Shopify Collabs vs. Upfluence: What to Choose?

Influencer marketing is no longer just an experimental channel for future campaigns. It has become a key growth driver for brands of all sizes.

With rising ad costs, more brands are leveraging influencer marketing to increase brand awareness and acquire new customers at lower costs. To streamline the process, many turn to influencer marketing platforms to discover, onboard, and manage influencers while automating manual tasks.

Among these platforms are Shopify Collabs and Upfluence, two popular tools that help eCommerce brands run and scale their influencer programs. In this blog, we’ll compare their capabilities, key features, pricing, user reviews, pros, and cons to help you decide which one is the best fit for your business.

1. Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs (formerly Dovetale) is a marketplace app by Shopify that connects Shopify merchants with creators for affiliate & influencer partnerships. Brands can invite creators, share affiliate 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 starting out with 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 influencer 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

2. Upfluence

Upfluence is an influencer marketing platform designed to help brands & agencies manage their influencer campaigns effectively. It offers tools for discovering influencers, managing relationships, and tracking campaign performance.

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.

How to get started?

To get started, you’ll need to book two calls: a discovery call where the Upfluence team qualifies you, followed by a demo call where they walk you through the platform.

Integrations & Compatibility:

1. Shopify
2. Magento
3. WooCommerce
4. Gmail
5. Klaviyo
6. Amazon
7. BigCommerce
8. PayPal
9. Refersion
10. HootSuite

Shopify Collabs Vs. Upfluence: At a Glance

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.

User Reviews on G2:

Upfluence: Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Campaign Management – Upfluence provides tools to plan, track, and optimize influencer campaigns in one place.
2. Ease of Use – The platform offers a user-friendly interface, making it simple to navigate and manage campaigns.
3. Influencer Management – Brands can discover, onboard, and collaborate with influencers seamlessly.
4. Customer Support – Upfluence offers responsive support to assist users with any issues or questions.
5. Easy Integrations – It connects with eCommerce platforms and marketing tools for smooth workflow integration.

Cons:

1. Limited Audience Analysis – The platform's audience insights may not be as detailed or comprehensive as some competitors.
2. Poor Customer Support – Users have reported slow response times and unhelpful support experiences.
3. Inaccurate Creator Data – Some influencer metrics and engagement data may be outdated or unreliable.
4. Locked-in Contracts – Brands may be required to commit to long-term contracts even if they are dissatisfied early on.
5. Unclear Pricing – Upfluence does not provide transparent pricing, making it difficult for brands to assess costs upfront.

User Reviews on G2:

What to choose: Shopify Collabs Vs. Upfluence?

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’re Just Starting Out With Influencer Marketing → Choose Shopify Collabs:

• Great for brands with limited experience in influencer marketing.
• Provides an easy-to-use platform with simple setup and management.
• Helps brands connect with creators without the need for advanced tools.

3. If You Need Instant Creator UGC For Ads and Landing pages → Choose Shopify Collabs:

• Ideal for brands looking to quickly source user-generated content.
• Makes it easy to collaborate with creators for ad and website visuals.
• Simplifies content rights management for marketing use.

4. If You Run Large-Scale Influencer Campaigns → Choose Upfluence

• Best for companies managing high-volume influencer collaborations.
• Supports multi-platform campaigns across different regions.
• Ideal for brands needing advanced tools to streamline operations.

5. If You Want to Leverage Data-Driven Influencer Marketing → Choose Upfluence

• Helps brands identify influencers already within their customer base.
• Provides in-depth analytics for performance tracking and optimization.
• Designed for businesses with complex marketing strategies.

6. If You’re an Agency Managing Multiple Clients → Choose Upfluence

• Offers robust tools for tracking, reporting, and influencer management.
• Enables efficient campaign coordination across different brands.
• Built for users comfortable with data-heavy dashboards and insights.

Third Choice: Use SARAL

SARAL is an all-in-one influencer marketing platform excels at what matters most:

• Finding influencers across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
• Automating repetitive tasks (emails, follow-ups, tracking)
• Organizing creator relationships in one place
• Simplifying performance tracking
• Running all types of campaigns (gifting, seeding, affiliate, ambassador programs, UGC, etc.) from one tool

...and so much more so you can focus on things that can't be automated, like building relationships.

Let's show you in person.

We handle the time-consuming grunt work so you can focus on strategic decisions, building relationships with influencers, and more.

Book a personalized demo for a free trial and we'll walk you through exactly how to make your campaigns run smoother, faster, and better at a brand-friendly pricing.