Refersion
Does the Refersion marketplace work? What brands should know
No page we read can say in advance whether the Refersion marketplace works for you. We found no published figure for how many good affiliates it sends a brand. Its own pages do say how it works. Listing is free. Affiliates apply to you, and you cannot start the conversation. Approving them needs a paid plan.
A marketplace is a directory where affiliates browse brands and apply. An affiliate is anyone who sends you buyers for a cut of each sale. That cut is the commission. Every fact below comes from Refersion's own pages or the Shopify App Store, with the date we read it.
What is the Refersion marketplace?
Refersion's support article says its merchants "get access to list your affiliate program on the Refersion Marketplace" (Refersion support, dated 22 July 2026, checked 23 October 2026). Affiliates browse listed offers and apply to the ones they like.
Its pricing page shows a free Marketplace Listing plan. It gives a public listing that "affiliates can view and apply" to (Refersion pricing, checked 23 October 2026).
What does it cost?
Listing costs nothing. The support article says "Getting your offer listed is free for all Refersion customers." Affiliates also join free (Refersion support, joining as an affiliate, checked 23 October 2026).
The catch is on the free plan. The pricing FAQ says you must upgrade to review or approve affiliates, track referrals, manage commissions or issue payouts. So a free listing can collect applications. To act on them, you pay. Launch is $39 a month ($29 a month billed yearly) plus 3% of affiliate-driven sales. Growth is $199 a month ($159 billed yearly) plus 2%.
Who has to make the first move?
The affiliate. The support article states: "Currently merchants cannot initiate communication with affiliates directly through the Marketplace." Once someone applies, you can reach them. Use the details in their application.
That limits what a listing can do. A marketplace shows your offer to people who are already looking. It does not let you go and ask a blog writer or a creator who has never heard of you.
Does Refersion check affiliates before they reach you?
Refersion says yes, for the affiliate side. Its affiliate help article says "Each Marketplace application is individually reviewed" by the Refersion team. Approval can take up to 14 business days. Rejection reasons include unverifiable identity, a site that isn't live, or no bio (Refersion support, checked 23 October 2026). Affiliates also confirm an email address and a phone number.
That is a check on who the person is. It does not say they fit your product. Refersion's marketplace article (22 July 2026) says "You are not required to approve every affiliate application". It advises using your own form fields to judge fit.
How many affiliates are in it?
Refersion's own figures differ by page and date:
- A Refersion blog post, last modified 28 February 2023, says merchants get access to "5000+ reps" (Refersion blog, checked 23 October 2026).
- Refersion's BigCommerce listing, updated 24 July 2026, says "6.6M+ affiliates can discover your offers and apply to join your program" (BigCommerce).
We could not tell why the two differ so much. Neither says how many are active or relevant to your product. A large number of sign-ups says little about how many will promote a candle brand or a supplement brand.
What do brands say about it?
The App Store listing is rated 4.8 from 495 reviews (Shopify App Store, checked 23 October 2026). We read a sample of its reviews. None measured the marketplace. The one review we found on sales results was negative. A brand wrote "it hasn't generated enough sales to even cover its fees" (Shopify App Store review, 1 March 2024). It is about the app overall. The praise we read went to support. These are single views, and the 2024 one is old.
So does it work?
Our view: it is cheap to try. A free listing costs a little time. We found no published figures on whether it is enough on its own. It only brings in people who browse and apply. Refersion's own recruiting guide lists the marketplace beside active outreach. That means you contact chosen affiliates yourself (Refersion blog, last modified 14 June 2024). We have no outcome data of our own on the marketplace.
A short way to test it:
- List one offer with dollar figures, a clear policy and the products you want promoted.
- Approve by hand and add form fields that ask where they will promote you.
- Wait four weeks. Count the applications, then the approvals. Note the first sale. Four weeks is our suggestion, not a Refersion rule.
- If few apply, go and find people. See our step-by-step recruiting guide.
What else can you try?
Some of the people you want may never browse a marketplace. A review writer or newsletter author with a page about your rivals is one example. We found no figures on whether people like that join marketplaces. Asking them directly is a test, not a promise. Here is what a scan found when we looked for such people. It used public Shopify brands, not a marketplace. We did not record which of them use Refersion.
We ran this · 22 October 2026
Our scan found a median of 92 people per brand, from public sites and rivals, not a marketplace
- Median 92 people shown per brand, from 35 to 188. The scan used each brand's public site and rivals, not a marketplace.
- 64% of 2,924 had a review, roundup or comparison page as their best evidence.
- 916 of 2,924 (31%) had an email address on record, found but not checked.
A first search for a brand, 22 Oct 2026, 30 public Shopify brands in all. It stopped at finding addresses and ran no email checks, which the product runs when a campaign starts (what each result means). In a 30-row check, 9 were not promoters (likely 17% to 48%). Full method and limits.
How does RecruitAffiliates.ai work with Refersion?
It works alongside Refersion, with no integration. It finds sites, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels and creators who appear to promote or write about your rivals. It gets each person's verified email and sends the outreach from your inbox. Each email carries your own Refersion sign-up link, so people still apply through Refersion and you approve them there. See our pricing. Launch costs $79 a month, and the trial is 7 days with no card. Back to the Refersion guide, or compare Refersion alternatives.
Questions people ask
Is the Refersion marketplace free?
Listing your offer is free for Refersion customers, per Refersion's support article. Approving the people who apply needs a paid plan, according to its pricing FAQ.
Can brands message affiliates in the Refersion marketplace first?
No. Refersion's support article says merchants cannot start a conversation through the marketplace. You can contact someone after they apply.
How long does an affiliate wait to be approved by Refersion?
Its affiliate help article says up to 14 business days is typical. That is the affiliate's wait for Refersion's review, not your approval of them.
Can you list more than one offer?
A 2023 Refersion blog post says you can only have one offer live at a time. The July 2026 support article does not repeat the limit, so check your dashboard.
Is RecruitAffiliates.ai part of the Refersion marketplace?
No. It is a web app that works alongside Refersion. It has no Refersion integration.
Sources
All checked on 23 October 2026, apart from the review and article dates shown.
- Refersion support, what is the Refersion marketplace, dated 22 July 2026.
- Refersion support, joining the marketplace as an affiliate, review and approval time.
- Refersion, pricing, free listing, plan fees, FAQ.
- Refersion blog, marketplace tips, last modified 28 February 2023.
- Refersion blog, affiliate recruiting solutions, last modified 14 June 2024.
- BigCommerce, Refersion listing, updated 24 July 2026.
- Shopify App Store, Refersion, 4.8 from 495 reviews.
- Shopify App Store, Refersion reviews, the quoted review.