# GrowSurf vs Friendbuy: which do AI models recommend for referrals, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Referral and partner programs. Zero of fourteen models named GrowSurf first on the direct prompt; one named Friendbuy. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/partner/referral-and-partner-programs/growsurf-vs-friendbuy/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GrowSurf | 6% | #4 of 15 | 17% | 23 | 13 of 14 |
| Friendbuy | 4% | #7 of 15 | 9% | 23 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Llama 4 Maverick: friendbuy first (first choices: Friendbuy) (alternatives: Partnero, Referral Rock, SaaSquatch)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Cello) (alternatives: Friendbuy, PartnerStack, Referral Rock)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: GrowSurf, PartnerStack, Referral Factory, impact.com Advocate)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, CustomerGauge, GrowSurf, Referral Factory)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Cello, Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, GrowSurf, PartnerStack)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: Ambassador, Friendbuy, PartnerStack)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Referral Factory) (alternatives: Ambassador, PartnerStack, Referral Rock, impact.com)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Ambassador) (alternatives: PartnerStack, Referral Rock)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: SaaSquatch)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: PartnerStack) (alternatives: Cello.so, Partnero)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Referral Rock) (alternatives: FirstPromoter, PartnerStack)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Cello) (alternatives: Ambassador, Extole, Referral Factory, Referral Rock)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: SaaSquatch) (alternatives: PartnerStack, Referral Rock)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither named (first choices: Ambassador) (alternatives: Extole, PartnerStack, Partnerize, Referral Rock)

## What the models said about GrowSurf

- "Examples: Viral Loops, GrowSurf ... Avoid highly technical, developer-centric platforms (like GrowSurf) unless you have dedicated in-house engineers" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "One of the most expensive solutions; lacks native ecommerce integrations; requires you to pair it with a separate email/CRM platform" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "GrowSurf is one of the most expensive referral software solutions and lacks ecommerce platform integrations" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "If your priority is lowest upfront cost, the best pick is GrowSurf Affiliate because it offers a free starting plan and charges only a success fee." (Perplexity Sonar, budget prompt, first choice)
- "B2B SaaS or subscription business → GrowSurf (API-first, custom triggers, server-side tracking)" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "SaaS? GrowSurf. ... Server-side attribution (handles ad-blockers/ITP) ... Great for startups." (Grok 4.1 Fast, comparative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Friendbuy

- "Use Referral Factory or Friendbuy if you want a customer referral program that is relatively easy to launch and optimize." (Perplexity Sonar, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Friendbuy - Best for mid-market and enterprise eCommerce brands that want customization and testing." (Llama 4 Maverick, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Popular picks like Friendbuy or Talkable excel for enterprises" (Grok 4.1 Fast, scale prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.