A participant is anyone who either receives a unique referral link (referrer) or signs up through one (referred). We count participants based on unique email addresses. Referral links are generated in real-time only when a logged-in user visits your referral portal, signaling their intent to share. Learn more here

Note: Your entire user base does not count as participants—only those who engage with your referral/affiliate program.

For example: If you have 10,000 users and send a marketing email announcing your referral program, around 20% (2,000 users) might show interest in participating. These users would visit your referral portal and become participants, each receiving a unique referral link to share. Additionally, anyone who signs up through these links is also added as a participant.

If you exceed your participant limit, we'll automatically upgrade you to the next tier, prorated. This means you can start on our lowest tier and automatically scale as you grow.

A campaign is simply a referral or affiliate program. You would want multiple campaigns if you develop in a staging and production environment.

A referral program lets you reward users with one-off rewards when they refer new customers (e.g., gift cards, credits, cash, swag).

An affiliate program lets you reward users with recurring commissions when they refer new customers (e.g., cash on each sale).

With referral programs, you can choose what counts as a referral (e.g., a lead must complete several steps to be considered a referral) and offer one-time incentives like gift cards, credits, or cash rewards. With affiliate programs, referrals are counted when they make a purchase for the first time and the incentive to affiliates is recurring revenue share for each sale.

GrowSurf can be fully implemented in an afternoon. Many GrowSurf customers get up and running within a day. Teams may take a few days due to back-and-forth communication. Technical implementation includes campaign setup and customization, referral tracking installation, setting up a referral portal, and automating reward fulfillment.

After technical implementation, launching your customer referral or affiliate program takes planning and consideration. See Referral Program Checklist to see a comprehensive list of things to consider.

Yes, we provide a 14-day free trial for referral programs. When you sign up, you'll automatically be enrolled into the GrowSurf Business plan so that you have access to all features and integrations. No credit card is required during the trial. You can also downgrade to the Startup plan during this time. Affiliate programs have access to paid campaign features and integrations regardless of whether or not you have a paid subscription or trial.

No, your referral or affiliate program can live within your product or user portal. GrowSurf automatically gives your signed-in users a unique share link without them needing to sign up for your program on a separate website. Further, there is flexibility on whether you want this process to be automatic or manual. Learn more here.

For referral programs, if you ever go over your participant limit, we will automatically upgrade you to the next plan up, prorated. You can start as small as possible and automatically scale with your growth. We'll send you email notifications when you've reached 50%, 90%, and 100% of your participant limit. You must have a payment method on file to get auto-upgraded and can opt-out anytime from automatic upgrades. For affiliate programs, if you anticipate exceeding 1,000,000 participants, please contact us to inquire about a custom plan.

Yes, you can remove participants from your admin dashboard or by using the REST API.

GrowSurf provides four different reward types (double-sided, single-sided, milestone, and leaderboard) that are included in all plans. You can automate fulfillment for any type of reward through our third-party integrations. Learn about how reward automation works.

See reward examples used by GrowSurf customers by visiting our Referral Rewards Library. For even more reward ideas, check out our Referral Program Idea Generator.

Yes. For referral programs, you have total control over what counts as a referral. For example, referrals can be defined as new leads (when you first capture their email address) or only when new leads make qualified actions such as making their first purchase or if their status gets updated in your CRM. For affiliate programs, referrals are defined as when a referred customer makes a purchase for the first time.

GrowSurf elements and content are 100% customizable.

Yes, for referral programs you can always upgrade or downgrade your GrowSurf plan at any time, as long as your new plan's participant limit does not exceed your current usage. For affiliate programs, we will only charge you if you generate referral revenue (if any refunds/chargebacks happen, we will also provide adjustments).

GrowSurf is a self-service platform with no annual contract required to sign up. Referral program plans are billed on a monthly or annual basis. You can start on the smallest plan possible, then auto-scale when you hit a participant limit, on a prorated basis. You can always upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your subscription at anytime. Affiliate programs do not require any monthly or annual paid subscription and are only charged when you generate referral revenue.

If you're not satisfied with GrowSurf for any reason, you can cancel your plan at anytime.

For referral program subscriptions, you can request a full refund for your most recent payment by reaching out to GrowSurf support no later than thirty days from the last date of payment. View our full refund policy here. Charges for affiliate programs are non-refundable.

Yes, for your referral program subscription you can pay yearly by changing your selected plan to a yearly billing option during your free trial period. We offer 30% off on all annual plans.

Yes, GrowSurf is fully compliant with GDPR. See more on our GDPR Portal.

Customers with a referral program subscription are eligible to receive support via email, live chat, or Live Assistance (live chat and screensharing are available on the Business Plan). Our support hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. CST, excluding US holidays. We typically answer questions very fast (usually within hours or less during business hours). If you are running only affiliate programs, you have access to our Help Center and Docs.