Gather: Refer a Friend vs MOD Discountsfor Shopify (2026)
Gather: Refer a Friend and MOD Discounts are both promotional apps on the Shopify platform, but cater to vastly different needs and merchant profiles. Gather focuses on leveraging existing customer relationships to drive new customer acquisition through referral programs. Its strength lies in automating and personalizing the referral process, offering features like a drag-and-drop email editor, reward tiers, and integration with Klaviyo. It's geared toward merchants looking to activate a customer-to-customer acquisition channel without needing advanced technical skills. MOD Discounts, on the other hand, centers around creating tiered volume discounts, often referred to as "Buy More, Save More" promotions. It empowers merchants to offer discounts based on purchase quantity, targeting specific collections or excluding sale items. A key differentiator is its ability to utilize metafields and custom line item attributes for advanced targeting, making it suitable for merchants with technical expertise or those employing technical teams who require more granular control over their discounting strategies. While both apps aim to boost sales, they do so through different mechanisms and target distinct segments of the Shopify merchant base.
At a Glance
Gather: Refer a Friend
14 reviews
MOD Discounts
1 reviews
Detailed Overview
Gather: Refer a Friend
Gather activates your customer to customer referral channel, with automation and personalisation.
Key Features
- Sales growth, newsletter growth or lead-gen with referrals.
- Invitations, including: email with contact search, social media and messaging.
- Deploy reward tiers / milestones. Provide One-sided or two-sided rewards.
- Enrol members in a post-purchase CTA sidebar and directly from Klaviyo.
- Design emails with a drag-and-drop editor. Design the embedded dashboard.
MOD Discounts
Create flexible volume discounts using functions. Migrate from script discounts.
Key Features
- Create flexible volume discounts with up to 3 tiers - no coding required
- Advanced targeting using metafields and custom line item attributes.
- Exclude sale items automatically using product tags
- Duplicate and manage discounts with familiar controls
- Up to 25 simultaneous automatic discounts
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Gather: Refer a Friend5/5 MOD Discounts5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 14 | 1 |
Reviews Gather: Refer a Friend14 MOD Discounts1 | ||
| Primary Function | Referral Program Automation | Volume Discount Creation |
Primary Function Gather: Refer a FriendReferral Program Automation MOD DiscountsVolume Discount Creation | ||
| Target Audience | Merchants Seeking Customer Acquisition via Referrals | Merchants Needing Advanced Discount Control (Metafields, Line Item Properties) |
Target Audience Gather: Refer a FriendMerchants Seeking Customer Acquisition via Referrals MOD DiscountsMerchants Needing Advanced Discount Control (Metafields, Line Item Properties) | ||
| Ease of Use | Drag-and-Drop Design, Post-Purchase Integration | May Require Technical Knowledge for Advanced Targeting |
Ease of Use Gather: Refer a FriendDrag-and-Drop Design, Post-Purchase Integration MOD DiscountsMay Require Technical Knowledge for Advanced Targeting | ||
| Key Feature Highlight | Klaviyo Integration for Email Enrollment | Metafield and Line Item Attribute Targeting |
Key Feature Highlight Gather: Refer a FriendKlaviyo Integration for Email Enrollment MOD DiscountsMetafield and Line Item Attribute Targeting | ||
| Reward Structure | Single or Tiered Reward System | Up to 3 Tiered Discounts |
Reward Structure Gather: Refer a FriendSingle or Tiered Reward System MOD DiscountsUp to 3 Tiered Discounts | ||
| Automation | Automated Referral Program | Automatic Discount Application |
Automation Gather: Refer a FriendAutomated Referral Program MOD DiscountsAutomatic Discount Application | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants looking to tap into their existing customer base and incentivize referrals, Gather: Refer a Friend is the more suitable choice. Its user-friendly design and integration with tools like Klaviyo make it easy to set up and manage referral programs without requiring technical expertise. The focus is on leveraging word-of-mouth marketing to drive new customer acquisition.
Conversely, MOD Discounts is better suited for merchants who require more granular control over their discounting strategies and have the technical capabilities (or a technical team) to utilize metafields and line item properties. If your business relies heavily on "Buy More, Save More" promotions and requires precise targeting based on custom attributes, MOD Discounts offers the flexibility and advanced controls necessary to achieve these objectives. The low number of reviews for MOD Discounts should be considered during the decision process, though.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up for a non-technical user?
Gather: Refer a Friend is generally easier to set up for non-technical users due to its drag-and-drop design and focus on user-friendly interfaces.
Which app is better for generating email leads?
Gather: Refer a Friend can be configured to generate email leads through referral programs that incentivize newsletter sign-ups.
Can both apps exclude sale items from their promotions?
While Gather: Refer a Friend doesn't explicitly state the ability to exclude sales items, MOD Discounts specifically mentions that it can exclude sale items automatically using product tags.
Which app allows for more complex discount rules?
MOD Discounts allows for more complex discount rules through the use of metafields and custom line item attributes. Gather focuses on simpler referral-based rewards.
What is the main difference in how they boost sales?
Gather boosts sales by leveraging existing customers to refer new customers with incentives. MOD Discounts boosts sales by incentivizing larger purchases via tiered volume discounts.
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