We used Oden to analyze CreatorIQ, Grin, Aspire, and Upfluence using public data from G2, Shopify App Store, vendor sites, third‑party pricing guides, Trustpilot, and Reddit. If you’re trying to pick an influencer marketing platform, the options all sound similar—but they behave very differently in real campaigns. This guide cuts through the positioning to compare ratings, pricing realities, feature sets, and real‑world strengths and weaknesses. By the end, you’ll know which platform best fits your budget, team size, and influencer strategy today—not in theory.

Which influencer marketing platform has the best rating?

Across these four platforms, overall customer sentiment is strong and fairly close. We used G2 as a consistent benchmark because it has large, verified sample sizes and detailed pros/cons breakdowns.

G2 ratings as of December 2025

Takeaways

• The headline scores (4.5 vs. 4.6) are statistically very similar; the bigger difference is sample size and review mix, not raw rating. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• CreatorIQ has the largest review base and is clearly entrenched with larger/enterprise teams, which usually means more complex use cases but also more robust product feedback. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Aspire and Upfluence have fewer reviews but comparable scores, indicating strong satisfaction among a smaller but focused user base, especially e‑commerce brands. Source: G2 – Aspire
• Grin’s aggregate rating is strong, but Reddit and Trustpilot show more polarized experiences than the G2 average suggests—particularly around reliability and contracts—so look beyond the star rating if you’re a smaller brand. Source: G2 – GRIN, Reddit – “Grin Influencer Marketing Platform”, Trustpilot – GRIN

How much do influencer marketing platforms really cost?

None of these vendors publish full self‑serve SaaS pricing for their core platforms. Most use custom quotes with annual contracts, often tied to number of seats, creators tracked, and feature modules. Directional pricing below is based on third‑party analyses and public estimates, not official list prices.

Cost patterns

• All four platforms are mid‑to‑upper market tools: think low‑to‑mid four figures per month with annual commitments. None are priced like lightweight SMB tools. Source: Mustard – pricing guide, MarketingMonk – Upfluence review, Nerdisa – CreatorIQ review
• CreatorIQ is clearly positioned at the enterprise end of the spectrum, while Grin, Aspire, and Upfluence more frequently serve mid‑market and advanced e‑commerce teams (though all have enterprise deals). Source: CreatorIQ site, GRIN BusinessWire overview, Aspire site, Upfluence e‑commerce page
• Upfront implementation and onboarding services (especially for CreatorIQ, Grin, and Upfluence) can add non‑trivial cost beyond license fees; Grin and Aspire also sell professional/managed services on top of software. Source: MarketingMonk – Upfluence review, GRIN professional services announcement, Aspire site
• If you’re a small brand or just testing influencer marketing, Reddit threads and reviews repeatedly warn that committing to a long, expensive contract before you have process fit can be painful—especially with Grin and Upfluence. Source: Reddit – “Grin Influencer Marketing Platform”, Trustpilot – Upfluence

Always double-check current prices with each vendor's calculator or sales team.

What are the key features of each platform?

CreatorIQ

Core positioning: Enterprise “operating system for creator‑led growth” that unifies data, workflows, and brand safety across global teams. Source: CreatorIQ homepage

Key Features:

• AI‑powered creator discovery built on the “Creator Graph,” with content‑first search, similar‑creator recommendations, and always‑on brand safety scoring. Source: CreatorIQ influencer marketing page
• Centralized creator CRM and campaign management, including authentication‑based tracking and real‑time performance analytics for activations. Source: CreatorIQ influencer marketing page, G2 – CreatorIQ review excerpts
• Deep reporting and one‑sheet export capabilities that agencies use to present performance and recommendations to clients. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Enterprise‑grade integrations and governance (SSO, security, compliance, global brand safety) designed for Fortune‑level brands. Source: CreatorIQ homepage
• Thought‑leadership and measurement tools like the State of Creator Marketing report and EMV rankings, used by major media. Source: CreatorIQ homepage, Business Insider – CreatorIQ EMV report

Best For:

• Large brands and agencies needing strict governance, multi‑market oversight, and robust analytics.
• Teams already operating mature influencer programs who want to consolidate fragmented tools.
• Organizations that care a lot about brand safety, compliance, and executive‑ready reporting.

Grin

Core positioning: Creator management platform for DTC and e‑commerce brands to build “world‑class creator programs” and connect content to revenue. Source: G2 – Grin seller page, GRIN BusinessWire overview

Key Features:

• End‑to‑end creator management: discovery, outreach, content tracking, affiliate links, and payments in one system. Source: G2 – GRIN
• Creator Discovery Suite with large influencer database and social listening for Instagram mentions/hashtags and competitor activity. Source: GRIN Discovery Suite press release
• Integrated Affiliate Hub to manage affiliates separately from influencers but within the same reporting stack. Source: GRIN Social Listening & Affiliate Hub
• Native Shopify focus and affiliate tooling, making it attractive for DTC brands doing heavy affiliate + seeding programs. Source: Selofy – Grin Shopify overview, Reddit – dropshipping thread on GRIN
• New agentic AI assistant (Gia) embedded across workflows to automate search, outreach, and routine tasks. Source: BusinessWire – GRIN launches Gia

Best For:

• DTC brands with established affiliate and influencer revenue who want everything in one place.
• Teams that want strong Shopify/commerce alignment and advanced affiliate capabilities.
• Programs large enough to justify higher pricing and willing to invest in AI‑driven workflows.

Aspire

Core positioning: All‑in‑one influencer marketing and “word‑of‑mouth commerce” platform built for high‑growth e‑commerce brands, with optional in‑house agency services. Source: Aspire homepage

Key Features:

• End‑to‑end campaign workflows—from product seeding to sponsored posts, contracts, and reporting—designed to “run larger campaigns with less effort.” Source: Aspire homepage
• Creator discovery plus the ability to recruit and manage off‑network creators, including nano‑influencers and existing customers. Source: G2 – Aspire
• Strong e‑commerce integrations (notably Shopify) and content library for reusing UGC in paid ads and organic channels. Source: G2 – Aspire, Aspire Shopify app
• Measurement tools including impact dashboards and granular performance analytics across campaigns and channels. Source: Aspire homepage
• Optional managed services team that runs strategy, creator sourcing, and execution for brands that lack internal bandwidth. Source: Aspire homepage

Best For:

• E‑commerce and DTC brands (including Shopify and Amazon sellers) running recurring influencer campaigns.
• Teams that want both self‑serve software and the option to outsource campaigns.
• Brands focused on turning UGC into performance‑driven ads and affiliates.

Upfluence

Core positioning: All‑in‑one influencer marketing platform “for eCommerce & social commerce” focused on driving online sales via creators, affiliates, and ambassadors. Source: Upfluence G2 seller page, Upfluence e‑commerce page

Key Features:

• Large influencer database with discovery filters, plus AI‑assisted tools for efficient sourcing and outreach. Source: G2 – Upfluence
• Integrated campaign management, creator CRM, and automated workflows to cut down manual tasks. Source: Upfluence e‑commerce page
• E‑commerce integrations that let you track sales, manage affiliate codes, and measure ROI directly from creator content. Source: Upfluence e‑commerce page
• Payment and payout tools that users describe as intuitive, with customer service that’s generally rated well. Source: G2 – Upfluence, Trustpilot – Upfluence
• Tiered plans (Growth, Scale, Enterprise) structured around influencer database size and team seats. Source: MarketingMonk – Upfluence review

Best For:

• Mid‑size brands and agencies running multi‑creator, sales‑driven campaigns across channels.
• E‑commerce teams that need sales attribution and affiliate management in the same platform.
• Organizations with at least one dedicated person who can climb a steeper feature curve.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each platform?

CreatorIQ

Strengths:

• Highly regarded analytics and reporting; users praise how easy it is to view performance and create one‑sheets clients actually understand. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Deep audience and performance data (demographics, follower growth, content metrics), with authenticated tracking for real‑time insights. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Strong support reputation; multiple reviewers emphasize responsive customer success and proactive support teams. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Enterprise‑ready: used by 1,300+ major brands and agencies and consistently positioned as a leader in analyst and industry reports. Source: CreatorIQ homepage

Weaknesses:

• Interface can be overwhelming; several reviewers call out a learning curve and wish the UI were more intuitive or less cluttered. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Some users report analytics lags or missing data for certain creators (e.g., outdated stats or incomplete metrics for Reels/views). Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Discovery isn’t universally loved; at least one reviewer notes that certain influencers appear to be missing from search results. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
• Pricing is tailored for enterprise budgets; Reddit creators and marketers describe it as “very expensive,” which can put it out of reach for smaller brands. Source: Reddit – “Any Creators dealt with CreatorIQ?”, Nerdisa – CreatorIQ pricing

Grin

Strengths:

• Well‑rounded creator CRM and campaign tooling; G2 users like being able to manage campaigns end‑to‑end from discovery through payment. Source: G2 – GRIN
• Strong fit for affiliate and DTC programs with features like coupon code tracking, revenue reporting, and now an Affiliate Hub module. Source: GRIN Social Listening & Affiliate Hub
• Positive experiences from some marketers who run structured affiliate programs and appreciate the Shopify integration and systemization. Source: Reddit – dropshipping thread on GRIN
• Aggressive AI roadmap (Gia assistant) aimed at reducing manual work across discovery and outreach. Source: BusinessWire – GRIN launches Gia

Weaknesses:

• Multiple Reddit posts from brand‑side marketers describe severe issues with product reliability (crashes, non‑functioning features) and difficulty getting resolutions from support. Source: Reddit – “Grin Influencer Marketing Platform”
• Several small brands report feeling misled in sales cycles and “trapped” in long contracts with auto‑renewal, calling out bait‑and‑switch upsells and hard‑to‑cancel terms. Source: Reddit – SaaS red flags post
• Discovery capabilities have reportedly been impacted by Meta privacy changes; some users warn against using Grin for discovery alone. Source: Reddit – “Grin Influencer Marketing Platform”
• Trustpilot features warnings about phishing scams using the GRIN brand name, which—while not the SaaS product’s fault—add noise and potential confusion for creators. Source: Trustpilot – GRIN

Aspire

Strengths:

• G2 reviewers consistently praise Aspire as an “all‑in‑one” tool that simplifies campaign management, reporting, and communication in one place. Source: G2 – Aspire
• Especially strong fit for large‑scale campaigns with many creators and multiple brands, thanks to flexible workflows and bulk management. Source: G2 – Aspire
• Deep e‑commerce alignment, including easy Shopify integration and features tailored to product seeding, affiliates, and UGC reuse. Source: G2 – Aspire, Aspire Shopify app
• Option to use Aspire’s managed services team for full‑service strategy and execution, which some enterprise brands credit with major engagement and sales lifts. Source: Aspire homepage

Weaknesses:

• Some users mention glitches, limited granularity, or slower refresh in certain analytics, especially when they want more real‑time or competitor insights. Source: G2 – Aspire
• At least one detailed Shopify review describes serious concerns with influencer database quality (low‑quality accounts, undeliverable emails) and unresponsive support over several months. Source: Shopify App Store – Aspire reviews
• Third‑party guides flag Aspire’s pricing as “pricey for smaller brands,” requiring an internal team to really maximize value. Source: Mustard – pricing guide

Upfluence

Strengths:

• Users highlight strong visibility into influencer performance and an intuitive way to manage multiple influencers and payouts. Source: G2 – Upfluence
• Well‑aligned with e‑commerce needs: features to drive ROI, build long‑term affiliate partnerships, and integrate with online stores. Source: Upfluence e‑commerce page
• Positive mentions of onboarding and support quality, both on G2 and Trustpilot, when things go well. Source: G2 – Upfluence, Trustpilot – Upfluence
• G2 reviews and Reddit examples show it can handle fairly complex outreach and attribution workflows once set up. Source: G2 – Upfluence, Reddit – Upfluence campaign discussion

Weaknesses:

• Several small‑business users find the platform difficult and time‑consuming to use, describing it as unintuitive and overly complex for lean teams. Source: G2 – Upfluence
• Trustpilot includes strong criticism around data quality (outdated/fake profiles) and aggressive billing/collections, highlighting risk if you sign an annual contract without a clear test phase. Source: Trustpilot – Upfluence
• Third‑party pricing and review sites flag the lack of free trial, higher starting prices, and steeper learning curve compared with more lightweight tools. Source: MarketingMonk – Upfluence review, Mustard – pricing guide

How do these platforms position themselves?

CreatorIQ presents itself as “the operating system for creator‑led growth,” emphasizing AI‑native infrastructure, brand safety, and enterprise‑grade governance across teams and markets. It highlights being trusted by 1,300+ global brands and agencies and strongly leans into measurement, compliance, and future‑of‑creator‑marketing thought leadership. Source: CreatorIQ homepage

Grin calls itself the “world’s leading creator management platform” and focuses heavily on authentic creator relationships for DTC brands. Its messaging centers on creator management rather than just influencer marketing, with emphasis on affiliate revenue, social listening, and AI automation as part of a single creator revenue engine. Source: G2 – Grin seller page, BusinessWire – GRIN overview

Aspire brands itself as an influencer marketing platform for “high‑growth eCommerce brands” and a way to make word‑of‑mouth “highly scalable, profitable, and efficient.” Its messaging blends software and services, pitching two paths: DIY on its award‑winning platform or done‑for‑you campaigns via its internal agency team. Source: Aspire homepage

Upfluence positions as the “No. 1 influencer marketing platform for eCommerce brands and agencies,” with emphasis on driving e‑commerce ROI through creators, affiliates, and ambassadors. Marketing copy stresses end‑to‑end campaign automation and using UGC to generate up to 19x ROI for online stores. Source: Upfluence G2 seller page, Upfluence e‑commerce page

Which platform should you choose?

Choose CreatorIQ If:

1. You’re an enterprise or large brand with multiple markets, teams, or business units that need standardization, governance, and robust permissioning across creator operations. Source: CreatorIQ homepage
2. Measurement and reporting to executives are non‑negotiable, and you want authenticated analytics, deep audience insights, and polished exports that clients or leadership expect. Source: G2 – CreatorIQ
3. You have budget for an enterprise platform (low‑to‑mid four figures per month) and are comfortable with a formal implementation and training period. Source: Nerdisa – CreatorIQ pricing, Mustard – pricing guide
4. Brand safety and compliance are critical, for example in regulated industries or high‑reputation consumer brands that can’t risk unsafe creator content. Source: CreatorIQ homepage
5. You’re evolving from “campaigns” to a full creator‑led media strategy and need one backbone platform to unify paid, earned, and affiliate/commerce efforts. Source: CreatorIQ influencer marketing page

Choose Grin If:

1. You’re a DTC brand with a proven creator or affiliate revenue engine and want strong commerce, coupon, and affiliate management baked into your influencer stack. Source: GRIN Social Listening & Affiliate Hub
2. You value creator + affiliate in one place more than having the absolute best discovery tool, especially after Meta‑related constraints on some search capabilities. Source: Reddit – “Grin Influencer Marketing Platform”
3. Your budget is closer to other enterprise tools and you’re okay with multi‑year or annual contracts, ideally after confirming contract terms and performance guarantees in writing. Source: Influencer Gift Form – comparison
4. You want AI to accelerate workflows, and Gia’s roadmap (agentic AI for search and outreach) aligns with how your team wants to operate. Source: BusinessWire – GRIN launches Gia
5. You have bandwidth to vet the platform thoroughly during a pilot—including uptime, discovery quality, and support responsiveness—before locking into long commitments. Source: Reddit – SaaS red flags post

Choose Aspire If:

1. You’re a fast‑growing e‑commerce brand (Shopify, Amazon, etc.) that runs frequent campaigns and wants one platform for seeding, sponsorships, affiliates, and UGC reuse. Source: Aspire homepage, Aspire Shopify app
2. You care about operational efficiency—bulk workflows, inbox consolidation, and content libraries are central to how your team wants to work. Source: G2 – Aspire
3. You want the option to outsource campaigns to a specialist team (e.g., for seasonal pushes or when headcount is constrained) without switching tools. Source: Aspire homepage
4. Your budget can handle starting around $2,000/month, and you can dedicate at least one marketer to owning the platform day‑to‑day. Source: Mustard – pricing guide
5. You’re primarily focused on performance and UGC‑driven paid media, and you like the idea of turning influencer content into high‑performing social ads with clear attribution. Source: Aspire homepage

Choose Upfluence If:

1. You’re a mid‑size brand or agency with dedicated staff who can learn a feature‑rich but sometimes complex tool and leverage full workflow automation. Source: MarketingMonk – Upfluence review, G2 – Upfluence
2. E‑commerce sales attribution is a top priority, and you want affiliate codes, sales tracking, and creator analytics all tied tightly to your store data. Source: Upfluence e‑commerce page
3. You’re comfortable with annual contracts in the $12K–$40K+/year range and will make heavy, ongoing use of the platform to justify the spend. Source: MarketingMonk – Upfluence review, Mustard – pricing guide
4. You want a discovery + CRM + payments stack that’s more sales‑driven than brand‑awareness‑only, especially for affiliate‑heavy strategies. Source: Upfluence G2 seller page
5. You’re willing to scrutinize contract terms and test data quality early, given mixed reviews about database freshness and billing experiences. Source: Trustpilot – Upfluence

Sources & links

Company Websites

• CreatorIQ – Homepage
• GRIN – Homepage
• Aspire – Influencer Marketing Platform
• Upfluence – Influencer Marketing for eCommerce

Pricing Pages

• GRIN – Pricing Overview
• Aspire – Shopify App Listing & Pricing Notes
• MarketingMonk – Upfluence Pricing Breakdown
• Mustard – Top Influencer Platforms & Pricing Guide
• Nerdisa – CreatorIQ Pricing Analysis

Documentation

• GRIN – Help for Creators
• GRIN – Assigning Managers to Creators
• CreatorIQ – Influencer Marketing Platform Overview

G2 Review Pages

• G2 – CreatorIQ
• G2 – GRIN
• G2 – Aspire
• G2 – Upfluence

Reddit Discussions

• r/influencermarketing – Grin Influencer Marketing Platform
• r/influencermarketing – does anyone use GRIN?
• r/influencermarketing – Any Creators dealt with CreatorIQ?
• r/influencermarketing – Upfluence campaign discussion
• r/influencermarketing – SaaS Red Flags & Hard‑Earned Lessons

Trustpilot & Other Reviews

• Trustpilot – GRIN
• Trustpilot – Upfluence
• Aspire – Shopify App Reviews

Additional Resources

• Business Insider – Brands Dominating Creator Marketing (CreatorIQ EMV Report)
• BusinessWire – GRIN Discovery Suite Announcement
• BusinessWire – GRIN Social Listening & Affiliate Hub
• BusinessWire – GRIN Launches Gia AI Assistant