Overview

Cello is referral software for businesses building partner or user referral programs. It is best suited to teams that need referral tracking, fraud controls, and reward payouts, with plans that scale by campaign count, partner volume, or referral ARR.

Key features

Referral links and codes give teams two ways to attribute referrals. Fraud controls address abuse, while PayPal and Venmo payouts support participant rewards. Unlimited referrals are included across the plans, so the practical constraints are campaign and partner caps or, on Grow and Scale, referral ARR ceilings.

For a small partner program, the Free tier's one-campaign and five-transacting-partner limits are restrictive but allow a team to start without a subscription. Plus raises the caps to three campaigns and 25 partners; Pro allows 10 campaigns and 100 partners. Grow and Scale include all features and integrations, with ARR ceilings of $50K and $100K respectively. Teams that outgrow those boundaries can consider the enterprise plans, which remove specific limits rather than offering a single uncapped tier.

Pricing

Cello is freemium, and its paid plans are billed monthly. Free is free and includes unlimited referrals, one partner campaign, and five transacting partners. It is appropriate for a small pilot, but the low partner allowance limits its usefulness for a program with several active partners.

Plus costs $80.00 USD per month for unlimited referrals, three partner campaigns, and 25 transacting partners. This is the lowest-priced paid option and suits a modest program that needs more than the free caps. Pro costs $280.00 USD per month and increases capacity to 10 campaigns and 100 partners, while retaining unlimited referrals. Its higher price is best justified when both campaign and partner ceilings on Plus are too low.

Grow costs $200.00 USD per month and includes up to $50K referral ARR, unlimited referrals, all integrations, and all features. Scale costs $750.00 USD per month with the same inclusions and a $100K referral ARR ceiling. These plans make more sense for teams prioritizing the stated feature and integration set with a defined ARR range; the price jump to Scale is substantial, so it fits only when the higher ceiling matters.

User Referrals Enterprise has custom pricing, unlimited referral ARR, unlimited referrals, and custom SLAs. Partner Referrals Enterprise also has custom pricing and offers unlimited referrals, campaigns, and partners. Choose between them according to whether the binding constraint is user-referral ARR or partner-program capacity. The Free and Plus plans are narrower alternatives to the higher-priced options, not equivalent feature sets: only Grow and Scale explicitly include all features and integrations.

Platforms

Cello is available on Android, iOS, and the web, giving participants mobile and browser access.

Who it's for

Cello is a reasonable fit for businesses that want referral links and codes, fraud controls, and PayPal or Venmo rewards under one service. Small teams can start with the free partner plan, while programs with more campaigns or partners can move to Plus or Pro. Teams with higher referral ARR or a need to remove partner-program caps should assess the relevant enterprise plan. It is less suited to buyers who need broad capacity at the free tier or who cannot justify monthly fees as their program grows.

Pros and cons

Pros

Unlimited referrals across the plans, so the listed tiers distinguish capacity by campaigns, partners, or ARR rather than referral count.
Referral links, codes, fraud controls, and PayPal or Venmo payouts cover key parts of referral attribution and rewards.
Android, iOS, and web support gives the service reach across mobile and browser platforms.

Cons

The free plan is capped at one campaign and five transacting partners, limiting it to small programs.
Paid partner capacity increases in steps, from three campaigns and 25 partners on Plus to 10 and 100 on Pro; larger programs need custom-priced enterprise plans.
Grow and Scale have materially higher monthly prices than Plus and Pro, and each still has a referral ARR ceiling.

Alternatives

For another referral-marketing option, browse Referral Marketing Software.

GrowSurf is worth comparing if a free plan with five affiliate programs and a 3% success fee better matches your economics.
ReferralHero offers a free forever plan capped at 25 subscribers, with PRO features included and ReferralHero branding; consider it if that free allowance suits your needs.
Referrals.com has a free plan for one brand and 20 participants per campaign, making it an option when those campaign limits fit.
99minds Referral starts with 50 transactions, one campaign, and one integration on its free plan; consider it if transaction-based limits suit your program.
Mention Me is another referral platform to compare.
Soreto has a free plan capped at 500 sales per month with limited sharing channels; it may fit a small program within those bounds.
LeadBounty has a free plan with one campaign and three referrals per campaign per month, a tighter starting point for a very small program.
RefRef offers a free cloud plan with unlimited programs and participants, making it a relevant comparison if those limits matter more than Cello's mobile availability.

Verdict

Choose Cello if your team needs referral attribution, fraud controls, and participant payouts, and can match its campaign, partner, or ARR limits to your program. Its free plan provides a low-risk start, while paid tiers offer a clear progression. Look elsewhere if you need higher capacity without moving to a substantial monthly fee or custom-priced enterprise plan.

	Cello	Usher
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$80/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	self-hosted, Web
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	80 /mo
Referral links	Yes	Yes
Referral codes	Yes	Yes
Reward payouts	PayPal, Venmo	ETH, MATIC, custom tokens, NFTs, cryptocurrency
Fraud controls	Yes	Yes
Participant limit	5 participants

Cello vs Usher

Cello

Usher