SARAL Vs. Shopify Collabs: Features & Pricing Comparison

In today’s day and age of eCommerce, influencer marketing isn’t just a marketing channel to keep a backlog for future marketing experiments. It’s become a go-to channel for a brand of any size.

With the rise of ad costs, brands are turning to influencer marketing to drive brand awareness and acquire new customers. But, to make it happen, brands turn to influencer marketing tools to find, onboard, and manage all their influencers automating away the manual tasks.

Among these are Shopify Collabs and SARAL, two tools helping eCommerce brands manage influencer programs. In this blog, we’ll talk about how each tool’s capabilities, key features, pricing, user reviews, pros, and cons so that you can come to a decision on which one to choose.

1. SARAL

SARAL is a simple, affordable, and user-friendly influencer marketing tool built for eCommerce brands of all sizes. With SARAL, you actually systemize your influencer marketing efforts, which is what gets you results. We don't do unfair annual contracts, or have a month-long onboarding process.

If you're still using Google Sheets or some other tool to manage influencers, you're wasting hours each week on stuff that does not move the needle. You can use SARAL to automate the boring work and make some real money with influencers.

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:

SARAL offers flexible quarterly pricing to suit different stages of your influencer marketing journey:

• Starter: $3.6k per quarter. Ideal for those just beginning to explore influencer marketing.
• Business: $4.5K per quarter. Well-suited for businesses looking to expand their existing influencer programs.
• Professional: $7.5K per quarter. Designed to help streamline large-scale influencer initiatives.

Check out each plan in detail here.

Free Trial?

Yes, a free trial is available for you to explore SARAL's features once a call is complete. Try it out for yourself here.

Key Features:

1. Find Influencers: Quickly discover any creator on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. SARAL provides detailed metrics, audience demographic insights, and contact info to help you connect with the right influencers for your brand.
2. Streamline Outreach: Send personalized outreach campaigns at scale with our automated email drips feature & an AI-powered Inbox, saving time while ensuring authentic communication.
3. Influencer Management:  Build and nurture long-term  relationships by managing all your affiliates, brand ambassadors, and influencers in one beautiful CRM.
4. Track Sales: Create and share  affiliate links, discount codes, and see top performing influencer partners.
5. Track UGC: Use  SARAL’s social listening tool to automatically monitor influencer UGC, ensuring you never miss valuable mentions or opportunities to engage.
6. Ecommerce Integrations: You can connect your Shopify/WooCommerce/Klaviyo/Paypal accounts seamlessly.
7. Built-in Automations: Automate repetitive tasks like product shipping, follow-ups, product tracking, and tracking influencers’ posts

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.

💡How To Get Started?

Integrations & Compatibility:

1. Shopify
2. Magento
3. WooCommerce
4. Veeper
5. Klaviyo
6. Sendlane
7. PayPal Payouts
8. GoAffPro
9. Slack
10. Gmail

2. Shopify Collabs(formerly Dovetale)

Shopify Collabs (formerly Dovetale) is a marketplace-style app by Shopify that connects Shopify merchants with creators for affiliate & influencer partnerships. Brands can invite creators, share commission offers, and manage gifting, discount codes, and payments. Creators can find products, generate commission links, and apply to affiliate programs.

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.

💡How To Get Started?

To join the Collabs Network, you need to complete your profile, avoid running a dropshipping store (as they aren’t accepted), add at least one product with a set price in the settings, enable auto-payments (the only payout option), and generate at least $10,000 in sales over the past year. You need to install the app from the Shopify App Store before you can start using it.

Integrations & Compatibility:

• Checkout
• Shopify Flow
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Shopify Flow
• Klayvio
• Yotpo

Shopify Collabs Vs. SARAL - At A Glance

Getting authentic, high-converting UGC from influencers—without the high price tag is highly possible with the right tactics. Check out this FREE guide to learn proven strategies for sourcing cost-effective but authentic influencer content that feels real and drives tangible results.

SARAL - Pros & Cons

Pros:

1. Intuitive Interface – The UI is designed for easy influencer management and supports long-term seeding and ambassador programs.
2. Built-in CRM – SARAL includes a built-in CRM to manage all your influencer relationships in one place.
3. Expert Team for Customer Success – We hand-hold you through onboarding and provide monthly performance reviews with our success team.
4. Built-In Automations – Automate tasks like post-product shipment emails, discount code generation, and affiliate link creation to save time.
5. Customer Support – Our dedicated 24/7 support team is always available to assist you.
6. No Percentage Cut – We don’t take a share of your affiliate commissions—pay once and access all features with no hidden fees.
7. Influencer Search Engine – Find creators easily with access to 100M+ influencers across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
8. Friendly Contracts & Dynamic Pricing – We offer brand-friendly contracts and flexible pricing to fit your marketing budget.

Cons:

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

User Reviews of SARAL on G2

Shopify Collabs - Pros & Cons

Pros:

1. Easier Access to Influencers – You can find and connect with creators directly through the marketplace instead of searching for them on your own.
2. Simple Management – Everything from influencer discovery to tracking sales and paying commissions is handled in one place.
3. Automated Payments & Tracking – The platform automatically tracks affiliate sales and processes payments, saving you time.
4. Creator Recruitment – You can set up an application page where influencers can apply to work with your brand, making it easier to find the right people.
5. Ideal For New Brands: Shopify Collabs is a good choice if you’re a new Shopify brand getting started with influencer marketing.

Cons:

1. Restricted Marketplace Network – Collabs only includes signed-up creators, limiting partnerships and increasing the risk of working with overused influencers who promote competitors
2. Not Suitable for Long-Term Influencer Seeding/Ambassador Programs – Great for quick UGC but lacks features for building lasting relationships with influencers.
3. Bulk Email Outreach Isn’t Possible – No option to send or schedule mass outreach emails, making influencer recruitment more manual.
4. Limited Features – No guarantee influencers will fulfill commitments after receiving free products, and customization is restricted within Shopify.
5. Unresponsive Customer Support – Lacks a dedicated support team, making it harder to get personalized help.
6. Low Rated on Shopify App Store: Shopify Collabs is rated 3.3/5 on Shopify App Store and has received a lot of negative reviews on the platform limitations. Check out the reviews here.

User Reviews of Shopify Collabs on G2

What To Choose: Shopify Collabs or SARAL?

1. If You Want a Shopify-Integrated Affiliate Program → Choose Shopify Collabs

• Best for Shopify merchants looking for a basic, built-in solution.
• Ideal for small businesses new to influencer marketing.
• Works well if you primarily want to generate affiliate sales with minimal setup.

2. If You Need Scalable Influencer Relationship Management → Choose SARAL

• Best for brands focused on long-term influencer partnerships.
• Ideal for running ambassador programs and influencer seeding.
• Offers a built-in CRM and automation for outreach, tracking, and payments.

3. If You Want to Automate Outreach & Engagement → Choose SARAL

• Shopify Collabs lacks bulk email outreach, limiting scalability.
• SARAL allows you to automate influencer outreach, follow-ups, and post-collaboration engagement.

4. If You Need an Extensive Influencer Search Feature → Choose SARAL

• Shopify Collabs only connects you with signed-up creators.
• SARAL provides access to 100M+ influencers across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

5. If You Prefer a No-Cut Commission Model → Choose SARAL

• Shopify Collabs takes a 2.9% processing fee on affiliate payments.
• SARAL has a flat fee with no hidden commission cuts.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, the right platform is the one that aligns with your needs—whether it’s quick affiliate sales or a full-fledged influencer marketing system. Choosing between Shopify Collabs and SARAL depends on your business goals and influencer marketing strategy.

If you're a Shopify merchant looking for built-in affiliate tool, Collabs might be a good starting point. However, if you want to scale your influencer marketing with automation, long-term relationship management, and a larger creator database, SARAL is the better choice. Book a call to see if SARAL is a fit.