Tolt vs refVenue: Affiliate Platform Comparison 2025
Detailed comparison of Tolt (formerly Lemon Squeezy Affiliates) vs refVenue. Compare pricing, features, and find the best affiliate platform for your business.
Tolt vs refVenue: Which Affiliate Platform Wins?
Choosing between Tolt and refVenue for your affiliate marketing needs? This in-depth comparison covers everything from pricing and features to ease of use and scalability.
At a Glance
| Feature | Tolt | refVenue |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $59/month | $10/month |
| Free Plan | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (1 program) |
| Unlimited Affiliates | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Programs Included | 1-3 depending on plan | 5 on starter, unlimited on Pro |
| Transaction Fees | 0% | 0% |
| Stripe Integration | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Custom Domains | $99+/month | $99/month (Pro) |
| API Access | $159+/month | $99/month (Pro) |
| Fraud Detection | Basic | Advanced AI-powered |
| Setup Complexity | Medium | Easy (5 min) |
| Open Source | ❌ No | ✅ Self-hosting available |
Pricing Deep Dive
Tolt Pricing Structure
- Starter: $59/month - 1 program, basic features
- Growth: $99/month - 3 programs, more features
- Business: $159/month - Unlimited programs
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
refVenue Pricing Structure
- FREE: $0/month - 1 program, 10 affiliates
- STARTER: $10/month - 5 programs, unlimited affiliates
- PRO: $99/month - Unlimited programs, all features, lifetime option
- Enterprise: Custom solutions
Cost Savings with refVenue:
- Save $49/month on starter tier = $588/year
- Get 5 programs instead of 1 on entry-level
- Free plan for testing and MVPs
Feature-by-Feature Analysis
Dashboard & Analytics
Tolt
- Clean, modern interface
- Basic analytics
- Affiliate performance metrics
- Export capabilities
refVenue
- Intuitive, real-time dashboard
- Advanced analytics with visualizations
- Performance tracking per affiliate/program
- Custom date ranges and filters
- Export to CSV/Excel
- Revenue forecasting
Winner: refVenue - More comprehensive analytics and better data visualization.
Affiliate Management
Tolt
- Manual affiliate approval
- Basic affiliate portal
- Email notifications
- Commission structures
refVenue
- Automated or manual approval
- White-label affiliate portal
- Real-time notifications
- Flexible commission structures
- 2-tier affiliate support
- Bulk affiliate operations
- Quality score tracking
Winner: refVenue - More automation and flexibility.
Tracking & Attribution
Tolt
- Cookie-based tracking
- First-touch attribution
- Basic conversion tracking
- 30-day cookie window
refVenue
- Advanced cookie tracking
- Multi-touch attribution options
- Purchase and signup tracking
- Customizable cookie duration
- Coupon code tracking
- Referral link tracking
- Visitor fingerprinting
Winner: refVenue - More sophisticated tracking options.
Payment Processing
Tolt
- Stripe integration
- Monthly payouts
- Manual payout review
- Basic payment history
refVenue
- Stripe Connect
- Flexible payout schedules
- Automated payout processing
- Comprehensive payment analytics
- Minimum payout thresholds
- Multiple currencies
- Payment method flexibility
Winner: refVenue - More payment automation and flexibility.
Integrations
Tolt
- Stripe
- Lemon Squeezy native
- Webhooks
- Limited third-party integrations
refVenue
- Stripe native integration
- REST API
- Webhooks
- Zapier (coming soon)
- Custom integrations
- Developer-friendly documentation
Winner: refVenue - Better API and more integration options.
Security & Fraud Prevention
Tolt
- SSL encryption
- Basic fraud monitoring
- Manual review process
- IP tracking
refVenue
- Enterprise-grade security
- AI-powered fraud detection
- Automated quality scoring
- IP quality verification
- Disposable email detection
- Self-referral prevention
- Impossible travel detection
- Real-time fraud alerts
Winner: refVenue - Significantly better fraud prevention.
Scalability & Performance
Tolt
- Handles medium-scale operations
- Plan upgrades required for growth
- Limited by program count
- Cloud-hosted only
refVenue
- Built for scale from day one
- Generous limits on all plans
- Unlimited affiliates on all paid plans
- Self-hosting option for enterprises
- API rate limits scale with plan
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Winner: refVenue - Better scalability and deployment options.
Developer Experience
Tolt
- REST API (higher tiers)
- Basic documentation
- Webhooks
- Limited SDK support
refVenue
- Comprehensive REST API
- Detailed documentation
- Webhooks with retry logic
- Open-source option
- TypeScript SDK
- Code examples
- Postman collection
Winner: refVenue - Better developer tools and documentation.
Support & Resources
Tolt
- Email support
- Help center
- Community forum
- 24-48 hour response time
refVenue
- Email support (12-24h response)
- Live chat (Pro plan)
- Comprehensive docs
- Video tutorials
- Migration assistance
- Priority support on Pro
- Dedicated account manager (Enterprise)
Winner: refVenue - Faster support and more resources.
Best Use Cases
Choose Tolt if:
- You're already using Lemon Squeezy for payments
- You need specific Tolt-exclusive integrations
- You prefer their specific UX design
Choose refVenue if:
- You want the most affordable solution
- You need advanced fraud prevention
- You want more programs on lower tiers
- You need a free plan to test
- You value modern UI/UX
- You need API access without enterprise pricing
- You want self-hosting capabilities
- You need better scalability
Migration from Tolt to refVenue
Thinking of switching? Here's what you need to know:
- Data Export: Export your affiliate data from Tolt
- Import to refVenue: Use our CSV import tool
- Update Tracking: Replace Tolt tracking code with refVenue
- Notify Affiliates: Send transition emails (we provide templates)
- Go Live: Typically complete in 1-2 hours
Migration Support: Our team provides free migration assistance for all Pro plan customers.
The Verdict
While Tolt is a decent affiliate platform, refVenue offers superior value, features, and pricing for most businesses in 2025.
Why refVenue Wins:
- ✅ 83% cheaper starting price ($10 vs $59)
- ✅ Free plan for testing
- ✅ 5x more programs on starter plan
- ✅ Advanced AI fraud prevention
- ✅ Better API access at lower price
- ✅ Faster setup (5 minutes)
- ✅ Self-hosting option
- ✅ Better developer experience
By the Numbers:
- Save $588/year on the starter tier
- 5 programs vs 1 on entry-level
- FREE testing before committing
- Enterprise fraud prevention at all levels
Start Your Affiliate Program Today
Ready to build a better affiliate program? Try refVenue free and see why businesses are making the switch.
Common Questions
Can I import my affiliates from Tolt? Yes! We support CSV import and provide migration tools to bring your affiliate data from Tolt seamlessly.
How long does migration take? Most businesses complete the migration in 1-2 hours. Our support team is available to help throughout the process.
Will my affiliate links break during migration? Not if you plan properly. We provide redirect strategies to ensure continuity.
Is there a free trial? Better than a trial - we offer a completely free plan with 1 program and 10 affiliates. No credit card required.
What happens to my historical data? All historical data can be imported into refVenue, preserving your performance history and reporting.