Four apps let you start free: Shopify Collabs (free to install, though a 2.9% processing fee may apply to automatic commission payments), Simple Affiliate Starter ($0 a month for up to 10 affiliates), GoAffPro Hobby (free, recommended below 100 daily orders), and UpPromote Free (up to $3,000 of referral sales reviewed a month). On paid plans, the math changes: at $10,000 GMV, Simple Affiliate Pro with Autopay costs $78, and UpPromote Growth costs $229.99 because it adds 2% of sales.
Connect Claude or ChatGPT on every Simple Affiliate plan, including the free Starter plan. Ask it to review results, explain missing referral credit, create groups, set product commissions, build group automations, or update signup, email, and dashboard settings. You approve every change, and plan limits apply. Your AI cannot send payouts.
Other apps also offer AI connections. UpPromote lists Sidekick on Free and API/MCP on Professional. GoAffPro has a third-party MCP connection from viaSocket. Compare the tasks, plan terms, and provider requirements before you choose.
The facts come from our Simple Affiliate vs pages and from each vendor’s pricing page and App Store listing. Check the current rates there before you buy. We do not invent review counts for Simple Affiliate.
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Shopify Collabs
Included with Shopify, no subscription
Shopify Collabs comes with Shopify. It is free to install and pays creators through your Shopify bill when they drive sales; its App Store listing says a 2.9% commission processing fee on automatic payments may apply. You get a creator marketplace, not your own in-house affiliate program.
Pricing. Free to install, with no subscription. A 2.9% commission processing fee on automatic payments may apply (Shopify Collabs App Store listing).
Up to 10 affiliates, one group, and one standard link each. That is enough to test an in-house program before you pay anything. Autopay is included on every plan, even free Starter. It needs a paid Shopify plan, a store at least 3 days old, and a store currency that Autopay supports. You pay the processing fee, and affiliates get the full commission. The Claude and ChatGPT connection is included. Unlimited affiliates start on Basic.
Pricing. $0/month. Autopay by bank is 3.9% on Starter.
Hobby is free with unlimited affiliates and revenue, and GoAffPro recommends it below 100 daily orders. Its pricing page publishes no percentage of sales. When you outgrow it, Premium is $49/month. Merchants also pick GoAffPro for multi-level (MLM) commissions.
Pricing. Hobby $0 (recommended below 100 daily orders), Premium $49/month, Business from $99/month (goaffpro.com/pricing).
Free until $3,000 referral review, then a sales percentage
The Free plan is free up to $3,000 of referral sales reviewed a month. Past that, you move to Growth at $29.99 plus 2% of successful referral sales, and the 2% becomes the largest cost as your sales grow.
Pricing. $229.99 modeled at $10,000 GMV on Growth ($29.99 plus the 2%).
Pro adds discount codes, product commissions, and commission on a referred customer’s future orders, for a flat monthly price with no cut of sales. The modeled total includes the Autopay fee on commissions. Pay by PayPal or store credit instead, and the subscription is all you pay Simple Affiliate.
Pricing. $39/month, or $78 modeled with Autopay bank on $1,000 commission.
Shopify CollabsShopify’s included marketplace covers your creator needs.
Simple Affiliate StarterYou have 10 affiliates or fewer and want them on your store for $0/month.
GoAffPro HobbyYou are under its 100-daily-order recommendation and fine with a GoAffPro portal, or you plan MLM later.
UpPromote FreeYou are testing under the $3,000 referral-review cap and accept a sales percentage later.
Simple Affiliate ProYou need discount codes or product commissions without paying 2% of GMV.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers. Updated August 18, 2026.
Is Simple Affiliate the cheapest paid option?
Four options get to $0 first: Collabs, Simple Affiliate Starter, GoAffPro Hobby, and UpPromote Free. Once money changes hands, this $10,000 model puts Pro at $78 with Autopay, under UpPromote Growth at $229.99, ReferralCandy at $399 on Scale, and Social Snowball Snow Day at $549. GoAffPro Premium is a flat $49/month, which is less than Pro with Autopay and more than Pro without it.
Does Autopay change which option is cheapest?
A little, if you pay commissions with Autopay. The fee is 3.9% for bank transfers on Pro, computed on the commission payout and paid by the merchant — never a percentage of GMV. Worked examples: https://simple-affiliate.com/blogs/how-to-guides/auto-pay-overview-processing-fees.
Do I need to leave Shopify Collabs to save money?
No. Collabs is already included, so removing it saves nothing.
Where are Simple Affiliate plan prices listed?
https://simple-affiliate.com/pages/pricing has the table; https://simple-affiliate.com/pages/sc-faq/how-much-does-simple-affiliate-cost has the plain-English version.
Named apps are trademarks of their respective owners. Simple Affiliate is not affiliated with them. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. Simple Affiliate is a third-party Shopify App Store app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Shopify. These pages compare independent App Store products and do not recommend uninstalling Shopify products such as Shopify Collabs. See shopify.com. List prices verified .