# Referral Rock alternatives: what AI models name instead, September 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. 322 of the 432 answers in the 2 categories where Referral Rock holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/vendors/referral-rock/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Smile.io: 38
- Extole: 21
- PartnerStack: 19
- Ambassador: 16
- ReferralCandy: 16
- Influitive: 15

## Loyalty, advocacy and referrals

**Small business**: 48 of 72 answers did not name Referral Rock (Referral Rock is #2 of 11 at 30%).

- Smile.io: first choice in 20 of those 48
- Referral Factory: first choice in 4 of those 48
- ReferralCandy: first choice in 4 of those 48
- CustomerGauge: first choice in 3 of those 48
- Cello: first choice in 2 of those 48
- BON Loyalty: first choice in 1 of those 48
- Gratisfaction: first choice in 1 of those 48
- Loop.fans: first choice in 1 of those 48

**Mid-market**: 56 of 72 answers did not name Referral Rock (Referral Rock is #2 of 18 at 22%).

- Smile.io: first choice in 11 of those 56
- Influitive: first choice in 3 of those 56
- LoyaltyLion: first choice in 2 of those 56
- Referral Factory: first choice in 2 of those 56
- Ambassador: first choice in 1 of those 56
- Bubblehouse: first choice in 1 of those 56
- CustomerGauge: first choice in 1 of those 56
- Extole: first choice in 1 of those 56

**Enterprise**: 64 of 72 answers did not name Referral Rock (Referral Rock is #10 of 18 at 2%).

- Extole: first choice in 10 of those 64
- Influitive: first choice in 9 of those 64
- Open Loyalty: first choice in 9 of those 64
- Talon.One: first choice in 9 of those 64
- Annex Cloud: first choice in 7 of those 64
- Base.ai: first choice in 3 of those 64
- Ambassador: first choice in 2 of those 64
- Antavo: first choice in 2 of those 64

## Referral and partner programs

**Small business**: 45 of 72 answers did not name Referral Rock (Referral Rock is #1 of 12 at 17%).

- ReferralCandy: first choice in 7 of those 45
- PartnerStack: first choice in 6 of those 45
- Smile.io: first choice in 5 of those 45
- FirstPromoter: first choice in 4 of those 45
- Referral Factory: first choice in 3 of those 45
- Rewardful: first choice in 2 of those 45
- Ambassador: first choice in 1 of those 45
- Blossu: first choice in 1 of those 45

**Mid-market**: 50 of 72 answers did not name Referral Rock (Referral Rock is #2 of 11 at 15%).

- PartnerStack: first choice in 7 of those 50
- ReferralCandy: first choice in 5 of those 50
- Viral Loops: first choice in 3 of those 50
- Ambassador: first choice in 2 of those 50
- Extole: first choice in 2 of those 50
- JourneyBee: first choice in 2 of those 50
- ReferralHero: first choice in 2 of those 50
- Smile.io: first choice in 2 of those 50

**Enterprise**: 59 of 72 answers did not name Referral Rock (Referral Rock is #4 of 13 at 6%).

- Ambassador: first choice in 10 of those 59
- Extole: first choice in 8 of those 59
- PartnerStack: first choice in 6 of those 59
- Impartner: first choice in 5 of those 59
- Impartner PRM: first choice in 3 of those 59
- Influitive: first choice in 3 of those 59
- Salesforce PRM: first choice in 3 of those 59
- Cello: first choice in 2 of those 59

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.