Softwr

Employee Engagement · head to head

Awardco vs Referral Rock

Awardco logo

Awardco

Employee Engagement

Employee recognition powered by Amazon Business

From
$2.5/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Referral Rock logo

Referral Rock

Affiliate Marketing

Referral marketing software for any business

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Referral Rock has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Awardco tiers are defined by how many recognition programme types you may run, two on Standard and four on Scale, rather than by features or headcount; Referral Rock there is one paid tier at $250 a month and no free plan, only a 14 day trial
  • They diverge on capability: Awardco covers Peer recognition, Referral Rock covers Multi-program support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Awardco and Referral Rock actually diverge.

Attributes where Awardco and Referral Rock differ
AttributeAwardcoReferral Rock
Starting price$2.5/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
CategoryEmployee EngagementAffiliate Marketing
Founded20152014

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Awardco

  • Peer recognition
  • Amazon reward catalog
  • Service milestones
  • Incentive programs
  • Analytics
  • Mobile app
  • Social recognition wall
  • Manager tools

Only in Referral Rock

  • Multi-program support
  • Customizable rewards
  • Automated workflows
  • Engagement widgets
  • Detailed analytics
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zapier

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Awardco

  • Service award and milestone recognitionnot Referral Rock
  • Spot recognition and peer awardsnot Referral Rock
  • Rewards redeemable against a large cataloguenot Referral Rock
  • Running several recognition programmes under one systemnot Referral Rock

Referral Rock

  • affiliate marketing managementnot Awardco
  • Workflow automationnot Awardco
  • Reportingnot Awardco

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Awardco

  • Tiers are defined by how many recognition programme types you may run, two on Standard and four on Scale, rather than by features or headcount
  • Small organisations under 100 employees start at $3,000, so there is a floor regardless of size
  • The A-Pay card, Company Store and Awardco Engage are premium add-ons
  • No per-employee price is published; larger organisations must go through sales

Referral Rock

  • There is one paid tier at $250 a month and no free plan, only a 14 day trial
  • The plan includes 10,000 base members and a further 10,000 costs $125 a month
  • Each additional referral program is $100 a month
  • Extra users and extra recruiters are sold in blocks of 10 at $50 a month each
  • Rewards are limited to coupons, pay-as-you-go gift cards or custom rewards

Pricing, plan by plan

Awardco

$2.5/month
  • Core$2.5/month
    • Recognition platform
    • Amazon rewards
    • Milestones
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Custom integrations
    • Dedicated support

Referral Rock

Free
  • Operator Plan$250/month
    • 10000 base members included
    • Unlimited referrals with no overages
    • 1000 rolling members added monthly

Which should you pick?

Choose Awardco if

  • You need peer recognition.
  • You also want amazon reward catalog.
Awardco review

Choose Referral Rock if

  • You need multi-program support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want customizable rewards.
Referral Rock review

Questions people ask

Is Awardco or Referral Rock better?
Neither clearly leads. Awardco starts at $2.5/month and Referral Rock at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Awardco or Referral Rock?
Referral Rock has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.5/month for Awardco and Free for Referral Rock.
Does Awardco or Referral Rock run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Referral Rock for free?
Yes. Referral Rock has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Awardco starts at $2.5/month.
What is Awardco best used for?
Awardco is most often used for service award and milestone recognition, spot recognition and peer awards, rewards redeemable against a large catalogue, running several recognition programmes under one system. Of those, service award and milestone recognition and spot recognition and peer awards are not what Referral Rock is typically brought in for.
What can Awardco do that Referral Rock cannot?
Awardco covers Peer recognition, Amazon reward catalog, Service milestones, Incentive programs. Referral Rock covers Multi-program support, Customizable rewards, Automated workflows, Engagement widgets.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Awardco: What does Awardco cost for startups?

New startups and small businesses with 100 or fewer employees can reach out to the Awardco sales team for flexible packages starting at $3,000 annually.

Source
Referral Rock: What does Referral Rock's Operator Plan cost?

The Operator Plan costs 250 USD monthly and includes 10000 base members, unlimited referrals, a dedicated advisor, and 10 user and 10 recruiter seats. Monthly rolling growth of 1000 members is included.

Source
Awardco: What plan tiers does Awardco offer?

Awardco offers Standard (two program types), Scale (four program types), and Enterprise (unlimited program types) plans. Exact pricing requires contacting sales.

Source
Referral Rock: What are Referral Rock add-on costs?

Additional base members cost 125 USD per 10000 members monthly. Extra user seats cost 50 USD per 10 seats, and additional programs cost 100 USD monthly. A 10 percent discount applies for annual prepayment.

Source
Awardco: Does Awardco offer add-on services?

Yes, premium add-ons include A-Pay (physical or digital payment card), Company Store (no-minimum swag solution), and Awardco Engage (comprehensive engagement solution).

Source
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