The Key Difference
Cello is a strong referral platform for SaaS. It drops a referral component straight into your product UI, ships SDKs for web and mobile, and connects to Stripe, Chargebee, HubSpot, and Salesforce so signups and purchases get attributed back to whoever referred them. If you run a SaaS product, it’s a serious option.
The catch for app developers is where the money is counted. Cello learns that a referral converted by listening to your billing provider - a Stripe subscription event, a Chargebee invoice, a webhook from your own backend. That works when you own the checkout. It doesn’t when Apple and Google do: an App Store subscription never touches Stripe, so there’s no event for Cello to hear.
WinWinKit is built for that case. It reads subscription revenue directly from App Store Connect and Google Play, or through RevenueCat, and it attributes with a code the user claims inside your app - so both halves of the loop, the referral and the revenue, work without a web checkout in the middle.
WinWinKit
| Cello | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Mobile apps - iOS, Android, desktop - including web checkout when the app onboards on the web | SaaS products that bill through a web payment provider |
| Attribution | Code-based, entered in-app; deterministic and privacy-safe | Referral links and codes, with cookie-based tracking in the browser |
| Growth channels | Affiliates, referrals, and promo codes in one dashboard | User referrals and partner referrals, sold as two separate products |
| Reward types | Two-sided - cash commissions for affiliates, in-app and app store rewards for users. In a referral both sides can be rewarded - the referrer and the friend | Cash, account credits, coupons, and gift cards |
| Integrations | RevenueCat, Stripe, App Store Connect, Google Play | Stripe, Chargebee, HubSpot, Salesforce, Supabase, Typeform, Zapier |
| SDKs | Swift, Kotlin, Dart, and TypeScript, plus a REST API | JavaScript, iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter, plus a REST API |
| Payouts | Stripe Connect, PayPal, and Wise, in one click | PayPal and Venmo |
| Pricing | Starter - $30/mo Essential - $75/mo Scale - $150/mo | Plus - $200/mo Pro - $400/mo Enterprise - $1,000/mo User referrals priced separately |
| Metered on | Monthly attributed revenue, from $3K on Starter | Campaigns and active partners |
| Beyond the basics | Real-time analytics, affiliate groups, a resource hub of assets and FAQs, public application forms, plus content tracking and community channels | An in-product referral component localized in 10+ languages, with built-in fraud detection |
| Best for | Subscription apps that monetize through the app stores | SaaS products that own their checkout and want referrals inside the product UI |
When to Choose WinWinKit
- Your users subscribe through the app stores. An App Store or Google Play purchase produces no Stripe event, so a platform that waits on your billing provider never sees the conversion. WinWinKit reads the store transaction itself.
- You want commissions off real revenue. WinWinKit reads subscription revenue directly from App Store Connect and Google Play, or through RevenueCat if that’s your setup - either way commissions follow what you actually earned, not an estimated conversion.
- You want mobile-native rewards. A special paywall via a RevenueCat Offering, a free month via an Entitlement, or a discounted subscription via an App Store Offer Code or Google Play Promo Code - rewards that only exist in the app ecosystem.
- Your app onboards on the web. If the first payment happens on your site and the product is delivered in the app, WinWinKit tracks the Stripe purchase alongside the store ones, so one code covers the whole funnel.
- You want one platform, not two products. Affiliates, referrals, and promo codes share a single dashboard, attribution system, and revenue view - user referrals and partner programs aren’t split into separate subscriptions.
When to Choose Cello
- Your product lives in the browser. Cello, like most referral platforms, assumes you own the checkout - a link, a signup, and a payment your own billing provider records. If that’s your funnel, it fits the way your product already works.
- You bill through Chargebee. Cello integrates with it directly, as it does with Stripe. WinWinKit connects to RevenueCat, the app stores, and Stripe, so a Chargebee-billed product has no path in.
- You need a wide automation surface. HubSpot, Salesforce, Supabase, Typeform, and Zapier are all supported. WinWinKit has none of those - you wire integrations up against the REST API and SDKs yourself.