UpPromote: A Better Awin Alternative for Affiliate Program Management

When it comes to start affiliate marketing, should you use affiliate software to build your own program, or join a large affiliate network?

It sounds like a simple choice. But it’s not.

Affiliate software gives you full control. You run your own program, set the rules, and build your own team of promoters.

Affiliate networks, on the other hand, give you access to a pool of existing affiliates. But you’ll have to follow their rules, work within their structure, and have limited room for customization.

You’ve probably heard of Awin by now. It’s a big name in the affiliate space. Huge reach. Lots of buzz. But is bigger always better?

Even a quick glance shows Awin isn’t cheap. And it doesn’t exactly hand over the keys. You’re expected to play by their rules and pay upfront before seeing results.

So, are there better Awin alternatives out there?

In this article, we’ll help you unpack the key differences between affiliate networks and affiliate software and show you why UpPromote might just be the smarter, more flexible choice for brands who want more control without breaking the bank.

UpPromote vs. Awin: Overview

UpPromote and Awin offer two very different ways to run an affiliate program: affiliate software vs affiliate network. Before diving into their key differences, let’s first understand what each platform is and how it works.

About UpPromote

UpPromote is an all-in-one affiliate and referral marketing app built for Shopify merchants. The affiliate software allows you to create your own affiliate program, invite affiliates, and manage everything in one place. You have full control over how your program runs, from setting commission rules to customizing the affiliate experience.

More than 150,000 merchants trust UpPromote to manage their affiliate programs. On the Shopify App Store, the app has earned over 2,500 reviews with an impressive average rating of 4.9/5. Merchants often praise its ease of use, fast setup, and helpful support team.

UpPromote is a great choice for merchants who want to grow through word-of-mouth, influencer partnerships, or customer referrals while keeping everything inside their own ecosystem.

About Awin

Awin is a global affiliate network that connects brands with a large pool of publishers and bloggers. Instead of running your own program from scratch, you join Awin’s platform and get access to over 1 million registered affiliates. These publishers can choose to promote your products through their websites, blogs, or other channels.

Awin currently works with thousands of advertisers worldwide. They provide tools for affiliate discovery, tracking, automated payouts, and fraud protection. Their network is especially strong in industries like fashion, travel, and finance.

While Awin helps you reach a broad audience, it gives you less control over how your program is set up or managed. Awin decides which affiliates are accepted and handles the communication, tracking, and payments on your behalf. This can be convenient, but it also means you won’t have the same level of ownership over your affiliate relationships.

UpPromote vs. Awin: Side-by-Side Comparison

Now that you know what UpPromote and Awin are, let’s compare them side by side. We’ll go through key areas that matter most when choosing an affiliate solution for your business:

Pricing & Cost Transparency

When it comes to affiliate tools, cost transparency matters just as much as affordability. You want to know exactly what you’ll pay and what you’ll get in return.

With UpPromote, pricing is clear from the start. You choose from 4 options (including a free plan), and each one clearly outlines what you’re paying for. There are no setup fees. It uses a simple SaaS pricing model that scales with your business. You can create your program right after installing the app, with no delays and no back-and-forth.

With Awin, it’s a different story. There’s no free plan, and the starting cost is already higher than UpPromote’s. On top of that, you may be charged a setup fee, and that’s just to access the basics. If you want more control, features, or flexibility, you’ll need to contact sales for a custom quote. However, there is little visibility into what it might actually cost.

You can take a look at what real users are saying about Awin on different review platforms. On G2, one user shared:

Another merchant on GetApp mentioned:

Pricing concerns don’t just stop at advertisers. Affiliates themselves also face fees when joining the network.

An affiliate left this feedback on GetApp:

And another publisher shared a more direct review:

💪Why UpPromote wins here:

If you are willing to pay a premium upfront to join a well-known affiliate network, Awin might make sense.

But for most Shopify merchants, UpPromote is the smarter choice when it comes to pricing. You can get started with zero costs and upgrade as your affiliate program grows. That means you stay in control of your budget. You only pay for the tools and results that truly drive value for your business.

Affiliate Program Setup & Management

Setting up and managing an affiliate program shouldn’t feel complicated. You want something fast, straightforward, and ready to go when you are, right?

With UpPromote, setup is simple and everything stays under your control from day one:

• You can launch your program right after installing the app. No waiting. No approval.
• Choose the type of program you want to run: an affiliate program, an influencer marketing campaign, or a customer referral program.
• Create multiple campaigns, set flexible commission rules (by product, campaign, or affiliate type), assign discount codes or tracking links, and manage affiliates from one dashboard.
• Handle payments on your own schedule using auto payout via PayPal, Wise, store credit, or other preferred methods.
• Access real-time reports to monitor clicks, conversions, and commissions. No waiting for external validation.

With Awin, the setup is often more hands-off. You’ll go through an approval process before your program can launch. An Awin account manager will assist with onboarding and configuration. It may feel easier at first, but there are some limitations to keep in mind:

• Making changes to commission settings or campaign logic requires assistance and may depend on your plan.
• You don’t control payouts. Awin pays affiliates on your behalf, based on a pre-funded balance.
• Reports are tied to Awin’s platform, and your access to data may be limited by your plan.

💡 Which setup works best?

It depends on how much control and flexibility you want.

• If you prefer a more guided setup experience, Awin may suit you. An account manager helps configure your program, so you can get started without doing much yourself. But this also means giving up some freedom, especially when you want to tailor the program to your brand’s unique strategy.
• If you want more autonomy and faster execution, UpPromote gives you that independence. You’ll be more involved from the beginning, but in return, you gain valuable experience and full ownership over how your program runs.

Affiliate Recruitment Methods

Finding quality affiliates is one of the most important parts of building a successful program. And this is where Awin has a clear edge as a global affiliate network.

With Awin, you gain access to a large pool of affiliates across different industries and regions. For new merchants who want to kickstart their affiliate efforts quickly, this reach can be a big advantage. You don’t have to build from scratch. The network connects you to experienced publishers and influencers who are already promoting other brands.

But there’s a trade-off:

• These affiliates are not exclusive to your brand. Many of them promote multiple merchants at the same time.
• You’ll be competing with other businesses for attention within the same network.
• It’s harder to build long-term loyalty unless you offer standout rewards or higher commissions.

UpPromote takes a different but effective approach. While affiliate software often requires you to recruit affiliates on your own, UpPromote helps bridge that gap. The app includes a built-in affiliate marketplace where you can list your offers and attract high-quality affiliates. Today, the UpPromote marketplace is home to over 40,000 affiliates, giving your program strong exposure.

On top of that, UpPromote offers powerful recruitment tools to help you build your own network of promoters:

• Create a dedicated affiliate signup form
• Turn happy customers into affiliates through refer-a-friend programs
• Set up multi-level marketing to expand your reach through existing promoters

💡 Which recruitment approach fits best?

The right path forward is shaped by your goals and how actively you want to participate in affiliate recruitment.

If you want quick access to a wide pool of affiliates and prefer joining an established network, Awin can be a good starting point. You’ll benefit from its reach, especially helpful if you’re new to affiliate marketing. But keep in mind that you’ll be sharing space and attention with many other brands, all competing for top affiliates.

On the other hand, if you value ownership and want to build long-term relationships with affiliates who truly align with your brand, UpPromote gives you more control. You can combine marketplace visibility with direct recruitment efforts and even turn customers into advocates. It may take more time and effort upfront, but you’re building a network designed around loyalty and fit, not just reach.

Customization & Branding

Your affiliate program reflects your brand. The way you present it to affiliates shapes how much they trust you, how well they understand your products, and how motivated they are to promote them.

That’s why customization and branding aren’t just nice to have. They’re essential if you want your program to feel truly yours. From how affiliates sign up to how they interact with your brand, every touchpoint matters.

With UpPromote, you stay in control of the experience:

• Customize the affiliate portal to match your brand’s look and feel with your own logo, domain, and color scheme.
• Create a branded registration page that reflects your tone and values. Add custom fields to collect the info you care about.
• Set flexible commission structures that align with your business goals. Offer special rates or bonuses for top-performing affiliates, tiered commissions, or exclusive deals for certain products.
• Define your own terms of service and policies to make sure your rules are clear and aligned with your business.
• Communicate directly with affiliates, helping them understand your brand and products better so they can promote with confidence.
• You own your data, which means you’re free to segment affiliates, analyze performance, and optimize campaigns without restrictions from a third party.

And if you need something more advanced, UpPromote also supports custom development. You can request features or workflows tailored to your business needs, which is not an option on a network like Awin.

A clear example of this flexibility is how UpPromote lets you customize your affiliate signup form. The app offers 3 ready-made templates, each designed to match different brand aesthetics:

1. The Basic Template: clean, simple, and easy to follow

2. The Comfort Template: elegant layout with soft and inviting design elements

3. The Trendy Template: modern, bold, and visually dynamic

With Awin, customization is limited to what the network allows:

• Your affiliate program is hosted inside Awin’s shared ecosystem, which means branding options are restricted.
• The affiliate portal follows a standard layout and cannot fully reflect your brand identity.
• Registration flows and program terms are handled within Awin’s system, so customization is minimal.
• Since Awin owns the affiliate relationship, direct communication and data insights are limited

💪 Why UpPromote is better for brands that care about identity and control:

If your brand identity matters and you want to motivate affiliates your way, UpPromote puts you in the driver’s seat.

You’re not locked into someone else’s structure. You can design an affiliate experience that reflects your brand, engages the right partners, and keeps them inspired to sell.

Integration with Shopify

If you’re a Shopify merchant, seamless integration with your store isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. It helps automate tasks, reduce errors, and save time managing your affiliate program.

UpPromote is built for Shopify. Once installed, it connects directly to your store and runs inside your Shopify dashboard. Orders, refunds, customer data, and discount codes sync automatically. You don’t need to manage multiple tools or add custom scripts. Everything happens in one place, which means fewer errors and a much smoother experience for both you and your affiliates.

Awin, on the other hand, is an external network that lacks tight integration with Shopify. Setting up tracking requires more technical effort. You may need to install custom scripts or coordinate manually when changes happen in your store. Data doesn’t always sync in real time, especially for order updates like refunds. These gaps can slow you down and might lead to tracking issues.

💪Why UpPromote wins here:

Using UpPromote feels more like an extension of your store, not a separate system.

You can manage everything without switching tabs, troubleshoot faster when needed, and provide affiliates with more reliable tracking. This gives you peace of mind and saves time for growing your program.

A real-world example of this comes from Breeze eSIM, a brand that used both Awin and UpPromote to run their affiliate efforts. While both platforms offered value, the team quickly saw how native integration impacted daily operations.

Meanwhile, the lack of Shopify-native features in Awin led to extra steps and more manual fixes.

UpPromote didn’t just simplify Shopify integration. The app also helped customize Breeze eSIM’s affiliate program to their exact needs, from generating country-specific product links to syncing affiliate data with their CRM. That level of support and flexibility is something most networks simply can’t offer.

Scalability

If your business grows, your affiliate program needs to grow with it. You may have more products to promote, more affiliates to manage, or even more than one store to support.

UpPromote is built to scale with you:

• You can manage everything from one place, even if you have multiple Shopify stores
• You can create different campaigns and commission rules for different products, markets, or affiliates
• You can group affiliates into segments and apply rules that match their performance or region
• You can motivate top performers with bonus rules, milestones, or tiered commissions

Awin is more limited in this area:

• It does not support managing multiple stores in one place
• Changing program settings or scaling your campaign often requires help from the Awin team

💪Why UpPromote wins here:

If you’re planning to grow your affiliate program over time or run multiple stores, UpPromote gives you more flexibility and control. You don’t need to depend on an external team to scale. Everything is already in your hands.

Key Reasons to Choose UpPromote as an Awin Alternative

If you’re a Shopify merchant exploring affiliate marketing options, Awin might catch your eye because of its global network and reputation. But before jumping in, it’s worth asking: Is that really what your business needs right now?

For many Shopify stores, especially growing ones, UpPromote offers a more practical, flexible, and affordable way to run affiliate marketing. Here’s why it stands out as a smart alternative to Awin:

Transparent, Affordable Pricing

UpPromote follows a straightforward SaaS pricing model. You can start for free, then upgrade only when your program grows. There are no setup fees, no hidden costs, and you just pay for what you use.

In contrast, Awin requires an upfront setup fee, a monthly platform fee, and possibly other costs, before you even start seeing results.

Faster Setup, No Gatekeeping

You can launch your affiliate program within minutes after installing UpPromote. No approval processes. No waiting for account managers. You set the pace.

Awin, on the other hand, requires an application and approval process, and program setup often involves working with account reps. That adds time and complexity.

Built for Shopify, Better UX

UpPromote is built for Shopify. From syncing product data and discount codes to handling refunds and passing affiliate data to your CRM, everything is seamlessly connected. This makes both setup and daily operations smoother for merchants.

The user interface is also optimized for Shopify workflows, so merchants can navigate features, manage campaigns, and track results without a learning curve or platform mismatch.

Awin, as an external network, lacks this level of integration. This can lead to manual steps, tracking issues, and a less cohesive experience overall, both for you and your affiliates.

Full Control Over Your Program

With UpPromote, everything stays under your control:

• You own your affiliate data, not the network
• You customize the look and feel of your affiliate signup form and affiliate portal to match your brand
• You manage direct relationships with affiliates, from onboarding to payouts

This means your program reflects your brand, and you’re free to adjust how it runs based on what works for your business.

Awin, on the other hand, follows a more centralized model. You operate within their network structure, which means:

• Limited access to raw affiliate data
• Fewer customization options for how affiliates experience your brand
• Communication and management often go through Awin’s system, not directly between you and the affiliate

If brand ownership and autonomy matter to you, UpPromote gives you the control Awin can’t.

Greater Flexibility and Scalability

UpPromote gives you the flexibility to tailor your program to your business goals and scale it as you grow. You can:

• Set flexible commission rules by product, campaign, or affiliate type
• Offer performance-based bonuses and tiered rewards
• Run influencer campaigns, customer referrals, or MLM structures
• Manage multiple Shopify stores under one system

Awin offers less freedom in these areas, with rigid structures and fewer options for fine-tuning how your program works behind the scenes.

Final Words

There’s no doubt that Awin has built a strong reputation as a global affiliate network. But big names don’t always mean a better fit, especially for merchants who need more flexibility, control, and transparency.

Affiliate networks like Awin offer reach, but they come with limitations: slower setup, less customization, and higher upfront costs. You’re also playing by someone else’s rules.

UpPromote takes a different approach. It’s an affiliate software built specifically for Shopify, giving you the freedom to run your program the way you want. You own your data. You decide how commissions work. You customize every touchpoint. And you can scale at your own pace, without extra layers of complexity.

If you’re choosing between a network that works for everyone and a tool that’s made for you, the answer is clear. UpPromote is not just an Awin alternative; it’s a smarter way to grow your brand through affiliate marketing.