Are Impact.com and Cello.so close enough to compare?

Yes. Both offer customer and partner referral management. Impact.com also covers a broader mix of affiliate and creator partnerships, while Cello.so focuses on referrals for software products.

Does Impact.com’s $30 Starter plan include customer referrals?

No. Impact.com lists its Advocate customer-referral product from the Essentials plan, priced at $500 per month. Its Starter plan is priced at $30 per month plus 2.5% of revenue.

Can I start a Cello.so partner program for free?

Yes. Cello.so lists a free partner-referral plan with one campaign and five transacting partners. The plan also lists a 5% transaction fee.

Which product helps me find partners?

Impact.com includes a Partner Marketplace from its Essentials plan. Cello.so provides tools to onboard and manage partners but does not supply a partner recruitment network.

Which supports referrals inside my software product?

Cello.so offers web and mobile SDKs for in-product user referrals and requires a logged-in software experience. Impact.com offers embeddable widgets through its Advocate customer-referral product.

Can both connect to Salesforce and HubSpot?

Yes. Both Impact.com and Cello.so publish Salesforce and HubSpot integrations. Cello.so also lists payment-provider integrations including Stripe, Chargebee, Paddle, and Recurly.

Do the two products have the same pricing model?

No. Impact.com lists a $30-per-month Starter plan plus 2.5% of revenue, with customer referrals included from its $500-per-month Essentials plan. Cello.so lists separate user-referral plans starting at $65 per month and partner-referral plans starting with a free tier that has a transaction fee.

Is either product limited to a particular kind of business?

Cello.so says eligible products must offer users a logged-in web or mobile software experience. Impact.com serves broader partnership programs, although its Starter plan is available only on the commerce platforms listed on its pricing page.

Impact.com vs Cello.so

Choose Impact.com if you need to recruit and manage a broad mix of affiliates, creators, and customer advocates; choose Cello.so if you run a software product and want referrals embedded in its logged-in experience. Both support partner and customer referrals, but their starting plans differ: Impact.com’s $30-per-month Starter plan does not include its Advocate customer-referral product, while Cello offers separate plans for user referrals and partner referrals.

Last updated November 1, 2026.

At a glance

Impact.com compared with Cello.so, one row per dimension
Dimension	Impact.com	Cello.so
Primary scope	Affiliate, creator, and customer-referral management	User and partner referrals for software products
Product eligibility	Starter limited to nine listed commerce platforms	Logged-in web or mobile software experience required
Starting price	Starter: $30/month plus 2.5% of revenue	Partner Free: $0/month; User Start: $65/month
Customer referrals	Advocate included from Essentials at $500/month	User-referral plans start at $65/month
Partner recruitment	Partner Marketplace from Essentials	Partner portal and individual partner onboarding
In-product experience	Embeddable Advocate referral widgets	Web and mobile SDKs for in-product referrals
Published integrations	Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce, HubSpot	Stripe, Chargebee, Paddle, Recurly, HubSpot, Salesforce
Program limits	Essentials includes up to $2,500/month in partner payouts	Partner Free: one campaign, five transacting partners
Transaction fees	Starter lists 2.5% of revenue	User: 0%; partner: 2%–5% by tier
Payouts	Automated partner payouts	Automated referral payouts via PayPal or Venmo
Support	Starter chat; dedicated support from Essentials	Slack on User Start; priority Slack on higher tiers
Commitment	12-month contract stated	Monthly plans cancellable anytime; annual plans 12 months

Scroll the table sideways to compare each row.

Which should you choose?

Choose Impact.com if

Brands recruiting affiliates, publishers, and creators
Teams that want a partner marketplace
Companies combining affiliate and customer-referral programs
Teams needing multi-domain programs

See Impact.com — 10% CASHBACK

Choose Cello.so if

Software products with logged-in web or mobile users
Teams embedding referral sharing inside their product
Companies testing a partner program on a free plan
Teams tracking subscription-based referral revenue

See Cello.so

The verdict

The deciding factor is where your program begins. Pick Impact.com when partner discovery and a wider partnership program matter most, particularly if you also need affiliate and creator management. Pick Cello.so when your priority is in-product referrals for authenticated software users or a partner program with a free entry plan. Compare the relevant tiers rather than the lowest advertised prices: Impact.com includes Advocate from Essentials, while Cello prices user and partner referrals separately.