ReferralCandy

ALMOST

A weekend of work, and real gaps remain.

A referral programme for online stores: customers get a link, friends get a discount, and the referrer earns a reward when the order completes.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Build a referral programme, and assume it will be gamed.

STACK
- Postgres, your store API, a small worker

THE LINK
- A short code per customer, appended as a query parameter and stored in a cookie for 30 days
- The code is recorded on the order at checkout, server-side, never from the browser

FRAUD, WHICH IS THE WHOLE JOB
- No self-referral: match on email, hashed IP and delivery address
- Reward only after the return window closes, never at order time
- Cap rewards per referrer per month and flag anything above it for review
- A referral programme with no fraud rules is a discount programme with extra steps

REWARDING
- Issue a single-use discount code through the store API
- Every issue logged with actor, order and amount before it is attempted

Include the schema, the fraud rules and the reward timing.

What you lose

Fraud detection, which is the entire difficulty — self-referrals and reward farming appear within days
Reward fulfilment across gift cards, discounts and cash
Integration with store platforms and their discount systems

If you would rather not build

A discount code per customer, generated by your store
Your platform's own referral app
Nothing, if your volume cannot absorb fraud

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Medusa

Commerce backend whose discount engine can issue the reward codes.

medusajs/medusafree · open source

Vendure

Promotions and discounts as plugins you can extend for referrals.

vendurehq/vendurefree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

60/100

Verdict kinda at 60. The mechanics are a weekend; the fraud rules are what take the second weekend and what actually decide whether it costs you money.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about ReferralCandy

answered from the record above

Is ReferralCandy free?

No — the plan we track is $59 a month. Premium from around $59/month billed monthly plus a commission on referred sales.

Can you replace ReferralCandy by building your own?

ALMOST. A weekend of work, and real gaps remain. Replacement score 60 out of 100, build time a weekend. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does ReferralCandy cost?

$59 a month on Premium — $708 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing ReferralCandy?

Fraud detection, which is the entire difficulty — self-referrals and reward farming appear within days; Reward fulfilment across gift cards, discounts and cash; Integration with store platforms and their discount systems. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to ReferralCandy?

Yes: Medusa, Vendure. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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