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The best Shopify loyalty and referral apps in 2026: six apps and where VIP tiers start

Smile, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo, Rivo, BON and Growave. Free plans, what each bill counts and the plan where VIP tiers begin.

Rohin AggarwalRohin AggarwalCo-founder & CTO · Idukki.io · October 12, 2026 · 9 min readLast updated
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A loyalty program costs little to switch on and a lot to run badly. Points nobody sees get no use. Most loyalty apps bill by your monthly orders, so the bill grows with every good month. Six apps cover most Shopify stores. Here is what each one counts, and where VIP tiers start.

In this article

What to reward

Points for spend are the default. Reward actions that help the next shopper too. A photo review, a referral or a birthday sign-up all qualify. Then show the balance where people look. That means the account page, the cart and your emails.

AppWhat the bill countsFree planVIP tiers from
SmileMonthly ordersUp to 200 orders a monthGrowth, $199 a month
LoyaltyLionAverage monthly ordersYes, advised up to 400 ordersCheck the live table
Yotpo LoyaltyMonthly ordersYesA paid plan
RivoMonthly ordersUp to 200 orders a monthA paid plan
BONMonthly ordersUp to 150 orders a monthCheck the listing
GrowaveMonthly ordersYes, with reviews and wishlistGrowth, $199 a month
From each vendor's pricing page, help centre or Shopify listing, checked 12 October 2026.

Smile: the best-known name

Smile runs points, referrals and VIP tiers. The free plan covers up to 200 orders a month. Essential costs $15 a month for up to 500 orders. Standard costs $79 for up to 1,000 and shows points on product pages. Growth costs $199 with 2,500 orders included, then $20 per extra 100. VIP tiers start on Growth.

Integrations start on Essential. They can award points for reviews through your review app. Smile also connects to Shopify POS. Plus starts at $999 a month and is priced to your volume.

LoyaltyLion: built around Klaviyo

LoyaltyLion prices by your average monthly orders. Its free plan is advised for stores up to 400 orders a month. LoyaltyLion calls that figure a recommendation. It does not enforce it. The free plan rewards three activities with one reward type. Classic costs $199 a month with 500 orders included.

Classic includes a branded loyalty page and ready-made Klaviyo flows. The Klaviyo integration runs on every plan. Points on product pages need the Advanced plan. Shopify POS works on Classic for one location.

Yotpo Loyalty: free to start, Pro from $199

Yotpo Loyalty & Referrals has a free plan with points, referrals and fraud checks. It connects to Shopify POS, Klaviyo and Recharge. Pro starts at $199 a month for your first 500 orders. A per-order rate applies above that. VIP tiers need a paid plan. Yotpo's pages give different free-plan order limits, so check the live page.

Rivo: free up to 200 orders

Rivo's free plan covers up to 200 orders a month, with points and email campaigns. Paid plans add a loyalty page, POS, VIP tiers and referrals. Its listing and its own blog show different paid tiers. Charges go through your Shopify bill.

BON: the cheapest start

BON's listing shows a free plan up to 150 orders a month. It includes points, rewards and referrals. Paid plans cost $15 for 300 orders, $29 for 500 and $129 for unlimited orders. Older BON posts show a higher free limit, so trust the listing.

Growave: loyalty, reviews and wishlist

Growave combines loyalty, reviews and a wishlist in one app. A free plan exists, with Growave branding. Entry costs $49 a month and adds referrals. Growth costs $199 and adds VIP tiers. Its pages give different free-plan order caps, so check the listing.

Entry price against breadth

Higher first paid planLow first paid plan
Focused, costs more
LoyaltyLion
Broad, costs more
YotpoGrowave
Focused, cheap to start
BONSmileRivo
Broad, cheap to start
Loyalty onlyLoyalty plus more
Our reading of each vendor's published plans, checked 12 October 2026. It places each app; it does not score them.

Which one to try

Start here

What does your program need first?

  • Points and referrals, on a budget

    BON or Smile

    Free plans, then $15 a month.

    • Need VIP tiers: Price Smile Growth at $199
  • Deep Klaviyo flows

    LoyaltyLion

    Klaviyo on every plan.

    • Under 400 orders a month: Start on its free plan
  • Reviews and wishlist too

    Growave

    Three tools in one app.

    • Already run a review app: Compare Smile first
A starting point from each vendor's published plans. Confirm on the live listing.

Where Idukki fits (ours)

We make Idukki. It runs no points or tiers. It shows customer photos and reviews as shoppable galleries. A loyalty app that rewards photo reviews feeds Idukki more to show. For two of these head to head, read Smile vs LoyaltyLion.

Questions store owners ask

  • Is there a free Shopify loyalty app?

    Yes. Smile and Rivo are free up to 200 orders a month, and BON up to 150. LoyaltyLion, Yotpo and Growave have free plans too.

  • Which loyalty app has VIP tiers cheapest?

    Check each listing. Smile and Growave put VIP tiers on $199 plans. Rivo and Yotpo put them on paid plans.

  • Does LoyaltyLion work with Klaviyo?

    Yes. The Klaviyo integration is on every LoyaltyLion plan.

  • How do loyalty apps bill?

    Most bill by monthly orders. A busy month can move you up a tier.

Sources

  1. 1Smile: manage your plan · Plans and limits.
  2. 2Smile: usage-based pricing · Growth and Plus.
  3. 3Smile: paid plan advantages · Features by plan.
  4. 4LoyaltyLion pricing · Classic plan.
  5. 5LoyaltyLion: free plan · Advised 400-order threshold.
  6. 6LoyaltyLion: all plan features · Features by plan.
  7. 7Yotpo Loyalty pricing · Free and Pro.
  8. 8Rivo on the Shopify App Store · Free plan.
  9. 9BON on the Shopify App Store · Plans and limits.
  10. 10Growave on the Shopify App Store · Plans.
#loyalty#referrals#best-of#shopify-apps#retention

Continue reading

3 pieces in this cluster

These long-form pieces on the Idukki blog link back to this article, go deeper on the cluster.

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