Below is a concise, practical comparison of popular affiliate marketing platforms for Shopify stores — focused on features, pricing, Shopify integration, strengths, weaknesses, and the kinds of merchants each is best for. I pulled current pricing and feature notes from each provider’s Shopify App Store / pricing pages (sources cited after each platform).

Summary quick picks

• Best for fast start on a budget: UpPromote (robust free tier + paid plans). (apps.Shopify.com)
• Best for growing stores that want robust partner management & reporting: Refersion. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Best for all‑around SaaS with advanced scaling options: Tapfiliate. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Best lightweight / low‑cost option: Affiliatly. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Best free / freemium with essentials included: GoAffPro (usable free plan). (apps.Shopify.com)

Detailed comparison (by platform)

1. UpPromote (by Secomapp)

• Pricing: Free tier available; Growth ~$29.99/mo, Professional ~$89.99/mo, Enterprise ~$199.99/mo. Plans commonly add a small performance fee % on successful referral sales (e.g., 1–2% on paid plans). Free tier includes basic campaign features with limits. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Shopify integration: Native Shopify app, works in Shopify admin, supports checkout, customer accounts, headless (Hydrogen) and integrations (Klaviyo, Recharge, etc.). (apps.Shopify.com)
• Key features: Affiliate & influencer programs, link/coupon tracking, fraud protection, automated emails, PayPal auto‑payout (on higher plans), 1099 generation on some plans. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Strengths: Generous free plan to test; many Shopify‑specific integrations; easy onboarding and marketplace listing to recruit affiliates; good for stores that want low upfront cost and pay more as program performs.
• Weaknesses: Performance fees can add up; advanced automation and high‑volume features are behind higher tiers.
• Best for: Small-to-mid merchants who want to try affiliate programs risk‑free and scale gradually.

2. Refersion

• Pricing: Starts at $39/mo (Launch), Growth $129/mo, Scale $599+/mo. Plans historically add a small % transaction fee on affiliate sales at lower tiers (and reduce/waive at higher tiers). (apps.Shopify.com)
• Shopify integration: Deep native Shopify integration; built for merchants and Shopify Plus; supports SKU-level/ email-level tracking, multi‑store, API & webhooks. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Key features: Accurate tracking (including first‑party tracking options), flexible commission rules (by product, customer, subscription), automated or bulk payouts, partner onboarding, reporting & analytics.
• Strengths: Strong partner management and reporting, scalable (used by large merchants), solid reputation in Shopify ecosystem.
• Weaknesses: Higher cost once you scale; percentage fees on sales at lower tiers; some merchants note setup learning curve for advanced rules.
• Best for: Growing brands that need reliable attribution, complex commission rules, and more advanced partner workflows.

3. Tapfiliate

• Pricing: Starts around $89/mo (Launch) up to $199+/mo (Scale) and enterprise tiers; usage limits (clicks/conversions) and overage pricing apply. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Shopify integration: Native Shopify app + many third‑party integrations (Stripe, Zapier, email providers). (apps.Shopify.com)
• Key features: Branded affiliate portals, link & coupon tracking, recurring commissions, reporting, marketing assets distribution, white‑label options at higher tiers.
• Strengths: Clean UI, good for multi-channel affiliate + influencer + referral programs, white‑labeling and enterprise features for scaling.
• Weaknesses: Higher starting price and click/conversion overage costs may make it pricey for stores with lots of referral traffic.
• Best for: Merchants who plan to scale a polished, multi‑program affiliate/influencer strategy and need enterprise capabilities.

4. Affiliatly

• Pricing: Very affordable starting plans (e.g., $16/mo Starter, $24/mo Advanced, higher tiers $59–$129/mo for larger affiliate counts). Free trial often available. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Shopify integration: Easy integration via Shopify app store; supports link and coupon tracking, QR code tracking, SKU-level commission rules.
• Key features: Custom commission structures, post‑checkout signups, in‑app analytics, third‑party integrations (Zapier, Klaviyo, Recharge).
• Strengths: Low cost, simple to set up, good for merchants who want essential affiliate features without complexity.
• Weaknesses: Fewer advanced enterprise features, UI/UX and reporting behind more expensive competitors.
• Best for: Small merchants or hobby stores on tight budgets who want basic affiliate functionality.

5. GoAffPro (GoAffPro)

• Pricing: Free tier with core features; Premium ~$49/mo; Business ~ $99+/mo for more advanced features and scaling. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Shopify integration: Native Shopify app; provides branded affiliate portal, mobile app for affiliates, post‑checkout popup.
• Key features: Unlimited affiliates on free plan, analytics, portal branding; paid tiers add MLM, domain vanity, advanced analytics, bulk email.
• Strengths: Very generous free tier, straightforward upgrade path, lots of merchants use it successfully.
• Weaknesses: Some advanced features require paid plans; support/UX vary across merchants.
• Best for: Merchants who want a simple, low‑cost freemium option to get started quickly.

Other options you may see

• LeadDyno, Post Affiliate Pro, PartnerStack and others also integrate with Shopify; some are more enterprise‑focused (PartnerStack) or have different pricing models (LeadDyno often sells higher‑tier bundles). If you want, I can add a side‑by‑side for those as well. (I used major Shopify App Store listings and vendor pricing pages above.)

How to choose (practical guidance)

• Budget & pricing model: If you want low monthly cost or a free trial, try UpPromote, GoAffPro, or Affiliatly first. If you expect to scale quickly and prefer a platform built for enterprise reporting and white‑labeling, evaluate Refersion or Tapfiliate. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Tracking & accuracy: For subscription products or complex attribution, look for first‑party tracking, SKU/email-level tracking, and recurring commission support (Refersion and Tapfiliate are strong here). (apps.Shopify.com)
• Integrations: Check must‑have integrations (payments, subscriptions like Recharge, email platforms like Klaviyo). UpPromote and Refersion list many Shopify‑centric integrations. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Payouts & taxes: If you need automated payouts (PayPal, bank) or 1099 generation, confirm which plans include auto‑payouts/1099 support (e.g., UpPromote and Refersion offer auto‑payment features on paid plans). (apps.Shopify.com)
• Recruiting affiliates: If you want a built‑in marketplace or discovery, check if the app offers an affiliate marketplace or listing (UpPromote offers marketplace listing on paid plans). (apps.Shopify.com)

Recommended next steps (practical)

1. Pick 2–3 finalists from above based on your budget and required features (e.g., UpPromote + Refersion for most stores; or Affiliatly/GoAffPro if cost is priority).
2. Install free plan / trial on your Shopify dev/staging store and test: link tracking, post‑purchase signup, coupon attribution, payouts flow, and integration with your email/subscription apps. (Free/trial plans make this low risk.) (apps.Shopify.com)
3. Run a short pilot (2–4 weeks) and evaluate: accuracy of attribution, affiliate UX (portal), ease of approving payouts, and reporting granularity.
4. Negotiate or compare annual billing — many vendors discount annual plans.

Sources (representative)

• Refersion Shopify listing / pricing. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Tapfiliate Shopify listing & Tapfiliate pricing. (apps.Shopify.com)
• Affiliatly Shopify listing & pricing. (apps.Shopify.com)
• UpPromote (Secomapp) Shopify listing & pricing page. (apps.Shopify.com)
• GoAffPro Shopify listing & pricing. (apps.Shopify.com)

If you want, I can:

• Build a one‑page side‑by‑side comparison (columns for monthly cost, free plan, tracking types, payout methods, top integrations, best for).
• Recommend the best pick for your store if you tell me store size (monthly revenue / AOV) and whether you sell subscriptions.

Which follow-up would you like?