Software · head to head
Viral Loops vs Affiliatly
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Viral Loops pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum); Affiliatly limited to 10 platform integrations, which may exclude niche or emerging e-commerce platforms
- They diverge on capability: Viral Loops covers Campaign templates, Affiliatly covers Automatic tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Viral Loops and Affiliatly actually diverge.
| Attribute | Viral Loops | Affiliatly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Founded | 2016 | 2014 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Viral Loops
- Campaign templates
- Milestone rewards
- Leaderboards
- Referral widgets
- Viral analytics
- Mailchimp
- Klaviyo
- HubSpot
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.
Viral Loops
- 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.
Viral Loops
- Pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum)
- Advanced features are only available on higher-tier plans, limiting smaller businesses
- Limited customization without technical development for highly branded campaigns
- Customer support response times may vary by region and time zone
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
Viral Loops
Free- FreeFree
- 1,000 participants
- All templates
- Basic features
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 Viral Loops if
- You need campaign templates.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want milestone rewards.
Choose Affiliatly if
- You need automatic tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want custom commission rates.
Questions people ask
- Is Viral Loops or Affiliatly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Viral Loops starts at Free and Affiliatly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Viral Loops or Affiliatly?
- Viral Loops starts at Free and Affiliatly at Free.
- Does Viral Loops or Affiliatly run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Viral Loops for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Viral Loops best used for?
- Viral Loops is most often used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting.
- What can Viral Loops do that Affiliatly cannot?
- Viral Loops covers Campaign templates, Milestone rewards, Leaderboards, Referral widgets. Affiliatly covers Automatic tracking, Custom commission rates, Affiliate dashboard, Coupon tracking. Both handle Shopify, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Viral Loops: What does Viral Loops pricing start at?
Viral Loops pricing starts at $35/month and ranges up to $208/month depending on the plan. The platform offers a 14-day free trial, flat-rate pricing (no per-campaign charges), and 30% discount for annual billing.
SourceAffiliatly: 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.
SourceViral Loops: What types of campaigns can Viral Loops create?
Viral Loops allows creation of referral programs, giveaways, waiting lists, and sweepstakes/competitions. Campaigns can be integrated into websites or mobile apps within minutes using pre-built templates.
SourceAffiliatly: 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.
SourceViral Loops: Does Viral Loops offer custom pricing?
Yes. Beyond the standard $35-208/month plans, Viral Loops offers custom pricing for larger teams and enterprises with specific feature requirements.
SourceAffiliatly: 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.
SourceViral Loops: What happens to campaigns after I cancel Viral Loops?
Users can export large files of mailing lists in several data formats, allowing campaign data to be migrated to another platform if needed after cancellation.
SourceAffiliatly: 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.
SourceViral Loops: How quickly can I launch a campaign with Viral Loops?
Campaigns can be launched within minutes using Viral Loops' template-based, intuitive interface that requires no technical expertise or coding knowledge.
Source