Find the best loyalty apps for your Shopify store
Best loyalty apps for Shopify
Let’s talk loyalty software. Assuming you want to increase your revenue by 50%, you’ve baked customer loyalty into your marketing strategy. What’s next? Time to start the dreaded search for the “right” Shopify app to execute on that loyalty-focused marketing strategy.
I’m sure that sounds familiar. Virtually every Shopify merchant feels overwhelmed about choosing the “right” loyalty app for their store. We thought to ease the pain and offer you a list of Shopify loyalty apps that we consider worth trying.
How did we choose the best Shopify loyalty apps?
We concluded that creating a list based exclusively on features is not helpful to most Shopify merchants. Store owners must consider a myriad of aspects before deciding to give an app a try. We’ve examined 5 interconnected dimensions:
- Clear pricing
- Affordability level
- Critical features
- Complimentary features
- App reputation
We opted for a comparison-style article, emphasising an easy-to-scan approach. You’ll be able to see how each app compares to the others from each dimension’s perspective. That’s because we believe that each merchant is best equipped to decide for themselves, rather than being “sold”. Without further ado, let’s jump into it!
Which Shopify loyalty apps are the best?
Here’s a short overview of each app and whom they benefit:
1. Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Our verdict is that Froonze caters to both large and small Shopify stores that wish to create loyalty, improve conversions, and drive growth without breaking the bank. Merchants who have already adopted Shopify’s New Customer Accounts will be thrilled that Froonze not only offers points-based loyalty but also the option to reward customers with native Shopify store credit instead of points.
2. Joy Loyalty Rewards Program
Our verdict is that Joy was designed for stores with larger order volumes that have dedicated app management employees. Joy’s not so much for the busy small store owner focused on growth.
3. Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards
Our verdict is that Rivo created a complex platform that may work for large stores in need of a lot of extra features, but not for small merchants who require a simpler, more efficient solution to foster customer loyalty and drive revenue.
4. Smile: Loyalty Rewards Program
Our verdict is that Smile is unreasonably expensive for its promised features (or lack thereof). This might be somewhat acceptable to large Shopify stores that can afford to burn cash. However, small merchants will feel the financial burden, as well as the never-ending paywalls for access to essential features.
5. BON Loyalty Rewards Program
Our verdict is that BON attempts to target both large and small Shopify stores. However, while BON might be appealing to larger merchants because of its lower price (compared to more expensive options), small stores should be wary of the limited features and the likelihood of spending more to unlock features on their path to growth.
How do the best Shopify loyalty apps stack against each other?
- Does it offer clear pricing?
We’ll analyse whether it’s crystal clear what each price plan the app offers and for what store sizes it’s designed.
Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Froonze has a clear loyalty plugin pricing structure and offers 4 plans that are easy to understand at a glance:
| Free | Advanced | Premium | Unlimited |
| $0/month | $10/month | $30/month | $60/month |
| For up to 100 monthly orders | For up to 500 monthly orders | For up to 1,000 monthly orders | For unlimited monthly orders |
Larger stores with over 1,000 orders will need to pay only $60 per month for access to all loyalty features. That’s it.
Smaller merchants who exceed the free plan’s limit or want access to virtually every loyalty feature (excepting customer exclusion functionality) will need to pay only $10 per month, and as they grow, only $30 per month.
Froonze charges for order count and major features (all features, except customer exclusion, which are readily available in the loyalty Advanced plan).
Joy Loyalty Rewards Program
Joy has a somewhat complicated pricing structure and offers 4 plans:
| Starter | Professional | Advanced | Enterprise |
| $0/month | Starts at $24.99/month | Starts at $99/month | Starts at $499/month |
| For up to 150 free lifetime orders | For up to 500 free monthly orders (or 1,000 free monthly orders for an additional $10 POS extension fee) +$15 per additional 100 orders | For up to 2,000 free monthly orders +$10 per additional 100 orders | For up to 7,000 free monthly orders +$5 per additional 100 orders |
Bigger stores, with more than 7,000 monthly orders, must go through Joy’s sales team to get a custom price. Joy mentions the Enterprise price starts at $499/month, but that’s about it.
Small stores are left with some basic loyalty functionality and are practically forced to upgrade from $0 to almost $25 to use the more advanced features. Also, once the 150 lifetime free order limit is reached, merchants are still forced to upgrade.
Joy also charges additional order-based fees for exceeding the allocated maximum order count.
Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards
Rivo has a complicated pricing system and offers 4 plans:
| Free | Scale | Plus | Enterprise |
| $0/month | $49 – $449/month | $499/month | Starts at $1999/month |
| For up to 200 monthly orders | For 200 to 2,500 monthly orders | For above 2,000 monthly orders but only up to 2,500 | For unlimited monthly orders |
Larger stores, with more than 2,500 orders, will need to go through Rivo’s sales team to negotiate a custom price, and must be willing to spend a minimum of $1,999 a month for the app.
Lower-volume stores that exceed the 200 monthly free plan or that desire access to more features will need to upgrade from $0 to $49 a month, and eventually jump to $499 per month.
Smile: Loyalty Rewards Program
Smile offers a somewhat clear pricing structure and has 5 plans:
| Free | Starter | Growth | Plus | Enterprise |
| $0/month | $49/month | $199/month | $849 – $999/month | Unknown |
| For up to 200 monthly | For up to 500 monthly orders | For up to 2,500 monthly orders +$20 per additional 100 orders | For up to 7,500 monthly orders +$5 per additional 100 orders | For unlimited monthly orders |
Larger stores, with more than 7,500 orders, will need to either keep paying $5 per 100 orders or contact the Smile sales team for a custom offer. Smile allows merchants on their loyalty Plus plan to choose between monthly ($999/month) or yearly ($849/month) payments.
Lower-volume stores that exceed the 200 monthly orders free plan or that want to access more features will need to upgrade from $0 to $49 a month. And, eventually, to $199/month once the 500 monthly order limit is reached.
Smile also charges additional order-based fees for exceeding the allocated maximum order count.
BON Loyalty Rewards Program
BON has somewhat clear pricing and offers 4 plans:
| Free | Basic | Growth | Professional |
| $0/month | $23-$25/month | $79-$99/month | $279-$349/month |
| For up to 250 monthly orders | For up to 500 monthly orders | For unlimited monthly orders | For unlimited monthly orders |
Larger stores that don’t want to be locked in by a monthly order limit can choose between monthly ($99/month) or yearly ($79/month) payments for certain advanced features. Alternatively, they can opt for monthly ($349/month) or annual ($279/month) payments for the most advanced features.
Smaller stores that exceed the free plan’s monthly order limit or want to access more features will need to switch from $0 to either a monthly ($25/month) or yearly ($23/month) payment.
BON opted for a mix between order count and available features, which requires some basic research to understand the price.
- Is it affordable long-term?
We’ll take a look at whether the app is affordable in the long run across different store sizes.
Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Froonze proves that creating long-lasting customer loyalty is an affordable endeavour, and that should be the norm.
Large stores with more than 1,000 orders will pay a maximum of $720 a year for the loyalty plugin.
Smaller merchants who exceed the loyalty free plan’s limit or want all the loyalty features will pay $120 per year. If customer exclusion is preferred or the 500 monthly order limit is exceeded, the upgrade will result in spending only $360 per year for loyalty.
Joy Loyalty Rewards Program
Joy is an expensive app, especially in the long run, and specifically for small stores that plan to grow, but large stores might be willing to pay the price.
Large merchants will have to pay a pretty penny, even if Joy caps the monthly maximum allocation at $10,000. That’s an easy $120,000 a year.
Small stores that grow and exceed the lifetime limit will be forced to upgrade; that’s a jump from $0 to $25, resulting in about $300 per year, and if 500 orders are not enough or more features are desired, the next jump is from $300 to $1,188 a year, at the very least.
Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards
Rivo is interested in large Shopify stores (specifically on the Shopify Plus plan), not for smaller Shopify merchants; otherwise, they wouldn’t cost so much.
Large stores, with over 2,500 monthly orders, must be willing to spend a minimum of $24,000 a year.
Smaller merchants that exceed the 200-order limit or want access to advanced features will need to pay between $600 and $6,000 a year.
Smile: Loyalty Rewards Program
Smile targets large, enterprise-level Shopify stores, not smaller merchants, and the hefty price tag shows.
Large stores will pay between almost $10,200 and $12,000 per year, depending on the billing frequency (annual or monthly). And that’s at the very minimum. Smile provides no info about the starting sum for the custom plan.
Smaller stores that exceed the 200 monthly order count limit will give almost $600 annually. Exceeding the 500 monthly order count raises the price to around $2,400 per year.
BON Loyalty Rewards Program
BON is mostly affordable for larger stores, but not so much for small merchants.
Large stores will pay between $950 and almost $1,200 per year, or $3,350 and $4,200 per year, depending on desired features and billing frequency (annual or monthly).
Smaller stores that exceed the 250 monthly order count limit or simply want more will give between $275 and $300 a year, depending on the billing frequency (annual or monthly).
- What are the critical features?
We’ll highlight whether the app not only has the minimum necessary features, but also promotes customer loyalty and increases store revenue.
Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Froonze offers all the essentials: points-based system (earning and spending rules), VIP and referral programs, Shopify POS integration, multi-language support (no limits; every language supported by Shopify), email notifications (pre-created templates or full customisation power), and the most exciting feature of all—a native Shopify store credit-based loyalty program (only for new customer account stores).
As one of the very few apps to have built full native store credit-based loyalty functionality, Froonze leads the way in creating a smoother checkout experience. How? Store credit can simply be applied at checkout without needing to redeem any points. Faster checkout → smoother experience → higher conversion. It’s that simple.
Joy Loyalty Rewards Program
According to Joy, core features refer to a loyalty page, referral program, translations, notifications, customer account blocks, specific earning and spending rules, and certain integrations. Among the advanced features, Joy offers a VIP program, a points preview widget, a checkout extension (available to Shopify Plus merchants), and access to all integrations.
One critical feature missing from Joy is the possibility to create a loyalty program based on native Shopify store credit. Rewarding store credit can only be done through Joy’s integration with Shopify Flow, which is limiting.
Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards
Rivo promises that every plan comes with loyalty and referral programs, customisable branding options, and detailed analytics. Higher plans offer additional features, including dedicated loyalty and referral pages, an account page widget, VIP program, and various integrations (limited to 4 for the non-Enterprise plan).
Rivo claims that they offer a store credit program. We couldn’t find any settings to enable that, though. It seems that rewarding store credit can only be done through Rivo’s integration with Shopify Flow, which, again, is restrictive.
Smile: Loyalty Rewards Program
Smile mentions that they offer a points program, referral program, customisation options (basic and advanced), reporting, VIP program, on-site reminders, a loyalty page, and various integrations. Every critical feature requires a paid plan, except for the basic points and referral programs.
Smile doesn’t mention anything related to creating a native Shopify store credit-based loyalty program. We weren’t able to find such a setting in the app either.
BON Loyalty Rewards Program
BON highlights that it offers a points-based system (basic and advanced), VIP and referral programs, Shopify POS integration, multi-language support (in over 250 languages or limited), email notifications, and a dedicated loyalty page.
BON doesn’t mention anything about store credit rewards or the possibility of creating a store credit-based loyalty program. And, just as is the case with Smile, we couldn’t find such a functionality anywhere in the app.
- Does it offer complimentary features?
We’ll examine whether the app offers additional functionalities besides loyalty that could enhance its core offer.
Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Froonze offers several complementary plugins: Wishlist (for both legacy and new customer accounts), Customer Account (for legacy accounts only), and Custom Forms (legacy accounts only).
These additional features not only enhance Froonze’s core loyalty functionality but also create a more integrated and streamlined customer experience, resulting in more growth.
Joy Loyalty Rewards Program
Joy dabbles only in loyalty. They offer a customer account blocks feature that’s designed to enhance their loyalty offering, but that’s about it.
Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards
Excluding the account page widget, Enterprise-level merchants are offered a list of complementary features as part of the Enterprise plan offer. It’s unclear whether these features are included or are paid for separately.
Among these Enterprise-level features, Rivo offers wishlists and favourites, recently viewed and saved to cart, order management, recommendation engine, custom blocks, and eligibility for Rivo Accounts.
Smile: Loyalty Rewards Program
Smile offers only loyalty features, and that’s pretty much it.
BON Loyalty Rewards Program
BON is limited to loyalty only and nothing else.
- Is the app reputable?
We’ll explore whether the app has a good Shopify App Store rating, positive reviews, and has been on the market for some time.
Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Froonze has a 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store from over 200 reviews. It was founded in 2021, so it has been on the market for 4 years. The only two negative reviews are from merchants who used the app for less than 20 minutes.
Shopify merchants highlight the app’s ease of use and impeccable customer support efforts. Furthermore, most reviews mention the extensive customisation possibilities, especially in terms of widget appearance, email notifications, and texts and translations. Merchants also praise the option to create a store credit-based loyalty program.
Joy Loyalty Rewards Program
Joy has a 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from over 1,500 reviews. It was founded in 2021, so it has been on the market for 4 years.
Several customers have complained that Joy offers misleading information about pricing and functionalities. Furthermore, small store owners believe that Joy was not built for them.
Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards
Rivo has a 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from over 1,500 reviews. It was founded in 2021, so it has been on the market for 4 years.
Various merchants have complained about leftover code after the app is uninstalled, as well as features not working, especially after updates. Furthermore, Shopify store owners feel frustrated due to the continuous upselling attempts and pop-ups within the app. Some complained about poor customer support.
Smile: Loyalty Rewards Program
Smile has a 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store, from close to 4,000 reviews. It was founded in 2012, so it has been on the market for 13 years. Smile is the fossil on this list.
Some merchants complained about a lack of effort from support, while many others highlighted broken features, constant paywalls, and even being kept on paid plans without consent. And we’re talking about Shopify merchants who have been with Smile for 1,3, and even 10 years!
BON Loyalty Rewards Program
BON has a 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from around 1,450 reviews. It was founded in 2021, so it has been on the market for 4 years.
Merchants complained about a diverse range of issues. These include a lack of engagement with the app from store customers, app features not working, needing to pay for simple customisations, and a lack of proper solutions from support, to name a few.
What’s the verdict for each Shopify loyalty app?
Since we prefer to make things easy to understand, we put together a comparison table between each app across each dimension:
| Clear pricing | Affordability level | Critical features | Complementary features | App reputation | |
| Froonze | Clear pricing structure.There’s no need to go through a sales team and a lengthy process.You know exactly what you’re getting for the money. | Affordable:The lowest loyalty paid plan is $10/month or $120/yearThe highest loyalty plan is $60/month or $720/year. | Points programStore credit programVIP programReferral programShopify POSMulti-language support (unlimited)Email notifications (fully customizable)Various integrations | Wishlist (for new and legacy accounts)Customer Account (for legacy accounts)Custom Forms (for legacy accounts) | 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store from over 200 reviews. Merchants mention outstanding support, easy setup, and improved customer experience. |
| Joy | Somewhat complicated pricing structure.Sales must be involved for large stores that need custom pricing.Additional fees per 100 orders. | Expensive:The lowest paid plan is $25/month or $300/year.The highest displayed plan is $1,899/month or $22,800/year. | Loyalty pagePoints systemReferral programVIP programCheckout extension (Shopify Plus stores only)Various integrationsShopify POS | Customer account blocks. | 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from over 1,500 reviews. Several complaints about inefficient support and misleading price information |
| Rivo | Complicated price structure.Custom pricing requires going through the sales team. | Expensive:The lowest paid plan is $49/month or $588/yearThe highest displayed plan is $1,999/month or $24,000/year | Points programReferrals programDedicated loyalty and referral pagesCustomisable branding optionsVIP ProgramAccount page widgetVarious integrationsCheckout extension (Shopify Plus stores only)Shopify POS | Wishlists and favouritesRecently viewed and saved to cartOrder managementRecommendation engineCustom blocksRivo Accounts(all available for Enterprise plan only) | 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from over 1,500 reviews.Various complaints about leftover code after uninstallation, constant upselling attempts, a hard unsubscription process, and poor customer support |
| Smile | Somewhat clear pricing structure.Sales must be involved for large stores that need custom pricing.Additional fees per 100 orders.Offers annual billing for the Plus plan. | Expensive:The lowest paid plan is $49/month or $600/yearThe highest displayed plan is $849-$999/month or $10,200-$12,000/year (depending on billing frequency) | Points programReferral programCustomisation options (basic and advanced)VIP programOn-site remindersDedicated loyalty pageVarious integrations | Nothing besides loyalty. | 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from almost 4,500 reviews.Merchants complained about poor support, broken features, constant paywalls, little value for the price, and being billed without consent |
| BON | Somewhat clear pricing structure.Research is needed to understand the features included in each plan.There’s no need to go through a sales team and a lengthy process. | Somewhat affordable:The lowest paid plan is $23-$25/month or $275-$300/year (depending on billing frequency)The highest plan is $279-$349/month or $3,350-$4,200/year (depending on billing frequency) | Points program (basic and advanced)VIP programReferral programShopify POSMulti-language supportEmail notificationsDedicated loyalty page | Nothing besides loyalty. | 4.9-star rating on the Shopify App Store from around 1,450 reviews.Merchants complained about improper support solutions, broken features, no app engagement from store customers, and having to pay for customisations. |
