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Software · head to head

Impact vs Refersion

Impact logo

Impact

Software

Partnership automation platform for modern businesses

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
R

Refersion

Software

Affiliate and influencer marketing for e-commerce

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Impact onboarding takes 60-120 days, creating long delays before partner programs go live; Refersion no influencer discovery tools; requires using separate platforms to identify creators
  • They diverge on capability: Impact covers Partner discovery, Refersion covers Affiliate recruitment.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Impact and Refersion actually diverge.

Attributes where Impact and Refersion differ
AttributeImpactRefersion
Starting price$30/month$99/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb
Founded20082014

Identical on both: 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 Impact

  • Partner discovery
  • Contract automation
  • Cross-device tracking
  • Fraud protection
  • Performance optimization
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Marketo

Only in Refersion

  • Affiliate recruitment
  • Coupon tracking
  • Commission automation
  • Influencer management
  • Performance analytics
  • BigCommerce
  • WooCommerce
  • Magento

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Impact

  • affiliate marketing management
  • Workflow automation
  • Reporting

Refersion

  • 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.

Impact

  • Onboarding takes 60-120 days, creating long delays before partner programs go live
  • Pricing is opaque for enterprise plans, requiring direct sales negotiations
  • Limited native partner messaging and bulk communication features, requiring third-party tools like SendGrid
  • Customer support is slow and contractually focused, with reported issues and complaints going unresolved
  • Menu bar is complicated with settings buried several levels down, making navigation difficult for basic configuration tasks

Refersion

  • No influencer discovery tools; requires using separate platforms to identify creators
  • Limited audience analysis and insights compared to competitors
  • Minimal customization options for reports and analytics
  • Higher starting price (39-99 USD/month) may be prohibitive for small businesses

Pricing, plan by plan

Impact

$30/month
  • Starter$30/month

Refersion

$99/month
  • Professional$99/month
    • 130 monthly order conversions
    • Unlimited affiliates
    • Shopify integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Impact if

  • You need partner discovery.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want contract automation.
Impact review

Choose Refersion if

  • You need affiliate recruitment.
  • You also want coupon tracking.
Refersion review

Questions people ask

Is Impact or Refersion better?
Neither clearly leads. Impact starts at $30/month and Refersion at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Impact or Refersion?
Impact starts at $30/month and Refersion at $99/month.
Does Impact or Refersion run on more platforms?
Impact runs on Web, Mobile. Refersion runs on Web.
What is Impact best used for?
Impact is most often used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting.
What can Impact do that Refersion cannot?
Impact covers Partner discovery, Contract automation, Cross-device tracking, Fraud protection. Refersion covers Affiliate recruitment, Coupon tracking, Commission automation, Influencer management. Both handle Shopify, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Impact: What is Impact.com?

Impact.com is a partnership automation platform that helps brands, publishers, and agencies manage affiliate programs, influencer relationships, and strategic partnerships. It serves as a unified platform for tracking, reporting, and managing partner performance.

Source
Refersion: How much does Refersion cost?

Refersion offers tiered pricing starting at 39 USD per month for the base plan, with Growth tier at 129 USD/month and Scale tier at 599 USD/month. Professional plans start at 99 USD/month with a 14-day free trial, and Business plans cost 249 USD/month. Pricing scales with advanced features at 599 USD/month.

Source
Impact: What are Impact's pricing plans?

Impact offers tiered pricing: Starter plan at $30/month, Essential plan with custom pricing, and Pro plan with pricing available upon request. Publishers use the platform free but must be approved. Pricing varies by features and transaction volume.

Source
Refersion: How fast can I set up Refersion?

Refersion integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce stores in as little as 10-15 minutes with no developer required. This is significantly faster than competitors like Impact.com which typically requires 2-4 weeks and developer resources for implementation.

Source
Impact: How many partners are in Impact's marketplace?

Impact's Partner Marketplace includes approximately 90,000 partners including affiliates, influencers, mobile app publishers, and strategic alliance partners.

Source
Refersion: What integrations does Refersion support?

Refersion integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and Stripe. The platform also connects with Klaviyo for email marketing and Postscript for SMS campaigns, enabling seamless affiliate program management across ecommerce platforms.

Source
Impact: Which platforms does Impact integrate with?

Impact integrates with e-commerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Adobe Commerce. It also supports API integrations and connects with marketing and CRM tools.

Source
Refersion: Does Refersion include influencer discovery?

No. Refersion does not include tools for discovering influencers, which requires brands to use additional platforms or manually identify creators. The platform focuses on tracking and managing existing affiliate and influencer relationships rather than discovery.

Source
Impact: How long is the onboarding process?

Impact's standard onboarding process takes 60-120 days, which is a known limitation for brands seeking quick implementation.

Source
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