Building loyalty on Shopify can be one of the best ways to boost your bottom line. Turning to your own customer base can be more profitable in an era where so many brands are competing for the same ad traffic.
The best Shopify loyalty app can help you increase your customer lifetime value (LTV) and average order value (AOV), while also nurturing brand advocates and encouraging them to refer family and friends.
But let’s face it - the Shopify App Store is overflowing with options that all sound alike on the surface. It’s hard to figure out which solution meets your needs. So, what are the best loyalty program apps for Shopify and Shopify Plus merchants? We created this guide just for you.
Compare and contrast the best Shopify loyalty apps below based on key features, prices, customer service, and other factors. Whether you’re just dipping your toes into loyalty or looking to switch platforms, you’ll find the perfect fit in this list.
The short answer, though, is you can’t beat the balance of simplicity and customization in Rivo’s Shopify loyalty program. You gain access to advanced reward logic with over 150 loyalty features out of the box, integrations with key tech so you can bake loyalty into every touch point, and unparalleled customer service from A to Z.
Rivo has earned a 4.9/5 star rating on the Shopify App Store so you don’t have to take our word for it when we tell you it’s the best Shopify loyalty app. Over 9,000 brands use Rivo, and some are seeing a 52x ROI and 3.1x repeat purchase rate.
Start building brand advocacy the easy way with Rivo and see how it impacts your bottom line!
What to Look For in the Best Shopify Loyalty App
It’s all too easy to get distracted by flashy promises and generic features with hundreds of loyalty apps competing for your attention in the Shopify App Store. We want you to narrow your focus a bit to make a more confident decision in the best loyalty app for Shopify.
So, what are the best loyalty program apps for Shopify doing that others are missing the mark on? These are the details brands care about most, and the factors we encourage you to zero in on as you look for your own loyalty solution.
Customization and Branding
Your loyalty program has to feel like an extension of your brand rather than a cookie-cutter add-on. Otherwise, it’ll lack the cohesion necessary to get customers to opt in and actually use the program.
Look for a platform that allows you to fully customize the visual experience, from loyalty page layouts and widgets to emails and reward notifications. After all, customers who receive personalized experiences are 60% more likely to become repeat buyers.
Every customer touchpoint, whether it’s the VIP tiers widget or a post-purchase referral popup, should reflect your fonts, colors, voice, and tone. Some apps lock you into pre-designed templates with minimal flexibility, which is only going to hold you back.
Advanced Reward Logic and Segmentation
There’s nothing wrong with basic points-based loyalty programs. They work well. But, there are instances where you need an alternative to loyalty points and you should have the freedom to reward customers however you see fit - such as VIP tiers.
The best Shopify loyalty apps also let you build smarter programs with rules and tiers that incentivize meaningful behaviors - like referrals, reviews, social engagement, or milestone achievements.
This means you need to have the ability to implement precision loyalty segmentation so you can tailor rewards to specific customer groups based on lifetime value, purchase history, or even geography. This goes back to the importance of personalization.
Omnichannel and Marketing Integrations
Your loyalty program doesn’t live in a silo. It needs to connect to every part of your marketing stack so you can 1) keep loyalty top of mind with customers and 2) keep the experience on-brand at every step of the customer acquisition journey.
Choose an app that integrates seamlessly with Shopify POS, so your customers can earn and redeem points in-store just as easily as they can online.
Think about the other software you use to engage customers as well. Your app should integrate with email, SMS, and analytics tools like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Attentive, and Google Analytics.
Bonus points if it also plays well with your headless commerce setup or CDP. Being able to embed loyalty nudges across email flows, transactional texts, and your Shopify checkout experience is where good apps separate from great ones.
Pricing Transparency
You get what you pay for, and shouldn’t expect the best loyalty app for Shopify to be “cheap.” What it should be, though, is transparent and scalable.
Many loyalty apps hide their real costs behind vague “enterprise” quotes or tack on commissions and per-order fees that add up fast as you grow. So, pick an app that clearly outlines what you’re paying for.
Think about how many orders or members are included, what’s considered an add-on, and whether you’ll face overage fees. Transparent pricing gives you the confidence to scale without nasty surprises.
Always weigh value against price rather than looking at cost in isolation. While an app may be a bit more expensive, it’s worth every penny if it drives a higher loyalty program ROI.
Customer Support
Even the best software can hit bumps, especially during setup. This is where strong customer support can make or break your loyalty program rollout.
Take note of customer reviews for an app on the Shopify App Store, as you’ll figure out pretty quickly which solutions go above and beyond and which care more about getting connected to your store than actually providing value.
Priority chat, dedicated account managers, onboarding specialists, or even strategy consultations are all signs of a vendor invested in your success.
Ease of Use
Your team shouldn’t need a developer on-call every time you want to update your rewards or tweak campaign copy. Unfortunately, that’s the case with so many loyalty program apps claiming to be the best.
The best apps make it simple to spin up new campaigns, test new reward structures, and monitor performance without waiting for support or engineering help. You’ll feel empowered by your app rather than overwhelmed.
What are the Best Loyalty Program Apps For Shopify & Shopify Plus Merchants?
There’s a lot to think about in choosing the best Shopify loyalty app. So in saying all that, whare the best loyalty program apps for Shopify and Shopify Plus merchants?
We’ve dug through countless pages on the Shopify App Store and narrowed it down to just the top 6 choices according to real Shopify brands who have actually tried them. While each has its place, the overwhelming conclusion is that Rivo is #1.
Rivo
- Rating: 4.9/5
- Features: 150+ rewards, 100+ integrations, drag-and-drop editor, VIP-tiers
- Pricing: Free plan, paid plans start at $49
Rivo is purpose-built for Shopify and Shopify Plus merchants who want more than a generic loyalty plug-in. You get 150+ unique loyalty and rewards features right out of the box so you can build the program you’re envisioning without any compromise.
The drag-and-drop campaign builder lets you launch and test campaigns without developer help, too. You can effortlessly design a cohesive landing page that feels like an extension of your brand. Everything from fonts to CSS can be customized, and you can get your program live in minutes.
We make it easy to create highly configurable VIP tiers and milestone rewards. You can leverage Shopify-native dynamic checkout reward previews as well to ensure every interaction stays on-brand and seamless.
What sets Rivo apart is its deep integration with Shopify’s ecosystem, including Shopify POS for in-store redemptions, Klaviyo for automated email flows, and Google Analytics for loyalty program analytics. Other integrations include Attentive, Gorgias, Sendlane, Recharge, Postscript, Okendo, Skio, and 100 more.
You can also leverage Shopify customer accounts for unparalleled personalization. Segment customers by Shopify tags, purchase history, or LTV, and create rewards that align with specific behaviors - such as product reviews, referrals, or hitting spend thresholds.
Rivo scales with your business and stays usable all along the way. There are no hidden commissions, just transparent, flat-rate pricing. We provide dedicated onboarding and support for every merchant, not just enterprise accounts.
Whether you’re looking for a Shopify referral program or the best Shopify loyalty app, Rivo is the #1 choice trusted by 9,000 leading brands such as Ridge, HexClad, Monos, Dr. Squatch, and more. Here are just a few noteworthy success stories:
- HexClad earned $450k in the first 90 days.
- Rareform boosted its 30-day repurchase rate by 26.9% after launching loyalty.
- Ultra Football added $800,000 in loyalty revenue in just six months.
- Fresh Chile Co increased AOV by 156% and added $40,000 in ARR.
Don’t settle for anything less than the best loyalty app for Shopify. Request a demo today and learn more about what you can build with Rivo.
“This app runs smoothly and any time we need support team is super responsive. Arianne was quick to help us solve a recent issue within minutes and we are back to running 100%. Thank you!”
“Our customers really like this app, one of the best prices for the VIP tier function. Customer service is fast and very helpful.”
“I have been super impressed with Rivo. I have tried all of the regulars out there after being in business for 17 years. Rivo has had the easiest integration, easiest team to work with and no hidden fees or bogus ways to upcharge you. It's straightforward, stable and it just works - which has actually been super hard to find. The UI for the store owner is easy and their support is super responsive.”
Growave
- Rating: 4.8/5
- Features: Dedicated loyalty landing page, 200+ features, reviews/wishlists built-in
- Pricing: 14-day trial, paid plans starting at $49/month
Growave offers a suite of customer engagement tools beyond just loyalty. It combines a points-based rewards system, referral program, product reviews, wishlists, and even Instagram UGC galleries all in a single dashboard.
This is why brands looking to consolidate apps and simplify their tech stack are drawn to Growave as the best loyalty app for Shopify. On the loyalty side specifically, you’ll get configurable earning and redemption rules, VIP tiers, and a fully branded loyalty page that integrates directly with your storefront.
Growave also supports Shopify POS so you can set up omnichannel rewards that tie in-store and online purchases together. It certainly provides a lot of value for brands looking to enhance customer interaction across multiple touchpoints.
But, Growave tries to do so much at once that its loyalty functionality can feel less robust than dedicated loyalty solutions - and that’s evident in the weaker rating compared to other Shopify loyalty apps.
A lot of users also say they wish they’d saved the time and gone with a different solution from the start, given how long and slow the onboarding process can be. Scaling brands feel boxed in by the rigid logic for rewards, too.
Smile.io
- Rating: 4.5/5
- Features: 25+ integrations, customize loyalty widget placement, dedicated launch planning
- Pricing: Starting at $49/month
Smile.io is one of the most widely used loyalty apps on Shopify and has earned the trust of over 100,000 brands worldwide. This is because it’s not just a loyalty app but also great for generating referral traffic.
Its real strength, though, lies in simplicity and speed. You can launch a points-based loyalty program, set up referrals, and even build tiered VIP programs in just a few clicks. It’s one of the top choices for small-to-medium brands specifically looking to reward customers with points, discounts, or perks.
Smile.io integrates seamlessly with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Shopify POS. You can easily customize the branding to keep your loyalty experience native at every step of the funnel. Post-purchase nudges, shareable links, and embedded widgets keep your program visible to shoppers across touchpoints, too.
So what’s the catch? Why do so many brands end up looking for a smile.io alternative in the end? Its simplicity ends up becoming a major limitation at a certain point. Advanced campaign segmentation and flexible reward logic are limited, which can be a dealbreaker for brands that really want to push the limits of their loyalty program.
Loyalty Lion
- Rating: 4.6/5
- Features: Collaboration on loyalty program customization, automated reward rules, plenty of integrations
- Pricing: Starting at $199/month
Loyalty Lion is one of the best Shopify loyalty apps from a data perspective, perfect for the analytics-driven marketers who want to increase LTV as much as possible.
Personalization is powerful with Loyalty Lion, as you get tools to tailor rewards and messaging based on customer segments and purchase behavior. The platform’s analytics dashboards provide deep insight into retention metrics so you can optimize your program over time as well.
Loyalty Lion also supports tiered VIP programs, on-site widgets, and email/SMS integrations to keep customers engaged. Brands with sophisticated marketing teams choose Loyalty Lion because there’s a ton of potential in one simple solution.
One thing to note, though, is that Loyalty Lion’s feature-rich platform can take quite a bit of time and expertise to implement effectively, which can feel overwhelming for smaller teams without dedicated resources.
All these features come at a higher price, too, than you’d pay with a similar Loyalty Lion alternative. It’s still worth a look, but the value disconnect is hard to ignore for a lot of brands.
Marsello
- Rating: 3.8/5
- Features: Email/SMS products, 360-degree reporting, VIP tiers, onboarding support
- Pricing: Starting at $125/month
Marsello combines loyalty, email, and SMS marketing into a single platform, which appeals to those looking to consolidate their tech stack and centralize retention efforts.
The loyalty program features points-based rewards, referrals, and VIP tiers, all of which can trigger automated email or SMS campaigns based on customer behavior. Marsello integrates with Shopify POS and other eCommerce stores besides Shopify so you can run true omnichannel programs.
Another reason we consider this one of the best loyalty apps Shopify brands have access to is the automation tools built into the solution. You can set up workflows that drive repeat purchases with minimal ongoing management.
But, it’s the lowest rated on this list - and there’s a reason for that. Marsello has fairly limited customization options when it comes to loyalty program. The biggest red flag we see in reviews, though, is slower customer support response times when you need help troubleshooting.
Yotpo
- Rating: 4.7/5
- Features: Built-in email/SMS, reviews, and UGC, 65+ integrations, 20+ rewards rules
- Pricing: Starting at $89/month
Yotpo is well-known for its UGC and review tools, but its loyalty and referral solutions are also feature-rich. You can easily build sophisticated rewards programs with customizable point earning and redemption options, referral incentives, and tiered VIP benefits.
The app integrates seamlessly with Shopify and popular marketing tools so you can connect all your most important software and bake loyalty into every step of the customer’s journey. Meanwhile, advanced analytics help track ROI on loyalty initiatives.
We think this is one of the best Shopify loyalty apps for brands already using Yotpo’s reviews or SMS solutions, as everything lives in a single ecosystem. Other than that, though, you might be better suited with a Yotpo alternative.
Yotpo’s loyalty module is one of the more expensive options on the market, and the user interface can feel intimidating to teams looking for a quick setup or simpler campaign management.
But, that’s why we gave you so many options to choose from in this guide to the best loyalty apps for Shopify brands. You can weigh all these solutions and choose the one that makes the most sense for how you want to integrate loyalty into the brand experience!
Final Thoughts on the Best Shopify Loyalty Apps
Choosing the right loyalty app can directly impact how much value you get from every customer, so we hope you feel more confident in which of the best Shopify loyalty apps makes sense for your brand’s needs.
Each of the apps we’ve covered has its strengths, but Rivo stands out with unmatched Shopify-native functionality, 150+ flexible reward options, 100+ integrations, and lightning-fast setup so you can get proof of concept fast and start scaling.
Now’s the time to take the next step if you’re serious about growing retention, revenue, profits, and referral acquisitions. Start building a loyalty program your customers will rave about with Rivo.
