GrowSurf

GrowSurf runs a refer-a-friend program for a product rather than a one-off giveaway: every participant gets a link, the rewards fire automatically, and the tax paperwork on the payouts is handled. It bills on how many people are in the program rather than on how many you refer, which is unusual and worth understanding before you launch.

Startup is $125 a month, billed yearly at $1,504, and covers up to 2,500 participants with two referral programmes. Business is $314 a month or $3,772 a year for up to 10,000. Above that is a quote. A participant is anybody who refers or is referred, so the bill grows with the size of the programme rather than with what it earns you, and that is the number to model before signing up. Every plan starts with a 14-day trial that includes the paid features.

A product with a steady flow of signups that wants referrals to be a permanent channel. Priced by participants rather than by conversions, so it suits a business with revenue already and not a first launch.