Refer a Friend comes in a free version on WordPress.org and a Premium version sold on wpgens.com. This page compares them and lists what your store needs to run the plugin.
What each version includes
| Feature | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Referral link for every customer on My Account | Yes | Yes |
| Coupon reward for the advocate on completed orders | Yes | Yes |
| Coupon type, amount, minimum order and expiry | Yes | Yes |
| Friend discount on the first purchase | No | Yes |
| Post-first purchase coupon for the friend | No | Yes |
| Referral codes typed in the coupon field | No | Yes |
| Shortcodes, product page tab and thank-you page display | No | Yes |
| Social sharing and share by email | No | Yes |
| Coupon restrictions: products, categories, every Nth referral | No | Yes |
| Fraud rules and ban list | No | Yes |
| Advocates, Orders and Event Logs reports | No | Yes |
| WooCommerce Subscriptions renewals | No | Yes |
| Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend and Brevo integrations | No | Yes |
| Email support from the developers | No | Yes |
See the Premium product page for prices and licence options.
Don’t run both versions at the same time. They register the same My Account tab and hooks, which causes conflicts or a fatal error. Deactivate and delete the free version before activating Premium. Both versions use the same settings, so your cookie and coupon settings are kept. See Install and activate Premium.
Requirements
- WordPress and WooCommerce. Keep both up to date. Plugin 4.4.12 was checked with WordPress 7.1, WooCommerce 11.0 and PHP 8.2.
- Admin access. The plugin settings need a user with the
manage_woocommercecapability, such as an Administrator or Shop Manager. - WordPress REST API. The settings screens load through the REST API (
/wp-json/gens-raf/v1/). Security plugins that block the REST API for logged-in users leave the settings page blank. - WP-Cron. The reminder email is scheduled with WP-Cron. If WP-Cron is disabled, make sure a real server cron job runs
wp-cron.php. - Working email. Coupon emails are sent through WooCommerce. Use an SMTP or email delivery plugin so they don’t land in spam.
Supported WooCommerce features
| Feature | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) | Yes | Declared compatible. |
| Block cart and checkout | Yes | Use 4.4.7 or later. |
Classic [woocommerce_checkout] shortcode |
Yes | |
| WooCommerce Subscriptions | Yes | Requires a payment gateway that supports changing recurring totals. See Subscription renewal issues. |
| Custom checkout plugins (CheckoutWC, FunnelKit, CartFlows) | Usually | They replace parts of checkout. See Known compatibility issues. |
| WordPress multisite | Yes, with limits | Referral codes are shared across the network. Coupons are per site. |
| Currency switchers | Partly | Reward amounts are set in your base currency. |
What the plugin does not do
- It doesn’t pay cash or commissions. Rewards are WooCommerce coupons. If you need payouts, you need an affiliate plugin.
- It doesn’t let customers choose their own referral code. Codes are generated as
refplus seven digits. An admin can change a code by hand. - It doesn’t share to Instagram, because Instagram has no web share link. Customers can copy their link instead.