Total cost, not list price
Platform fee, percent of revenue, payout fees and seat limits are recorded separately, so you can compare what a program really costs.
Documented facts, not a quality ranking. Pricing and rights depend on the selected plan.
| Decision criteria | Refgrow | AffiliateWP |
|---|---|---|
| Consider for | Bootstrapped SaaS startups needing an embedded portal and Stripe or Paddle subscription attribution at a low entry price, with enough room in the plan's revenue allowance. | WordPress stores that want to run an affiliate program within their own installation and need WooCommerce product attribution. |
| Paid entry / monthly | $29/month | Not verified |
| Billing detail | Starter: $29/month billed monthly, with up to $1,000 in affiliate-generated revenue per month. Annual prices depend on checkout selection. | The live pricing page lists introductory first-year ANNUAL licenses: Personal $149.50 (normal $299/year), Plus $199.50 (normal $399/year), Pro $299.50 (normal $599/year). Do not interpret these as monthly rates; promotions and renewal prices differ. |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free plan detail | No permanent free plan. The live pricing page states a 7-day free trial; card is required and billing starts after the trial unless cancelled. | No free version and no free trial; vendor lists a 14-day refund guarantee for new purchases. |
| Commissions | Supports one-time and recurring commission rules, affiliate-level and product-level overrides, and subscription payment events. A cancellation does not automatically reverse commissions from previously paid orders; a related refund event is needed. | Percentage or fixed commissions for eligible WordPress checkouts; recurring, lifetime and tiered/multi-tier commission workflows are Pro-level features. Validate plugin-level support for refunds and renewals. |
| Tracking method | Embedded widget, referral links, cookies, coupons, fraud controls and webhooks. Paddle requires accurate referral code propagation to custom_data, signed webhook processing and appropriate customer read permissions to match link-driven buyers. | WordPress referral links, coupon codes, WooCommerce order attribution and site-owned affiliate dashboard; not a direct integration with Paddle Billing subscriptions. |
| Payouts | PayPal/Wise auto payouts are a Pro-and-above feature, not Starter. Vendor says there are zero platform transaction fees; external payment providers may charge payout processing fees. | Vendor documents international payouts, Stripe, PayPal and store-credit options with zero platform transaction fees; external processing charges and regional eligibility may still apply. |
| Integrations | Documentation covers Stripe, Paddle webhooks, Polar, Lemon Squeezy and Dodo Payments. Paddle integration needs an API key with customer, transaction and subscription permissions and a webhook; don't treat that as automatic zero-configuration attribution. | WordPress and WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads and supported membership/course/form plugins. Other hosted ecommerce platforms require a different tool. |
| API available | Yes | No |
| Consider the limitation | Teams expecting a no-card free trial, an uncapped $29 plan, managed payouts on Starter, or effortless Paddle implementation without required API permissions. | Shopify-only merchants and buyers expecting the advanced Pro commission options on the cheapest annual license. |
| Sources checked | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-21 |
| Check the source | ||
| Next step | Visit Refgrow ↗ | Visit AffiliateWP ↗ |
Platform fee, percent of revenue, payout fees and seat limits are recorded separately, so you can compare what a program really costs.
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