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Affiliate Marketing · head to head

CJ Affiliate vs Viral Loops

CJ Affiliate logo

CJ Affiliate

Affiliate Marketing

Global affiliate marketing platform by Publicis

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Viral Loops logo

Viral Loops

Affiliate Marketing

Viral and referral marketing made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Viral Loops has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CJ Affiliate complex pricing tiers without transparent public pricing; Viral Loops pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum)
  • They diverge on capability: CJ Affiliate covers Cross-device tracking, Viral Loops covers Campaign templates.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CJ Affiliate and Viral Loops actually diverge.

Attributes where CJ Affiliate and Viral Loops differ
AttributeCJ AffiliateViral Loops
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Free tierNoYes
Founded19982016

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

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 CJ Affiliate

  • Cross-device tracking
  • Real-time analytics
  • Publisher recruitment
  • Commission automation
  • Fraud protection
  • Salesforce
  • Adobe Analytics
  • Google Analytics

Only in Viral Loops

  • Campaign templates
  • Milestone rewards
  • Leaderboards
  • Referral widgets
  • Viral analytics
  • Shopify
  • Mailchimp
  • Klaviyo

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

CJ Affiliate

  • affiliate marketing management
  • Workflow automation
  • Reporting

Viral Loops

  • 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.

CJ Affiliate

  • Complex pricing tiers without transparent public pricing
  • Limited integration capabilities with leading third-party HR point solutions compared to some competitors

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

Pricing, plan by plan

CJ Affiliate

On request
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced analytics

Viral Loops

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 participants
    • All templates
    • Basic features

Which should you pick?

Choose CJ Affiliate if

  • You need cross-device tracking.
  • You also want real-time analytics.
CJ Affiliate review

Choose Viral Loops if

  • You need campaign templates.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want milestone rewards.
Viral Loops review

Questions people ask

Is CJ Affiliate or Viral Loops better?
Neither clearly leads. CJ Affiliate starts at On request and Viral Loops at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CJ Affiliate or Viral Loops?
Viral Loops has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CJ Affiliate and Free for Viral Loops.
Does CJ Affiliate or Viral Loops 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?
Yes. Viral Loops has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CJ Affiliate starts at On request.
What is CJ Affiliate best used for?
CJ Affiliate is most often used for affiliate marketing management, workflow automation, reporting.
What can CJ Affiliate do that Viral Loops cannot?
CJ Affiliate covers Cross-device tracking, Real-time analytics, Publisher recruitment, Commission automation. Viral Loops covers Campaign templates, Milestone rewards, Leaderboards, Referral widgets. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CJ Affiliate: How much does CJ Affiliate cost?

CJ Affiliate requires custom pricing based on business needs. Contact their sales team for a customized quote; pricing tiers vary by affiliate network size and commission models used.

Source
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.

Source
CJ Affiliate: How many publishers and brands are on CJ Affiliate?

CJ is the platform of choice for over 3,800 global brands with over 167K publishers and brands engaging billions of consumers worldwide across all verticals.

Source
Viral 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.

Source
CJ Affiliate: What integrations does CJ Affiliate support?

CJ Affiliate provides a comprehensive API supporting integrations with marketing automation platforms, analytics tools, and tracking systems through RESTful endpoints with OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Source
Viral 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.

Source
Viral 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.

Source
Viral 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
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