Affiliate software for e-commerceViralPayouts vs Kickbooster
ViralPayouts has no monthly fee, pays your affiliates for you and pays recruiters on every program. You pay 10% of what you pay partners, falling to 3%, and nothing in a month when nobody sells. Kickbooster also pays affiliates for you and does not say it has two-tier recruiting. It costs $99 to $199 a month.
Every figure for Kickbooster comes from its own pages or named review sites, checked 12 October 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Why brands pick ViralPayouts over Kickbooster
Best fit: A brand that wants payouts handled and two-tier recruiting without a monthly subscription, especially outside Shopify.
- $0 a month
No plan and no setup fee. 10% of what you pay partners, falling to 3% at $10,000 a month.
- Payouts done for you
One invoice per program. ViralPayouts sends every partner and recruiter their money and collects tax forms.
- Recruiters built in
Customer links and recruit links on every program, with the override set your way and reversed on refunds.
Side by side
| Kickbooster | ViralPayouts | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 to $199 a monthTerm: Monthly; cancel any time ('affiliate fees for any pending transactions will be invoiced accordingly'); yearly saves up to 20% | $0 a month. 10% of what you pay partners, falling to 3% at $10,000 a month. |
| Setup fee | Not stated | None |
| Fee for paying affiliates | Not stated | Included in the fee above: no charge to the brand for sending payoutsPartners pay Whop's own fee when they withdraw to their bank |
| Pays your affiliates for you | Yesvia Kickbooster (merchant pays one monthly affiliate-fees invoice charged to card; Kickbooster pays affiliates on the 1st and 15th) | Yes You fund by bank transfer; we pay every partner |
| Two-tier recruiting | Not stated | Yes Two levels on every program: share of commission, share of sale or fixed. Paid on approved sales, never sign-ups |
| Public program directory | Yes | Yes Partners browse and join with one account |
| Tracking | Referral links with browser-stored tracking, last-click; Auto-generated affiliate discount codes (take priority over links); Secure links; Extra redirect parameters (UTM, {{affiliate_name}}) | First-party links with click IDs, signed server-to-server events, Stripe Checkout webhook |
| Coupon tracking | Yes | Yes A code per partner, per program |
| Mobile app tracking | Not stated | App installs, sign-ups and purchases reported from your server through the signed event API, with bounties on them. No SDK to ship in your app. |
| API, webhooks, MCP | Not stated | REST API for brands and partners with an OpenAPI spec, an MCP server for AI agents, a signed event API and partner postbacks |
| Integrations | Shopify (incl. Hydrogen, checkout extensibility), Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Gamefound, Klaviyo | Stripe Checkout, Shopify orders, any backend via the event API |
Kickbooster plans in full
- Starter (shown as 'Basic' on Shopify listing): $99 a month, plus 3%% of affiliate revenue. Up to 4 programs, unlimited affiliates, automated payouts
- Pro: $199 a month, plus 1.5%% of affiliate revenue. Up to 10 programs, unlimited affiliates, automated payouts
- Enterprise: price not published. Unlimited programs; custom pricing
- Marketplace-sourced affiliates (any plan): price not published, plus 5%% of affiliate revenue. Revenue from affiliates who joined via Kickbooster Marketplace, Staff Picks or newsletter
Where ViralPayouts comes out ahead of Kickbooster
What Kickbooster offers
Shopify stores and crowdfunding creators (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Gamefound) that want an affiliate/referral program where Kickbooster handles affiliate payouts, plus access to its affiliate marketplace.
Affiliate software for e-commerce
Why ViralPayouts is the better choice
- No $99-$199 monthly fee; ViralPayouts charges only a share of commissions paid (10% falling to 3%) vs Kickbooster's 1.5-5% of revenue on top of a subscription
- Two-tier recruiting built in; Kickbooster has none
- Payouts via Whop rather than PayPal-only
- Works for SaaS/digital via server-to-server API and Stripe webhook, not just Shopify/crowdfunding
- Brand funds by bank transfer rather than card-charged invoices
What Kickbooster users say
Paraphrased from public reviews. Follow each link to read the original.
Praise
- The Wanderful called it the easiest affiliate/referral tool it had set up, good for Instagram/YouTube/TikTok affiliates and automating past-customer invites. apps.shopify.com
- Aged&Ore used it through a Kickstarter campaign, then on Shopify, and reported a holiday sales boost and positive affiliate feedback. apps.shopify.com
Complaints
- No 1-3 star reviews on Shopify (17 reviews total); help centre notes affiliates are only paid after the merchant's invoice clears, so late merchant payment delays affiliate payouts. intercom.help
About Kickbooster
- In their words:
- "Automate your affiliate, referral, and influencer programs and boost your sales." (Shopify listing tagline)
- Company:
- Founded Shopify app launched November 6, 2018 (company founding date not stated) · 200-1460 Chevrier Blvd, Winnipeg, MB, Canada (Shopify listing) · Kickbooster Inc
- Named customers:
- The Wanderful (Shopify review), Aged&Ore (used it on its Kickstarter campaign, then Shopify)
- Website:
- kickbooster.me
Try ViralPayouts on test money
Set your commission and recruiter override, see what each sale costs you, and run it on the test network before a real partner joins. No monthly fee.
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ViralPayouts vs Linkable: Creator marketingSources for Kickbooster (13), checked 12 October 2026
- https://kickbooster.me/pricing
- https://apps.shopify.com/kickbooster
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/12035417-how-do-my-affiliates-get-paid
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/15926676-understanding-affiliate-generated-revenue-fees
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/2153523-billing-process-for-ecommerce-referral-programs
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/2146404-how-shopify-referral-tracking-attribution-works
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/4478035-i-don-t-have-a-paypal-account-can-i-still-receive-my-commissions
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/15926412-supported-platforms
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/15926496-what-is-the-kickbooster-marketplace
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/1071075-what-is-kickbooster
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/9518447-adding-extra-parameters-to-your-affiliate-links-for-enhanced-tracking
- https://intercom.help/kickbooster/en/articles/2821913-how-can-i-prevent-affiliates-from-referring-themselves
Kickbooster is a trademark of its owner. ViralPayouts is not affiliated with Kickbooster. Prices and features change: check kickbooster.me before you decide. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.