Verdict. Pick Aspire if you are an established Shopify brand that wants one system for gifting, affiliates, ambassadors and paid creator posts, and you can commit a real budget. Creators keep every dollar, which makes recruiting easier. The catch is opacity. Aspire hides its subscription price behind a demo and adds a 2% handling fee plus processing fees on creator payments, so you cannot compare costs before a sales call.
- Founded
- 2013 (Founded as Revfluence in 2013, later renamed AspireIQ and then Aspire.)
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, US
- Best for
- Shopify brands running ongoing ambassador and affiliate programs
Who can join. Free for creators. Aspire's marketplace overview lists no general follower minimum, but each brand sets its own campaign rules, such as follower count, engagement rate and location.
Aspire pricing and fees
Brand subscriptions are quote-only after a demo, brands pay a 2% handling fee on creator payment budgets plus processing fees, and creators keep 100%.
| Plan | Price | Fee on sales | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand platform | Custom quote | 2% handling fee on creator fee budgets, plus payment processing fees | No public price list. Book a demo to get a quote. |
| Creator marketplace | $0 | 0% of creator payments | Free to join, apply and collaborate. |
Payment processing. Brands fund creator payments by card, ACH or wire, and Aspire adds a payment processing fee per transaction on the brand side. Aspire posts the exact rates only as an image on its fee page, which we could not read.
What brands pay. Not published. Custom quote after a demo. Brands also pay a 2% handling fee on creator fee budget payments and a per-transaction payment processing fee.
What creators keep. 0%. Creators keep 100% of agreed payments. International creators pay PayPal's currency conversion fee.
Payouts. Aspire pays creators from its own PayPal account through PayPal Payouts, usually within 7 business days of the brand clicking Send Payment. You need a PayPal email on file. Non-USD payments are converted by PayPal, and the creator bears that conversion fee.
What you get with Aspire
- Creator marketplace with brand campaign listings
- Recruiting creators from your Shopify customers
- Product seeding catalog
- Creator storefronts with live Shopify products
- Affiliate and ambassador programs
- Sales tracking from post to checkout
- Meta Partnership Ads tools
- Workflow automations
Aspire pros and cons
What we like
- Creators keep 100% of payments, which helps you recruit.
- The Shopify connection shows which creators already buy your products.
- Gifting, affiliate, ambassador and paid posts run in one tool.
- Creators can browse and apply to campaigns from 800+ brands for free.
What gets in the way
- No public pricing. You sit through a demo to learn the cost.
- Brands pay a 2% handling fee plus processing fees on creator payments.
- Creator payouts go through PayPal only and can take 7 business days.
- Built for ongoing programs, so it is overkill for a one-off campaign.
Who should skip Aspire
If you want to buy a handful of posts this month without a contract, use Collabstr or Billo instead.
Aspire alternatives
| Platform | Score | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Passionfroot | 7.0 | B2B newsletter and LinkedIn creators selling sponsorships |
| Billo | 6.6 | Ecommerce brands testing UGC ads without a subscription |
| GRIN | 6.5 | Shopify brands running gifting and affiliate programs at volume |
| TikTok One | 6.2 | TikTok creators 18+ who want brand deals paid in-app |
Head to head: GRIN vs Aspire.
See all 10 creator marketplaces for brand deals ranked.
Aspire questions
How much does Aspire cost?
Aspire does not publish prices. You book a demo and get a custom quote. Third-party reviews estimate around $2,000 a month on an annual contract, but Aspire has not confirmed that. On top of the subscription, brands pay a 2% handling fee on creator payment budgets plus payment processing fees.
Does Aspire take a cut from creators?
No. Aspire's help center says creators receive 100% of the agreed payment, and the marketplace is free to join. The brand covers processing fees. International creators do pay PayPal's currency conversion fee when a USD payment is converted to their local currency.
How do creators get paid on Aspire?
When you finish the deliverables, the brand clicks Send Payment. Aspire then pays you from its own PayPal account through PayPal Payouts, usually within 7 business days. If you have not added a PayPal email, the payment waits in Pending Info until you do.
Is the Aspire creator marketplace free?
Yes. Creators can build a profile, browse campaigns and apply for free. Aspire lists 800+ brands in the marketplace and says it paid creators $80 million in the last 12 months. Each brand sets its own requirements, such as follower count or location, for its campaigns.
Sources
We checked these pages on October 20, 2026. Platforms change fees often, so confirm on the official page before you commit.