Softwr

Software · head to head

Friendbuy vs Affiliatly

Friendbuy logo

Friendbuy

Software

Referral and loyalty platform for DTC brands

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Affiliatly logo

Affiliatly

Software

Simple affiliate software for e-commerce stores

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Affiliatly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Friendbuy no public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs; Affiliatly limited to 10 platform integrations, which may exclude niche or emerging e-commerce platforms
  • They diverge on capability: Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Affiliatly covers Automatic tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Friendbuy and Affiliatly actually diverge.

Attributes where Friendbuy and Affiliatly differ
AttributeFriendbuyAffiliatly
Starting price$249/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
Founded20102014

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Friendbuy

  • Referral programs
  • Loyalty programs
  • A/B testing
  • Fraud detection
  • Attribution tracking
  • Klaviyo
  • Attentive
  • Yotpo

Only in Affiliatly

  • Automatic tracking
  • Custom commission rates
  • Affiliate dashboard
  • Coupon tracking
  • Manual payouts
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce
  • Ecwid

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Friendbuy

  • affiliate marketing management
  • Workflow automation
  • Reporting

Affiliatly

  • affiliate marketing management
  • Workflow automation
  • Reporting

Both are used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

Friendbuy

  • No public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs
  • Custom pricing can be expensive, especially for additional currencies or features
  • Low level of customization makes it difficult to implement seamlessly and maintain brand consistency
  • Customer support only available via email with slow response times
  • Rewards require manual processing and approval rather than automatic distribution
  • Tracking accuracy issues where referred customers sometimes marked as existing customers

Affiliatly

  • Limited to 10 platform integrations, which may exclude niche or emerging e-commerce platforms
  • Affiliate tier capped at 50 on the Starter plan, requiring upgrade for programs with more affiliates
  • Advanced customization options are limited compared to enterprise-level affiliate platforms

Pricing, plan by plan

Friendbuy

$249/month
  • Starter$249/month
    • Referral program
    • Basic analytics
    • Email support

Affiliatly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • First 50 tracked orders
  • Starter$16/month
    • Unlimited orders
    • 50 affiliates max
  • Advanced$24/month
    • 200 affiliates
    • Branded portal
  • Professional$39/month
    • 500 affiliates
    • Custom SKU commissions

Which should you pick?

Choose Friendbuy if

  • You need referral programs.
  • You also want loyalty programs.
Friendbuy review

Choose Affiliatly if

  • You need automatic tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want custom commission rates.
Affiliatly review

Questions people ask

Is Friendbuy or Affiliatly better?
Neither clearly leads. Friendbuy starts at $249/month and Affiliatly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Friendbuy or Affiliatly?
Affiliatly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $249/month for Friendbuy and Free for Affiliatly.
Does Friendbuy or Affiliatly run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Affiliatly for free?
Yes. Affiliatly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Friendbuy starts at $249/month.
What is Friendbuy best used for?
Friendbuy is most often used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting.
What can Friendbuy do that Affiliatly cannot?
Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Loyalty programs, A/B testing, Fraud detection. Affiliatly covers Automatic tracking, Custom commission rates, Affiliate dashboard, Coupon tracking. Both handle Shopify, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Friendbuy: What is Friendbuy's pricing model?

Friendbuy uses custom quote-based pricing with no publicly listed rates. Starting point is approximately $3,000 annually, with costs varying based on traffic volume, features needed, and onboarding requirements. Annual contracts are required.

Source
Affiliatly: Does Affiliatly offer a free plan?

Yes, Affiliatly is free for your first 50 tracked orders. Once you exceed 50 orders, you must upgrade to a paid plan starting at $16 per month for the Starter tier.

Source
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer a free trial?

Friendbuy does not offer a free trial. Prospective customers must contact sales for a demo and quote. There is no self-serve signup or trial period available.

Source
Affiliatly: Which e-commerce platforms does Affiliatly integrate with?

Affiliatly integrates with 10 major e-commerce platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Storeden, Magento, Jumpseller, Ecwid, Lightspeed, and Wix.

Source
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer referral and loyalty programs?

Yes. Friendbuy bundles both referral and loyalty program features together. You cannot purchase referral features alone and must pay for the complete suite.

Source
Affiliatly: Can I track offline affiliate sales?

Yes. Affiliatly supports offline tracking through coupon codes and QR codes. Affiliates can share unique QR codes online or print them for physical promotions, and purchases made by customers scanning those codes are automatically tracked and credited.

Source
Friendbuy: What integrations does Friendbuy support?

Friendbuy integrates with major e-commerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, plus marketing tools like Klaviyo, Braze, and Segment.

Source
Affiliatly: How does Affiliatly's API pricing work?

Affiliatly's API integration is completely free. The API enables tracking via link clicks, product codes/SKUs, or customer emails, and supports automatic order status updates and product information syncing.

Source
Friendbuy: Are rewards processed automatically in Friendbuy?

Activity is tracked automatically, but rewards are processed manually, requiring administrator action to approve and distribute rewards to referrers.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Friendbuy

More on Affiliatly

Keep looking

Other head to heads