How Reco Compares
Referral software, side by side, for businesses that win customers through conversations.
Most referral software was built for online stores, where a referral ends at a checkout. Reco was built for businesses that close new customers through personal contact: service providers such as clinics, trades, salons and professionals, and sellers of high-value products where a follow-up call wins the sale.
Here is how it compares with four alternative referral platforms, plus a note on Nextdoor.
Reco vs. the alternatives
| Reco | Birdeye | Smile.io | ReferralCandy | ReferralHero | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Services and high-value sales won through personal contact | Reputation & marketing suite for local and multi-location businesses | Shopify store loyalty points | E-commerce stores | Referral, affiliate & waitlist campaigns, online and offline |
| Works without an online store | |||||
| Generates printable QR codes, referral cards and flyers | Not advertised; digital channels instead | Not advertised | Not advertised | Not advertised | |
| Free client app with an incentive wallet | Not advertised | Not advertised | Not advertised | Not advertised | |
| What a referral gives you | Verified contact details of a lead you can call | A referral lead captured via a campaign | A referred order via discount code | A tracked referred purchase | A campaign member or lead record |
| Charged per referral, only after both parties verify their details | No, subscription | No, subscription | No, fee on sales | No, subscription | |
| Public page of personal recommendations | Review pages | Not advertised | Not advertised | Not advertised | |
| Transparent published pricing | No, sales quote | ||||
| Works with no integration at all | Yes; automation via integrations | Shopify app | Store integration | Site snippet or form | |
| Usage limits or variable charges | No referral or customer limits | Contract dependent | Order allowances, overage rates | Fee varies with referral sales | Plans list member allowances |
| Start with no card | Pay as you go, no card | Not advertised; demo-led | Free tier | 7 days | 7 days + free plan |
"Not advertised" means we could not identify the feature on the provider's published pricing and product pages as at July 2026; offerings may change. Sources listed at the end of this document.
Pricing: pay for results, not promises
Most competing paid plans charge a recurring subscription regardless of how many referrals result, and ReferralCandy also charges a percentage of qualifying referral sales. Reco charges a flat fee per verified referral: you pay only when a person referred by your client has confirmed their contact details and agreed to be contacted.
Pay As You Go
A$16 / per verified referral
Trying referrals with zero fixed cost
Flex
A$8 / per verified referral
A lower subscription, mid-range fee, 1 referral included each month
Growth
A$4 / per verified referral
Regular referrals at the lowest cost per lead
What the other platforms charge
| Platform | Published pricing, US dollars (July 2026) | What drives your cost |
|---|---|---|
| Birdeye | No published pricing; custom quote from sales, based on locations, products and contract | Sales-led suite contract; referrals is one module of a larger platform |
| Smile.io | Free, US$15, US$79 and US$199/month plans; US$999/month Plus (annual billing); custom Enterprise | Monthly order allowances per tier, with published overage rates on upper tiers |
| ReferralCandy | Plans from US$39/month + 10.5% to US$799/month + 0.25% of referral sales | A success fee on referral sales (first three orders per referred customer) |
| ReferralHero | US$199/month (up to 10,000 members) or US$399/month (up to 50,000); free plan to 25 members | Flat subscription; SMS and payout processing fees extra |
A worked example
A business receiving 10 verified referrals a month, with an average new customer worth $500. Note: Reco figures are Australian dollars; competitor figures are their published US dollar prices.
| Platform | Monthly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reco: Growth | A$65 | A$25 + 10 x A$4, with verified contact details for every lead |
| Reco: Flex | A$87 | A$15 + 9 x A$8 (1 referral included each month) |
| Reco: Pay As You Go | A$160 | 10 x A$16, no subscription at all |
| Birdeye | Quote only | No public pricing; a suite subscription billed whether referrals happen or not |
| ReferralCandy (Grow) | US$254 | US$79 + 3.5% of US$5,000 referral sales; requires online checkout |
| ReferralHero (PRO) | US$199 | Flat fee, with or without referrals |
| Smile.io (Standard) | US$79 | Delivers discount redemptions, not leads; requires a Shopify store |
On a $2,000 first order, ReferralCandy's published success fee ranges from US$5 to US$210 depending on plan, in addition to its monthly base fee. Reco's charge remains A$4 to A$16 per verified referral, whatever the sale is worth.
What about Nextdoor?
Nextdoor is a neighborhood network where neighbors ask each other for suggestions, and it can win you work. A free Business Page collects recommendations and Faves, paid ads buy local exposure, and in selected service categories (currently promoted on Nextdoor's US business site) a monthly Opportunity Alerts subscription notifies you when a neighbor posts asking for a pro like you, so you can reply alongside other businesses. What Nextdoor does not advertise is a referral program for your own clients: a built-in, provider-controlled way to reward the people who recommend you, and to track each introduction through to a sale. Nextdoor helps you capture demand from neighbors who are already asking. Reco activates additional referral opportunities by giving your existing happy clients a reason, and an easy way, to make an introduction. Many businesses will get value from both.
Why businesses choose Reco
Built for sales that start with a conversation
Word-of-mouth for a physio, a plumber, a financial advisor or a premium product happens in person and in group chats, not at an online checkout. Reco gives you QR codes, printed referral cards, flyers and an embeddable website form, so a happy client can refer you in moments.
Pay only for verified referrals
A referral is only charged when both your client and their friend have verified their contact details, and the friend has agreed to be contacted. No verified referral, no fee. Referrals you flag as suspicious are reviewed, and you are not charged for referrals found to be fraudulent.
A lead you can contact, not a coupon code
Each referral delivers the verified contact details of someone whose friend has personally recommended you. You make the call, win the work, and reward your client.
A flat fee, never a slice of your revenue
Whether the sale is worth $100 or $10,000, the referral fee is the same small, fixed amount.
Keep the relationship human
You deliver the reward personally, with a thank-you, and stay in control of what it is and when it is given.
More than referrals
Capture reviews with easy re-posting by clients to Google, Facebook, Trustpilot, Yelp and TripAdvisor. Build a public recommendation page. See your strongest advocates and message them. All included in every plan.
No referral or customer limits
Unlimited referrals, customers, incentives and reviews on every plan, so growth does not push you into a bigger tier.
Live quickly, with no integration required
No app store, no code snippet, no developer. Describe your business, Reco's AI drafts your incentives and terms, and you can share your first QR code the same day. Solo operator or multi-location team: every feature on every plan, and you can start free with no card required.
Reco prices are in Australian dollars and competitor prices in US dollars as published; exchange rates will affect any direct comparison. Competitor details sourced from birdeye.com, smile.io/pricing, referralcandy.com/pricing, referralhero.com/pricing and business.nextdoor.com, July 2026. Details may change; check each provider's website for current terms before relying on this comparison. Reco is a product of Netfect Platforms Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia.
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