COD Affiliates vs Refersion
Both run affiliate programs on Shopify. The difference that decides it for Cash on Delivery merchants: when the commission is earned — at order created, or at order paid.
TL;DR — Refersion marks affiliate commissions as earned when the order is created. COD Affiliates holds them Pending until the order is marked Paid in Shopify. For COD stores where 30–50% of orders cancel before delivery, that single difference decides whether your affiliate program leaks margin.
The honest take on Refersion
Refersion is the legacy enterprise standard for Shopify affiliate programs — mature integrations (Klaviyo, Postscript), a vetted affiliate network, and strong 1099 tax handling. It was built for card-first US/UK/EU brands. It marks commissions as earned the moment an order is created, with no native Cash on Delivery logic, so COD merchants pay commission on orders that later cancel.
Feature comparison
COD Affiliates vs Refersion, on the dimensions that matter for COD merchants.
| Feature | COD Affiliates | Refersion |
|---|---|---|
| COD | ||
| Commission only on order Paid (not Created) | ✓ | — |
| Native COD state machine (Pending → In Transit → Confirmed) | ✓ | — |
| Per-affiliate COD quality scoring | ✓ | — |
| Compatible with Releasit / EasySell / Advanced COD forms | ✓ | ◐ |
| Tracking | ||
| Referral link tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Discount code tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Duplicate-product tracking (survives in-app browsers) | ✓ | — |
| Affiliate management | ||
| Affiliate self-serve portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-approval + public registration form | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-tier commissions (MLM-style) | — | ✓ |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan available | Free for first 100 merchants — forever | — |
| Paid plan starting price (USD/month) | $9.99 | $99 |
| Per-order or revenue cut fees | No | No (flat tiers) |
| Platform | ||
| Built natively for Shopify | ✓ | ✓ |
| API + webhooks | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ Yes · ◐ Partial · — No or not applicable. Feature coverage based on each competitor's public documentation and Shopify App Store listing. Submit corrections to [email protected].
When Refersion is the better choice
Established US / UK / EU Shopify Plus brands, card-first.
When COD Affiliates is the better choice
Your store takes more than 5% of orders as Cash on Delivery (LATAM, MENA, India, SEA). You want commissions that only become payable when the order is actually paid, per-affiliate COD quality scoring to prune junk traffic, and tracking methods (duplicate product, discount code) that survive TikTok and Instagram in-app browsers — free while you grow.
The Cash on Delivery difference
Refersion was built on the assumption that an order created equals revenue collected. That holds for card-first stores. For Cash on Delivery — where the buyer pays cash at the door days later, and 30 to 50 percent of orders cancel — it does not. COD Affiliates makes commission a function of the order's paid status in Shopify: Pending until paid, Confirmed once collected. You pay affiliates out of money you actually received.
Frequently asked
For Shopify merchants who sell with Cash on Delivery, yes — it is purpose-built for the commission-timing problem Refersion does not solve. For card-first stores with no COD volume, Refersion may fit you just as well; pick on ecosystem and pricing.
Yes. COD Affiliates supports CSV import of your existing affiliates with their commission rates. Historical orders are not migrated — attribution starts fresh at install — but you can keep paying out legacy commissions in Refersion while new orders flow through COD Affiliates.
Refersion has no native Cash on Delivery handling — commissions are earned at order creation regardless of whether the COD order ever collects.
COD Affiliates is free for the first 100 merchants, then $9.99/month — there is no higher tier. Refersion starts at $99/mo.
Stop paying commission on orders that cancel at the door.
Install COD Affiliates from the Shopify App Store. Free for the first 100 merchants — forever.