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Choosing a loyalty app can feel overwhelming—pricing tiers, feature unlocks, customer experience, integrations, and support all play a role. Smile.io is often the first stop for Shopify merchants, but as needs grow—budget predictability, store-credit rewards, or a smoother fit with Shopify—many start exploring alternatives.
This guide keeps things straightforward: we’ll highlight a shortlist of strong options, compare them in plain English, and share a quick decision framework. Along the way, we’ll show where Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist stands out.
Why even look for Smile.io alternatives?
Let’s be clear: Smile.io isn’t a “bad” app. It’s helped thousands of Shopify stores launch loyalty programs and it’s still one of the most recognized names in the space. But popularity doesn’t always equal best fit.
Merchants usually start searching for alternatives when one of three things happen:
- The bill creeps up. What looked affordable at the beginning suddenly feels heavy as you grow.
- The features plateau. You realize your customers need more than points and discounts—and you want a program that feels like it belongs to your brand, not a template.
- Reliability slips. Even well-known apps can run into bugs, and over time, that wears on both you and your customers.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Almost every store owner hits this point eventually. That’s why we decided to round up the Smile.io alternatives we think are genuinely worth your time in 2025. Not a laundry list, not copy-paste feature grids, but a realistic look at who these apps are for, and where each one makes sense.
And yes, Froonze is in here too—because we built it with exactly these frustrations in mind.
Froonze Loyalty & Wishlist
Froonze has carved out a reputation for being simple, affordable, and built to fit naturally into the customer account experience. Instead of feeling like another widget tacked on, rewards live right where shoppers already manage their orders.
The essentials are all there — points, referrals, VIP tiers, POS support, customizable emails, translations for widgets and templates, and integrations like Judge.me for reviews. For stores using Shopify’s new customer accounts, Froonze also supports native store credit, which skips the points-to-discount dance and goes straight to checkout.
Where Froonze wins hearts is the day-to-day reality. Pricing is straightforward (plans top out at $60/month, even for unlimited orders), and the support is always there — helpful during setup, quick on tweaks, and available when you need a human answer. It also scales well: smaller teams can launch fast without hidden fees, while larger teams get enough flexibility to run VIP programs, tailor notifications, and grow without wrestling with the tool.
BON Loyalty
BON has done a good job of putting itself on the map, and merchants often mention it for being approachable and quick to set up.
Here’s the gist: BON lets you reward customers not only for purchases, but also for reviews, referrals, and even simple social actions. They also have a guest points feature, which means shoppers can earn points before they’ve signed up for an account. It’s a small touch, but one that can help stores capture more people early in the journey.
Pricing-wise, BON tries to stay accessible, starting with a free plan for small stores and moving up to higher tiers as order volumes climb. It’s not the cheapest once you start unlocking advanced features, but compared to Smile.io’s higher-end plans, it still feels manageable.
Yotpo Loyalty
If you’ve been in e-commerce circles for a while, you’ve probably heard of Yotpo. They’re known for reviews, user-generated content, and SMS marketing — and their loyalty app plugs right into that ecosystem.
That’s the main draw: if you’re already running Yotpo Reviews or SMS, adding loyalty gives you one place to manage campaigns, data, and customer touchpoints. They even offer a library of pre-built campaigns (think birthday points, referral bonuses, VIP perks) so you don’t have to start from scratch.
The flip side? Yotpo makes the most sense once you’re past the “small store” stage. Pricing is higher than apps like BON or Froonze, and the setup is deeper. For brands that can dedicate the time and budget, it pays off — but it’s not designed for merchants looking for something lightweight.
LoyaltyLion
LoyaltyLion has built its name around being a loyalty specialist. Unlike Yotpo, it isn’t trying to cover every marketing channel under the sun — it’s all about loyalty, and doing that well.
What sets it apart is flexibility. You can design detailed earning and spending rules, create tiered VIP programs, and really shape the customer experience to match your brand. Their tools for segmentation and personalized rewards are strong, which makes it easier to keep high-value customers engaged.
The trade-off is cost. LoyaltyLion doesn’t offer a free plan, and entry pricing starts higher than most other apps. The most powerful features also sit on upper-tier plans, which means smaller stores may struggle to justify the spend. Still, for teams that value control and want a loyalty program that feels uniquely theirs, it remains a strong contender.
Rivo
Rivo is another app that competes directly with Smile.io, making it a natural alternative for Shopify merchants to consider. It’s earned attention for having a clean interface and a setup process that doesn’t drag — you can get points, referrals, and VIP tiers live pretty quickly.
It also brings some nice extras, like loyalty pages and account widgets, so customers always have a clear view of their rewards. And with integrations into tools most merchants already use, it slots neatly into the Shopify stack.
Where merchants sometimes pause is scale. Many of Rivo’s more advanced features sit behind higher-tier plans, so the path upward can feel a bit sharp compared to smaller apps. That said, for stores that want something modern and Shopify-friendly, it’s a strong option.
A simple decision framework
Still unsure? Here’s a quick way to narrow it down:
- Start with your priorities. Is your focus on budget, advanced rules, or tight integration with other tools?
- Match against the table. Look at pricing and strengths side by side to see who aligns.
- Test two apps. Run a short trial with the same earning and spending rules in both. The one that feels easiest to manage — and most natural for your customers — is the keeper.
Wrapping up
There’s no single “best” loyalty app for every Shopify store. The right choice depends on where you are now and where you want to grow.
- Froonze is the smart pick if you want loyalty that feels built into Shopify itself, with transparent pricing, native store credit support, and dependable customer service.
- BON is a solid option if you want to start lean and validate engagement without breaking the bank.
- Yotpo Loyalty makes sense if you’re already in the Yotpo ecosystem and ready to invest in advanced campaigns.
- LoyaltyLion is ideal for teams that need granular control and personalization.
- Rivo is a clean, Shopify-first choice for stores that want something straightforward and modern.
The important thing is to test. If you’re not ready to experiment on your live store, you can spin up a free Shopify development store. Install a couple of apps, explore their features, and see which one feels the most natural. Pricing, features, and integrations all matter — but the best loyalty app is the one your customers actually use.
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