Side-by-side comparison · 24 data points
Add external link buttons. Create custom affiliate links for Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, and more.
| BL External Links Button | Referral Candy & Affiliate | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | ||
| Description | ||
| Screenshots | images | images |
| Languages | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Developer | ||
| Listed |
Your all-in-one affiliate & referral marketing solution.
| Metric | BL External Links Button | Referral Candy & Affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 5.0 ★ | 4.9 ★ |
| Total reviews | 14 | ★ 1.5k |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan available | Free trial available |
| Built for Shopify | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing tiers | 3 tiers | ★ 4 tiers |
| Listed features | 5 | 5 |
| Featured placements | — | 1 |
| Languages | 9 supported | 1 supported |
| Listed since | Oct 2024 | Sep 2010 |
BL External Links Button and Referral Candy & Affiliate are evenly matched on rating (5.0★ vs 4.9★) — the differentiator comes down to pricing fit, feature breadth, and which app's interaction pattern suits your team's workflow.
Pricing entry tiers: BL External Links Button at Free plan available, Referral Candy & Affiliate at Free trial available. Check each app's tier structure for the capacity limits you actually need before deciding — the headline number is the same shape, but the gating shape per tier (seats, usage volume, integrations) varies.
Referral Candy & Affiliate has the larger user base (1,487 reviews vs 14), which usually maps to broader integration coverage, faster bug-fix cadence, and a deeper bench of community workflow patterns. BL External Links Button's smaller cohort can be an advantage for niche workflows where the bigger app has accumulated bloat.
Recommended evaluation path: install both apps' free tiers (where available) and run them in parallel on a small cohort for 7-14 days before committing. The data tables below show the per-feature breakdown — for most merchants the deciding factor will be a single integration or workflow detail that's hard to compare from listing pages alone.
This verdict is generated from the live marketplace data on this page — rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position all refresh from the canonical Shopify App Store listing every 24 hours. AppRanks does not accept payment to influence comparison outcomes; the methodology is documented on the About page and applies identically to every pair on the site.
Read each app's audit: BL External Links Button audit • Referral Candy & Affiliate audit
| Last updated | — | — |
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| Keyword | BL External Links Button | Referral Candy & Affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| external affiliate links | #11 | #17 |
| affiliate | #23 | #6 |
| affiliate links | #186 | #11 |
| affiliate program | #24 | #92 |
| affiliate programs | #24 | #101 |
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No tracked changes.
Both BL External Links Button and Referral Candy & Affiliate offer paid plans only. BL External Links Button starts at Free plan available; Referral Candy & Affiliate starts at Free trial available. Compare the per-tier features in the Pricing section above before committing.
BL External Links Button (5.0★, 14 reviews) and Referral Candy & Affiliate (4.9★, 1,487 reviews) are essentially tied on rating. Look at review velocity and individual reviewer quotes — both visible on each app's detail page — to differentiate.
BL External Links Button holds the higher average rating (5.0★ vs 4.9★). That is the one dimension AppRanks can separate them on here — read both apps' detail pages for the feature breakdown and recent listing changes.
Both apps are one-click installs from the Shopify App Store. Referral Candy & Affiliate has the deeper published review base (1,487 vs 14), which often — though not always — accompanies better-tested setup docs. AppRanks doesn't measure setup time directly: read the recent reviews on each app's detail page for user-reported install experience.
BL External Links Button typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (14 reviews). Referral Candy & Affiliate typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (1,487 reviews). A larger review base generally means the app has been exercised at scale — relevant if you are processing high volume or handling enterprise compliance requirements.
Migration support varies by app and category. BL External Links Button and Referral Candy & Affiliate both publish their export options on their marketplace listing pages (or in their support docs); some apps offer one-click import from competitors, others require CSV. The fastest check: search "import from BL External Links Button" in each app's help center. AppRanks does not track migration tooling directly — this is a category-specific capability worth verifying before commitment.
