Top 12 GRIN Alternatives in 2025: Features & Pricing Comparison

Influencer marketing has become a go-to channel, both for an emerging DTC brand and an established e-commerce brand. Creators have become the solution to increasing ad costs and BigTech algorithms, enabling brands to reduce their overall CAC by not spending on expensive video production and advertising.

In order for brands to seamlessly build and manage influencer programs, they rely on specialized tools and platforms to scale their influencer marketing efforts without getting bogged down in manual processes. One such platform is GRIN, a tool that helps brands and agencies streamline their influencer programs by offering influencer discovery, relationship management, and campaign tracking features.

While GRIN has established itself as a strong platform for managing influencer partnerships and campaign performance, many brands are searching for alternatives that better align with their needs. Let's explore the top 12 GRIN alternatives, but first, let's dive into why brands are looking beyond GRIN.

Drawbacks and Limitations of GRIN:

1. Toxic contracts and terrible support: Locked-in agreements with little flexibility, making it difficult to switch or cancel.
2. Onboarding is long and takes forever to train the team: A complex setup process with minimal guidance, leading to a steep learning curve.
3. Software is clunky and not easy to use: Slow, outdated interface that frustrates users and reduces efficiency.
4. Limited features and hidden fees, constant upselling: Essential tools locked behind paywalls, forcing unexpected upgrades.
5. Bugs and issues are not addressed: Frequent glitches disrupt workflows, with slow or no resolutions from support.
6. Very common to hear you used it for 4 months and didn't use it after, still had to pay: Rigid contracts keep brands locked in, even if they stop using the platform.
7. Can't search for Instagram influencers anymore: Key functionality removed, making influencer discovery more difficult.

GRIN Alternatives: All Tools At A Glance:

1. SARAL

Who Should Use This?

Ecommerce and DTC Brands of all sizes. Influencer Marketing Agencies of any scale. We developed this platform for influencer managers, CMOs, and CEOs/Founders. Anyone can use it and build your ambassador programs.

Pricing:

Starter: $12K/year. Suitable for those starting with influencer marketing.

Business: $15K/year. Suitable for those scaling your influencer programs.

Professional: $25K/year. Suitable to streamline your at-scale influencer programs.

Can’t pay the full amount upfront? No worries, we also offer quarterly and bi-annual plans.

Free Trial? Yes.

Key Features:

1. Find Influencers: Easily discover creators across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. SARAL offers in-depth metrics, audience demographics, and contact details to help you connect with the best influencers for your brand.
2. Streamline Outreach: Automate personalized outreach campaigns at scale, saving time while maintaining genuine engagement.
3. Influencer Management: Build and nurture long-term relationships with creators by managing all affiliates, brand ambassadors, and influencers in one intuitive CRM.
4. Track Sales: Generate affiliate links, discount codes, and UTM links to accurately measure each influencer’s impact on your sales.
5. Track UGC: Utilize SARAL’s social listening tool to automatically track influencer-generated content (UGC), ensuring you never miss key mentions or engagement opportunities.
6. Ecommerce Integrations: Seamlessly connect your Shopify, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, and PayPal accounts to streamline influencer program management.
7. Built-in Automations: Simplify repetitive tasks like product shipping, follow-ups, post tracking, and influencer performance monitoring with SARAL’s automation features.

Customer Case Studies:

1. Learn how Heart & Soil built brand awareness with influencers and saved hours on influencer discovery.
2. Learn how Nooma built a diverse influencer portfolio and streamlined influencer management with SARAL.
3. Learn how Augmentum turned influencer seeding into growth engine for their clients with SARAL.

Pros:

1. Intuitive Interface built for seeding/ambassador programs.
2. Built-in CRM To Manage Influencer Relationships.
3. Hand Held Onboarding and Monthly Reviews of Performance With Our Success Team
4. Saves Time With Built-In Automations.
5. 24/7 Customer Support.
6. No Percentage Cut From Your Affiliate Commissions.
7. Influencer Search Engine with access to 100M+ Creators.
8. Friendly Contracts & Dynamic Pricing for eCommerce Brands of All Sizes.

Cons:

1. Not A Creator Marketplace or a Limited Database.
2. Not Suitable For Passive Affiliate Programs.
3. Not Suitable For Influencer Whitelisting.
4. Not Suitable To Track Conversions From Creator’s Ads.

User Reviews on G2:

GRIN Vs. SARAL:

If you want to partner up with large influencers with a big collaboration budget, then GRIN is a solid choice. But if you want a simpler, more intuitive way to find the right influencers quickly, reach out with personalized messages that get real responses, and manage collaborations without unnecessary complexity. In that case, SARAL is the better choice. Plus, unlike GRIN, SARAL lets you find influencers on Instagram. No hidden fees and constant upsells.

Book a consultative call today to see if SARAL can help you.

2. Aspire

Who Should Use This?

Enterprise brands looking for advanced tools to manage large campaigns and companies with big marketing budgets looking for a premium, feature-rich platform.

Pricing?

They have 3 plans: Essentials, Pro, and Enterprise. The average cost is about $31,000 annually. Custom plans will be provided only after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Campaign Analytics.
7. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Influencer Management
2. Ease Of Use
3. Metrics Tracking
4. Customer Support

Cons:

1. Poor influencer database & discovery issues
2. Difficult onboarding and UI issues
3. Expensive and requires long contracts
4. Lack of flexibility in influencer partnerships
5. Hidden costs and upsells
6. Limited integrations and workflow automation

User Review on G2:

GRIN Vs. Aspire:

Choose GRIN if you prefer expert-led influencer discovery, need Ecommerce integrations, and custom reporting. Choose Aspire if you need agency support, need affiliate integrations, focus on affiliate partnerships, and want to search beyond Instagram. But, remember, both come at hefty annual contracts.

3. CreatorIQ

Who Should Use This?

Global eCommerce Brands and Enterprise brands having large influencer marketing budgets with large teams.

Pricing:

While specific pricing details are not publicly disclosed, reports suggest that plans typically start at approximately $2,350 per month with an annual commitment, totaling around $28,200 per year. Other sources indicate that pricing may begin at $36,000 per year, depending on the selected features and services.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. 20M Creators in its database.
2. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
3. Influencer Collaboration.
4. UGC & Campaign Management.
5. Influencer Whitelisting.
6. Influencer Compensation.
7. Reporting & Dashboards.
8. Social Commerce. Integrations with social platforms APIs.
9. Heavy Data Analytics.
10. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Influencer Management.
2. Campaign Management.
3. Ease of Use.
4. Detailed Information
5. Customer Support.

Cons:

1. Technical Issues.
2. Complexity. Very hard and clunky interface to use.
3. Very Expensive Annual Contracts.
4. Inaccurate data of some of the creators and their audiences.
5. Creator Issues. Certain analytics may not exist for all the creators or be outdated.

User Review on G2:

GRIN Vs. CreatorIQ:

Choose CreatorIQ if you are a large enterprise with a large budget for influencer marketing and require campaign performance forecasting & customized reports. But, if you are an emerging brand with a medium budget for influencer marketing and require the basic features to build and manage an influencer program, then GRIN is a better choice.

4. Upfluence

Who Should Use This?

Medium to large businesses, especially e-commerce brands, marketing agencies, and enterprises that run high-volume influencer campaigns.

Pricing:

Basic Packages: Some reports indicate that the platform can start as low as $478/month for smaller-scale businesses or more limited feature sets.

Enterprise Packages: For larger businesses or those needing more advanced features, the pricing can go up to $2,000/month or more.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Creator + Blogger Database.
2. Influencer Recruitment, Scoring, & Segmentation.
3. Influencer Collaboration.
4. UGC & Campaign Management.
5. Influencer Whitelisting.
6. Influencer Compensation.
7. Reporting & Dashboards.
8. Campaign Analytics.
9. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Campaign Management
2. Ease of Use.
3. Influencer Management
4. Customer Support
5. Easy Integrations

Cons:

1. Audience Analysis is Limited.
2. Poor Customer Support.
3. Inaccuracies in Creator Data.
4. Locked-in Contracts Despite Early Dissatisfaction.
5. Lack of Clarity regarding pricing.

User Review on G2:

GRIN vs Upfluence:

Choose Upfluence if you need influencers on other platforms like Pinterest, Twitch, Twitter, and require in-depth features to manage negotiations and track EMV, Views, Reach, and Clicks. Choose GRIN if you need to find influencers on TikTok and YouTube only and require the basic features of running and managing an influencer program.

5. Later

Who Should Use This?

Global/Enterprise Brands running high-volume influencer and customer loyalty campaigns.

Pricing:

No set prices. Custom pricing plans will be provided upon request after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Customer Loyalty Engine.
5. Influencer Compensation.
6. Reporting & Dashboards.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.
9. Social Commerce.

Pros:

1. Ease of Use.
2. Influencer Management.
3. Campaign Management.
4. Communication.
5. Customer Support.

Cons:

1. Creator Database is Very Small.
2. Technical Issues.
3. Bug Issues.
4. Technical Complexity.
5. Poor User Interface.

User Review on G2:

GRIN vs Later:

Choose Later Influence for stronger influencer discovery and recruitment, especially if you need social media scheduling tools and broader marketing integrations. If your focus is only on streamlining influencer management and automating tasks after influencer selection, GRIN is the better fit, offering good customer support and various e-commerce integrations for e-commerce brands.

6. Meltwater

Who should use this?

Large ecommerce brands or marketing agencies of any scale.

Pricing:

There are three plans: Essentials, Suite, and Enterprise. All of which will be provided upon request after a demo call.

Free trial? No.

Key features:

1. Influencer Identification
2. Custom Reports
3. Dashboards
4. Keyword Targeting
5. Custom Feeds and Alerts
6. Social Measurement
7. Reporting
8. Sentiment Analysis
9. Media Channel Coverage
10. Geographic Coverage

Pros:

1. Influencer discovery
2. Comprehensive analytics.
3. Reporting Functionality
4. Influencer Data

Cons:

1. Very complex to use.
2. Social Media Reauthentication Issues
3. Technical Glitches
4. Manual Search for Micro-Influencers

User Review on G2:

GRIN Vs. Meltwater:

Choose Meltwater for a comprehensive social media intelligence platform with social listening and AI-driven insights at a lower price. If you're an e-commerce brand focused on influencer marketing only, then Grin is the better choice, offering strong CRM and influencer management features tailored for influencer marketing.

7. Tagger Media(Now Sprout Social)

Who Should Use This?

Large-sized eCommerce brands and influencer marketing agencies that work with large-sized brands.

Pricing:

No public pricing or monthly plans are available. All prices will be provided upon request after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Monitoring.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Influencer Discovery
2. Ease Of Use
3. Customer Support
4. User Interface

Cons:

1. Influencer Management
2. Search Functionality Issues
3. Takes Weeks To Set it up.
4. Creator Issues
5. Training Your Team Takes Time.

User Review on G2:

GRIN Vs. Tagger:

Choose Tagger Media for a data-driven approach with strong influencer discovery, social listening, and seamless integration with Sprout Social’s social media tools. If you're focused on managing influencer relationships and streamlining campaign execution only, then Grin is the better choice, offering social CRM, influencer management, and automation features tailored for influencer marketing.

8. Captiv8

Who should use this?

Large-sized eCommerce brands and marketing agencies with larger marketing budgets running high-volume influencer campaigns.

Pricing:

Reports have said that basic plans start from $2000/month with a commitment period of 6 months. Custom pricing plans will be provided after a demo call.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Influencer whitelisting.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.
9. Ecommerce Integrations
10. Social Commerce

Pros:

1. Track hashtags and locations for better discovery.
2. Hourly post analysis suggests the best time to post.
3. AI tags and categorizes influencers for precise results.
4. Campaign Management

Cons:

1. Limited onboarding makes learning slower.
2. New features launch with little guidance.
3. Data Inaccuracy
4. Technical Issues

User Review on G2:

GRIN vs. Captiv8:

Choose GRIN for influencer relationship management and campaign execution, especially for e-commerce brands. However, Captiv8 is the better choice if you need more customization, stronger influencer recruitment, deeper audience insights, and influencer whitelisting.

9. Traackr

Who Should Use This?

Large Enterprise Brands, Brands Focused on Influencer Spend Compliance, Agencies Managing Enterprise Clients, and Data-Driven Marketing Teams.

Pricing:

Growth Plan - $25K/year, Standard Plan - $32K/year, Plus Plan - $55K/year.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Whitelisting.
5. Influencer Compensation.
6. Reporting & Dashboards.
7. Social Commerce.
8. Data Analytics.
9. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Ease of Use.
2. Influencer Management.
3. Campaign Management.
4. Detailed Influencer Data.
5. Metrics Tracking.

Cons:

1. Slow Loading.
2. Inaccurate Influencer Data.
3. Automated Influencer Outreach Isn’t Possible.
4. Search Functionality Issues.
5. Clunky and Hard To Use.

User Review on G2:

GRIN vs Traackr:

Choose GRIN for a user-friendly platform that streamlines influencer outreach, campaign management, and UGC approval, making it a strong fit for direct-to-consumer brands. However, if you need deeper analytics, benchmark reporting, and extensive influencer research with a large budget, Traackr is the better choice, offering stronger discovery tools and a more data-driven approach to influencer marketing.

10. Shopify Collabs(formerly Dovetale)

Who Should Use This?

Small-to-medium-sized eCommerce businesses, exclusively Shopify merchants new to influencer and affiliate marketing.

Pricing:

Shopify Collabs is free for both merchants and creators to use. The only cost is a 2.9% fee on automated payments for sales driven through creator collaborations.

Free Trial? Yes.

Key Features:

1. Creator Marketplace.
2. Creator Management.
3. Creator Performance Tracking.
4. Affiliate Payments.

Pros:

1. Easier Access to Influencers
2. Simple Management
3. Automated Payments & Tracking
4. Creator Recruitment
5. Ideal For New Brands

Cons:

1. Restricted Marketplace Network
2. Not Suitable for Long-Term Influencer Seeding/Ambassador Programs
3. Bulk Email Outreach Isn’t Possible
4. Limited Features
5. Unresponsive Customer Support

User Review on G2:

GRIN vs Dovetale:

Choose GRIN for managing influencer relationships and campaign execution, particularly for larger brands with big budgets needing outreach and content management. However, Dovetale is the better choice if you are a new brand and require ease of use, more intuitive influencer recruitment, and need instant UGC for marketing campaigns.

11. Social Native

Who Should Use This?

Enterprise brands looking to scale content (UGC) and Content Creators Looking for Brand Collaborations.

Pricing:

Undisclosed. Custom plans will be provided after a demo call.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Campaign Management
2. Influencer Discovery
3. Influencer Relationship Management
4. Reporting/Analytics
5. Engagement Tracking
6. UGC Collection
7. Social Media Integration
8. ROI Tracking

Pros:

1. UGC Focused
2. AI Automation
3. Content Management
4. Serves brands as well as creators.

Cons:

1. Restricted Marketplace Network
2. Not Suitable for Long-Term Influencer Seeding/Ambassador Programs
3. Complex to use.
4. Limited Customization.

User Review on G2:

GRIN vs Social Native:

Choose Social Native for UGC creation, short-form video, and strong creator discovery, helping brands generate and deploy authentic social content across multiple channels. GRIN, on the other hand, is ideal for managing influencer relationships, campaign execution, and content collection, making it a strong choice for e-commerce brands focused on long-term partnerships.

12. Creator.co

Who Should Use This?

Small brands seeking automated influencer collaborations, quick campaigns, and a hands-off approach. It suits businesses prioritizing convenience over customization and fast content over long-term partnerships.

Pricing:

Starts from $495/mo and goes up to $3995/month with additional add-ons.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Marketplace for Recruitment and Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Whitelisting.
5. Influencer Compensation.
6. Reporting & Dashboards.
7. Social Commerce.
8. Data Analytics.
9. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. In-Depth Influencer Data
2. UGC Licensing
3. Campaign Management
4. Affiliate Marketing Integrations

Cons:

1. Expensive Onboarding fees
2. Disorganized Creator Opt-ins
3. Complex to use.
4. Connection Issues

User Review on G2:

GRIN Vs. Creator.co:

Choose Creator.co for an instant UGC influencer collaboration, advanced campaign analytics, and deeper insights into performance. However, choose GRIN if your priority is finding and managing long-term influencer partnerships with easy data exporting, making it a better fit for brands building long-term influencer programs.

Which Platform To Choose?

If you're considering GRIN alternatives, the key is finding a tool that aligns with your budget, resources, and campaign goals. Different platforms serve different needs: CreatorIQ, Later, and GRIN are ideal for managing high-volume influencer campaigns with larger budgets, while Shopify Collabs and Upfluence work well for brands starting out with limited budgets. However, there’s also a third, more balanced option to explore.

You can use SARAL, which has one of the largest influencer search engines(100M+), bulk outreach automation tools, influencer management features, social listening, and advanced reporting & analytics tools, making it an excellent choice to launch and scale your influencer marketing efforts at a brand-friendly pricing.

Reading is great, but action brings bigger rewards. Book a call to see if SARAL is a fit.