Referral Program for Open Source Projects
Open source projects with paid Cloud or Enterprise tiers can run a referral program that rewards contributors, integrators, and 'Powered by' badge installers — all in one platform.
Works withOpen Source
What you get with Refgrow + Open Source
Everything you need to run a professional affiliate program on top of Open Source.
Track paid Cloud upgrades
Connect Stripe, Paddle, Polar, LemonSqueezy, or Dodo — whatever processes your paid Cloud or hosted tier. Refgrow attributes paid signups across long open-source funnels (often weeks from first GitHub star to paid).
Powered-by badge attribution
Pay contributors and integrators when their site's 'Powered by [your project]' badge drives a paid signup. Embed the tracking script in the badge link target so attribution is automatic.
Multi-tier for ecosystem partners
Reward integrators who recruit other integrators. Multi-tier commissions are the foundation of any growing OSS ecosystem program.
Wise payouts globally
OSS contributors are everywhere. Wise covers 70+ countries — pay contributors in any country natively without manual transfers.
Self-billing PDF invoices
OSS contributors often need formal invoices for tax purposes. Refgrow generates a self-billing PDF invoice per payout for clean accounting in any jurisdiction.
Public REST API
Embed referral data into your project's docs site, expose contributor-leaderboards in your dashboard, or integrate with GitHub for automated reward triggers.
Set up in 3 simple steps
Follow the provider connection, widget, and tracking steps for your program.
Connect your billing provider
Sign up for Refgrow and connect whatever processes your paid Cloud/Enterprise revenue (typically Stripe). Webhook is auto-configured.
Embed tracking in your site and Powered-by badge
Add the tracking script to your docs site and to the destination URL of your 'Powered by' badge so attribution captures every install-driven visit.
<script src="https://scripts.refgrowcdn.com/latest.js"
data-project-id="YOUR_PROJECT_ID"></script>The widget uses the refgrow container and page.js. The separate latest.js script records referral attribution; it does not render the dashboard. Provider webhooks or API events are still required to confirm paid conversions.
Define rewards and announce
Common pattern: 25% recurring on the Cloud subscription for the first 12 months, $50 flat for self-hosted Enterprise license referrals. Announce in your changelog and Discord.
Verify before you invite partners
After connecting Open Source, open a referral link in a fresh browser session and complete your test checkout. Check that the customer, sale, and commission appear in your workspace.
Attribution must reach checkout through the supported referral parameter, metadata, coupon, or email flow for your integration. Adding a tracking script alone does not connect every custom checkout.
Read the tracking guideProgram overview
How tracking works
Refgrow attributes referrals across the long open-source path from GitHub star to paid Cloud signup via server-side webhooks:
Contributor shares link or installs Powered-by badge
Direct share or organic via a 'Powered by' badge on a downstream user's site. Each referral source is captured.
Visitor explores docs and self-hosted
Free GitHub usage is invisible to billing, but Refgrow's email-based attribution stores the referral against any sign-up email captured along the funnel.
Visitor upgrades to paid Cloud or Enterprise
Your billing provider's webhook fires. Refgrow matches the paid customer's email back to the original referrer, even if it's months later.
Commission calculated
Per your rules: recurring on Cloud, flat on Enterprise license. Multi-tier kicks in for ecosystem partners who recruited the contributor.
Contributor gets paid
PayPal or Wise auto-payout. Self-billing PDF invoice generated for tax-clean accounting on both sides.
Why SaaS founders choose Refgrow
Zero transaction fees
Flat pricing from $29/mo. No percentage of your revenue, ever.
Embedded in your product
Your affiliate dashboard can live inside your app, with a hosted portal available when partners need a standalone page.
Guided setup
Connect your payment provider, add the widget, and verify tracking before launch.
Multi-provider support
Works with Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, and Dodo Payments.
Automated payouts
Pay affiliates automatically via PayPal or Wise when thresholds are met.
Fraud protection
Built-in detection for self-referrals, duplicate conversions, and suspicious patterns.
Partner Network
Opt your program into the Partner Network so relevant affiliates can discover it and choose whether to accept an invitation.
9 languages
Widget supports English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Ready to grow with affiliates?
Start your 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. Connect Open Source and verify your affiliate tracking before launch.