# How to Set Up an Affiliate Program on Shopify (2026)

Source: https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/shopify-affiliate-program
Published: 2026-10-26

Shopify Collabs vs UpPromote vs GoAffPro vs Refersion compared on real pricing, verified on each vendor's own page 2026-10-26, plus the setup steps.

Shopify Collabs is free and closed to new creator signups, confirmed on Shopify's Help Center 2026-10-26. The paid alternatives, UpPromote, GoAffPro, and Refersion, stay open to new affiliates but add a monthly subscription and usually a performance fee on top. Here's what each one actually costs today, verified on each vendor's own pricing page, plus the setup steps and where a gifting tool fits instead of competing with any of them.

## The options compared

| Tool | Price, verified 2026-10-26 | Performance fee | New creator signups |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shopify Collabs | Free, no subscription tiers | 2.9% of the commission amount on automatic payouts | Closed as of 2026-10-25, existing relationships and direct invites still work |
| UpPromote | Free, or $29.99/$89.99/$199.99 per month (annual: $24.99/$74.99/$166.66), 14-day trial on paid plans | 2% (Growth), 1.5% (Professional), 1% (Enterprise) of approved referral sales; none on Free | Open |
| GoAffPro | Free, or $49/month (Premium) | None stated | Open |
| Refersion | Free to list an offer, or $39/month (Launch, $348/yr) or $199/month (Growth, $1,908/yr) | 3% (Launch) or 2% (Growth) of affiliate-generated sales | Open |

_Shopify Collabs pricing verified on help.shopify.com, 2026-10-26. UpPromote verified on uppromote.com/pricing, 2026-10-26. GoAffPro and Refersion verified on their Shopify App Store listings (apps.shopify.com/goaffpro, apps.shopify.com/refersion), 2026-10-26._

## The free option's real cost: a closed door, not a dollar figure

For a brand that already has enough creator relationships and never wants to pay a subscription, Collabs is genuinely free and the cheapest line in the table by a wide margin. The number that matters more than price is the one Shopify states on its own Help Center: Collabs "isn't accepting new creator signups at this time." Existing partnerships keep working, and you can still invite creators directly by email, up to 100 per 7-day period. What's closed is the self-serve side where a new creator finds your brand and applies without you reaching out first. If that pipeline matters to your program, Collabs' $0 price tag doesn't offset it. The full breakdown of what else Collabs does and doesn't cover is in our [complete Shopify Collabs guide](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/shopify-collabs-guide), and the wider field of nine tools, including non-affiliate options, is in our [Shopify Collabs alternatives roundup](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/shopify-collabs-alternatives).

## UpPromote: the broadest free tier with a performance fee above it

UpPromote's free plan covers one program, up to 200 referral reviews a month, and basic fraud detection with no performance fee at all. Move to a paid tier and the subscription buys more referral volume and features, but a 1-2% performance fee on approved referral sales applies on every paid tier, scaling down as you pay more: 2% on Growth ($29.99/mo), 1.5% on Professional ($89.99/mo), 1% on Enterprise ($199.99/mo). A 14-day free trial applies to every paid plan. Its optional Creator Discovery add-on starts at $39/month if sourcing new affiliates, not just managing existing ones, is part of what you need.

## GoAffPro: the simplest pricing, no stated performance fee

GoAffPro's structure is the plainest of the three: free with unlimited affiliates and no revenue cap, or $49/month for Premium, which adds multi-level marketing, a branded portal on your own domain, bulk email, and deeper analytics. Neither tier carries a stated performance fee on top of the subscription, which makes the total cost easier to predict than UpPromote's or Refersion's percentage-based add-ons. The tradeoff reviewers raise is an interface that looks and feels dated next to its competitors.

## Refersion: built for scale, with the highest fee percentage

Refersion's free tier only lists an offer in its marketplace; it doesn't include the tracking and payout infrastructure of its paid plans. Launch, at $39/month, adds unlimited affiliates and one-click payouts but carries a 3% fee on affiliate-generated sales, the highest percentage of the three paid tools here. Growth, at $199/month, drops the fee to 2% and adds flat-rate, SKU, and tiered commission structures plus multi-currency support, aimed at programs that have outgrown a flat percentage model.

## Setting one up: the steps, regardless of which app

1. Pick the app that matches your actual bottleneck: Collabs if you have an existing list and want zero subscription cost, a paid app if you need new-affiliate recruitment tools or deeper commission structures.
2. Install it and set your commission rate per product or across your catalog.
3. Build an application page, or in Collabs' case, plan around direct invites given the closed marketplace.
4. Approve applicants and generate their affiliate links or discount codes.
5. Set a holding period before payouts post, standard practice across these tools to account for returns.
6. Review attributed sales and pay out on the schedule your chosen app supports.

## Where Seed fits: it doesn't compete with any of these

Seed is a gifting tool, not an affiliate program. There's no commission tracking, no discount codes, and no payout processing in it at all. What it does: a branded link, a creator claims a product and variant, types their address, and a real $0 Shopify draft order lands in your admin, gated behind approval before it's ever created. Plans run Free (5 gifts/mo), Starter $59/mo, Seed Unlimited $199/mo, and Corporate $249/mo, with a 7-day free trial on paid plans.

The honest placement: if your program needs affiliate commission, pick Collabs or one of the three apps above, Seed won't do that job. If your bottleneck is getting free product into creators' hands fast with a self-serve link and clean records, that's what Seed is for, and it's common to run both together. Gift widely first to find which creators actually post and convert, the method detailed in our post on [finding ambassador candidates from your gifting data](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/brands-looking-for-ambassadors), then enroll the proven performers into whichever affiliate app fits your volume for ongoing commission.

## Which one to pick

An existing roster and zero tolerance for subscriptions: Shopify Collabs. New-affiliate recruitment on top of commission tracking, with a performance fee that shrinks as you scale: UpPromote. The simplest flat pricing with no percentage fee: GoAffPro. A program already running dozens of affiliates that needs SKU-level and tiered commission logic: Refersion. And if commission tracking isn't actually your bottleneck, sampling speed is: a dedicated gifting link, not an affiliate app at all.

## FAQ

### What's the cheapest way to run an affiliate program on Shopify?

Shopify Collabs, free to install with only a 2.9% processing fee on commission payouts and no subscription at all. The catch, verified 2026-10-26, is that its self-serve marketplace isn't accepting new creator signups right now, so growing your affiliate list through Collabs itself isn't currently an option.

### What do Shopify affiliate apps cost beyond Collabs?

Verified on each vendor's own pricing page 2026-10-26: UpPromote is free, or $29.99 to $199.99/mo plus a 1-2% performance fee on paid tiers, 14-day trial. GoAffPro is free, or $49/mo for its Premium plan. Refersion is free to list an offer, or $39 to $199/mo plus a 2-3% fee on affiliate-generated sales.

### Does Seed run an affiliate program?

No. Seed does gifting only: a branded link, a creator claims a product and variant, a real $0 draft order lands in Shopify gated behind approval. There's no commission tracking, no discount codes, and no payout processing. If you need affiliate commission, pick Shopify Collabs or one of the dedicated affiliate apps; many brands run Seed for sampling and one of those for commission, side by side.

### Do I need an affiliate program if I'm already gifting product?

Not necessarily. Gifting with no commission is cheaper to run and works for any creator regardless of whether they're a registered affiliate. An affiliate program adds attributable revenue tracking on top, which matters once you want to pay creators based on sales they actually drive rather than a flat product cost. Most brands start with gifting to find who converts, then add affiliate commission for the proven performers.

### How do I set up an affiliate program on Shopify, step by step?

Pick an app (Shopify Collabs if you have an existing creator list, or a paid app like UpPromote if you need new-affiliate recruitment), install it, set your commission rate and terms, open an application page or invite creators directly, approve applicants, generate their affiliate links or codes, and review attributed sales and payouts on a schedule.

If gifting, not commission, is the actual gap in your program, [see Seed's pricing](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/pricing) or [install Seed from the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/influencer-form?utm_source=site&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=shopify-affiliate-program).

## FAQ

**What's the cheapest way to run an affiliate program on Shopify?**
Shopify Collabs, free to install with only a 2.9% processing fee on commission payouts and no subscription at all. The catch, verified 2026-10-26, is that its self-serve marketplace isn't accepting new creator signups right now, so growing your affiliate list through Collabs itself isn't currently an option.

**What do Shopify affiliate apps cost beyond Collabs?**
Verified on each vendor's own pricing page 2026-10-26: UpPromote is free, or $29.99 to $199.99/mo plus a 1-2% performance fee on paid tiers, 14-day trial. GoAffPro is free, or $49/mo for its Premium plan. Refersion is free to list an offer, or $39 to $199/mo plus a 2-3% fee on affiliate-generated sales.

**Does Seed run an affiliate program?**
No. Seed does gifting only: a branded link, a creator claims a product and variant, a real $0 draft order lands in Shopify gated behind approval. There's no commission tracking, no discount codes, and no payout processing. If you need affiliate commission, pick Shopify Collabs or one of the dedicated affiliate apps; many brands run Seed for sampling and one of those for commission, side by side.

**Do I need an affiliate program if I'm already gifting product?**
Not necessarily. Gifting with no commission is cheaper to run and works for any creator regardless of whether they're a registered affiliate. An affiliate program adds attributable revenue tracking on top, which matters once you want to pay creators based on sales they actually drive rather than a flat product cost. Most brands start with gifting to find who converts, then add affiliate commission for the proven performers.

**How do I set up an affiliate program on Shopify, step by step?**
Pick an app (Shopify Collabs if you have an existing creator list, or a paid app like UpPromote if you need new-affiliate recruitment), install it, set your commission rate and terms, open an application page or invite creators directly, approve applicants, generate their affiliate links or codes, and review attributed sales and payouts on a schedule.