Best Shopify Loyalty Apps for Repeat Customers (2026)

EasySell
2026-04-11T17:42:02+01:00

The best Shopify loyalty apps in 2026 are BON, Joy, and Smile.io for most stores — but the right pick depends on your order volume and budget. The average Shopify store gets just 28.2% of customers to buy a second time. That means roughly 7 out of 10 buyers disappear after their first order. A loyalty program won't magically fix that — but the right one shifts the odds. Loyalty program members make 67% more purchases than non-members, according to data from Rivo's 2026 retention benchmarks.

The problem isn't finding a loyalty app. The Shopify App Store has over 200 of them. The problem is picking one that fits your store size, budget, and actual needs — without overpaying for features you'll never use. Most roundups ranking these best Shopify loyalty apps are written by the apps themselves. This one isn't.

What to Look for in a Shopify Loyalty App

Before comparing specific apps, here's what actually matters when choosing one:

Pricing model: Most loyalty apps charge based on monthly order volume. A plan that costs $29/mo at 500 orders might cost $199/mo at 2,000. Check the scaling price, not just the entry price.

Points + referrals + VIP tiers: These are the three core features. Some apps bundle all three on free plans, others lock VIP tiers behind $100+/mo plans.

Customization: Can you match the loyalty widget to your brand? Some apps look generic unless you're on premium plans.

Integrations: Your loyalty app needs to work with your email platform (Klaviyo, Omnisend, Shopify Messaging) to trigger automated reward and winback reminders.

1. BON Loyalty — Best Value for Small Stores

Rating: 5.0/5 (1,755 reviews) · Pricing: Free plan available, paid from $25/mo

BON offers the most features per dollar in this category. The free plan includes points, referrals, and basic customization. Paid plans start at $25/mo and scale to $99/mo at 1,000 orders — still cheaper than most competitors' entry tiers.

For stores doing fewer than 500 orders per month, BON gives you a fully functional loyalty program without the sticker shock. The trade-off is that advanced analytics and VIP tier customization require paid plans, but the pricing stays reasonable as you grow.

2. Joy — Best Balance of Price and Features

Rating: 4.9/5 (1,638 reviews) · Pricing: Free plan available, $29/mo Essential, $129/mo Pro

Joy has earned over 1,500 five-star reviews since 2021, and merchants consistently cite three reasons: fair pricing, flexible widget design, and responsive support. The $29/mo Essential plan includes full points programs, referrals, a branded loyalty page, analytics, Shopify Flow integration, and 30+ integrations.

VIP tiers with Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes unlock at $129/mo. That's a strong mid-range option for stores that need tiered rewards without jumping to $199+/mo platforms. Joy is the app I'd recommend most stores start evaluating first.

3. Smile.io — Best for Brand Recognition

Rating: 4.9/5 (6,000+ reviews) · Pricing: Free (under 200 orders/mo), Growth $199/mo, Pro $999/mo

Smile.io is the loyalty app most Shopify merchants have heard of, and for good reason — it's been around longest and has the largest review count in the category. The free plan works for stores under 200 monthly orders and includes points, referrals, and basic customization.

The jump to $199/mo for VIP tiers and points expiry is steep, though. If you're doing 300-500 orders per month, Smile's pricing pushes you into a $199/mo plan while competitors like Joy and BON offer similar features for $29-99/mo. Smile makes the most sense for established brands that value the platform's maturity and extensive integration library.

4. Rivo — Best for Fast-Growing DTC Brands

Rating: 4.8/5 (1,374 reviews) · Pricing: Free plan, $49/mo Scale, $499/mo Plus

Rivo shipped over 100 product updates in Spring 2026 alone, including cashback rewards, AI features, and full Hydrogen/headless support. That development pace is unusual for a loyalty app, and it shows in the product — Rivo feels modern in ways that older platforms don't.

The pricing gap between $49/mo and $499/mo is the main drawback. Stores doing 500-2,500 orders per month hit an awkward middle ground where the Scale plan might not be enough but the Plus plan is expensive. If you're under 500 orders or over 2,500, the pricing works well. In between, compare carefully.

5. Growave — Best All-in-One Solution

Rating: 4.8/5 (1,225 reviews) · Pricing: Free plan, paid from $49/mo

Growave bundles loyalty, reviews, wishlists, referrals, and social login into one app. If you're currently running separate apps for reviews and loyalty (paying $20-50/mo each), Growave consolidates them starting at $49/mo.

The trade-off is depth. Growave's loyalty features are solid but not as deep as dedicated loyalty platforms like Smile or LoyaltyLion. Its review features are good but not as advanced as Judge.me or Loox. You're trading best-in-class individual tools for the convenience and cost savings of one app that does everything acceptably well.

6. Appstle Loyalty — Best Free Plan

Rating: 5.0/5 (1,034 reviews) · Pricing: Free plan available

Appstle earns its perfect rating partly through support — merchants consistently praise the 24/7 personalized assistance, custom fixes, and detailed guidance. The free plan is generous, including points, store credits, referrals, rewards, and VIP perks.

Appstle also offers native POS integration, multi-language support, and multi-currency support — features that many competitors lock behind paid tiers. For stores that need a loyalty program working across online and in-person sales, especially in multiple markets, Appstle is worth evaluating.

7. Yotpo Loyalty — Best for Enterprise Shopify Plus Stores

Rating: 4.7/5 · Pricing: Free (under 100 orders), Silver $79/mo, Gold $199/mo

Yotpo is a retention marketing platform that includes loyalty as one module alongside reviews, SMS, email, and subscriptions. If you're already using Yotpo for reviews, adding the loyalty module creates a unified customer data layer that standalone loyalty apps can't match.

For stores not already in the Yotpo ecosystem, the pricing is hard to justify when dedicated loyalty apps offer more features for less. Yotpo makes sense when you want one vendor managing your entire retention stack — and have the budget for it.

8. LoyaltyLion — Best Advanced Analytics

Rating: 4.6/5 · Pricing: Classic $199/mo, Advanced $399/mo at 1,000 orders

LoyaltyLion is a premium loyalty platform built for high-growth DTC and Shopify Plus brands. What sets it apart is the analytics and segmentation depth — you can track exactly which loyalty actions drive repeat purchases and segment customers by loyalty behavior.

The downside is obvious: pricing. At $199/mo minimum with annual contracts, LoyaltyLion costs 4-8x more than alternatives like BON or Joy. That investment only makes sense if you're doing enough volume to act on the advanced analytics. For stores under 1,000 monthly orders, the data won't be statistically meaningful enough to justify the cost.

Which Shopify Loyalty App Should You Pick?

Skip the feature comparison spreadsheet. Your decision comes down to two things: monthly order volume and budget.

Under 200 orders/mo, tight budget: Start with BON or Appstle's free plans. Both offer real loyalty features without paying anything.

200-1,000 orders/mo, growing store: Joy at $29/mo gives you the best feature-to-price ratio. BON at $25/mo is a close second.

1,000+ orders/mo, established brand: Smile.io or Rivo, depending on whether you value platform maturity (Smile) or rapid innovation (Rivo).

Need reviews + loyalty in one app: Growave at $49/mo saves you running two separate apps.

Shopify Plus, enterprise needs: LoyaltyLion or Yotpo, if the advanced analytics and multi-channel capabilities justify the $200+/mo price tag.

VIP tier programs outperform flat points programs by 80% on ROI, according to 2026 benchmarks. Whichever app you choose, don't stop at basic points. Set up at least two tiers — a standard rewards level and a VIP level with better perks — and your repeat purchase rate will climb.