Best Smile Loyalty alternatives reviewed in 2027

Short answer: It depends on why you're leaving Smile. When pricing is the problem, choose Love Loyalty, because it offers a points programme, VIP tiers, POS, paid memberships and Apple and Google Wallet passes for up to 2,000 orders at $79/month, and unlimited orders for $399/month. When you want product reviews and a wishlist in the same app, choose Growave.

Smile makes it simple to start a loyalty programme. Its free plan includes points, referrals and Shopify POS for up to 200 orders a month, and it holds 4.9 stars from 4,673 reviews. But VIP tiers, points expiry and the Loyalty Hub all wait on the $199 Growth plan, and that step is where most merchants start looking elsewhere.

So I installed 7 Smile alternatives on a test store. Below, you'll find what each one is built for, what it costs as of November 2026 and what you'd give up by moving.

Why do merchants look for a Smile alternative?

From what customers shared in the reviews I read, most merchants leave Smile because they want VIP tiers without paying $199 a month for its Growth plan. Others leave over slow support or weak B2B handling.

Of the 152 reviews I read where customers shared a problem, 40 mention price. In May 2026, Einstein's Attic Madison said it felt "forced to pay $199 forever". When I priced each app at 2,000 orders, Love Loyalty, Joy and BON all cost less than Smile's $199 Growth plan and include VIP tiers at that price. I wouldn't move to Yotpo, LoyaltyLion, Rivo or Growave for this, because each one costs more than $199 at that volume.

Support came up in 43. In May 2026, Moehair USA waited 2 to 3 days for replies. In the reviews I read for Love Loyalty, support comes up in 46%, mostly as praise for fast live chat, so it's where I'd look first. I also saw that BON replied to all 22 of its reviews where customers shared a problem.

B2B came up less often. In October 2025, WHITE COAT wrote, "if you have B2B transactions, don't use this app." When I checked the plans, Love Loyalty, Joy and BON all offered B2B tiers or programmes.

These come from 152 of Smile's 4,673 reviews, so most merchants don't report them.

Which Smile alternatives made my shortlist?

I selected apps that do the same job as Smile, with a rating of 4.7 or higher and a live app in November 2026. These 7 alternatives made my shortlist:

• Love Loyalty: an all-in-one native loyalty app with fixed pricing
• Rivo: a page builder for your own loyalty page
• Joy: automatic Instagram rewards and an AI copilot
• Yotpo: stores that already use Yotpo for reviews
• LoyaltyLion: RFM reports and a connection to Claude and Sidekick
• Growave: loyalty, product reviews and a wishlist in one app
• BON: VIP tiers on a $129 plan with unlimited orders

I've put each app's rating, starting price and how it charges in this table, with Smile first as the baseline:

Prices as of November 2026.

For the main reason merchants leave Smile, compare Love Loyalty, Joy and BON first, because all 3 cost less than Smile's $199 Growth plan at 2,000 orders and include VIP tiers at that price.

How did I review these Smile alternatives?

I installed each app on a test store, then went through every plan and what customers shared in their newest reviews. I used Smile as the baseline for each comparison.

I looked at these details for each app:

• VIP tiers: which plan includes them and what that plan costs at 2,000 orders
• Shopify POS: whether customers can earn and redeem in store, and from which plan
• Redemption: where customers spend points, such as the cart, checkout or POS
• Order limits: what happens past a plan's limit, such as a pause or an overage fee
• AI features: what AI does in each app
• Setup: how long each app took me to get a points programme live
• Design: how it looked on my test store and whether it matched my theme's fonts
• Pricing: how each app charges and what each plan includes
• Reviews: what customers shared in their newest reviews, including about support
• Moving: what you can bring across from Smile

Love Loyalty comes first because it offers VIP tiers, POS, bonus campaigns and paid memberships for up to 2,000 orders at $79/month, where Smile's Growth plan costs $199. Its $399 Plus plan includes unlimited orders. The order of the other 6 isn't a ranking.

I don't give speed scores, because they depend on your theme and your other apps. Your own store is the better test, and all 7 apps have a free plan or trial.

What did I find when I compared them with Smile?

These alternatives fall into 2 groups. Love Loyalty, Rivo, Joy, LoyaltyLion and BON focus on the core loyalty experience: points, VIP tiers, referrals and rewards. Growave and Yotpo spread across other features, such as product reviews, wishlists or SMS.

I liked the first group most. You aren't paying for reviews, wishlist or SMS tools that many stores already run in other apps. I've also found that when an app splits its work across all of those, the loyalty programme is the part that gets compromised. On my test store, the 3 apps that looked native, Love Loyalty, Rivo and LoyaltyLion, all came from the first group.

I found 5 main differences from Smile. Check which you need before you compare prices:

• How the bill grows: Smile pauses your programme at 200, 500 or 1,000 orders until you upgrade, then adds $20 per 100 above 2,500 on its $199 Growth plan. Love Loyalty's $79 Growth plan includes up to 2,000 orders, and its $399 Plus plan includes unlimited orders, so it doesn't charge by order volume. BON's $129 Growth plan also includes unlimited orders, while Joy and Growave charge $5 to $20 per 100 above each plan's limit.
• Price at 2,000 orders: Smile charges $199 on its Growth plan. Love Loyalty charges $79 on its Growth plan, Joy $129 on its Advanced plan, BON $129 on its Growth plan, Growave $274 on its Growth plan, LoyaltyLion $349 on its Classic plan, Rivo $369 on its Scale plan and Yotpo $499 on its Pro plan.
• Shopify POS: Smile includes it on every plan. Love Loyalty includes it from $12, Rivo and Growave from $15, BON from $29 and Joy from $129.
• Where customers redeem: Smile offers checkout redemption on its $199 Growth plan, and only on Shopify Plus. Love Loyalty offers redemption in the cart on every plan.
• Free plans: Smile's includes 200 orders. LoyaltyLion's includes 400, Joy's 250, Rivo's and Growave's 200, Love Loyalty's and BON's 150 and Yotpo's fewer than 100.

I also found these differences in how the apps work:

• AI features: I found none in Smile. Love Loyalty suggests a loyalty programme for your store with AI on its $79 Growth plan. Joy has an AI copilot from $29, Growave AI review summaries on its $199 Growth plan and BON an AI setup assistant on every plan.
• Setup: each app took me 15 to 20 minutes, against Smile's 18. Love Loyalty was fastest at 15.
• Design: Love Loyalty, Rivo and LoyaltyLion looked native on my test store, while Smile, Joy, Yotpo, Growave and BON used a widget or sticky bar. Rivo, Yotpo, LoyaltyLion, Growave and BON needed CSS or a higher plan before their fonts matched my theme.
• Speed: the total number of apps on your store matters more than one app.

What are the best Smile alternatives?

Love Loyalty is my top pick for Smile stores that want to pay less at 2,000 orders a month without giving up VIP tiers or POS. For Shopify stores, I'd choose its $79 Growth plan, which includes wallet passes, referrals and AI that suggests a loyalty programme for your store, up to that volume. For Shopify Plus brands, I'd choose its $399 Plus plan, with everything in Growth and unlimited orders.

Growave comes next for stores that want loyalty, product reviews and a wishlist in one app. The other 5 suit stores that want to build their own loyalty page (Rivo), an AI copilot (Joy), Yotpo Reviews users (Yotpo), teams that rely on RFM reports (LoyaltyLion) and stores that want a flat price with unlimited orders (BON). But they all cost more. At 2,000 orders a month, Love Loyalty's Growth plan costs $79, while Joy and BON cost $129, Growave $274, LoyaltyLion $349, Rivo $369 and Yotpo $499.

1. Love Loyalty: Best for an all-in-one native loyalty app with fixed pricing

Love Loyalty is an all-in-one native loyalty app for Shopify and Shopify Plus brands. It offers points, VIP tiers, referrals and paid memberships in one app, at a published monthly price. I'd choose it when you need VIP tiers and in-store loyalty but don't want to pay for Smile's $199 Growth plan.

Why I like this app: Redeeming points in the cart stood out most. On my test store, customers spent their points in 2 steps, and no pop-up widget opened along the way. So the reward stays in view at the moment they're deciding to buy.

Nothing else I tested looked as native. Points appeared on the product page, and the loyalty page sat inside my theme. Each placement took on my theme's fonts and colours without any CSS, so customers see the programme as part of your store from launch.

Setup took me 15 minutes, the quickest of the 7.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, Love Loyalty costs $79/month on its Growth plan and offers a points programme, VIP tiers, POS, bonus campaigns, paid memberships and Apple and Google Wallet passes. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume, so moving lowers your bill by $120 a month.

Above 2,000 orders a month, Love Loyalty costs $399/month on its Plus plan and offers everything in Growth, API access and unlimited orders, so it doesn't charge by order volume. Smile's Growth plan adds $20 per 100 above 2,500 orders and reaches $699 at 5,000.

But you'd give up Shopify POS on a free plan. Smile includes it from its free plan, while Love Loyalty starts POS on its $12 Professional plan.

Features:

• B2B loyalty with separate earning and redemption rules per customer segment, on the $79 Growth plan
• Apple and Google Wallet passes that show each customer's points balance and VIP tier, on the $79 Growth plan
• AI that suggests a loyalty programme for your store, on the $79 Growth plan
• Points, referrals and cart redemption on the free plan
• POS, a loyalty page, 20+ placements and points expiry on the $12 Professional plan
• Integrations with Klaviyo, Shopify Flow and 30+ other apps on the $12 Professional plan
• VIP tiers, paid memberships, rewards for activities and bonus campaigns on the $79 Growth plan
• API access, checkout extensions and unlimited orders on the $399 Plus plan

Pricing: Love Loyalty charges by monthly orders:

• Free: 150 orders a month
• Professional: $12/month, 500 orders
• Growth: $79/month, up to 2,000 orders
• Plus: $399/month, unlimited orders
• Trial: 14 days

Reviews: Love Loyalty has 5.0 stars from 428 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Merchants who left reviews praise fast live chat and cart redemption.

Best for: Shopify stores that want VIP tiers, POS and paid memberships in one native app on the $79 Growth plan, and Shopify Plus brands that want unlimited orders on the $399 Plus plan.

I wouldn't choose it if: You want product reviews and a wishlist in the same app as your loyalty programme. Love Loyalty doesn't collect reviews or offer a wishlist, so you'd keep a separate reviews app. Growave includes points, photo reviews and a wishlist.

See Love Loyalty on the Shopify App Store.

2. Rivo: Best for building your loyalty page inside your theme

Rivo is a loyalty, referral and VIP app for direct-to-consumer brands. Choose it when Smile's floating button isn't enough and you want to build your own loyalty page inside your theme.

Why I like this app: The landing page builder impressed me most. On my test store, it made a loyalty and referral page inside my theme, and theme extensions added points to the product page. VIP tiers and points expiry come with the $49 Scale plan.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, Rivo costs $369/month on its Scale plan and offers a loyalty page builder, product-page points, POS, VIP tiers, points expiry and bonus campaigns. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume, so moving to Rivo raises your bill by $170 a month. On my test store, Rivo looked native where Smile showed a floating button, but my fonts only lined up after I used its custom CSS setting. You'd give up POS on a free plan, because Rivo starts it on its $15 Essential plan.

Features:

• A loyalty page inside your theme, not a floating button, on the $15 Essential plan
• Product-page points and Shopify POS from the $15 Essential plan
• VIP tiers and bonus campaigns from the $49 Scale plan
• Developer toolkit access on the $499 Plus plan
• Klaviyo, Gorgias, Postscript and Attentive integrations

I didn't find any AI features in it.

Pricing: Rivo charges by monthly orders:

• Free: 200 orders a month
• Essential: $15/month, 500 orders
• Scale: $49/month, 400 orders, then $20 per 100, up to 2,500 orders
• Plus: $499/month, up to 2,500 orders, then a custom quote
• Trial: 14 days

Reviews: Rivo has 4.7 stars from 1,441 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Merchants who left reviews praise hands-on support. In October 2026, Madison + Mallory couldn't exclude TikTok Shop orders and went back to Smile.

Best for: Stores under 1,000 orders that want to design their own loyalty page, with VIP tiers on the $49 Scale plan.

I wouldn't choose it if: Your volume is growing past 1,200 orders. From there, Rivo's $49 Scale plan costs more than Smile's $199 Growth plan and reaches $369 at 2,000. Joy's Advanced plan includes VIP tiers for $129 at the same volume.

See Rivo on the Shopify App Store.

3. Joy: Best for Instagram rewards and an AI copilot

Joy is a loyalty platform from Avada. I'd choose it when Instagram drives your marketing and you want comments and story mentions rewarded without manual work.

Why I like this app: The automatic Instagram rewards impressed me most. On its $129 Advanced plan, Joy rewards comments, story mentions and story replies, then sends an auto-reply or DM. On my test store, the loyalty widget matched my theme's fonts.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, Joy costs $129/month on its Advanced plan and offers VIP and B2B tiers, POS, paid memberships, wallet passes and a Loyalty Hub in customer accounts. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume, so moving to Joy lowers your bill by $70 a month. On my test store, Joy's widget matched my fonts, but setup took me 20 minutes, because each Advanced module needed its own pass. You'd give up POS on a free plan, because Joy keeps it on its $129 Advanced plan.

Features:

• A POS extension for Shopify POS and POS Pro on the $129 Advanced plan
• Points and referrals on the free plan, up to 250 orders a month
• Social points, a loyalty page and points expiry on the $29 Essential plan
• VIP tiers and a Loyalty Hub in the customer account on the $129 Advanced plan
• Integrations with Klaviyo, Judge.me, Recharge and Omnisend

Pricing: Joy charges by monthly orders:

• Starter: free, 250 orders a month
• Essential: $29/month, 500 orders, then $15 per 100
• Advanced: $129/month, 2,000 orders, then $10 per 100
• Ultimate: $499/month, 7,000 orders, then $5 per 100
• Trial: 14 days on Essential and Advanced, 30 days on Ultimate

Reviews: Joy has 4.9 stars from 1,789 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Merchants who left reviews like how the widgets fit their themes and carts. In April 2024, Jolie Femme found 6,000 duplicate customer accounts after an update.

Best for: Instagram-led brands that want social rewards, memberships and B2B tiers on a $129 plan.

I wouldn't choose it if: You want in-store loyalty without moving to a $129 plan. Joy keeps POS on its $129 Advanced plan. Growave includes POS on its $15 Entry plan.

See Joy on the Shopify App Store.

4. Yotpo: Best for stores already on Yotpo reviews

Yotpo Loyalty, formerly Swell Rewards, is the loyalty and referral part of Yotpo's reviews and SMS suite. Choose it when you already use Yotpo Reviews and want both on one bill.

Why I like this app: I liked the 20+ ready-made campaigns, such as goal spend, punch cards and points for photo reviews. Setup took me 19 minutes, and its Pro plan, from $199/month, includes checkout redemption.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, Yotpo costs $499/month on its Pro plan and offers points, review rewards, points expiry and checkout redemption. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume and includes VIP tiers, so moving to Yotpo raises your bill by $300 a month. On my test store, Yotpo showed a rewards sticky bar, and matching my fonts needed the Advanced CSS editor on its Premium plan, a custom quote. You'd give up POS on a free plan, because Yotpo keeps POS and VIP tiers for Premium too.

Features:

• Points for purchases, referrals and a rewards sticky bar on the free plan
• Referral fraud prevention and ROI dashboards on the free plan
• Points expiry and any-amount discounts on the Pro plan, from $199/month
• Shopify POS and VIP tiers on the Premium plan, a custom quote
• Klaviyo, Recharge and Yotpo Reviews integrations

Pricing: Yotpo charges by monthly orders:

• Free: fewer than 100 orders a month
• Pro: from $199/month, 500 orders, then $0.20 per order
• Premium: custom quote, from 2,500 orders
• Trial: none listed

Reviews: Yotpo has 4.7 stars from 966 reviews on the Shopify App Store. In October 2026, A. Taylor Intimates said it took 8 attempts to reach support.

Best for: Brands already paying for Yotpo Reviews that want loyalty in the same suite.

I wouldn't choose it if: You need VIP tiers or POS at 2,000 orders. Yotpo keeps both on its Premium plan, a custom quote, while Love Loyalty includes them on its $79 Growth plan.

See Yotpo on the Shopify App Store.

5. LoyaltyLion: Best for RFM reports and an AI assistant connection

LoyaltyLion is a London loyalty platform that sells mostly through sales calls. I'd choose it when your team works from RFM segments and wants to reach loyalty data from Claude or Sidekick.

Why I like this app: The RFM reports impressed me most. They sort customers into segments such as lapsed and at risk, on every paid plan. On my test store, the loyalty page also sat inside the storefront instead of floating over it, and points and VIP status showed inside the customer account.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, LoyaltyLion costs $349/month on its Classic plan and offers points, referrals, CLV and RFM reports, a loyalty page and a Claude and Sidekick connection. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume and includes VIP tiers, so moving to LoyaltyLion raises your bill by $150 a month before its VIP add-on. On my test store, its components needed CSS to match my fonts, while Smile's matched without it. You'd give up Smile's POS on every plan, including the free one.

Features:

• RFM, CLV and referral reports on every paid plan
• VIP tiers on the Advanced plan, a custom quote
• A loyalty page and one POS location on the Classic plan ($199 to $549/month)
• A Claude and Sidekick connection through MCP on every plan
• Integrations with Klaviyo, Gorgias, ReCharge and Tapcart

Pricing: LoyaltyLion charges by average monthly orders:

• Free: 400 orders a month
• Classic: $199/month at 500 orders, rising to $549 at 4,000
• Advanced and Plus: custom quote
• Trial: 14 days, through the App Store

Reviews: LoyaltyLion has 4.7 stars from 550 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Merchants who left reviews praise strategic support. In September 2025, Fendrihan said custom plans rise 20% to 30% a year.

Best for: Mid-sized brands whose retention team works from RFM segments and an AI assistant connection.

I wouldn't choose it if: You want VIP tiers in the plan price. LoyaltyLion sells them as an add-on on its Classic plan, while BON includes them on its $129 Growth plan with unlimited orders.

See LoyaltyLion on the Shopify App Store.

6. Growave: Best for loyalty, reviews and wishlists in one app

Growave is a retention suite with loyalty, referrals, product reviews and wishlists. Choose it when you pay for Smile and a separate reviews app and would rather have one bill.

Why I like this app: I liked how much the $15 Entry plan includes. It offers points, referrals, photo reviews, a wishlist and Shopify POS. Its $199 Growth plan adds VIP tiers, a dedicated loyalty page and wallet passes. Setup took me 20 minutes, because each module needed its own settings.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, Growave costs $274/month on its Growth plan and offers VIP tiers, photo and video reviews, a wishlist and wallet passes. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume for loyalty alone, so Growave raises your bill by $75 a month but can replace a separate reviews app. On my test store, Growave's loyalty and wishlist widgets needed adjusting to sit well with my theme. You'd give up POS on a free plan, because Growave starts it on its $15 Entry plan.

Features:

• Points, referrals, photo reviews and POS on the $15 Entry plan
• Points, a wishlist and product reviews on the free plan, up to 200 orders a month
• VIP tiers, store credit and points expiry on the $199 Growth plan
• A POS Loyalty QR code to earn and redeem in store on the $199 Growth plan
• Klaviyo, Attentive, Recharge and TikTok Shop

Pricing: Growave charges by monthly orders:

• Free: 200 orders a month
• Entry: $15/month, 500 orders, then $20 per 100
• Growth: $199/month, 1,500 orders, then $15 per 100
• Plus: $499/month, 3,000 orders, then $10 per 100
• Unlimited: $999/month, unlimited orders
• Trial: 14 days

Reviews: Growave has 4.8 stars from 1,287 reviews on the Shopify App Store, and it replied to 48 of the 50 reviews I read where customers shared a problem. In June 2024, The Anime Supply said custom code broke its buy now button.

Best for: Stores that want to replace Smile and a reviews app with one subscription.

I wouldn't choose it if: You only need loyalty with VIP tiers. Growave's $199 Growth plan reaches $274 at 2,000 orders. BON's $129 Growth plan includes VIP tiers and unlimited orders.

See Growave on the Shopify App Store.

7. BON: Best for a flat price with unlimited orders

BON is a loyalty app that prices by plan instead of order volume. I'd choose it when your orders swing between months and you want the same bill every time.

Why I like this app: The Growth plan impressed me most. It costs $129 a month with unlimited orders, VIP tiers and B2B tiers, so 10,000 orders cost the same as 1,000. Its AI assistant also suggested a points strategy and widget theme.

Compared with Smile: At 2,000 orders a month, BON costs $129/month on its Growth plan and offers VIP and B2B tiers, POS, custom CSS and unlimited orders. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume, so BON lowers your bill by $70 a month, and the gap grows to $570 at 5,000 orders. On my test store, BON showed a floating loyalty button like Smile, and its fonts needed the custom CSS that waits for its Growth plan. You'd give up POS on a free plan, because BON starts it on its $29 Basic plan.

Features:

• B2B tiers alongside VIP tiers on the $129 Growth plan
• Points, referrals and checkout redemption for Shopify Plus on the free plan
• Shopify POS, Shopify Flow and 250+ languages on the $29 Basic plan
• Custom CSS on the $129 Growth plan
• Integrations with Klaviyo, Judge.me, Fera and PageFly

Pricing: BON charges a flat fee per plan:

• Free: 150 orders a month
• Starter: $15/month, 300 orders
• Basic: $29/month, 500 orders
• Growth: $129/month, unlimited orders
• Trial: 7 days, one per store

Reviews: BON has 5.0 stars from 1,987 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Merchants who left reviews name support agents such as Aster and Maxxie. In July 2024, Trail Threads Co. found the widget blocked the mobile checkout button.

Best for: Stores heading past 2,500 orders that want VIP and B2B tiers for a fixed $129.

I wouldn't choose it if: You're under 500 orders and want in-store loyalty for the lowest price. Love Loyalty includes POS on its $12 Professional plan.

See BON on the Shopify App Store.

How do you choose between Smile and these alternatives?

Name the reason you're leaving, then confirm that the new app fixes it at a price you can pay. These 5 questions will shorten the list.

For most stores the problem is the $199 Growth plan, so compare what each finalist charges at next month's volume.

List the Smile features you use. Many stores on Smile's free plan use only points, referrals and POS, and Love Loyalty's $12 Professional plan offers all three.

Preview each loyalty page on a copy of your theme, and check where customers redeem and whether the fonts match without CSS.

Check that your email, review and subscription apps appear in its integrations. Then read what customers recently shared about support, and check whether the developer replied.

Choose Love Loyalty when you want one native loyalty app at a lower price than Smile. At 2,000 orders a month, it costs only $79/month on its Growth plan and offers VIP tiers, POS, paid memberships and B2B loyalty with its own rules per customer segment. Smile's Growth plan costs $199 at that volume. For Shopify Plus brands, Love Loyalty's $399 Plus plan offers unlimited orders, so the price stays the same as order volume grows.

Choose Growave if you want reviews in the same app, and BON if you want a flat $129 bill at any volume. Stay on Smile when you're under 200 orders and use only points, referrals and POS.

Will a Smile alternative cost you less?

Yes at 2,000 orders, with Love Loyalty, Joy or BON. When I priced each app at that volume, Growave, LoyaltyLion, Rivo and Yotpo all cost more than Smile.

Smile charges $199 on its Growth plan up to 2,500 orders, then $20 per 100. Most alternatives also charge by orders, while BON's $129 Growth plan stays flat. Each price below is for the plan each app charges at 2,000 orders.

Say you run 2,000 orders a month. Smile costs $199/month on its Growth plan. These alternatives cost:

• Love Loyalty: $79/month on its Growth plan
• Joy: $129/month on its Advanced plan
• BON: $129/month on its Growth plan
• Growave: $274/month on its Growth plan, with product reviews
• LoyaltyLion: $349/month on its Classic plan
• Rivo: $369/month on its Scale plan
• Yotpo: $499/month on its Pro plan

At 5,000 orders, BON stays at $129 and Love Loyalty's Plus plan costs $399 with unlimited orders, while Smile's Growth plan reaches $699.

Over 2 years at 2,000 orders, Smile costs about $4,776 on monthly billing. Love Loyalty costs about $1,896 over the same 2 years.

Ask each developer what counts as an order before you compare prices.

Can you keep Shopify POS on a free plan when you leave Smile?

No. None of these 7 alternatives includes Shopify POS on its free plan.

Smile includes POS on every plan. The alternatives start POS at Love Loyalty's $12, Rivo's and Growave's $15, BON's $29 and Joy's $129. Yotpo keeps POS on its Premium plan, a custom quote.

Before you leave, write down your in-store reward settings, then test the same steps on the new app.

When does it make sense to stay on Smile?

I'd stay on Smile if you're under 200 orders a month and use only points, referrals and POS, because that costs nothing.

Smile holds 4.9 stars from 4,673 reviews and has the Built for Shopify badge. On my test store, its fonts matched my theme without CSS.

Smile's Essential plan costs $15 for 500 orders, with a 14-day trial. See Smile on the Shopify App Store.

Before you leave, compare the alternatives at next year's volume.

How do you move from Smile to another app?

Most of these apps import your members. Joy's team migrates points, tiers and reward history for free, Love Loyalty offers free migration on its $79 Growth plan and Growave offers a CSV import or assisted migration. Your customers, orders and discount codes stay in Shopify.

I'd save these from Smile before you change anything:

• Every earning rule and reward, with point values and expiry settings
• Each member's points balance and VIP tier, as a CSV export
• Your loyalty page and emails, as screenshots

Use these steps with any of the apps:

1. Export your members and write down every rule and reward.
2. Install the new app on its free plan or trial, and set it up on a copy of your theme.
3. Import your members, then check a few customer balances by hand.
4. Set up the same rewards you have on Smile, so you're comparing like with like, then check them on your phone.
5. Upgrade only if it does the job, then publish the theme.
6. Remove Smile, its app embed and any navigation links, before your next billing date.

Setup took me 15 to 20 minutes per app on my test store. In the reviews I read, Rivo and Love Loyalty both had cases where imported historical orders counted towards the order limit, so ask about that first.

Export everything first, and keep your notes for a year.

What changes in unusual situations?

Most differences show up at high volume and in physical stores.

Above 2,500 orders, Smile's Growth plan adds $20 per 100, so it reaches $699 at 5,000. Smile Plus costs $999 a month, paid yearly. BON stays at $129, and Love Loyalty's Plus plan costs $399 with unlimited orders, so it doesn't charge by order volume.

For physical stores, Love Loyalty adds Apple and Google Wallet passes on its $79 Growth plan, Joy on its $129 Advanced plan and Growave on its $199 Growth plan. LoyaltyLion's Classic plan ($199 to $549/month) includes one POS location.

Which Smile alternative would I start with?

I'd start with Love Loyalty. For Shopify stores, its $79 Growth plan offers VIP tiers, POS, bonus campaigns and paid memberships for up to 2,000 orders. For Shopify Plus brands, its $399 Plus plan adds unlimited orders. Choose Growave when you want reviews and loyalty in one app, and BON when you want a flat $129 bill past 2,500 orders. Stay on Smile when you're under 200 orders and use only points, referrals and POS.

Install 2 finalists on a copy of your theme and compare them on your phone.

My guide to the best Shopify loyalty apps compares the wider category.

What do merchants often ask about Smile alternatives?

Which Smile alternative is best for VIP tiers?

Love Loyalty is the closest match. It offers VIP tiers, POS and wallet passes on its $79 Growth plan for up to 2,000 orders, and unlimited orders on its $399 Plus plan for Shopify Plus brands. BON includes VIP tiers on its $129 Growth plan with unlimited orders.

Is there a free alternative to Smile?

Yes. Love Loyalty's free plan includes 150 orders a month. LoyaltyLion's is the largest, with 400, while Joy's includes 250 and Rivo's and Growave's 200.

How much does Smile cost in 2026?

Smile starts free for 200 orders a month. Its Essential plan costs $15, Standard $79 and Growth $199 for 2,500 orders, then $20 per 100. Smile Plus costs $999 a month, paid yearly.

Is Smile a good app?

Yes, with 4.9 stars from 4,673 reviews. An alternative makes more sense when you need VIP tiers for less than $199.

Can you move your points from Smile to another app?

Yes. Joy, Love Loyalty and Growave all import points balances.

Do Smile alternatives slow down a store?

The total number of apps matters more than one app. Test any app on your own store before and after you install it.