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Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform vs. GrowSurf vs. OutboundEngine

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Ambassador

    Score7.5 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Ambassador is a referral marketing platform for teams to increase new customer acquisition, referrals and revenue by leveraging word-of-mouth. Ambassador automated enrolling, tracking, rewarding and managing customers, affiliates, influencers, partners and fans. Ambassador was acquired by Intrado (West Corporation) October 2018 and became an Intrado company, but then Ambassador was acquired by i2H in 2021, and is now currently available standalone, and supported by i2H.

    $99

    per month

    GrowSurf

    Score8.2 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    GrowSurf is referral program software that helps startups and growth-stage companies launch and manage customer referral, advocacy, and affiliate programs.

    $179

    per month per installation

    OutboundEngine

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AOutboundEngine provides a hands-off way for small business owners to market and grow their business. The product aims to provide small businesses with what big companies have achieved with marketing automation. The service aims to help users keep in touch with clients and prospects with professionally designed, branded campaigns. Benefits include: driving engagement, surfacing warm leads from current contacts, generating referrals and repeat business from their existing contacts, social…

    $199

    per user

    Pricing
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    Starting at $300/mo.
    Annual commitment required.
    Professional
    Starting at $800/mo.
    Annual commitment required.
    Enterprise
    Starting at $1500/mo
    Annual commitment required.
    Startup
    $179
    per month
    Business
    $449
    per month
    Custom
    Contact Sales
    per year
    Essential
    $199
    per user
    Value
    $299
    per user
    Premium
    $499
    per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Free Trial
    NoYesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee$99 per user
    Additional Details"Enterprise" is a custom price that is determined according to a number of variables, including specific add-ons or custom work required.Up to a 30% discount for annual pricing.More information is available on the vendor's website.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Considered Multiple Products
    Ambassador Software
    No answer on this topic
    GrowSurf
    Chose GrowSurf
    I think they stack up well for the price point. I think Ambassador has beer UI than GrowSurf. I did not familiarize myself well enough with Ambassador to know it's faults or perks.
    Incentivized
    Elm Street Technology
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    75%
    Would buy again
    42 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    75%
    Delivers good value for the price
    38 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    75%
    Happy with the feature set
    42 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    67%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    37 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    84%
    Implementation went as expected
    47 Answers
    Features
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform and GrowSurf and OutboundEngine
    Feature
    Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform
    -
    Ratings
    GrowSurf
    -
    Ratings
    OutboundEngine
    5.9
    50 Ratings
    21% below category average
    Mobile optimization00 Ratings00 Ratings8.643 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings00 Ratings3.050 Ratings
    List management00 Ratings00 Ratings6.044 Ratings
    Lead Management
    Comparison of Lead Management features of Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform and GrowSurf and OutboundEngine
    Feature
    Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform
    -
    Ratings
    GrowSurf
    -
    Ratings
    OutboundEngine
    5.3
    38 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings00 Ratings5.338 Ratings
    Social Media Marketing
    Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform and GrowSurf and OutboundEngine
    Feature
    Ambassador Referral Marketing Platform
    -
    Ratings
    GrowSurf
    -
    Ratings
    OutboundEngine
    10.0
    48 Ratings
    36% above category average
    Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings00 Ratings10.048 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    HighLevel
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    LocaliQ
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (8 ratings)
    10.0
    (61 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.3
    (2 ratings)
    7.6
    (7 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.8
    (27 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.9
    (24 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AmbassadorGrowSurfOutboundEngine
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Ambassador Software
    Should be used by organizations to promote business and bring in new customers, particularly the ones with a bigger customer base. It may or may not be used by small businesses as the data is not too much to store, however, I recommend using it anyway as it will save time and, in turn, let you do more for your business.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    For where our company is at, GrowSurf fit nicely into what we needed and wanted to spend. It allows us to have enough campaigns (currently) to support the needs of our company. Managing the system for payout has not been as easy as anticipated.
    Read full review
    Elm Street Technology
    OutboundEngine does a referral campaign and I've been able to close a couple of deals based on getting in touch with people who engage with this campaign and state they could use my services in the next 6 months. This is a great follow up tool for those you may or may not know are going to be needing your services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Ambassador Software
    • Refer new customers.
    • Automatically include the referral bonus.
    • Disperse the bonus within the required time without external help.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    • Partner and referral incentives are done well.
    • Tracking of all acquisition channels in the business.
    • Easy to set up and implement, very easy to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Elm Street Technology
    • The content that they generate to send to our clients is relevant and the clients want to engage with us. It makes us appear more professional and consistent, even though we are a smaller company.
    • It helps us stay in touch with clients and helps us stay top of mind. We are able to generate more new business leads if we are in consistent contact with current, former, and potential clients.
    • Their customer service and support is outstanding. All my questions were answered and I went into the program feeling confident and knowledgeable.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Ambassador Software
    • Should have more detailed information.
    • Dashboard should be more specific.
    • Should have a mobile app.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    • A team dashboard will be a great feature to have with more levels of access.
    • Filter and parameters can be added into dashboard.
    • Template UI customization can be enhanced.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Elm Street Technology
    • I do not like the use of drawings to attract new customers, and they have ignored my requests to eliminate that for my personal emails.
    • I do not like it when a competitor in my immediate market has the same posts. It cheapens the service or makes it appear that I am simply sharing another's post.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Ambassador Software
    No answers on this topic
    GrowSurf
    No answers on this topic
    Elm Street Technology
    The biggest issue is poor ROI. The second biggest issue is rigid customer service process, lack of a sense of urgency, and inability to reach out to upper management with issues.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Ambassador Software
    It is very user friendly, all options and features are easily accessible. Support material is readily available to help out with general queries or frequently asked questions. The software's customer-facing end does not require any special training or skills to use it to its full capacity. In short, it is easy and good looking.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    Setting up GrowSurf was a breeze! The user-friendly interface made it easy for our team to customize our referral page and integrate it seamlessly into our website
    Read full review
    Elm Street Technology
    Overall, OutboundEngine is very user friendly. It is simple to set up and explore, and if there are any issues or questions, the customer service team and account managers are always available to help. They are very knowledgeable and were able to explain everything in detail to me. The program is easy to navigate and helps me stay organized, and an uncomplicated and straightforward solution was exactly what I was looking for
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Ambassador Software
    No answers on this topic
    GrowSurf
    No answers on this topic
    Elm Street Technology
    I haven't had to contact Outbound Engine because I haven't had any application errors or unplanned outages. I basically have had such a trouble free experience with them that I haven't had to call. Everything is automated and I get a notice to review every isse. I suppose if I personalized the newsletter a bit more and added some of my own articles, I would need to contact them, (which I should really start to do) but so far things have been so on point, I haven't felt the need.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Ambassador Software
    I have not yet faced any issue while using the features of this service. But whenever I needed help with anything, I've gotten a satisfying response in terms of resolution and response time. I am sure I will get the same response when there is an issue that needs immediate attention.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    No answers on this topic
    Elm Street Technology
    The customer service was excellent! Everyone I spoke to was kind and knowledgeable. My account manager was easily reachable. Setup of the OutboundEngine program was explained really thoroughly, and we knew how we could best use the product to meet the needs of our clients and get our online and social media presence off the ground.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Ambassador Software
    I have not used too much software for the said purpose, but in comparison to the ones I have used, this one seems to be the most user-friendly and intuitive to use. That's the whole idea when you are paying for software: to cut down on admin work and save time.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    We selected GrowSurf because of their pricing and ROI calculator present on their website today. It made the decision clear and easy for our finance and business stakeholders. Overall, the tool is great. It is easy to use, manage and train others on. It's a great starting point for someone new to digital marketing and it's a great arrow in the quiver for our most seasoned team members.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Elm Street Technology
    I selected it for the ability to have an automated system do 3 things all at once, social media posts, emails and the instant communication with the chat box. I have never seen a chat come through that lead to a helpful client touchpoint. I have never used another product but have since begun to weigh some of the less expensive options.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Ambassador Software
    • The ROI is good enough.
    • Less hassle to carry out tasks which in turn saves expenses.
    • Streamlines referral processes and record keeping.
    Read full review
    GrowSurf
    • Needs better customization and user friendly look/feel
    • Helped us grow and give customers a way to make money on spreading the word.
    Read full review
    Elm Street Technology
    • One client identified how one article I sent that he read saved him from having to replace his entire AC system.
    • One client actually thought I was sending this to him personally because I valued him
    • One of the above transacted with me twice for over $3M in sales
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Ambassador Screenshots

    Screenshot of A glimpse of the Ambassador dashboard.Screenshot of Stop suspicious referrers/affiliates in their tracks.Screenshot of Typsy's refer-a-friend widget, powered by Ambassador.Screenshot of Sunrun's custom referral portal allows their brand ambassadors to easily see stats such as commissions they've earned.Screenshot of Olark's Referral Program sign up page, powered by Ambassador.Screenshot of An example of a custom email Honeybook sends out when a referral is made.

    GrowSurf Screenshots

    Screenshot of how GrowSurf helps startups and growth-stage companies launch branded referral programs that turn word-of-mouth into a repeatable acquisition channel.Screenshot of how referral experiences can be embedded into an existing product or signup flow so teams can launch without rebuilding core user journeys.Screenshot of how GrowSurf supports white-labeled referral pages and participant experiences so programs can match the company brand and product design.Screenshot of where the platform gives teams a central place to track participants, manage rewards, and monitor referral activity across the program lifecycle.Screenshot of GrowSurf includes APIs, webhooks, integrations, and embeddable components for teams that need more customized referral workflows.

    OutboundEngine Screenshots

    Screenshot of Automated Social Media MarketingScreenshot of A personalized snapshot of your account activity and warmest leads.Screenshot of Personally designed, tested, and automated emails