Friendbuy is one of the best free referral program apps for e-commerce merchants in 2025. It offers comprehensive referral and loyalty programs with 4.8/5 star ratings, seamless Shopify integration, and proven results like 10-25% new customer acquisition at $1-10 CPA. The platform provides white-glove onboarding, A/B testing capabilities, and reliable fraud detection, making it ideal for brands looking to maximize word-of-mouth marketing performance.
Consider UpPromote Affiliate Marketing as a free alternative to Friendbuy. It offers 4.9/5 star ratings with 2,584 reviews and provides influencer & affiliate program capabilities. Another option is Trustoo AI Product Reviews App with 5.0/5 stars and 1,290 reviews, which combines customer reviews with loyalty referral features. Both alternatives drive referral sales loops and are free to install, though Friendbuy stands out with its unified referral and loyalty platform and hands-on customer support approach.
To set up a referral program widget on your Shopify store, first install Friendbuy from the Shopify App Store. Navigate to the Friendbuy dashboard and create a new theme that matches your store's branding. You can then configure various widget types including ribbons, post-purchase overlays, account page widgets, and landing pages. Apply theme changes to widgets and test them before going live. The platform automatically injects Friendbuy code into your Shopify themes and checkout pages, allowing you to display referral widgets and track conversions seamlessly.
Friendbuy provides comprehensive analytics and reporting to track your referral program performance. Access the Performance Overview dashboard to monitor key metrics like program impressions, shares, referral visits, and conversions. You can track specific goals including new customer acquisitions, referral purchases, and revenue generated. The platform also offers A/B testing capabilities to optimize offers, email subject lines, and other referral funnel elements. Additionally, you can export detailed reports including Top Advocates Report, Advocate Rewards Report, and Purchases Report to analyze program effectiveness and ROI.
To integrate Friendbuy with Klaviyo for automated referral emails, first enable the Klaviyo integration in your Friendbuy dashboard. Then configure automated flows in Klaviyo to send personalized URLs (PURLs) to customers post-purchase or after positive reviews. You can set up triggered emails to remind advocates to redeem rewards and notify referred friends about their incentives. The integration allows you to segment customers based on tier status and send targeted SMS messages. Klaviyo's OAuth authentication ensures secure data transfer, enabling seamless automation of referral program communications with your email and SMS marketing efforts.
