Seemingly overnight, referral programs have become one of the top ways to level up. From software to e-commerce to advertising, businesses are increasingly turning to referral programs to reach new customers and generate revenue.
With so many options, it can be tough to know which referral program is best for your business. This guide breaks down the best referral programs for each industry by features like ease of use, value, and accessibility.
10 Worthwhile Referral Programs by Industry for SMBs, Marketers, and Content Creators
1. Digital Advertising: Taboola
This leading digital advertising platform is designed to help brands scale beyond search and social. Although known for its success with native advertising in editorial feeds, with the launch of its Realize platform, Taboola has become a full-fledged performance marketing engine. Realize’s tools incorporate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to help marketers target customers by intent, rather than just identity, making it ideal for businesses interested in reaching mid- to lower-funnel customers through video placements, carousel ads, and real-time A/B testing and optimization.
Offer: Earn $1,000 cash when someone you refer spends $5,000.
How it works: Simply join the program and start referring. You’ll be paid in cash, not ad credit, and you don’t even need to be a customer to participate in Taboola’s referral program. Anyone can join: Whether you’re a marketer, publisher, or consultant, the simple structure makes it an easy program to learn.
How to enroll: To join, you’ll simply fill out the signup form on our Referral Program page and submit your first lead. The team will review your application. Once you’re approved, the Taboola team will take over onboarding your referred lead. Once the advertiser you refer reaches the spend threshold, you’ll be able to send an invoice and get paid.
Refer and Earn $1,000 with Realize Advertisers Referral Program
2. Email Marketing: MailChimp
With more than half of the market share, it’s safe to say MailChimp is the most popular email marketing solution on the market today. In addition to its email tools, MailChimp also offers landing pages, a CRM, and tools for building social media posts and ads.
Offer: Earn $30 for each friend you successfully refer to the MailChimp platform.
How it works: The MailChimp referral program works through a badge that you put in your emails and signup forms. That badge includes a link: When someone clicks on that link with cookies enabled and signs up for a paid plan within 60 days, you earn a commission.
How to enroll: You’ll first need to enable the referral badge in your account settings. You can then add the badge to your website and emails. Credits will be applied automatically when someone clicks over and signs up for a paid plan.
3. SaaS: Notion
Notion is a productivity solution that combines note-taking, task management, and database tools. With more than 100 million users, Notion has become a go-to tool for freelancers and teams, who love its customizability and ease of use. While the initial payout for each referral is low, Notion offers an ongoing percentage that can keep paying dividends for the first year.
Offer: Earn $50 per referral plus 20% of year-one revenue for each person you successfully refer. To qualify, a referrer must upgrade to a Plus or Business plan within 180 days of clicking your affiliate link.
How it works: When you create a link through PartnerStack, you’ll then share that link through your own channels. You don’t have to sign up for anything, simply create a link and share. Commissions are paid to the owner of the last link the person clicked before signing up for the platform.
How to enroll: To get started, sign into PartnerStack and create an affiliate link. Start sharing on social media, your website, through email, and anywhere else you interact with customers. You can immediately monitor your status in the PartnerStack dashboard.
4. Cloud Accounting: FreshBooks
FreshBooks is an easy-to-use accounting platform geared toward small businesses and freelancers. Its tools make it easy for users to invoice, track expenses, and prepare for taxes. Since its founding in 2003, FreshBooks has attracted more than 30 million users.
Offer: Earn a $100 account credit for each new user you bring to the platform.
How it works: FreshBooks offers a referral link that you can use to invite others to join. When someone signs up using that link, you’ll be noted as the referrer. As long as the person remains a paying member for 60 days, you’ll receive an account credit.
How to enroll: While logged in to FreshBooks, choose your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner, then select Refer a Friend. From there, you can either copy the link, enter the email address of the person you want to refer, or click a social share icon.
5. Banking and Fintech: SoFi
SoFi is a financial technology (fintech) company that offers loans, investments, banking services, and more. The company focuses on younger demographics who like the ease and convenience of online banking.
Offer: SoFi has a variety of referral options for members, with rewards ranging from $50 to $1,500. The biggest rewards come from its student loan division, but you can also earn $300 by referring someone who takes out a personal loan.
How it works: You’ll need a SoFi account to participate in the referral program. One of the biggest differentiators between SoFi and other referral programs is that you’re prohibited from blasting the offer to your entire network — you’re encouraged to only share the link with people you know personally.
How to enroll: In the SoFi app, log in and click on Refer a Friend. Use that referral link to get started.
6. E-Commerce: Shopify
Shopify provides online stores and retail point-of-sale systems to businesses across the globe. The built-in tools make it easy for even the smallest startup to build a store and begin selling to customers. In addition to storefront builders, the site also provides payment processing services and marketing tools.
Offer: The Shopify Partner Program offers commissions of up to 20% of a referred merchant’s monthly subscription. You can earn additional income by developing apps, themes, and point-of-sale solutions for the platform.
How it works: Shopify encourages members to participate in the platform in a variety of ways, including referring new members, building apps, and developing themes. The exact amount you can make depends on where you’re located, what subscription tier you’re on, and the types of contributions you make.
How to enroll: Current Shopify customers can sign up by joining the Shopify Partner Program. Once accepted, you’ll have access to a dashboard that lets you manage referrals and submit apps or themes.
7. Cloud Storage: Dropbox
Dropbox has become one of the top ways to transfer files via the cloud. The simple user interface and vast product integrations have it dominating the space, even as contenders like Google Drive and OneDrive grab a share of the market.
Offer: Earn 500 MB in free storage when you successfully refer someone. If you’re a paid user, you’ll earn 1 GB for each successful referral. Once the person you refer creates an account, both you and the person you refer will see the extra storage in your accounts.
How it works: Refer a friend, family member, associate, or anyone else to Dropbox and you’ll both receive free storage. You’ll get the maximum reward if you’re a paid member, which costs $9.99 a month.
How to enroll: You don’t have to sign up for a program to invite others to join Dropbox: Simply log in to your account via either the website or mobile app. You’ll then click Refer a Friend under Settings. You can also copy the invite link and send it to others.
8. VPN Service: NordVPN
Privacy is a serious concern these days, and virtual private networks (VPN) provide some much-needed protection. NordVPN is one of the top contenders in the VPN space, offering accounts for as little as $3.09 a month.
Offer: Get three months free when you refer someone. The person you refer gets one to three months for free, too. There’s no limit to how many friends you can refer, and with each friend, you get an extra three months free.
How it works: When someone joins using your referral link, you’ll automatically get three free months of service. Your friend will get three free months for choosing a 1- or 2-year plan, but only one free month for signing up to pay month by month.
How to enroll: Sign in to your NordVPN account and choose Refer a Friend from the options on the left. You can also find the referral link under Settings in the mobile app.
9. Web Hosting: Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the top web hosting and domain registration services, largely known for its WordPress integrations. Its setup attracts small businesses, bloggers, and e-commerce startups looking for affordable and easy-to-use hosting.
Offer: Earn $65 per qualified sale.
How it works: Bluehost’s referral setup is more of a traditional affiliate model, with members placing links and banners on their website to entice clicks. Once you’ve set up your links, you can use Bluehost’s built-in marketing tools to boost your success.
How to enroll: Bluehost customers simply sign up to get a referral link. From there, you can browse a library of advertising images, including banners and ads. You’ll then place the image(s) on your website to start attracting referrals.
10. Online Education: Thinkific
Thinkific is a popular platform that lets educators and creators build and sell online courses. The built-in course creation tool walks educators through building a class and launching it. Both educators and businesses use Thinkific to host courses they promote to their target audiences.
Offer: Earn 30% lifetime commissions on all referrals who sign up for an annual or monthly paid plan.
How it works: When someone clicks on your referral link and signs up for Thinkific, you’re tagged as the referrer. You’ll then earn a commission on that person’s monthly or annual plan payment. Thinkific caps annual commissions at $1,800.
How to enroll: When you join Thinkific, you’ll receive a welcome message on PartnerStack. This message includes a referral link that you can then use to invite others.
Best Referral Programs by Industry 2025 Compared
| Referral Program | Industry | Offer |
| Realize | Digital Advertising | Earn $1,000 cash when someone you refer spends $5,000. |
| MailChimp | Email Marketing | Earn $30 for each friend you successfully refer to the MailChimp platform. |
| Notion | SaaS | Earn $50 per referral plus 20% of year-one revenue for each person you successfully refer. |
| FreshBooks | Cloud Accounting | Earn a $100 account credit for each new user you bring to the platform. |
| SoFi | Banking and Fintech | Rewards ranging from $50 to $1,500 (e.g., $300 for personal loan referrals). |
| Shopify | E-Commerce | Commissions of up to 20% of a referred merchant’s monthly subscription, plus other income opportunities. |
| Dropbox | Cloud Storage | Earn 500 MB (free user) or 1 GB (paid user) in free storage for each successful referral. |
| NordVPN | VPN Service | Get three months free for yourself and one to three months free for the person you refer. |
| Bluehost | Web Hosting | Earn $65 per qualified sale. |
| Thinkific | Online Education | Earn 30% lifetime commissions on all referrals who sign up for an annual or monthly paid plan. |
Key Takeaways
Referral programs serve as one of the most affordable ways to scale customer acquisition in 2025. In digital advertising, programs that pay cash instead of ad credit stand out, but marketers may also want to look for options that are open to non-members.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the typical conversion rates for referrals in different digital advertising niches?
Conversion rates vary widely, but for performance-driven campaigns, conversion rates of 3% to 10% are typical. But as Dorian Menard, founder of Search Scope, points out, rates are higher in some industries than others.
“Conversion rates in the SaaS industry can range from 15% to 30%, which is significantly higher than what you might see in e-commerce (usually around 5 to 10%),” Menard says. “SaaS users are often already convinced of the product’s value, which increases the likelihood of them referring it to others.”
What are the eligibility requirements to join different referral programs?
While Taboola’s cash-based referral program is open to everyone, that isn’t the norm: In most cases, you’ll first need to be an existing customer or registered partner. You may also need to apply and wait for approval, which means a program administrator will ensure your application meets all requirements, including that you’re the minimum age.
“For solid referral programs, where affiliate applications are carefully reviewed, it helps to provide links to media properties and social media accounts, describe general promotional methods, and explain where and how you’ll promote the brand/product you’re applying for,” says Evgenii (Geno) Prussakov, founder and chairman at AM Days.
Which referral programs are best suited for SMBs?
Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) can be limited by their budgets and short history. For that reason, it’s best to target referral programs with low barriers to entry, no spend commitments, and cash-based incentives.
“For SMBs, the best referral programs tend to be ones that remove decision fatigue,” says CJ Miller, CEO at Dypto Crypto. “Give people one clear incentive (like a discount or free month) and automate the delivery. We’ve built similar referral loops for clients in SaaS and education, and we usually see conversion rates in the 8%-12% range, depending on how aligned the offer is with the user’s intent.”
Why have referral programs become so popular, especially in the SaaS world?
Referral programs have emerged as a great way to bring in revenue while also reaching new audiences. This is especially beneficial for SaaS-based businesses, which have seen rising customer acquisition costs and ad fatigue in recent years.
“Referral programs have taken off, especially in SaaS, because they scale trust in a way that paid ads just do not,” says Paul DeMott, chief technology officer of Helium SEO. “People are bombarded with ads, so a recommendation from someone they know skips that skepticism.”
