoAffPro 0%, UpPromote 2%" slug: "best-shopify-affiliate-apps" url: "https://joy.so/blog/best-shopify-affiliate-apps/" kind: "post" author: "Thomas Nguyen" author_url: "https://joy.so/author/thomas/" published_at: "2026-10-08T10:09:23.000+00:00" updated_at: "2026-10-13T04:13:44.000+00:00" description: "GoAffPro charges no percentage at any tier. UpPromote takes 2% of referred sales on top of $29.99. Ten apps on cost and free-plan honesty." category: "Shopify apps" tags: ["Shopify apps", "Comparison", "Referral programs"] reading_time: 17 feature_image: "https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/th-best-shopify-affiliate-apps-707553.webp" --- # Best Shopify Affiliate Apps: GoAffPro 0%, UpPromote 2% Most lists of Shopify affiliate apps rank on opinion. This one ranks on installs. [UpPromote](https://apps.shopify.com/affliate-by-secomapp) is on more Shopify stores than any other affiliate app — 64,505 of them. GoAffPro is second at 49,690 and gives away more on its free plan than anyone else. BixGrow is third at 34,147 and growing faster than GoAffPro despite being a third smaller. Measured on 7 October 2026 those three sat on 148,342 stores between them, 70% of every store running a dedicated affiliate app from the top ten. That matters because the list currently ranking first for this search does not include a single one of them. ## Key takeaways - On 7 October 2026, [UpPromote](https://apps.shopify.com/affliate-by-secomapp) (64,505 installs), GoAffPro (49,690) and BixGrow (34,147) held roughly 70% of the installed base among the ten largest affiliate apps. - [The three leaders split on billing model, not features](https://joy.so/blog/uppromote-vs-goaffpro-vs-bixgrow/): UpPromote takes a percentage of referred sales, [GoAffPro](https://apps.shopify.com/goaffpro) and BixGrow never do. At $50,000 a month in referred revenue that is a four-figure annual difference. - GoAffPro's free plan carries unlimited affiliates and unlimited revenue. No other app in this list gives that away. - UpPromote charges a commission on referred sales on top of the monthly fee: 2% on Growth, 1.5% on Professional, 1% on Enterprise. - Affiliate, referral and loyalty are three different programs. Several lists on this search mix them, which is why they recommend loyalty apps for affiliate work. - Enterprise networks ([ShareASale](https://apps.shopify.com/shareasale) 17,868, [Awin](https://apps.shopify.com/awin-advertiser-tracking) 15,624) exist on Shopify but serve a different buyer than the self-serve apps. ## The three questions that decide this Every ranking in this category reads the same because feature lists in affiliate software converge. Three questions do not, and they are what separates the ten apps below. **Does it take a percentage of your referred sales?** This is the largest cost difference in the category and the one most comparisons omit, because [the percentage sits on top of the monthly fee rather than replacing it](https://joy.so/blog/social-snowball-pricing/). At $50,000 a month in referred revenue the gap between a flat plan and a 2% plan is roughly $12,000 a year. **Is the free plan a plan, or a trial wearing one?** "Free" with 50 referral orders and 30 affiliates is a trial. "Free" with unlimited affiliates, unlimited revenue and unlimited traffic is a plan. Both appear in this list, described with the same word. **Where does payout automation sit?** Paying affiliates is the operational work of running a programme, and several apps sell PayPal \*integration\* on one tier and \*automated\* PayPal payout on a higher one. Budget from the tier that pays people without you, not the tier that connects an account. Every rating, review count and price below was read from each app's Shopify App Store listing on 7 October 2026, and each app name links to its listing so you can check it in one click. ## Affiliate, referral and loyalty are not the same program Half the lists on this search recommend loyalty apps for affiliate marketing. They are three different mechanics with three different payees. | Program | Who gets paid | What triggers payment | Typical reward | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Affiliate | A partner who is not your customer | A tracked sale from their link or code | Percentage commission, paid out in cash | | Referral | An existing customer | A friend's first qualifying purchase | Store credit or discount, both sides | | Loyalty | An existing customer | Their own repeat purchases | Points redeemed against future orders | An affiliate wants a payout. A referring customer wants a reason to come back — which is [a loyalty programme question](https://joy.so/blog/what-is-loyalty-program/), not an affiliate one. If you pick an app built for one and run the other, the payout plumbing is wrong from day one: [affiliate apps handle PayPal mass payouts and tax forms](https://joy.so/blog/referral-partner-program/), loyalty apps handle points ledgers. The legal obligations differ too. Under [the FTC's endorsement guides](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking), a partner paid a commission has a material connection that must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously in the post carrying the link, and the advertiser — you — is expected to train affiliates on that and monitor what they publish. A loyalty programme carries no equivalent duty. If what you want is customers recommending you to friends, read the [referral app comparison](https://joy.so/blog/shopify-referral-apps/) instead. If you want partners selling on your behalf for commission, stay here. ## The ten largest affiliate apps on Shopify | Rank | App | Installs | Rating (reviews) | Starting paid price | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | UpPromote | 64,505 | 4.9 (3,860) | $29.99/mo + 2% of referred sales | | 2 | GoAffPro | 49,690 | 4.6 (952) | $49/mo | | 3 | BixGrow | 34,147 | 4.9 (1,328) | $19.99/mo | | 4 | ShareASale | 17,868 | 2.2 (24) | Free to install, network fees apply | | 5 | Awin | 15,624 | 1.9 (33) | Free to install, network fees apply | | 6 | Shopify Collabs | 11,365 | 4.2 (433) | Free to install | | 7 | Affiliatly | 5,033 | 4.6 (72) | $16/mo | | 8 | AfterShip Referral & Affiliate | 4,374 | 4.9 (1,019) | Free | | 9 | Refersion | 4,230 | 4.8 (494) | $39/mo + 3% of affiliate sales | | 10 | impact.com | 3,853 | 4.4 (201) | From $30/mo | Ratings and prices were read from each app's live Shopify App Store listing on 7 October 2026. Install counts are live Shopify stores running the app on the same date. ### 1. UpPromote — the deepest feature set, and a cut of your referred revenue **Best for:** brands recruiting creators rather than waiting for them to apply, and brands paying US affiliates enough money to care about tax paperwork. [UpPromote](https://apps.shopify.com/affliate-by-secomapp) is the only app here that vets creators with audience reports and authenticity scores, and the only one that collects W9s on its free plan and generates 1099s on a paid one. If your programme's failure mode is signing the wrong partners, this is the app built for that problem. **Not ideal for:** any store whose referred revenue is already substantial, because every tier charges a percentage of it. Also a poor fit if creator vetting is the reason you are here and your budget is fixed — that capability is a $39 monthly add-on on every tier, including the $199.99 one. ![UpPromote listing on the Shopify App Store, 4.9 stars from 3,860 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-uppromote-408d7d.webp) _UpPromote's listing, read 7 October 2026. Creator Discovery is an add-on from $39 a month on every tier_ 64,505 installs, 4.9 stars from 3,860 reviews. UpPromote carries the Built for Shopify badge, which only a minority of apps in this category hold. **What it actually does** - Creator vetting with full audience reports, authenticity scores and past collaborations — this is the feature most affiliate apps do not have at all. - Anti-leak discount links, fraud detection and block lists, aimed at the coupon-leak problem that kills margin on affiliate codes. - Automated tracking, approvals, discounts and PayPal payouts. - Program management through Shopify Sidekick and MCP, so commission rules can be changed in plain language. - W9 collection on the free plan, 1099 generation from Professional — relevant the moment you pay US affiliates real money. **What to check before you commit** The headline price is not the price. Every tier charges a percentage of successful referral sales on top of the monthly fee: 2% on Growth ($29.99), 1.5% on Professional ($89.99), 1% on Enterprise ($199.99). The free plan reviews up to $3,000 in referral sales a month; Growth reviews 300 referrals a month, Professional 600, Enterprise unlimited. Run the crossover before picking a tier. At $50,000 a month in referred sales, Growth costs $29.99 + $1,000 while Enterprise costs $199.99 + $500 — the expensive plan is $330 cheaper. Second thing the pricing table hides: **Creator Discovery is an add-on from $39/month on every tier, including Enterprise.** The creator vetting that differentiates the app is not included in any plan. Integrations: PayPal, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, Recharge, Appstle, PageFly, EComposer, Facebook Pixel, Hydrogen. ### 2. GoAffPro — the only genuinely unlimited free plan **Best for:** stores that want the cost of the affiliate programme to stay flat as the programme succeeds. [GoAffPro](https://apps.shopify.com/goaffpro) charges no percentage at any tier, so a programme that triples in revenue costs exactly what it cost before. It is also the only app in this comparison that lists Shopify POS and Shopify Flow, which makes it the default choice for a merchant running physical locations alongside the store. **Not ideal for:** brands whose programme depends on finding and screening creators. GoAffPro has no creator discovery and no authenticity scoring, so partner recruitment is your job. The 4.6 rating is also the lowest of the three leaders, with 40 one-star reviews behind it — read the recent ones before moving a live programme onto it. ![GoAffPro listing, 4.6 stars from 952 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-goaffpro-1d7073.webp) _GoAffPro's listing: unlimited affiliates, revenue and traffic on the free plan_ 49,690 installs, rated 4.6 from 952 reviews — the lowest of the three leaders, and the gap is worth reading rather than dismissing. **What it actually does** - The free plan carries unlimited affiliates, unlimited revenue and unlimited traffic. No order cap, no revenue cap, no affiliate cap. Nothing else in this list does that. - A branded affiliate portal where partners pull their links and see their own stats. - Android and iPhone apps with push notifications for affiliates — the only app here with native mobile apps for the partner side. - Multi-level commission structures with customisable compensation and party plans. - Integrates with **Shopify POS and Shopify Flow**, which no other app in this comparison lists. **What to check before you commit** Premium is a flat $49/month and adds multi-level marketing, the affiliate portal on your own domain, bulk email, advanced analytics and 30+ customisation options. There is no percentage of sales at any tier. That makes the maths simple against [UpPromote](https://apps.shopify.com/affliate-by-secomapp): at $50,000/month in referred sales, GoAffPro Premium costs $49 against UpPromote Growth's $1,029. The trade is depth. The 4.6 rating is the weakest of the leaders and 40 of its reviews are one star, so read the recent ones before you move a live program onto it. ### 3. BixGrow — unlimited volume at the lowest flat price **Best for:** stores that want unlimited volume at the lowest flat price, and stores whose partners cannot reliably use tracking links. [BixGrow](https://apps.shopify.com/bixgrow-affiliate-marketing) credits a sale by affiliate link, affiliate coupon or linked email address, which covers the offline and in-person partners that link-only apps simply lose. It also runs a customer referral programme in the same app, so you are not buying two tools to reward two kinds of advocate. **Not ideal for:** anyone planning to pay a large roster from day one. Automated PayPal payout sits two tiers above the entry plan, at $49.99, and the tier below it offers PayPal \*integration\* — a distinction that will cost you an afternoon a month if you budget from the wrong line. ![BixGrow listing, 4.9 stars from 1,328 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-bixgrow-b5ebe7.webp) _BixGrow's listing: the free Starter tier caps at 50 orders and 30 affiliates_ 34,147 installs, rated 4.9 from 1,328 reviews — the best rating-to-volume combination in the category. **What it actually does** - Tracking by affiliate link, affiliate coupon or linked email address, so partners who cannot use links still get credited. - A referral program for existing customers alongside the affiliate program, in the same app. - Multi-level marketing plus an affiliate marketplace for recruitment. - Payouts in store credit, PayPal and other methods. - Anti-leak coupons and bulk coupon creation from the Pro tier. **What to check before you commit** The free Starter tier is tighter than it looks: 1 program, 50 referral orders a month, up to 30 affiliates. It is a trial, not a plan. Scale at $19.99/month removes all three caps — unlimited affiliates, programs and orders — and adds lifetime and product commissions plus auto-applied customer discounts. Pro at $29.99 adds multi-level marketing, commission tiers, PayPal integration, store credit and anti-leak coupons. Advanced at $49.99 adds **automated** PayPal payouts, API access and headless tracking. Note what that last line means: PayPal \*integration\* arrives at $29.99 but \*automated\* payout only at $49.99. If you plan to pay dozens of affiliates monthly, budget for Advanced, not Pro. ### 4. ShareASale — a network, and the Shopify side is rated 2.2 **Best for:** established brands buying reach rather than software — you are joining a marketplace of publishers who already run traffic, and the value is their audience, not the connector in your admin. This is the right model when recruiting your own partners would take a year you do not have. **Not ideal for:** any store that needs to know what it will pay before it commits. The network fee, transaction fee and minimum spend appear nowhere on the listing, so the purchase starts with a sales conversation. It is also not a fit for a small team: 24 reviews averaging 2.2 describe the Shopify-side experience you would operate daily. ![ShareASale listing showing a 2.2 star rating](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-shareasale-d847d9.webp) _ShareASale: 2.2 stars from 24 reviews, and no fee schedule on the listing_ 17,868 installs, rated **2.2 out of 5 from 24 reviews**. [ShareASale](https://apps.shopify.com/shareasale) is an affiliate **network**, not a self-serve app. Installing the connector joins your store to a marketplace of publishers who already run traffic. The app is free to install; the cost sits in network fees and publisher commissions, neither of which the listing states. **What to check before you commit** Ask for the full fee schedule in writing before installing: network access fee, transaction fee and minimum spend. None of it appears on the App Store listing, which is why the price column in the table above says "network fees apply" rather than a number. Read the rating in context — you are rating a connector, not the network — but 24 reviews averaging 2.2 is still the Shopify-side experience, and that is the part you will operate daily. ### 5. Awin — the same model, rated 1.9 **Best for:** brands with the same brief as [ShareASale](https://apps.shopify.com/shareasale) — buying an existing publisher base — and with a commercial team that can negotiate and manage a network contract. [Awin](https://apps.shopify.com/awin-advertiser-tracking)'s reach is real; it is the operational layer around it that merchants rate poorly. **Not ideal for:** any store that cannot absorb a long contract or does not have someone to chase support. The 1.9 rating comes with 61% one-star reviews, and the recurring themes are support response times, product feed mapping, cancellation terms and brand protection enforcement. Those are commercial problems, decided before you install, not software problems you can configure around. ![Awin listing showing a 1.9 star rating](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-awin-edef80.webp) _Awin: 1.9 stars from 33 reviews, 61% of them one star_ 15,624 installs, rated **1.9 out of 5 from 33 reviews**, with 61% of them one star. The recurring themes in those reviews are support response times, product feed mapping problems, contract cancellation terms and brand protection enforcement. **What to check before you commit** Contract length and exit terms, first. Several reviewers describe difficulty cancelling, which is not a software problem — it is a commercial one, and it is decided before you install. Two networks, 33,492 installs between them, and the two lowest ratings in the category. That is the clearest pattern in this data: merchants adopt networks for reach and rate them poorly for service. ### 6. Shopify Collabs — free, first-party, narrower than it looks **Best for:** a store testing whether anyone will promote it at all. [Shopify Collabs](https://apps.shopify.com/collabs) is free, first-party and runs inside the admin you already use, with a creator application page, direct invitations carrying personalised offers, and gifting. Install it before you pay for anything else, because it answers the only question that matters before buying software: will creators say yes? **Not ideal for:** running a general affiliate programme with tiered commissions and payout automation. Collabs is scoped to creator partnerships, and at 4.2 it sits below every self-serve app in this list except the two networks. Treat it as the free experiment, not the destination. ![Shopify Collabs listing, 4.2 stars from 433 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-collabs-d379da.webp) _Shopify Collabs: first-party and free, scoped to creator partnerships_ 11,365 installs, rated 4.2 from 433 reviews. Free to install. Shopify's own tool, and it runs inside the admin you already use: a custom application page for creators, direct invitations with personalised offers, and gifting. **What to check before you commit** Scope. Collabs is built around creator partnerships rather than a general affiliate programme with tiered commissions and payout automation. At 4.2 it sits below every self-serve app here except the two networks. Install it first anyway. It costs nothing and it answers the only question worth answering before you pay for software: will anyone actually promote you? ### 7. Affiliatly — priced by affiliate count, not order volume **Best for:** programmes built on a short list of partners who each drive real volume. [Affiliatly](https://apps.shopify.com/affiliatly) prices by affiliate count and gives every paid tier unlimited orders, so ten affiliates producing heavy revenue make it the cheapest serious option in this comparison. It also tracks by link, QR code, coupon, email and SKU — the widest set of tracking methods here, which matters for partners working offline or in print. **Not ideal for:** the opposite shape of programme. Four hundred partners each sending a trickle makes Affiliatly the most expensive way to buy the same result, because you pay for the roster rather than the revenue. The 72-review evidence base is also the thinnest among the self-serve apps. ![Affiliatly listing, 4.6 stars from 72 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-affiliatly-4d76d9.webp) _Affiliatly: every paid tier has unlimited orders, so the price tracks affiliate count_ 5,033 installs, rated 4.6 from 72 reviews. **What it actually does** Tracking by link, QR code, coupon, email and SKU — the widest set of tracking methods in this list — with PayPal payouts and real-time analytics. **What to check before you commit** The pricing shape is the whole decision. Free covers up to 50 tracked orders. Starter is $16/month for unlimited orders and up to 50 affiliates. Advanced is $24 for 200 affiliates, Professional $39 for 500. Every paid tier carries unlimited orders, so the only variable is how many affiliates you have. Ten affiliates driving heavy volume make Affiliatly the cheapest serious option here. Four hundred affiliates driving little make it the most expensive way to buy the same result. 72 reviews is a thin evidence base next to the leaders, so weigh the pricing shape more heavily than the rating. ### 8. AfterShip Referral & Affiliate — free, with the strongest ratings in the lower half **Best for:** stores that genuinely run both motions — customers referring friends, and partners selling for commission — and want one dashboard and one payout process for both. It is free, with commission rules, maturation periods, multi-level marketing, a branded portal on your own domain, and card and gift-card payouts. **Not ideal for:** a store that only wants one of the two. Running both mechanics in one tool when you only need one produces two overlapping programmes your customers will confuse, and the configuration surface stays twice as large forever. Before committing, ask what the support commitment is and whether the free tier is the product or the on-ramp to AfterShip's wider suite. ![AfterShip Referral and Affiliate listing, 4.9 stars from 1,019 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-aftership-4dc194.webp) _AfterShip Referral & Affiliate: free, and 4.9 stars from 1,019 reviews_ 4,374 installs, rated 4.9 from 1,019 reviews, and the listing states no pricing tiers — the app is free. **What it actually does** - Commission options covering automated rules, maturation periods, custom and product commissions, and multi-level marketing. - An affiliate experience with branded portal, custom domain, custom forms and branding. - Payouts by card and gift card. - Bulk email invitations to influencers, monitored from one dashboard. **What to check before you commit** A free app carrying 1,019 reviews at 4.9 is worth a question, not an assumption: free means there is no revenue signal telling you how committed the vendor is to it. Ask what the roadmap and support commitment are, and check the dates on the most recent support replies. ### 9. Refersion — a percentage, at a higher rate than UpPromote **Best for:** mid-market programmes where commission has to vary by product. If you sell a 60%-margin product beside a 12%-margin one, a flat commission rate overpays on one and makes the other unprofitable, and SKU-level rules are the fix. [Refersion](https://apps.shopify.com/refersion)'s Growth tier is built for exactly that, with flat-rate and tiered commissions and 30+ integrations. **Not ideal for:** any programme already generating meaningful affiliate revenue. Launch charges 3% of affiliate sales on top of $39 a month — the highest revenue share in this comparison — so at $50,000 a month you pay $1,539 where a flat-priced competitor charges $49. Also note the free Marketplace tier only lists your offer; it does not run your programme. ![Refersion listing, 4.8 stars from 494 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-refersion-5bffe9.webp) _Refersion: $39 a month plus 3% of affiliate sales, the highest revenue share here_ 4,230 installs, rated 4.8 from 494 reviews. **What to check before you commit** The free Marketplace tier only lists your offer in Refersion's marketplace — it does not run your program. Launch is $39/month **plus 3% of affiliate-generated sales**. Growth is $199/month plus 2%, and adds flat-rate and tiered commissions, SKU-level tracking and 30+ integrations. That 3% is the highest revenue share in this comparison. At $50,000/month in affiliate sales, Launch costs $39 + $1,500 against [GoAffPro](https://apps.shopify.com/goaffpro) Premium's flat $49. Refersion earns that premium only if SKU-level commission rules are something you actually need. ### 10. impact.com — a platform, reached through a Shopify connector **Best for:** brands treating partnerships as a channel with headcount behind it — creators, publishers, B2B partners and mobile in one platform, with the Shopify app acting as a connector into it. If you are hiring a partnerships manager, this is the category of tool they will expect. **Not ideal for:** anyone who wants to evaluate, price and buy without a sales conversation. The $30 listing price is the entry point to the connector, not the platform contract, and the real evaluation happens at platform level against your partner count and GMV. A store running one affiliate programme is buying far more than it needs. ![impact.com Affiliate Marketing listing, 4.4 stars from 201 reviews](https://cdn-web.joy.so/cdn/image/2026/10/affiliate-apps-impact-cc24e4.webp) _impact.com: the $30 listing price is the entry point, not the platform contract_ 3,853 installs, rated 4.4 from 201 reviews, from $30 a month. [impact.com](https://apps.shopify.com/impact-1) reaches well beyond affiliate into creators, publishers, B2B partners and mobile. The Shopify app is a connector into that platform, so the real evaluation happens at platform level. **What to check before you commit** Treat the $30 listing price as the entry point, not the budget. Ask what the platform contract costs at your partner count and GMV before you install the app, because the app is the smallest part of what you are buying. ## How to choose Pick on the shape of your payout, not the feature list. If you are still deciding which programme to run at all, [the comparison of a referral programme against a points programme](https://joy.so/blog/referral-program-vs-points-program/) covers that choice first, and [the guide to building a referral programme on Shopify](https://joy.so/blog/shopify-referral-program/) covers the mechanics once you have chosen. 1. **You have not run a program before.** Install [Shopify Collabs](https://apps.shopify.com/collabs) or BixGrow Starter. Both are free and both answer the only question that matters first: will anyone promote you? 2. **You expect modest referred revenue.** [UpPromote](https://apps.shopify.com/affliate-by-secomapp) Growth at $29.99 plus 2% is fine while referred sales stay small. 3. **You expect large referred revenue.** Flat pricing wins. [GoAffPro](https://apps.shopify.com/goaffpro) Premium at $49 or BixGrow Scale at $19.99 avoid a percentage that grows with your success. 4. **You need multi-level commissions.** GoAffPro Premium or [BixGrow](https://apps.shopify.com/bixgrow-affiliate-marketing) Pro. 5. **You want publishers, not your own recruits.** [ShareASale](https://apps.shopify.com/shareasale) or [Awin](https://apps.shopify.com/awin-advertiser-tracking). 6. **You are enterprise with a partner team.** [impact.com](https://apps.shopify.com/impact-1) or Refersion. ## Where Avada Affiliate Marketing sits Full disclosure: Avada, which builds Joy, launched [Avada Affiliate Marketing](https://apps.shopify.com/avada-affiliate-marketing) in 2026. It has 32 installs as of 7 October 2026. It is not in the table above and it should not be. Thirty-two stores is not an adoption signal, and ranking a new in-house app against one with 64,505 installs would make this list worth less to you. Revisit it in a year when there is data to judge. What Avada does have adoption in is loyalty: [Joy](https://apps.shopify.com/joyio) runs on 6,532 stores with 1,689 reviews. If your question is whether to run affiliate, referral or loyalty first, the framework above is the honest answer; the app you pick after that is a separate decision. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I run a Shopify affiliate program for free?** Yes. GoAffPro's free plan carries unlimited affiliates and unlimited revenue. BixGrow's free Starter tier covers 50 referral orders a month. [Shopify Collabs](https://apps.shopify.com/collabs) is free. The limits sit on features, not on whether you can start. **What commission rate should I pay affiliates?** Work backwards from contribution margin on a referred order, not from revenue. The rate has to survive the discount code the affiliate usually also offers. **Does an affiliate app replace a loyalty program?** No. They pay different people for different behaviour. Affiliates are paid to bring strangers; loyalty rewards customers you already have for coming back. **Why do install counts differ from the review counts I see?** Reviews accumulate over an app's whole life; installs are the stores running it today. An app can have thousands of reviews and a shrinking install base — three apps in the table above are losing installs right now.