What is Viral Loops?
Viral Loops is a referral and viral marketing platform that helps businesses grow through word of mouth using ready-made campaign templates. Each participant gets a unique referral link, and the tool tracks who invited whom and rewards people for sign-ups, shares and purchases. It works for startups, newsletters, ecommerce stores and SaaS products rather than a single industry.
Viral Loops offers templates for prelaunch waitlists, newsletter referrals, milestone rewards, leaderboard and invite giveaways, customer referral programs and Shopify stores. An AI setup assistant can read your website, match its colors and fonts and attach a campaign to an existing signup form. Rewards include discounts, points, gift cards and cash through a partnership with Tremendous. The company was established in 2016 and is based in Toronto.
Viral Loops at a glance
How does Viral Loops work?
- Pick a template
Choose a campaign type such as a prelaunch waitlist, newsletter referral, giveaway or refer-a-friend program.
- Install on your site
Use the AI installer, a no-code widget or the API to connect the campaign to your website or signup form.
- Participants share links
Everyone who joins gets a unique referral link to share by email or social media.
- Set reward rules
Decide which actions earn rewards, such as sign-ups, referrals or purchases, and choose the reward type.
- Track results
The dashboard shows referrals, conversions and top advocates so you can improve the campaign.
Viral Loops key features
Campaign templates
Ready-made flows for waitlists, giveaways, newsletter referrals, milestone rewards and customer referrals.
AI campaign setup
Reads your site to style the campaign and can attach it to an existing form with a snippet.
Referral tracking
Unique links per participant show who referred whom and which shares convert.
Automated rewards
Pays out discounts, gift cards, points or cash through Stripe and Tremendous on higher plans.
Fraud checks
Basic fraud checks on all plans, with AI fraud analysis on the Power plan.
Integrations and API
Connects with HubSpot, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Zapier, Segment and more, with full API access from the Plus plan.
Why use Viral Loops?
- Templates make it quick to launch a referral campaign without building one from scratch.
- It covers use cases beyond ecommerce, such as prelaunch waitlists and newsletters.
- Participant-based pricing is predictable and does not take a cut of sales.
- Global reward options through Tremendous simplify paying referrers.
- Annual billing saves about 30% compared with monthly.
- A concierge service and dedicated account manager on the Power plan help teams plan and run larger campaigns.
Who is Viral Loops best for?
A good fit for
- Startups building a prelaunch waitlist
- Newsletter publishers growing subscribers through referrals
- SaaS and ecommerce businesses running refer-a-friend programs
- Marketers running giveaway and leaderboard contests
- Creators and communities running invite-based growth campaigns
Less suited to
- Brands that need a full points and VIP loyalty program
- Very large programs, since prices rise with participant count
- Teams wanting a permanent free plan
Viral Loops pricing
| Pricing model | Subscription |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Starting price | $49/month (Start-up, billed monthly) or $35/month billed annually |
Plans scale by participants: Start-up up to 1,000, Plus ($139/month) 5,000, Growing ($229/month) 10,000 and Power ($399/month) 25,000. The trial covers the Growing plan for up to 10 participants.
Prices checked October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official Viral Loops pricing page before you buy.
Viral Loops pros and cons
Pros
- Wide range of campaign templates for different growth goals
- Works for many business types, not just online stores
- No commission on referred sales
- Long list of email, CRM and analytics integrations
Cons
- Entry plan limits campaign types to lead generation
- Branding removal and automated rewards require the Growing plan or higher
Viral Loops integrations and platforms
Works with
Available on
Viral Loops alternatives
See the full shortlist in Best Referral and Loyalty Software.
Viral Loops FAQ
Is Viral Loops free?
Viral Loops has no permanent free plan. It offers a 14-day trial with unlimited use of the Growing plan for up to 10 participants. After the trial, existing campaigns keep collecting entries, but you cannot create new campaigns or access collected emails until you subscribe. Paid plans start at $49 per month, or $35 per month billed annually.
What is Viral Loops used for?
Viral Loops is used to run referral and viral marketing campaigns. Startups use it for prelaunch waitlists, publishers for newsletter referral programs, and brands for giveaways and refer-a-friend offers. Each participant gets a unique link, and rewards are given for sign-ups, referrals or purchases.
Does Viral Loops work with Shopify?
Yes. Viral Loops offers a Shopify referral template and app that rewards customers when they refer new buyers. It can also be installed on other websites through no-code widgets, a form snippet or the API, so it is not limited to Shopify stores.
Viral Loops vs ReferralCandy: what's the difference?
Viral Loops is a template-based tool for many business types, priced by the number of campaign participants with no fee on sales. ReferralCandy focuses on ecommerce stores and charges a monthly fee plus a success fee on referred orders. Viral Loops is often chosen for waitlists and newsletters, while ReferralCandy suits online stores with affiliate needs.
Is Viral Loops good for beginners?
Yes. Viral Loops is built around templates, and its AI setup can style a campaign and attach it to an existing form, so beginners can launch without coding. More advanced users can use the API, custom domains and integrations on higher plans.
Sources
This overview is based on Viral Loops's official website and documentation, checked October 2026.