Softwr

Software · head to head

Friendbuy vs Upfluence

Friendbuy logo

Friendbuy

Software

Referral and loyalty platform for DTC brands

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Upfluence logo

Upfluence

Software

Turn your customers into brand ambassadors

From
$478/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Friendbuy no public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs; Upfluence pricing is by custom quote only, with no rate, no entry price and no seat cost published
  • They diverge on capability: Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Upfluence covers Influencer discovery.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Friendbuy and Upfluence actually diverge.

Attributes where Friendbuy and Upfluence differ
AttributeFriendbuyUpfluence
Starting price$249/month$478/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Chrome-extension, Api
Founded20102013

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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
  • Attentive
  • Yotpo
  • Gorgias

Only in Upfluence

  • Influencer discovery
  • Customer identification
  • Affiliate management
  • Promo code tracking
  • Campaign automation
  • Social commerce
  • Email outreach
  • Performance analytics

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • Klaviyo

What people use each for

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

Friendbuy

  • affiliate marketing managementnot Upfluence
  • Workflow automationnot Upfluence
  • Reportingnot Upfluence

Upfluence

  • Finding creators across a large influencer databasenot Friendbuy
  • Running creator campaigns tied to an ecommerce storenot Friendbuy
  • Automating creator payments and affiliate trackingnot Friendbuy

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

Upfluence

  • Pricing is by custom quote only, with no rate, no entry price and no seat cost published
  • Annual contracts carry a 12 month minimum commitment
  • A free trial is only offered after an initial consultation call with sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Friendbuy

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

Upfluence

$478/month
  • Growth$478/month
    • Influencer discovery
    • Basic CRM
    • Campaign management
  • Scale$1078/month
    • E-commerce integrations
    • Affiliate tracking
    • Promo codes
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom solutions
    • API access
    • White-label options

Which should you pick?

Choose Friendbuy if

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

Choose Upfluence if

  • You need influencer discovery.
  • You work on Web, Chrome-extension, Api.
  • You also want customer identification.
Upfluence review

Questions people ask

Is Friendbuy or Upfluence better?
Neither clearly leads. Friendbuy starts at $249/month and Upfluence at $478/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Friendbuy or Upfluence?
Friendbuy starts at $249/month and Upfluence at $478/month.
Does Friendbuy or Upfluence run on more platforms?
Friendbuy runs on Web. Upfluence runs on Web, Chrome-extension, Api.
What is Friendbuy best used for?
Friendbuy is most often used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting. Of those, affiliate marketing management and workflow automation are not what Upfluence is typically brought in for.
What can Friendbuy do that Upfluence cannot?
Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Loyalty programs, A/B testing, Fraud detection. Upfluence covers Influencer discovery, Customer identification, Affiliate management, Promo code tracking. Both handle Shopify, Klaviyo.

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
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
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
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
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
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Related pages

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