Viral Loops has become a popular tool for launching referral programs, giveaways, and prelaunch waitlists—especially for startups aiming to drive word-of-mouth growth. Its pre-built templates and integrations make it a go-to choice for many growth teams.

But it's not the only option.

Whether you're looking for more customization, a different pricing model, better support for embeddable forms, or a tool better suited to your specific industry (like SaaS, newsletters, or DTC e-commerce), there are several strong alternatives worth considering.

In this post, we’ve compiled 10 of the best Viral Loops alternatives to help you build high-converting referral flows, viral waitlists, and milestone-based reward campaigns. Some tools specialize in email-driven growth, while others excel at gamified experiences or seamless embeddable widgets.

Let’s explore the top alternatives to Viral Loops in 2025.

1. QueueForm

Best for: Creators, SaaS startups, and brands who want viral forms, waitlists, and milestone-based referral campaigns.

QueueForm is a modern viral marketing platform that helps you turn forms, giveaways, and waitlists into engines of organic growth. It combines the simplicity of Typeform with built-in referral mechanics inspired by Dropbox and Robinhood.

Whether you're launching a new app, growing a newsletter, or running an early-access campaign, QueueForm makes it easy to incentivize users to share—without relying on paid ads.

Key Features:

• Double-sided referrals (move up a waitlist, unlock rewards)

• Milestone-based reward system (e.g., invite 3 friends, unlock X)

• Giveaway mechanics (like “Spin the Wheel” or “Scratch Cards”)

• Email and website embeddable widgets

• Real-time analytics and fraud protection

• Custom branding and autoresponder integration

Why it stands out:
Unlike generic form builders, QueueForm is purpose-built for virality. The built-in gamification, share incentives, and progress tracking keep users engaged—and bringing in more users.

2. ReferralCandy

Best for: E-commerce brands looking for referral rewards and store integration.

ReferralCandy focuses on helping online stores build referral programs where customers earn rewards (like discounts or cash) for referring others. It integrates well with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce.

Key Features:

• Automated referral tracking

• Email and post-purchase referral prompts

• Customizable rewards (cash, discounts, store credit)

• Fraud detection tools

ReferralCandy is particularly strong for DTC brands who want to boost customer advocacy at the checkout level.

3. UpViral

Best for: Entrepreneurs and course creators who want viral contests and lead gen funnels.

UpViral helps users create campaigns where leads can unlock bonuses or entries by referring others. It’s popular among marketers running online launches or giveaways.

Key Features:

• Viral lead capture pages

• Referral-based email sequences

• Campaign leaderboards

• Reward levels and milestone logic

With UpViral, you can launch giveaways, product pre-launches, and newsletter growth loops quickly.

4. Gleam

Best for: Running social media contests and giveaways with rich integrations.

Gleam is a feature-rich platform that supports competitions, email capture, instant rewards, and social engagement incentives.

Key Features:

• Contest builder with dozens of entry methods

• Integration with YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and more

• Random winner selection and fraud protection

• Action-based entries (watch a video, follow an account, etc.)

It’s great for creators and businesses looking to grow their social footprint through giveaways.

5. KickoffLabs

Best for: Founders and marketers who want to launch viral waitlists and giveaways with built-in conversion tools.

KickoffLabs combines landing page creation, viral sharing, and lead capture into a cohesive platform.

Key Features:

• Viral waitlist and leaderboard campaigns

• Landing page templates

• Bonus entry tracking and milestone rewards

• Email autoresponders and conversion analytics

Especially useful for early-stage product launches or crowdfunding campaigns.

6. KingSumo

Best for: Bloggers and newsletter owners running viral giveaways.

KingSumo focuses on simplicity—making it easy to launch a viral giveaway in minutes. It’s built by the team behind AppSumo and is very popular with solo creators.

Key Features:

• Simple viral giveaway setup

• Reward additional entries for sharing

• Email collection and Zapier support

• One-time lifetime pricing

Ideal if you want a no-fuss giveaway tool for list building.

7. Growsurf

Best for: SaaS companies looking for automated, engineering-free referral programs.

GrowSurf is built specifically for SaaS startups that want to launch and manage referral programs without developer overhead. With automation at its core, it’s great for scaling acquisition with minimal manual effort.

Key Features:

• Double-sided incentives

• API and webhook support

• Referral tracking and fraud prevention

• Email automation and embeddable widgets

Why it’s an alternative:
If you want a more API-heavy, SaaS-optimized experience than Viral Loops offers, GrowSurf is worth considering.

8. InviteReferrals

Best for: Enterprises and large-scale businesses wanting multilingual, customizable referral programs.

InviteReferrals focuses on flexibility and scale. It offers multi-language support, A/B testing, and a wide variety of use cases—from mobile apps to e-commerce.

Key Features:

• Referral campaigns for web, mobile, and email

• Multi-language and white-label options

• Real-time analytics and fraud detection

• Prebuilt templates for different industries

Why it’s an alternative:
InviteReferrals is more suited to larger teams or global brands who need deeper customization than Viral Loops typically offers.

9. Prefinery

Best for: Launching private beta and invite-only programs.

Prefinery is trusted by developers and startups to manage gated product launches, waitlists, and referral-based beta access.

Key Features:

• Private beta invite management

• Referral leaderboard and milestone logic

• Email notifications and onboarding automation

• Detailed analytics dashboard

Why it’s an alternative:
If you're building hype for a software launch or closed beta, Prefinery is more targeted than Viral Loops for those use cases.

10. EarlyParrot

Best for: SaaS startups and B2B companies running private beta waitlists or gated access.

EarlyParrot allows you to create invite-only access loops where users earn perks or early access by referring others.

Key Features:

• Double-sided rewards

• Waitlist positioning

• Email integration and automation

• Whitelabel and custom domain options

Good for products that want to reward exclusivity and word-of-mouth in early growth phases.

Final Thoughts

Viral Loops is a solid option—but depending on your goals, audience, and growth stage, there might be a better fit out there. Whether you're a solo creator, DTC brand, or SaaS startup, the tools above offer a range of features to build high-converting, viral growth loops.

If you're looking for a beautiful, easy-to-use referral platform that blends the best of forms, waitlists, and milestone rewards, QueueForm is built for exactly that.

Let your users power your growth.