Best Shopify loyalty apps: pricing, rewards and fit
Compare Smile, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo, Rise and Memberply by program type, published pricing and plan limits. Choose around the rewards your customers will actually use.
Which Shopify loyalty app should you choose?
If referrals are your main requirement, use the Shopify referral app comparison to distinguish loyalty rewards from affiliate commissions.
For a free-to-join points program, start by comparing Smile, LoyaltyLion and Yotpo. For gift cards and credit-led rewards, consider Rise. For paid memberships with recurring perks and Shopify store credit, consider Memberply. These are starting points for evaluation, not exclusive capabilities or a universal winner.
This comparison is published by Memberply. It uses official app listings and our documented product behavior, not a hands-on benchmark of every app. We selected five options spanning points, credit and paid membership workflows; this is not an exhaustive ranking.
Jump to the app shortlist, pricing and limits, cost examples, Shopify Plus selection or trial checks.
Five Shopify loyalty apps to shortlist
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| App | Consider it for | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Smile | Points, referrals and earned VIP tiers. | The plan needed for VIP status, integrations and checkout redemption. |
| LoyaltyLion | Points and tiered rewards with configurable rules and integrations. | Your order-volume quote, required integrations and onboarding scope. |
| Yotpo Loyalty | Points and referrals alongside an existing Yotpo setup. | Which products are included, usage charges and the plan for your workflow. |
| Rise | Gift cards, store credit and credit-led retention workflows. | Credit delivery and redemption, automation availability and total-store-order billing. |
| Memberply | Paid membership tiers with credit, discounts, shipping perks and points. | Benefit eligibility, recurring billing and the customer account experience. |
A points app may also offer credit, and a membership app can offer free tiers. Compare the exact earning and redemption journey, not just the category label. Read the loyalty program model guide if you have not chosen the offer yet.
Shopify loyalty app pricing and plan limits
The table summarizes published monthly app pricing in USD. Annual discounts, custom agreements, taxes and future changes can affect your bill. Free means the app plan is free within its stated limits; the rewards you fund still cost money.
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| App | Published monthly options | Plan limits that affect the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Smile | Free; Essential $15; Standard $79; Growth $199. | 200, 500, 1,000 and 2,500 monthly orders respectively. Growth adds $20 per extra 100 orders. VIP tiers and points expiry are listed on Growth; Essential has one integration, Standard two. |
| LoyaltyLion | Free; Classic $199. | Free includes 400 monthly orders. The listing directs stores above 500 orders to request an Advanced or Plus quote. The listing summarizes VIP and POS under Classic; LoyaltyLion’s detailed pricing qualifies VIP as an optional Classic add-on and POS as single-location. Confirm inclusions in your quote. |
| Yotpo Loyalty | Free; Pro $199 plus stated usage pricing. | Free is for fewer than 100 monthly orders. Pro lists $0.08–$0.20 per order from 500 orders/month; confirm the applicable rate and billing basis. Request the right plan for 5,000+ orders or advanced features. |
| Rise | Starter $19.99; Small-Business $59.99; Pro $199.99. | 100, 400 and 2,000 total store orders respectively; extra orders cost $0.20, $0.15 and $0.10. Starter lists manual credit issuance; confirm the plan for your intended automation. |
| Memberply | Growth $49. | Unlimited members and standard features; no Memberply transaction fee on membership revenue. A 14-day app trial is available. Custom implementation is quoted separately. |
Sources: Smile pricing, LoyaltyLion pricing, Yotpo pricing, Rise pricing, Memberply pricing. Check the current listing and written terms before subscribing.
Do not assume an order allowance counts only reward redemptions or member purchases. Confirm included orders, overages and what happens at a limit. Also separate the app subscription from Shopify charges, payment processing, additional apps and the cost of discounts, shipping or credit. Plan the full operating budget.
Compare the bill for the workflow you actually need
These fictional scenarios illustrate how plan requirements change costs. They are not customer results or like-for-like feature valuations. All figures exclude taxes, payment processing and reward costs.
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| Store requirement | Published-plan calculation | Decision to check |
|---|---|---|
| 500 monthly orders; points and one integration | Smile Essential: $15/month within its 500-order limit. | If earned VIP tiers are essential, the listed Growth plan is $199 even at this order volume. |
| 500 total store orders; a gift-card and credit workflow | Rise Small-Business: $59.99 + (100 × $0.15) = $74.99/month. | Starter would be $19.99 + (400 × $0.20) = $99.99. Verify the required features before choosing either plan. |
| 100 members paying $20/month for a benefit bundle | Memberply Growth: $49/month on $2,000 collected membership fees. | The app charge is not a percentage of fees. Subtract reward and operating costs before treating membership fees as profit. |
For Yotpo usage rates or LoyaltyLion volumes requiring a quote, obtain a written bill estimate instead of extrapolating from the starting price. For any app, price the same launch scenario and a realistic growth scenario.
Points, store credit or paid membership?
Scroll the table sideways on smaller screens to see every column.
| Customer promise | Best starting point | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Earn rewards as you shop | Compare a free-to-join points program. | Customers earn a reward currency; define the conversion rate, exclusions and redemption threshold. |
| Get value toward a future order | Compare store-credit rewards. | Confirm whether value is native Shopify store credit, a gift card or a discount. The checkout journey can differ. |
| Spend more to reach a higher status | Compare earned VIP tiers. | Status based on spending or activity is different from paying a membership fee. |
| Pay to join and receive ongoing perks | Compare paid membership apps. | The benefit bundle must justify the fee; verify billing, renewal, cancellation and eligibility. |
These models can overlap. Memberply supports paid and free tiers, with points that members exchange for credit and cashback delivered as store credit. That does not make every points program a paid membership. For a dedicated membership shortlist, use the Shopify membership app comparison.
When Memberply belongs on your shortlist
Evaluate Memberply when the core offer is a membership tier with benefits such as discounts, free shipping, signup credit, renewal-linked credit or recurring credit drops. Its $49 standard app subscription can suit merchants who want a predictable member-based program budget. Native credit redemption uses Shopify new customer accounts with store credit enabled.
Choose another tool when its workflow better matches the requirement. A purchase-points program with no membership proposition may fit a dedicated rewards app. Gift-card-led operations should compare specialist gift-card tools. If collecting product reviews is essential, evaluate the review product separately; a loyalty listing does not establish that review collection is included.
Memberply has member referral benefits, but compare qualification and reward rules if referrals are your main acquisition channel. For POS, test the intended cashier and member journey instead of assuming every online benefit works identically in-store. See Memberply’s POS workflow and store credit setup.
How to choose a loyalty app for Shopify Plus
The best loyalty apps for Shopify Plus are the ones that support your program's essential customer journeys at an acceptable total cost. Start with the same shortlist above, then test your account, checkout, retail and integration requirements. A Plus store does not automatically need custom development or an Enterprise app plan.
- Choose the program model. Decide whether customers earn status through purchases, join a free membership or pay for recurring benefits. A retailer offering member pricing and renewal-linked credit has a different brief from one rewarding every purchase with points. Compare the rules members actually experience, including cancellation and refunds.
- Run the account, checkout and POS journey. Use your intended customer-account setup to join, sign in, find a benefit and redeem it. For stores using Shopify POS, ask staff to repeat the relevant steps at the register. Record any app-plan or Shopify-plan requirements and any differences between online and in-store benefits.
- Map the integration before choosing the plan. Name the data, event and destination your team needs, such as a membership tier change reaching a CRM. Check which fields a native connection supplies and which steps need a webhook receiver or custom work. Confirm ownership, retries and historical-data handling in an integration brief.
- Compare costs for the same workload. Ask each shortlisted provider to price your expected order volume and required features. Include usage charges, implementation, other apps, ongoing maintenance and the benefits you fund. Use the cost examples above as a starting point, then confirm current terms for your store.
- Agree who owns the move and launch. Separate member records, reward balances and recurring payments. Request a pilot, reconciliation checks and a named owner for each launch decision. Importing members alone does not establish that rewards or billing can transfer. Follow the migration checklist before retiring the old setup.
Standard app or a scoped Enterprise project?
Start with Memberply's standard features when they meet your requirements. Consider a separately scoped Memberply Enterprise project when an integration, member experience or migration needs additional work. Agree feasibility, deliverables, support and acceptance checks before committing; Shopify Plus status alone does not determine the scope.
For example, an established retailer considering a paid member club could first test joining, member pricing and a credit benefit with a small pilot. If its CRM needs a membership update, the team would then check the available native fields and outbound events before requesting a custom connection. This is an illustrative evaluation, not a customer result or a promise of a specific CRM connector.
Use the loyalty app evaluation scorecard to record evidence for every shortlisted app. The Shopify Plus loyalty program guide covers the wider program and launch plan.
Test these five things before choosing a loyalty app
- Earn and redeem. Use a sample purchase, an excluded item and a refund. Record the balance changes and what the customer must do to use a reward.
- Check reward economics. Estimate discount cost, credit redemption and shipping cost for frequent buyers who would already have returned. A higher member order value alone does not prove incremental profit.
- Test accounts and checkout. Sign in on mobile, find the balance and redeem it. Check any Shopify plan requirement; Smile’s listed checkout redemption feature specifies Shopify Plus.
- Verify your integrations. Test the exact POS, email or subscription workflow on the app plan you intend to buy. Compatibility does not guarantee identical events or benefit behavior.
- Plan the switch. Map existing balances, tiers, expiry dates and member communications. Memberply CSV import does not automatically move reward balances, transfer payment mandates or stop the old app’s billing.
Use a small pilot with a defined outcome, such as a completed second purchase after reward redemption. Separate new and repeat buyers, and compare against a suitable baseline. The migration guide covers transition planning.
Compare your shortlist with the same evidence
Once you know the program type, use the free Shopify loyalty app evaluation scorecard to compare pricing, rewards, customer accounts, POS, integrations and migration. Set your weights first, record trial results and resolve must-have requirements separately from the total.
The editable Excel workbook has three blank vendor sheets. The CSV supports manual scoring. Neither file contains preassigned vendor ratings.
Questions about choosing a Shopify loyalty app
What are the best Shopify loyalty apps?
Smile, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo, Rise and Memberply are options to evaluate. Start with the program you need: points and earned tiers, gift cards and credit, or paid membership benefits. This Memberply-published comparison is a shortlist, not an independent ranking.
Is there a free Shopify loyalty app?
Smile lists a free plan for up to 200 monthly orders, LoyaltyLion for 400, and Yotpo for stores with fewer than 100. Check required features, order counting and upgrade terms. Memberply offers a 14-day app trial; its standard Growth plan is $49 per month.
How much does a Shopify loyalty app cost?
Costs depend on the plan, order volume, required features and usage fees. Compare the plan that supports your actual workflow, then add reward costs, other apps and Shopify or payment-provider charges. A low starting price may not include VIP tiers or all integrations.
Are VIP loyalty tiers the same as paid memberships?
No. An earned VIP tier can depend on spending or activity, while a paid membership charges a fee for access to benefits. Apps may support more than one model. Confirm qualification, renewal and cancellation rules for your offer.
Can Memberply run a free loyalty program?
Memberply supports free membership tiers with configured benefits, including purchase points that members can exchange for store credit. Free for the member does not mean the app is free: Memberply Growth costs $49 per month.
Is store credit the same as a gift card reward?
No. Native store credit, gift cards and discount-based rewards can have different account and checkout requirements. Verify how the app issues value and how customers redeem it, including on the channels you use.
Can I switch loyalty apps without losing balances or payments?
Do not assume an automatic transfer. Agree data mapping, outstanding rewards, expiry rules and member communication before changing systems. Memberply CSV member imports do not automatically transfer reward balances or payment mandates, and do not cancel old billing.
What should I compare in Shopify Plus loyalty program apps?
Compare the program model, customer-account and checkout journeys, Shopify POS behavior, integration fields, total cost and migration scope. Test the same essential journeys in each shortlisted app and record the evidence before choosing.
Does a Shopify Plus store need Memberply Enterprise?
No. Start with standard Memberply features when they meet your requirements. Enterprise is for separately scoped work such as a custom integration, member experience or migration support. Confirm feasibility and deliverables rather than choosing a project solely because your store uses Shopify Plus.
Merchant reviews
Merchants use Memberply to launch practical membership programs
Read what merchants say about using Memberply for their membership programs. Read reviews on the Shopify App Store.
"The app is great and does exactly what i need it to. It is well priced and Doug is so great."
Olverum Official Store
United Kingdom
"Their pricing is fair, and their support is legendary."
Puzzery
Canada
"Our store is based in Argentina so we don't have access to Shopify Payments... Memberply solved it."
Elemental Outfit AR
Argentina
Ready to build a paid loyalty program?
Install Memberply from the Shopify App Store and start with a 14-day free trial.
Considering a move from Smile?
Compare program fit, plan costs, integration differences and reward migration in our Smile.io vs Memberply guide.
Reviewing your LoyaltyLion setup?
Use the LoyaltyLion vs Memberply comparison to check plan inclusions, integration differences and how to reconcile points and issued rewards.
Considering a move from Rivo?
Read the Rivo alternative comparison for membership fit, plan costs and migration checks before choosing a replacement.
Considering a move from Yotpo Loyalty?
Compare points, tier rules and membership benefits in our Yotpo Loyalty alternative guide, including pricing and reward-migration checks.
Choosing loyalty software for your stores?
Compare Shopify POS loyalty apps by register workflow, reward support, membership fit and total app cost.
Considering a membership program instead?
Compare Growave and Memberply for membership benefits, total cost and the data you would need to migrate.