Comparison
Cobalz vs Refersion.
Refersion is the established Shopify affiliate platform. Cobalz is cross-platform (WooCommerce, Shopify, Stripe SaaS), 70% cheaper at the entry tier, and never takes a cut of your commissions.
| Feature | Cobalz Affiliate | Refersion |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce native | Yes | Limited / via Zapier |
| Shopify native | Yes | Yes |
| Stripe SaaS subscription tracking | Yes | Limited |
| Mercury invoice payouts | Yes | No |
| PayPal Mass Payments | Yes | Yes |
| Stripe Connect payouts | Yes | Yes |
| Wise payouts | Yes | No |
| Commission surcharge per paid commission | No | 2.5% (lower plans) |
| Free plan | 25 affiliates / 10k clicks | No |
| Entry plan price | $29/mo | $99/mo |
| MLM included in entry plan | Growth ($99) | Enterprise only |
| Per-product commission rules | Yes | Yes |
| Tier auto-promotion | Yes | Manual |
| White-label / custom domain | Growth+ | Enterprise |
| Standard Webhooks v1 outbound | Yes | Custom signing |
| Documented REST API + OpenAPI 3.1 | Yes | Undocumented v0 |
| Real refund clawback decision tree | Yes | Voids only |
| Tax forms + 1099-NEC export | Yes | Yes |
| OBBBA $2,000 threshold (2026+) | Yes | Awaiting update |
| Per-merchant Vault for secrets | Yes | App-level |
| SOC 2 | In progress | Yes |
FAQ
Refersion migration questions.
Refersion has a "no transaction fee" plan — why pick Cobalz?+
Refersion's no-fee plan starts at $99/mo (vs our $29 Starter). At ~$99 we throw in MLM, REST API, white-label, and custom domain — none of which Refersion includes at any price point. Plus Mercury invoicing, which they can't match.
Can I migrate from Refersion?+
Yes. Refersion's affiliate export gives you the standard 8-column CSV format. Drop it into Settings → Affiliates → Import in Cobalz, parent-email MLM lineage is auto-resolved.
Refersion has a longer track record. Why trust Cobalz?+
Fair point. We're the new entrant; Refersion has been around since 2015. What we offer instead: open audit log on every action, per-merchant Vault for your secrets, Postgres RLS on every table, SOC 2 in progress, and source-available WooCommerce + Shopify integrations you can read.
Try Cobalz at a third the price.
Same plan, more rails, no commission surcharge. 14-day free trial.