# Best Referral Software for Mobile Apps in 2026

> Six referral programs for mobile apps compared on how the invitation reaches the first launch, how the reward is granted and the price, with a source for each.

_Last updated: 2026-10-26_

> **TL;DR:** For a mobile app, the best referral software is the one that carries the invitation through the store install. WarpLink does this with a referral link, a credited install and a signed webhook, free for 10,000 clicks a month. Five other services are compared below, each with a source and a price dated October 2026.

| Rank | Service | Best for | How the invitation reaches the app (per its docs) | Starting price (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [WarpLink](https://warplink.app/docs/guides/referrals) | Apps that reward after sign-up from their own backend | Play install referrer on Android, paste button on iPhone | $0 for 10,000 clicks a month, paid from $19 |
| 2 | GrowSurf | Teams that want a hosted referral program with mobile SDKs | Play Install Referrer on Android, attribution provider on iOS | $179 a month, 14-day trial |
| 3 | Branch | Teams already linking with Branch | Deep link with the referring user's ID in a key | $39 a month, 30-day trial |
| 4 | AppsFlyer | Teams already measuring with AppsFlyer | OneLink invite links and an `af_invite` event | $0.07 per conversion after 12,000 free |
| 5 | Referral Factory | Teams building a branded program with an API | API and webhooks, website widgets | $200 a month, 15-day trial |
| 6 | ReferralCandy | Online stores | Store apps for Shopify and other store systems | $39 a month plus a success fee, 7-day trial |

## What mobile referral software has to do

A referral program has four jobs: give each user an invitation, carry it through the store, tie the new account to the inviter, and grant a reward once. The store step is where most plain links fail, because the App Store and Google Play do not hand the tapped URL to the app they install. This list ranks each service on how it handles that step, then on how the reward is granted and what it costs. [Best Ways to Add a Referral Program to a Mobile App](https://warplink.app/blog/best-ways-to-add-a-referral-program-to-a-mobile-app) compares approaches. This post compares products.

Every fact below comes from the vendor's own live page, linked in the entry and read in October 2026. Where a page does not say something, we leave it out.

## How we ranked

- **Survives the install:** how the invitation reaches the first launch on iPhone and on Android.
- **Credit record:** whether the service records who invited whom, and how.
- **Reward control:** who grants the reward and where the rules live.
- **Cost:** the published starting price and the trial.

## 1. WarpLink

WarpLink is link infrastructure for mobile teams, so a referral covers all three jobs in one SDK. **Linking:** a referral link is an ordinary link with referral turned on, created from the dashboard, the REST API or MCP when a user taps invite. **Attribution:** on Android the SDK reads the invitation from the Google Play install referrer. On iPhone the invitation page copies it and the person taps a paste button on the first screen, which gives an exact match. `claimReferral` credits the install to the inviter, and each claim records its match method, whether it is exact and a confidence for estimated matches. **Analytics:** the Referrals report lists each referral with its match and webhook result, and exports to CSV.

Your backend grants the reward. We send a signed `referral.claimed` webhook with the link, the installer id and the match, and you decide the reward, such as [a free month in a subscription app](https://warplink.app/blog/subscription-app-referral-reward). A hosted invitation page, SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native and Flutter, and an MCP server round out the set. Credit covers installs that follow a tap on a WarpLink link.

The free plan is $0 for 10,000 clicks a month with every feature. Paid plans are Starter at $19, Growth at $49, Scale at $99 and Unlimited at $149 on the [pricing page](https://warplink.app/pricing). Start with the [referrals guide](https://warplink.app/docs/guides/referrals).

## 2. GrowSurf

[GrowSurf](https://growsurf.com/pricing) is a hosted referral program. Its [iOS SDK docs](https://docs.growsurf.com/developer-tools/ios-sdk) describe an SDK that captures referral attribution from deep links, creates referred participants and shows a native referral window where users view and share their link. At the time we read it, the docs listed version 0.7.0. The same page states that "iOS has no native deferred deep link" mechanism, unlike Android, and that deferred attribution on iOS is delegated to an attribution provider such as Branch or AppsFlyer. The [Android SDK docs](https://docs.growsurf.com/developer-tools/android-sdk) say the SDK checks the Play Install Referrer once when no attribution exists. A backend call to the GrowSurf API creates participant tokens.

GrowSurf's [AppsFlyer integration page](https://docs.growsurf.com/integrations/appsflyer) states "iOS deferred (cold install) is best-effort" and recommends "a fallback such as manual referral-code entry".

On price, the [pricing page](https://growsurf.com/pricing) shows Startup at $179 a month for up to 2,500 participants and $279 for up to 5,000, and Business at $449 a month for up to 10,000 participants, $649 for up to 25,000 and $879 for up to 50,000. It lists no free plan and a 14-day free trial. Choose GrowSurf when you want a hosted program with its own rules and dashboards and already run Branch, Adjust, AppsFlyer or Singular for links.

## 3. Branch

Branch builds referrals from its deep links. Its [in-app sharing and referral links guide](https://help.branch.io/docs/in-app-sharing-and-referral-links) says to set the feature to "referrals" and to "set the user ID of the referring user in a key", which it calls "the fundamental piece required for you to measure which users are referring other users". It adds an optional unique promo code in a key to reward the referred user, and says that after validating the promo code and `referringUserID` "you can reward the referring and/or referred user".

The [Intro plan](https://help.branch.io/docs/intro-plan-faqs) is $39 a month after 30 days of full Basics access, and includes 5,000 volume credits a month and 500 web links or customized QR codes a month. See [Branch Pricing in 2026](https://warplink.app/blog/branch-pricing) and [Branch.io Alternative for Indie Developers](https://warplink.app/blog/branch-io-alternative) for the full breakdown. Choose Branch when Branch already carries your links and you want referrals on the same links.

## 4. AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer's [user invite attribution](https://dev.appsflyer.com/hc/docs/dl_user_invite) lets marketers gain insight into how much of an app's traffic comes from existing users inviting new users. You generate OneLink links for the invitation flow and log each invitation as an in-app event, `af_invite`, which appears in AppsFlyer reports. The default media source is `af_app_invites`, and you can set a custom value. The page documents measurement. It does not describe a reward system.

On [pricing](https://www.appsflyer.com/pricing/), the Welcome Package is 12,000 free conversions in the first 12 months, then "conversions are priced at $0.07 each". See [AppsFlyer Alternative for Small Teams](https://warplink.app/blog/appsflyer-alternative-for-small-teams). Choose AppsFlyer when it is already your measurement partner and invites are one more event to report.

## 5. Referral Factory

[Referral Factory](https://referral-factory.com) describes itself as built for "mid-market and enterprise teams that have large customer bases or many affiliates", and says smaller teams can start with a free trial. Its [pricing page](https://referral-factory.com/pricing) lists Basic at $200 a month for up to 20,000 users, Pro at $400 a month for up to 40,000, and Enterprise from $1,000 a month, with a 15-day trial that bills automatically unless you cancel. It lists an API, webhooks and widgets or pop-ups for websites. Choose it when you want a branded program builder and will wire the app side yourself.

## 6. ReferralCandy

[ReferralCandy](https://www.referralcandy.com) calls itself "the referral and affiliate program software" and "the referral app built into your Shopify store", and it also runs on WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Squarespace. Its [pricing page](https://www.referralcandy.com/pricing) shows Basic at $39 a month plus a 10.5% success fee, Grow at $79 plus 3.5%, Scale at $249 plus 1.5% and Enterprise at $799 plus 0.25%, with a 7-day free trial. It fits referral programs for online stores. For an app install, read it as a checkout tool for a web store and pair it with an SDK-based service for the app.

## Which one fits

| Your situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| The reward is yours to grant and you want exact credit on iPhone and Android | WarpLink |
| You want a hosted program with its own reward rules and mobile SDKs | GrowSurf |
| Branch already carries your links | Branch |
| AppsFlyer already measures your installs | AppsFlyer |
| You need a branded program builder with an API | Referral Factory |
| You sell through an online store | ReferralCandy |

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the best referral software for mobile apps?

For most mobile apps, WarpLink is the best fit because the referral link carries the invitation through the store install, the SDK credits the install to the inviter, and a signed webhook tells your backend to grant the reward. It is free for 10,000 clicks a month. Choose a hosted referral program such as GrowSurf when you want its dashboards and reward tooling.

### Does a mobile referral program need an SDK?

Yes for an app install. The App Store and Google Play do not pass the tapped link to the app they install, so an SDK in the app has to read the invitation on first launch. Referral software built for online stores, such as ReferralCandy, centers on checkout, so pair it with an SDK-based service for the app.

### How does a referral survive the App Store install?

On Android the invitation travels in the Google Play install referrer, which the SDK reads at first launch. On iPhone there is no equivalent, so the invitation page copies the invitation and the person taps a system paste button in the app. GrowSurf's docs state the same split: iOS has no native deferred deep link, so GrowSurf delegates iOS deferred attribution to an attribution provider such as Branch or AppsFlyer. [Make a Referral Link Survive the App Store on iPhone](https://warplink.app/blog/ios-referral-link-after-install) shows the full path.

### Do these services pay the reward?

Your backend grants the reward in your own system, including a free month in a subscription app, from the signed `referral.claimed` webhook WarpLink sends. Check each other service for the reward types it supports before you commit.

### What does referral software for a mobile app cost?

As of October 2026, WarpLink costs $0 for 10,000 clicks a month and $19 a month for 100,000. GrowSurf Startup starts at $179 a month, Branch Intro at $39 a month, Referral Factory Basic at $200 a month and ReferralCandy Basic at $39 a month plus a 10.5% success fee. AppsFlyer Growth charges $0.07 per conversion after its Welcome Package.

### Can I use a referral service and WarpLink together?

Yes. A hosted referral program can own the reward rules while WarpLink supplies the referral link, the credited install and the signed webhook. Pass the webhook's link id and installer id to whichever system grants the reward.

## Related Guides

- [Best Ways to Add a Referral Program to a Mobile App in 2026](https://warplink.app/blog/best-ways-to-add-a-referral-program-to-a-mobile-app): five approaches compared.
- [Replace Firebase Invites and Dynamic Links for Referrals](https://warplink.app/blog/firebase-invites-referral-replacement): move an existing referral flow.
- [Referral Code vs Referral Link for Mobile Apps](https://warplink.app/blog/referral-code-vs-referral-link): choose the invitation format.
- [How to Verify a Referral Install Before You Grant the Reward](https://warplink.app/blog/verify-referral-before-reward): check the evidence in your webhook.

## Getting Started

[Create a free account](https://dash.warplink.app/auth/signup), register your app, update the SDK to 1.2.0 and follow the [referrals guide](https://warplink.app/docs/guides/referrals). See [deferred deep linking](https://warplink.app/deferred-deep-linking), [install attribution](https://warplink.app/install-attribution) and the [SDKs](https://warplink.app/sdks).