Co-founder at TxtCart | $100M+ revenue driven across 3000+ eCommerce brands via SMS marketing and conversational AI. Live in New York, D1 NHRA Champion, Penn State alum.
10 Best Loyalty Apps for Shopify Stores in 2026
Repeat customers are cheaper than new ones. The hard part is picking a tool that moves repeat-purchase rate without becoming a $200-a-month line item you forget to use. Most "best loyalty app" lists rank by feature count, the wrong lens. A loyalty app is only worth its fee if its retention model matches how your customers actually buy.
This list ranks 10 Shopify loyalty apps by retention model first, feature sprawl second. Points, VIP tiers, referrals, store-credit wallets, and gamified loyalty each solve a different problem, so you match one to your order volume, margins, and reorder window.
Retention model, not feature count
Each solves a different retention problem.
One flag before the list: every app here issues the points but none gets customers back to redeem them, which is why TxtCart runs alongside your pick as the complementary SMS layer that activates those offers, one of the best SMS marketing apps for Shopify for winback and abandoned-cart recovery.
| # | Platform | Pricing | Trial | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Smile.io | Free, paid from $15/mo | Free plan | ★ 4.9 | Most stores wanting a proven points + referral default |
| 02 | LoyaltyLion | From $199/mo | Limited free | ★ 4.6 | Data-driven brands integrating loyalty with Klaviyo |
| 03 | Yotpo Loyalty | Free, paid from $199/mo | Free plan | ★ 4.7 | Brands consolidating reviews, loyalty, and SMS |
| 04 | Rivo | Free, paid from $49/mo | Free plan | ★ 4.8 | DTC stores wanting VIP tiers without enterprise pricing |
| 05 | Growave | Free, paid from $15/mo | Free plan | ★ 4.8 | Stores bundling loyalty, reviews, and wishlists |
| 06 | BON Loyalty | Free, paid from $15/mo | Free plan | ★ 5.0 | Smaller stores wanting a polished program on a budget |
| 07 | Marsello | From $60/mo | No free plan | ★ 4.3 | Omnichannel retailers with POS plus online |
| 08 | Stamped Loyalty | From ~$59/mo | Trial | ★ 4.7 | Brands already on Stamped reviews |
| 09 | Rise.ai | From $19.99/mo | Trial | ★ 4.7 | Store-credit, cashback, and gift-card loyalty |
| 10 | Gameball | Free, paid from $34/mo | Free plan | ★ 4.6 | Stores that want gamified, game-style rewards |
What a loyalty app should actually do
Before the list, here is the filter. A loyalty app for a Shopify store should cover most of these, and the ones that matter depend on your business model.Keep the activation point in mind: the best-designed points program still loses money if nobody opens the email telling them to redeem. It is the reason a loyalty app and a conversational SMS tool end up in the same stack.
- →Points and redemption that fit your margins: A points program only works if the reward is generous enough to motivate and cheap enough to protect margin. Watch the earn-to-redeem ratio, not just "we have points."
- →Referrals: Customer-gets, friend-gets mechanics that turn happy buyers into a low-cost acquisition channel. This is where loyalty quietly doubles as marketing.
- →VIP tiers: Tiered status (bronze, silver, gold) that rewards your best customers and gives the rest a reason to spend more. Most platforms gate tiers behind higher plans.
- →Integrations: Loyalty data is most useful when it flows into your email and SMS tools, your reviews app, and your subscriptions app. A program stuck in its own dashboard does little.
- →Segmentation and analytics: You want to see repeat-purchase rate, redemption rate, and revenue from members versus non-members. If you cannot measure it, you cannot defend the spend.
- →Activation channels: The unsung criterion. The program needs a way to tell customers their points are about to expire, their tier is close, or a bonus event is live. Email and SMS do this; the loyalty app usually does not. For the full playbook, see ways to use SMS marketing for customer retention.
- →Pricing that scales with orders, not against you: Most loyalty apps price by monthly orders. The honest question is whether the next tier still pencils out at your volume.
The 10 Best Loyalty Apps for Shopify
Smile.io
The default that is hard to beat for most stores.
Smile.io is the loyalty app most Shopify merchants should try first, and the numbers explain why. It carries one of the largest install bases in the category and a 4.9 rating across 4,200-plus Shopify reviews (Shopify App Store).
It does the core three jobs cleanly: points, referrals, and VIP tiers, with a free plan that lets a smaller store prove the concept before paying a cent. That free-to-paid runway is the single biggest reason it works as a default.
If you also sell on a repeat-purchase cadence, the natural next read is our best subscription apps for Shopify roundup, since loyalty and subscriptions solve overlapping retention problems.
Pairs well with TxtCart: Smile.io issues the points and surfaces them with an on-site launcher, but a launcher only works for shoppers already on your site.
TxtCart pushes the points-expiry and VIP reminders out by SMS, so members who have not visited in weeks still hear that their balance is about to lapse.
Shopify rating ★ 4.9
Key features
- Points and rewards: with flexible earn and redeem rules
- Referral program: with customer-gets, friend-gets incentives
- VIP tiers: on the Growth plan and above
- Nudges and an on-site launcher: to surface the program where shoppers already are
- Integrations: with email and reviews tools, unlimited on higher plans
Smile.io's Pricing
- Free — plan for small stores
- Essential — $15/mo
- Standard — $79/mo
- Growth — $199/mo, adds VIP tiers, points expiry, and an SEO-friendly loyalty page
- Pricing from the Smile.io Shopify App Store listing (apps.shopify.com/smile-io), verified July 2026
Heads up
- VIP tiers and points expiry are gated to the $199 Growth plan: so smaller stores hit a jump to unlock tiers.
- The step up from Essential and Standard to the $199 Growth plan is steep: for mid-size brands.
- Order-based pricing means a good month: can push you into a higher tier.
LoyaltyLion
For data-driven brands that live in Klaviyo.
LoyaltyLion is built for brands that treat loyalty as a data play, not a points widget. Its strength is how cleanly loyalty data flows into the rest of the marketing stack, especially Klaviyo, where merchants use points balances and tier status to trigger smarter emails.
That power comes at a price. LoyaltyLion's paid plans start at $199 a month, and reviewers are blunt that it only pays back above a few hundred orders a month (365 Dropship review).
Shopify rating ★ 4.6
Key features
- Points, tiers, and referrals: with granular earning rules
- Deep Klaviyo integration: for points-balance and redemption emails
- On-site loyalty pages and widgets: that match your brand
- Analytics: on member revenue, redemption, and repeat-purchase rate
- Customizable rewards: including experiential and tier-based perks
LoyaltyLion's Pricing
- Limited free tier
- Classic — from $199/mo, including around 1,000 orders
- Custom quotes — above that
- Pricing via the 365 Dropship LoyaltyLion review (365dropship.com) — confirm current numbers with LoyaltyLion
Heads up
- Some merchants call the price increases steep, especially moving off a free plan to $199/mo (Shopify App Store reviews).
- A few reviewers report slow support resolution on technical issues (Shopify App Store reviews).
- Overkill for stores under roughly 200 orders a month.
Yotpo Loyalty
For brands consolidating reviews, loyalty, and SMS.
Yotpo Loyalty (formerly Swell) makes most sense for brands that want one vendor across reviews, loyalty, and SMS instead of stitching three apps together. If you already use Yotpo Reviews, the loyalty module slots in without a new integration.
On its own, it is a capable points-and-tiers platform with a free plan for stores under 100 monthly orders. The trade-off is the familiar Yotpo pattern: the free and entry tiers are generous until you scale, then pricing steps up fast.
If reviews are also on your list, the best review apps for Shopify guide breaks down where Yotpo sits against focused review tools, which helps decide whether the bundle is worth it. Once a member has earned rewards, a review-request SMS series turns that goodwill into social proof.
Shopify rating ★ 4.7
Key features
- Points campaigns and redemption: with flexible rules
- VIP tiers: and referral programs
- Tight tie-in with Yotpo Reviews and SMS: for one-vendor retention
- Loyalty analytics: inside the broader Yotpo suite
- On-site widgets: for earning and redeeming
Yotpo Loyalty's Pricing
- Free — plan under 100 monthly orders
- Pro — $199/mo
- Premium — $799/mo
- Enterprise — custom, with per-order overage fees
- Pricing via the Wiser Review Yotpo pricing analysis (wiserreview.com), verified June 2026
Heads up
- Pricing scales sharply once you pass the free or entry tier (Wiser Review pricing analysis).
- The platform is most cost-effective when you adopt multiple Yotpo products: less so as a standalone loyalty app.
- Per-order overage fees can surprise stores: with seasonal spikes.
Rivo
VIP tiers and referrals without the enterprise bill.
Rivo built its reputation as the value answer to the $199 platforms. It delivers points, VIP tiers, referrals, and customer accounts at a fraction of the cost, which is why it has racked up a 4.8 rating across 1,300-plus reviews (Shopify App Store).
The free plan covers up to 200 monthly orders with real loyalty mechanics, and the paid jump is modest, not punishing. For a growing DTC brand, that pricing curve is the whole appeal.
Shopify rating ★ 4.8
Key features
- Points and rewards: with custom earn and redeem actions
- VIP tiers: available on the entry paid plan, not gated to a premium tier
- Referral program: with shareable links
- Customer accounts and loyalty pages: for a branded member experience
- Email automations: for points and tier updates
Rivo's Pricing
- Free — plan up to 200 monthly orders
- Scale — $49/mo for up to 400 orders, adding advanced branding, VIP tiers, analytics, and points expiry
- Pricing from Rivo on the Shopify App Store (apps.shopify.com/rivo-loyalty), verified June 2026
Heads up
- Order-volume tiers mean costs rise as you grow: like every app here.
- Smaller catalog of native integrations: than Smile.io or Yotpo.
- Some advanced reporting lives behind higher plans.
Growave
Loyalty bundled with reviews and wishlists.
Growave is an all-in-one retention platform that bundles loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and on-site social proof. For stores that would otherwise pay for three separate apps, the math gets attractive fast, and reviewers consistently note it works out cheaper than buying the pieces apart.
It holds a 4.8 rating across 1,200-plus reviews, with support quality cited as a recurring strength (Shopify App Store).
Shopify rating ★ 4.8
Key features
- Points, referrals, and VIP tiers: in the loyalty module
- Reviews and photo reviews: built in
- Wishlists: to capture intent and re-engage
- On-site widgets: unifying the retention experience
- Multi-feature pricing: that bundles tools under one fee
Growave's Pricing
- Free — plan available
- Entry — $15/mo for up to 500 monthly orders
- Growth — $199/mo for 1,500 orders
- Plus — $499/mo for 3,000 orders
- Pricing from the Growave pricing page (growave.io/pricing), verified July 2026
Heads up
- Best value only if you actually use the bundled reviews and wishlist features.
- As a pure loyalty app: dedicated tools can feel more focused.
- Higher order tiers climb quickly: past 1,500 orders a month.
BON Loyalty
A polished program for budget-conscious stores.
BON Loyalty punches well above its price. It offers points, VIP tiers, and referrals with a genuinely clean setup, and it holds a near-perfect 5.0 rating across 1,800-plus reviews, installed on more than 5,300 stores (Shopify App Store).
The reason it lands here and not higher is reach: it is excellent for smaller and mid-size stores, but the deepest integration ecosystems still belong to Smile.io and Yotpo. For a store that wants a beautiful program without a $199 bill, that trade is easy.
Shopify rating ★ 5.0
Key features
- Points and rewards: with multi-language support
- VIP tiers: on the Growth plan
- Referral program: built in
- Branded on-site widget: and loyalty page
- Free plan: to launch a basic program at no cost
BON Loyalty's Pricing
- Free — plan available
- Starter — $15/mo for up to 300 monthly orders
- Basic — $29/mo for up to 500 monthly orders
- Growth — $129/mo for unlimited orders and all reward programs including VIP tiers
- Enterprise — custom, by inquiry
- Pricing from the BON Loyalty Shopify App Store listing (apps.shopify.com/bon-loyalty-rewards), verified July 2026
Heads up
- Some settings are not always intuitive to find (Shopify App Store reviews).
- Fewer deep integrations: than the enterprise platforms.
- Best suited to small and mid-size catalogs.
Marsello
Loyalty for omnichannel retailers with POS.
Marsello is the pick for retailers who sell both online and in a physical store. It combines loyalty with email and SMS, and ties points to POS transactions, so a customer earns the same way at the counter and online.
That omnichannel design is its real edge. The cost is that it starts higher than the value players and reviewers flag pricing increases as a concern (G2 reviews).
Pairs well with TxtCart: Marsello includes email and SMS, but its sends are one-way member campaigns built around POS and loyalty events.
TxtCart handles the other SMS job, two-way conversational recovery the moment an online checkout is abandoned, replying to the question that stalled the order instead of broadcasting to a list.
Shopify rating ★ 4.3
Key features
- Unified loyalty across online and POS.
- Built-in email and SMS: for member campaigns
- Points, tiers, and referrals.
- Customer segmentation: across channels
- Reporting: on omnichannel loyalty performance
Marsello's Pricing
- Loyalty Launch — from $60/mo per site (USD), covering 25k monthly order volume
- Loyalty Accelerate — from $120/mo per site (USD), covering 50k monthly order volume
- Pricing from the Marsello pricing page (marsello.com/pricing), verified July 2026
Heads up
- Multiple reviewers report sharp pricing increases over time (G2 reviews).
- Some cite slow support response on technical issues (G2 reviews).
- Overbuilt for stores that sell online only.
Stamped Loyalty
A natural fit if you already run Stamped reviews.
Stamped Loyalty makes the most sense as an add-on for brands already using Stamped for reviews. It bundles reviews, loyalty, and referrals under one roof, and its 4.7 rating across 3,600-plus reviews reflects a mature, trusted product (Shopify App Store).
As a standalone loyalty choice it is solid but unremarkable. The pull is consolidation: one vendor, one dashboard, reviews and loyalty data living together.
Shopify rating ★ 4.7
Key features
- Points and rewards: tied to purchases and actions
- VIP tiers: on higher plans
- Referrals: with shareable incentives
- Reviews and loyalty: in one platform
- Integrations: across the Stamped suite
Stamped Loyalty's Pricing
- Paid plans — from roughly $59/mo
- VIP tiers — from around $149/mo, varying by monthly order volume
- Pricing via the Stamped review on Wiser Review (wiserreview.com) — confirm current numbers with Stamped
Heads up
- Strongest value only when paired with Stamped reviews.
- VIP tiers sit behind higher plans.
- As a pure loyalty app: dedicated tools feel more focused.
Rise.ai
Loyalty built on store credit, not points.
Rise.ai is the odd one out, and deliberately so. Instead of a points program, it runs loyalty on store credit and gift cards, issuing cashback as wallet balance customers spend on their next order. That model fits refunds, returns, and high-AOV brands where store credit beats a points abstraction.
It leads the gift-card-plus-loyalty niche with a strong install base and a 4.7 to 4.8 rating across 740-plus reviews (Shopify App Store).
Shopify rating ★ 4.7
Key features
- Store-credit wallet: for cashback and rewards
- Gift card programs: with scheduling and automation
- Store credit for refunds and returns: to retain revenue
- Referral rewards: paid as credit
- Workflow automations: that issue credit on triggers
Rise.ai's Pricing
- Starter — from $19.99/mo, up to 100 monthly orders, with $0.20 per additional order
- Scaling to $199.99/mo
- Pricing from the Rise.ai Shopify App Store listing (apps.shopify.com/gift-card-loyalty-program), verified June 2026
Heads up
- Not a traditional points-and-tier program: so the fit is narrower.
- Per-order overage on the Starter plan adds up: at higher volume.
- Less relevant for low-AOV stores: where credit motivates little.
Gameball
Gamified loyalty for stores that want play.
Gameball wraps loyalty in game mechanics: spin-the-wheel, badges, challenges, and leaderboards on top of points and referrals. For brands whose audience responds to play, that engagement layer can lift participation beyond a static points balance.
It is the smallest install base on this list, with a 4.6 to 4.8 rating across roughly 160-plus reviews, so it is a younger, more specialized pick (Shopify App Store).
Shopify rating ★ 4.6
Key features
- Gamified rewards: including spin-the-wheel and challenges
- Points, referrals, and VIP tiers.
- Badges and leaderboards: to drive engagement
- RFM segmentation: on the Pro plan
- Free Forever plan: for up to 100 monthly reachable customers
Gameball's Pricing
- Free Forever — plan
- Starter — $34/mo, adding VIP tiers, points expiry, and games
- Pro — $159/mo for unlimited tiers and RFM segmentation, with an API add-on
- Pricing from the Gameball Shopify pricing page (gameball.co/shopify-pricing), verified June 2026
Heads up
- Smaller review base: than the established platforms.
- API access requires a paid add-on.
- Gamification fits some audiences: far better than others.
The Verdict
If you want one recommendation, start with Smile.io. Its free plan, proven track record, and clean points-plus-referral setup make it the safest default for the majority of Shopify stores.
If budget is the constraint and you still want VIP tiers and referrals early, Rivo or BON Loyalty deliver most of the value at a third of the enterprise price. And if you run on data and live in Klaviyo above a few hundred orders a month, LoyaltyLion is worth its premium.
Whichever you choose, remember why loyalty programs stall: rewards that nobody is reminded to redeem. A loyalty app issues the points.
An SMS layer like TxtCart makes sure customers actually come back to spend them, with conversational reminders, winback flows, and two-way replies that turn a forgotten balance into a repeat order. Our guide to running an SMS loyalty program walks through the reminder and reward flows that make this work. Brands like Organi have turned that activation into seven figures in SMS revenue.
Pick your loyalty app from the 10 above, then see how TxtCart's SMS layer activates it so the program pays for itself.
How to choose by business model
The right loyalty app depends less on feature checklists and more on how your store sells. Match yourself to the closest profile.
Match your store to a pick
- Small store, under 200 orders a month, tight budget. Start with Smile.io's free plan, Rivo's free plan, or BON Loyalty. All three prove a program with no monthly fee, and you upgrade only when members are reordering.
- Growing DTC brand wanting VIP tiers early. Go with Rivo at $49/mo or BON Loyalty at $129/mo. Both unlock tiers and referrals without the $199 entry the enterprise platforms charge.
- Data-driven brand living in Klaviyo, 300-plus orders a month. LoyaltyLion earns its price here, because the loyalty data actually feeds your email triggers.
- Brand consolidating reviews, loyalty, and SMS under one vendor. Yotpo Loyalty or Growave make the bundle pencil out, especially if you already use their other modules.
- Omnichannel retailer with POS plus online. Marsello is built for the counter and the cart at once.
- High-AOV store, frequent returns, or gift-card-heavy. Rise.ai runs loyalty on store credit, which fits better than points.
- Audience that responds to play. Gameball layers game mechanics that can lift participation.
Whichever you pick, the activation layer is constant. If repeat-purchase cadence is the goal, the best subscription apps for Shopify guide is the companion read, since subscriptions and loyalty often run side by side.
Pairs well with TxtCart: every profile above ends at the same place. The loyalty app you choose decides how rewards are earned; none of them decide whether the customer comes back to redeem. TxtCart sits across all seven scenarios as the SMS reminder and recovery layer, which is why it is the one constant no matter which pick you land on.
Pair your loyalty pick with TxtCart
Here is the pattern that shows up across stores running every app on this list. The program is set up well. Points accrue, tiers exist, referral links work. And redemption stays low, because the reward sits in an account the customer forgot they have.
Email carries some of the reminder load, but open rates make it leaky. A points-expiry warning that lands in a promotions tab does not get seen in time.
That is the activation gap, and it is where TxtCart's conversational SMS takes over. TxtCart is not a loyalty app and does not replace one. It is the AI-native layer that gets loyalty offers in front of customers and turns a reminder into a reply.
The activation gap
Before 😴
After 🤩
Same member · same points · two-way AI SMS
In practice that looks like:
- → VIP and points-expiry reminders over SMS, where open rates clear 98 percent, so a "your points expire in 5 days" text actually gets read.
- → Winback and post-purchase SMS flows that nudge a lapsed member back before they churn.
- → Two-way campaign replies, so a customer can text back a question about their reward and get an answer instead of going silent.
- → Abandoned-cart recovery that closes the order a loyalty discount was meant to drive. The mechanics are in our guide to reducing cart abandonment with SMS.
Customer story · Organi · vegan haircare brand
$1,248,723 in SMS-attributed revenue at a 16.9x ROI
Organi ran TxtCart alongside its retention stack and drove a 32 percent increase in subscribers across 118,839 total conversations. The two-way conversations did what one-way blasts could not: they got customers to act.
$1,248,723
SMS-Attributed Revenue
16.9x
ROI
32%
Subscriber Increase
The takeaway is simple. Choose your loyalty app from the 10 above. Add an SMS layer so the rewards it issues actually get redeemed. To automate those reminders alongside your loyalty program, TxtCart's SMS automations handle the welcome, winback, and points-expiry sequences without manual sends.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most Shopify stores, Smile.io is the best default. It carries the largest install base, a 4.9 rating across 4,200-plus reviews, and a free plan that lets you prove the program before paying. The honest answer is that the best app depends on your model: Rivo and BON are stronger on value, LoyaltyLion and Yotpo on data and consolidation, and Rise.ai on store credit.
Smile.io is better for most small and mid-size stores thanks to its free plan and lower entry price. LoyaltyLion is better for data-driven brands above roughly 300 orders a month, especially those running Klaviyo, because its loyalty data feeds email triggers. Below that volume, LoyaltyLion's $199 starting price is hard to justify.
They range widely. Several apps including Smile.io, Rivo, BON Loyalty, Yotpo, and Gameball offer free plans for small stores. Paid plans run from about $15/mo (Smile.io, BON Loyalty, Growave) and $49/mo (Rivo) up to $199/mo and beyond (LoyaltyLion, Yotpo, Stamped). Most price by monthly order volume, so confirm your tier before committing.
Promote it where customers already are: an on-site widget, the post-purchase thank-you page, email, and SMS. SMS is the highest-impact channel for redemption reminders because open rates clear 98 percent, so points-expiry and VIP messages get seen in time. Most loyalty apps issue the rewards; a tool like TxtCart handles the reminders that get them redeemed.
Yes. The most common reason loyalty programs underperform is that members forget their rewards exist. SMS closes that gap with points-expiry warnings, VIP tier nudges, and winback messages that get read fast. Two-way SMS also lets customers reply with questions about a reward, which keeps them engaged instead of dropping off.
This is exactly the slice TxtCart owns: your loyalty app records that a member has 500 points expiring Friday; TxtCart is what texts them on Thursday and answers "what can I use these on?" in the same thread, rather than leaving the reminder to an email that may never get opened.
Editor's pick · activation layer for Shopify loyalty
They can, but timing matters. A new store with few repeat customers gets little from loyalty yet. Start on a free plan (Smile.io, Rivo, or BON), let some purchase history build, and scale the program once you can see members reordering more than first-time buyers.
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