Softwr

Employee Engagement · head to head

Awardco vs ReferralCandy

Awardco logo

Awardco

Employee Engagement

Employee recognition powered by Amazon Business

From
$2.5/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
ReferralCandy logo

ReferralCandy

Affiliate Marketing

Customer referral program for e-commerce

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ReferralCandy 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; ReferralCandy limited transparency on pricing tiers without account registration
  • They diverge on capability: Awardco covers Peer recognition, ReferralCandy covers Automated referral tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Awardco and ReferralCandy actually diverge.

Attributes where Awardco and ReferralCandy differ
AttributeAwardcoReferralCandy
Starting price$2.5/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Shopify
CategoryEmployee EngagementAffiliate Marketing
Founded20152009

Identical on both: 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 ReferralCandy

  • Automated referral tracking
  • Customizable rewards
  • Email campaigns
  • Fraud detection
  • A/B testing
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

What people use each for

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

Awardco

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

ReferralCandy

  • 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

ReferralCandy

  • Limited transparency on pricing tiers without account registration
  • Primary focus on Shopify integration limits effectiveness for non-Shopify platforms
  • Email CC/BCC limitations for looping in stakeholders

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

ReferralCandy

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ReferralCandy review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Awardco if

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

Choose ReferralCandy if

  • You need automated referral tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Shopify.
  • You also want customizable rewards.
ReferralCandy review

Questions people ask

Is Awardco or ReferralCandy better?
Neither clearly leads. Awardco starts at $2.5/month and ReferralCandy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Awardco or ReferralCandy?
ReferralCandy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.5/month for Awardco and Free for ReferralCandy.
Does Awardco or ReferralCandy run on more platforms?
Awardco runs on Web. ReferralCandy runs on Web, Shopify.
Can I use ReferralCandy for free?
Yes. ReferralCandy 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 ReferralCandy is typically brought in for.
What can Awardco do that ReferralCandy cannot?
Awardco covers Peer recognition, Amazon reward catalog, Service milestones, Incentive programs. ReferralCandy covers Automated referral tracking, Customizable rewards, Email campaigns, Fraud detection.

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
ReferralCandy: Does ReferralCandy work with Shopify?

Yes, ReferralCandy integrates natively with Shopify with one-click installation, making it easy to set up referral programs on Shopify stores.

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
ReferralCandy: What types of rewards can I offer?

ReferralCandy supports multiple reward types including store credit, discount coupons, PayPal cash transfers, gift cards, and free products.

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
ReferralCandy: Does ReferralCandy include fraud detection?

Yes, ReferralCandy includes built-in fraud detection to catch self-referrals and leaked coupon codes before payouts are processed.

Source
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