Here’s the ultimate showdown of UpPromote vs Shopify Automizely referral. We will determine which app is better for Shopify Merchants of all sizes and niches based on the following:
- Ease of use
- Performance
- Feature
- Support
- Rating
- Pricing plan
- Trial experience
- Integration
- Expansion store capabilities
Yes, we’re not kidding when we say: “ultimate.” But first, let’s get you familiar with these two apps.
Everything you need to know about UpPromote and Automizely
Here is a brief recap of the two apps and why they are definitely a must for your marketing initiative.
What is UpPromote?
Short answer: it’s the top-recommended affiliate/referral solution for Shopify Merchants.
UpPromote consistently scores 4.5 and above rating on all major review sites, including:
- Shopify App Store
- Influencer Marketing Hub
- G2
- Capterra
- Getapp
- Peertopeermarketing
- Software advice
And counting.
Read more on customer experience with UpPromote.
Long answer: UpPromote is an all-in-one affiliate and referral marketing app that helps Shopify merchants every step of the way. The app ecosystem consists of:
- an intuitive platform for creating and managing incentivized programs for affiliates and existing customers,
- a marketplace for listing offers and recruiting affiliates,
- and a reliable tracking & performance reporting system.
What is Automizely Referral?
Automizely app is an exceptional referral solution to grow your business and brand with favorable word-of-mouth. Everything is stripped down to the essentials only, and you can quickly set up a referral program and showcase it through a beautified widget on your storefront in no time.
The ease of use combined with the free pricing plan has brought Automizely Shopify Referral app over 1300+ 5-star reviews. And that is no doubt a true testament to how much the app helps and satisfies Shopify Merchant with referral marketing.
Why do you need a Shopify Affiliate & Referral app?
There are 2 main reasons why a merged app for both affiliate and referral marketing will be the most strategic choice for you as a Shopify merchant.
Firstly, it can turn your top-down sales funnel into an infinite loop that feeds itself. While affiliates and influencers bring you new customers, referral program incentivizes those happy customers to become fresh brand advocates.
Take Saledress as an example. They simply grow to $1 million in sales with their Earn Money program. While this might look like an affiliate program, you might be surprised at how Saledress brings over referral elements and perfects their growth loop.
Watch and copy Salesdress’s affiliate program, step by step.
Unlike other big brands that collab with huge influencers, the affiliates Saledress works with are mostly their customers. Here’s how they do it.
With their intended customers being college students in their 20s, Instagram is the right platform to lure traffic.
Besides the product collections, Saledress ensures all visitors immediately see their Earn Money program on the main menu. Next, once it’s all set and done, customers again meet a post-purchase popup reminding them of this program.
And because they’re mostly college students, this incentive is alluring. They then join the program, become Saledress advocates, share the products with their friends, and the cycle repeats itself. But, this time, with no upfront ad cost, you only pay once the sale is guaranteed.
The remaining reason is a rather technical one yet equally vital to your store. Fewer apps mean fewer conflicts. You want apps to be solutions, not nuisances that bring chaos and slow down your growth.
Why do we compare UpPromote and Automizely Referral?
The above segment has provided an answer already, but we want to dig deeper.
Why UpPromote?
We’ve touched briefly on how UpPromote is the universally recommended affiliate solution across credible review platforms. Here’s a short list explaining why:
- Easy to use
- Comprehensive affiliate program customization
- Reliable tracking process
- Powerful management
- Attentive support
Why Automizely?
The referral and marketing solution by Automizely has everything you need to run a simply profitable program for your business. And the one thing that pushes it over the top is that the app is completely free for small businesses.
If you’re just starting with Shopify and have a limited budget, Automizely Referral is the right app for you.
Why UpPromote vs Automizely Shopify?
Above all, we choose to compare the two apps because they are one of the few that can provide you with the best of both worlds.
You can run affiliate and referral programs freely, and they both have free plans. Moreover, UpPromote and Automizely are amongst the top-reviewed apps on Shopify App Store.
UpPromote vs Automizely: Compared and Rated
Here is a quick comparison chart for your convenience:
| Overall | Ease of use | Performance | Feature covered | Support provided | Review overall | Pricing Flexibility | Trial experience | Integration capacity | Multiple store capability | |
| UpPromote | 4.9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.9 | 5 | 4.2 | 5 | 5 |
| Automizely Referral | 3.9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.3 | 3 |
If you want to learn more about all the attributes and parameters to consider a software app in action, check out this research paper.
Detailed comparisons
Here’s our in-depth review of the two apps.
Ease of use
Automizely referral, with its minimal features and Shopify-like interface, helps the app achieve a 5-star rating in this category.
You can start a simple referral program in 1-click and an affiliate initiative in 3.
Accordingly, they provide accompanied documentation for merchants to navigate the app better.
Similarly, you have a similar ease-of-use experience with UpPromote, even though the app has tripled the features of Automizely Referral.
UpPromote team creates a myriad of in-app support touchpoints for merchants. For example, you have live chat with one-on-one agent, an onboarding process with videos, tooltips for user documents, and lastly, direct links to highlight features.
Hence, you won’t have to worry about anything while navigating the app.
Performance
Another criterion to consider when choosing an app for Shopify is stabilization and scalability.
Firstly, you want the app not to affect your store speed. Since both UpPromote and Automizely run the platform separately from your store, your site speed will not slow down.
Moreover, with direct marketing practices like affiliates, and referral programs, you want to scale the system during the retail season. Fortunately, both of the apps has stood the test in handling huge traffic and real-time tracking.
It’s a tie in this category.
Feature range
Here is where the race becomes interesting.
For one, the bare-bone approach of Automizaly Referral is now a disadvantage. In fact, you only have 3 main features:
- Set campaign
- Modify email template
- Tracking performance
And these features are also limited. For example, with Automizely Referral, you can only display your referral program via a widget. There is no option to create a form to explain and promote your affiliate program. Plus, you have to add/import the influencers by hand.
On the contrary, UpPromote gives you every right to custom your registration form to a tee.
Moreover, with UpPromote dynamic commission structures, you can alter the program to suit your business the best. Take a look:
- Basic commission structure:
- Flat rate per order
- Flat rate per item
- Percentage of Sale
- Advanced incentive altercations:
- Commission rate on order value
- Auto-tier commission
- Special product commission
- Auto-discount
- New customer commission
- Lifetime commission
- Coupon code commissioning
- Affiliate Bonus
- Gifts for affiliates
You can see every here at UpPromote feature list!
Support
Judging by the satisfied customers leaving their reviews on Shopify App Store, we can safely say that UpPromote and Automizely provide exceptional service here!
The two apps not only maintain a good response time (within minutes) but also offer solutions based on the merchant’s needs and not based on generic answers.
Rating
We have another tie in this category!
On the app store, both UpPromote and Automizely Referral score a 4.9 rating over thousand of reviews. Even though UpPromote has nearly double the amount of reviews, it’s only fair that we count the average rating for Automizely reviews.
Pricing plan
Here is when it gets tricky.
While technically Automizely Referral & Affiliate is free, you have to pay more for team account and premium support (with Silver & Gold tier).
Hence, if you’re a small business with a limited budget, Automizely Marketing is the right solution for you.
In contrast, UpPromote provides 4 different pricing plans, including a free plan, to accommodate Shopify Merchants of all sizes.
Moreover, the plans also take into account particular needs. For example, if you want to grow your affiliate network, the 2nd tier plan is perfect for you with options to turn customers into affiliates + unlimited referral offers.
See UpPromote’s detailed pricing plans.
Trial experience
UpPromote, as well as Automizely Referral, provides a demo store and free trials for you to test out the app. The dev stores are friendly with everything in layman’s terms for you to comprehend.
Integration
Both of the apps offer best practices for installation and uninstall with simple instructions.
As part of the Automizely & Aftership ecosystem, their referral app of them is only compatible with this inner circle. You can have custom development to integrate with other 3-rd party applications and rate limited API.
With UpPromote, you have lots of integration fronts including:
- Email marketing services
- Subscription order services
- Shopify functions
- Postback URL + Facebook Pixel
- Non-Shopify Store connect
- API Integrations
Therefore, it’s safe to say that UpPromote has better integration offers than Automizely Referral.
Expansion store capabilities
We have another win for UpPromote here. As of late, you can only duplicate app setup and share data across expansion stores with UpPromote. While you need to be on an Enterprise plan to have those features, the package also comes with custom development to further customize the app to your business.
Hence, if you operate multiple Shopify stores, it’s recommended to use UpPromote as your affiliate marketing platform.
UpPromote vs Automizely: Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Which is better? UpPromote or Automizely?
It depends. If you want simplified features, go for Automizely Referral. If you want unlimited customization possibilities, go for UpPromote.
Q2: Is UpPromote an Automizely alternative?
Yes, in fact, you have a wider feature range and better pricing plans with UpPromote.
Q3: Are UpPromote and Automizely Referral free?
They both provide a free plan.
Final verdict
In conclusion, when it comes to choosing between UpPromote and Automizely Referral for Shopify merchants, it ultimately depends on your specific needs and budget.
UpPromote is a comprehensive affiliate and referral marketing app with powerful management tools, customizable programs, and attentive support.
On the other hand, Automizely Referral is an easy-to-use app that focuses on referral marketing and offers a free plan for small businesses.
Both apps have positive reviews and are highly rated on the Shopify App Store. Therefore, it is recommended to evaluate the features and pricing plans of each app to determine which one is better suited for your business.
