Cello

Cello is referral software for running partner campaigns and tracking referrals. It supports referral links and codes, fraud controls, and reward payouts through PayPal and Venmo. Its plans vary by campaign and transacting-partner limits: Free includes unlimited referrals, one partner campaign, and five transacting partners; Plus includes three campaigns and 25 partners; Pro includes 10 campaigns and 100 partners. Plus costs $80 a month, and Pro costs $280 a month. Grow costs $200 a month and includes unlimited referrals, all integrations, all features, and up to $50K referral ARR. Scale costs $750 a month and has the same listed inclusions with up to $100K referral ARR. Separate enterprise options are also listed. User Referrals Enterprise has unlimited referral ARR and custom SLAs; Partner Referrals Enterprise includes unlimited partner campaigns and unlimited partners. Cello is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its listed paid plans start at $80 a month, while a free plan is also available.

Cello covers referral tracking, partner campaigns, fraud controls, and payouts, with plan limits scaling by campaign and partner count. Its free plan is limited to one campaign and five transacting partners; paid plans start at $80 a month.

Cello may suit businesses that want to track referrals through partner campaigns and offer rewards through PayPal or Venmo. The plan limits can help teams choose based on campaign and transacting-partner counts.

Overview

Cello is referral software for businesses managing partner or user-referral programs, combining referral links and codes with fraud controls and reward payouts through PayPal or Venmo. It is best suited to teams that want referral volume left uncapped while choosing a plan around campaign count, transacting partners, or referral ARR. The free tier makes a small program possible, but its five-partner ceiling is restrictive.

Key features

Referral links and codes provide two ways to attribute referrals, while fraud controls address abuse and PayPal and Venmo give teams two payout channels. Unlimited referrals are included across the listed plans, so the meaningful limits are elsewhere: partner campaign count and transacting partners on the lower tiers, and referral ARR on Grow and Scale.

Free allows one partner campaign and five transacting partners. That is enough room to start a tightly bounded program, not to expand across many partners. Plus raises the limits to three campaigns and 25 partners; Pro allows 10 campaigns and 100 partners. The higher Grow and Scale tiers include all integrations and features, with referral ARR ceilings of $50K and $100K. Partner Referrals Enterprise removes campaign and partner limits, while User Referrals Enterprise allows unlimited referral ARR and adds custom SLAs.

Pricing

Cello is freemium, and its paid plans are billed monthly. Free costs nothing and includes unlimited referrals, one partner campaign, and five transacting partners. It is the lowest-cost way to operate a small partner program, but the partner cap makes it a short runway for growth.

Plus costs $80 a month for unlimited referrals, three campaigns, and 25 transacting partners. It fits a modest program that needs more than the free tier's single campaign and five partners. Pro costs $280 a month and raises those limits to 10 campaigns and 100 partners, a better match for teams running several campaigns or managing a broader partner base.

Grow costs $200 a month, includes all integrations and features, unlimited referrals, and supports up to $50K referral ARR. Scale costs $750 a month and raises the ARR ceiling to $100K, with the same listed inclusion of all integrations and features. The lower ARR ceiling makes Grow the more restrained choice; Scale is for programs that need more headroom. The two enterprise plans have custom pricing: Partner Referrals Enterprise offers unlimited campaigns and partners, while User Referrals Enterprise offers unlimited referral ARR and custom SLAs. Their distinct limits make the right choice depend on whether the business needs partner-program capacity or user-referral revenue flexibility.

Platforms

Cello supports Android, iOS, and web, giving teams access across mobile and browser platforms.

Who it's for

Cello suits businesses that want referral tracking, fraud controls, and payouts in one service, particularly when unlimited referral volume matters more than a low per-plan cap. A small operation can begin on Free, but teams expecting to exceed five transacting partners should plan for Plus or higher. It is less compelling for a program that needs broad partner capacity at no monthly cost.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Unlimited referrals across the listed plans avoid a referral-volume quota as the primary upgrade trigger.
• Pro: Links, codes, fraud controls, and PayPal or Venmo payouts cover core referral-program needs in one service.
• Con: Free is limited to one campaign and five transacting partners, so even a small increase in partner activity requires a paid tier.
• Con: Grow and Scale have referral ARR ceilings, and uncapped enterprise options use custom pricing.

Alternatives

Browse Referral Marketing Software for more options. Choose GrowSurf if its free plan's 3% success fee, five affiliate programs, and allowance of up to 1,000,000 participants suit a program better than Cello's campaign and partner caps. ReferralHero is worth considering when a free plan with up to 25 subscribers and all PRO features included is a better fit, though its free tier carries ReferralHero branding.

Extole is an option for current Extole customers and merchants generating less than $10M in revenue. The Referral Network (RefNet) is built and supported by TOMM Corp. SaaSquatch is another paid referral-software option. Friendbuy uses a custom annual license sized to revenue band. InviteReferrals may suit teams seeking a paid monthly plan with three campaigns and one account member in its BASIC tier. Talkable is another paid option, with a Light plan described as a flat monthly fee and a limited managed launch path.

Verdict

Choose Cello if your team needs referral links and codes, fraud controls, and PayPal or Venmo payouts, and can match its monthly partner and ARR limits to your program. Its unlimited referrals and clear tier progression are the main reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if five partners are too few for a free trial of your program, or if you need higher-scale capacity without moving to custom-priced enterprise terms.