Gather: Refer a Friend vs Recurpay: Subscriptions appfor Shopify (2026)
Gather: Refer a Friend and Recurpay: Subscriptions app both aim to increase customer loyalty and retention, but they employ vastly different strategies. Gather focuses on leveraging existing customers to acquire new ones through referral programs, essentially turning customers into brand advocates. It emphasizes personalized automation and a customer-to-customer acquisition channel. Recurpay, on the other hand, targets recurring revenue through subscription management. It prioritizes customer self-service, upfront payments, and comprehensive 24/7 support. The key distinction lies in their core functionality: referral marketing (Gather) versus subscription management (Recurpay).
At a Glance
Gather: Refer a Friend
14 reviews
Recurpay: Subscriptions app
400 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.
Recurpay: Subscriptions app
Subscriptions app to unlock recurring revenue with intuitive customer portal & 24/7 human support.
Key Features
- Support upfront and pay-as-you-go plans with flexible renewal, 24/7 live support
- Design custom subscription widget for your brand in few clicks with full access.
- Let customers manage subscriptions: skip, edit, reschedule, or cancel anytime
- Renew subscriptions on a specific day or date, offer tiered discount, free gifts
- Developer-friendly setup with full access to APIs, code & technical support
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Gather: Refer a Friend5/5 Recurpay: Subscriptions app5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 14 | 400 |
Reviews Gather: Refer a Friend14 Recurpay: Subscriptions app400 | ||
| Core Functionality | Referral Marketing | Subscription Management |
Core Functionality Gather: Refer a FriendReferral Marketing Recurpay: Subscriptions appSubscription Management | ||
| Customer Acquisition Focus | Referrals from existing customers | Recurring revenue through subscriptions |
Customer Acquisition Focus Gather: Refer a FriendReferrals from existing customers Recurpay: Subscriptions appRecurring revenue through subscriptions | ||
| Key Features | Referral program design, invitations, reward tiers, Klaviyo integration, drag-and-drop email editor | Subscription widget design, customer self-service portal, flexible renewal options, developer-friendly API |
Key Features Gather: Refer a FriendReferral program design, invitations, reward tiers, Klaviyo integration, drag-and-drop email editor Recurpay: Subscriptions appSubscription widget design, customer self-service portal, flexible renewal options, developer-friendly API | ||
| Support | Not explicitly stated | 24/7 live human support |
Support Gather: Refer a FriendNot explicitly stated Recurpay: Subscriptions app24/7 live human support | ||
| Target Merchant | Merchants focused on customer acquisition through word-of-mouth | Merchants selling products or services suitable for subscriptions |
Target Merchant Gather: Refer a FriendMerchants focused on customer acquisition through word-of-mouth Recurpay: Subscriptions appMerchants selling products or services suitable for subscriptions | ||
| Ease of use | Embedded dashboard with a click | Quick and easy setup |
Ease of use Gather: Refer a FriendEmbedded dashboard with a click Recurpay: Subscriptions appQuick and easy setup | ||
| Value Proposition | High ROAS, low CPA acquisition channel | Recurring revenue with customer self-service |
Value Proposition Gather: Refer a FriendHigh ROAS, low CPA acquisition channel Recurpay: Subscriptions appRecurring revenue with customer self-service | ||
Our Verdict
The choice between Gather: Refer a Friend and Recurpay: Subscriptions app depends heavily on the merchant's business model and objectives. If the goal is to leverage existing customers to drive new customer acquisition and grow through word-of-mouth, Gather is the clear choice. Its referral program design, automation, and personalized invitations are tailored for this purpose. However, for merchants offering products or services that lend themselves to a subscription model and require robust subscription management capabilities with 24/7 customer support, Recurpay is the superior option. Its focus on recurring revenue, customer self-service, and developer-friendly features makes it a powerful tool for managing subscriptions.
Common Questions
Which app is better for lead generation?
Gather: Refer a Friend explicitly supports lead generation as a referral program goal, while Recurpay is primarily focused on converting existing interest into recurring revenue streams.
Does Recurpay offer similar functionality to Gather?
No, Recurpay does not offer referral marketing capabilities. It's focused solely on managing subscription-based businesses.
How easy are these apps to set up?
Both apps claim to offer an easy setup. Gather enables embedding a referral experience 'with a click of a button', and Recurpay states a 'quick and easy setup that works within minutes'.
Which app has better customer support?
Recurpay explicitly offers 24/7 live human support, while Gather's support options are not detailed.
Which app is better for building a customer community?
Gather: Refer a Friend facilitates community growth by encouraging customers to refer their friends, inherently expanding and solidifying their connection with the brand. Recurpay, while not directly building a community, can improve customer retention and satisfaction through its subscription management features.
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