Most stores spend the bulk of their marketing budget winning a first order, then hope the customer comes back on their own. Many do not. A shopper who bought once and heard nothing useful afterward has little reason to pick your store over the next ad they see.

Loyalty program software gives repeat customers a reason to return. It tracks points for purchases and other actions, turns those points into discounts or free products, runs referral programs, and sorts your best buyers into VIP tiers. Good loyalty program software does this without slowing your store or forcing you to hand-manage spreadsheets of points.

Below, we compare five well-known options for Shopify and WooCommerce stores, show what each one costs according to its official pricing page or app listing, and explain who each one suits. Loyalty works best alongside a steady email program, so if you have not picked one yet, see our guide to the best email marketing software.

Editorial note: this article contains no affiliate links. Prices and features were checked against each vendor’s official pages on November 7, 2026, and we have not hands-on tested these tools. Vendors change plans often, so confirm current pricing before you buy.

Why Customer Retention Deserves Its Own Software

The best-known figure on retention economics comes from Bain & Company. In research by Frederick Reichheld and Phil Schefter, published in Harvard Business Review, keeping just 5% more customers raised profits by 25% to 95%. The study dates from 2000, so treat the exact range as directional, but the logic still holds: repeat buyers cost less to serve and are already past the hardest sale.

The takeaway is simple. If a new customer only becomes profitable after several orders, anything that earns the second and third order has outsized value. A loyalty program is one of the few tools built specifically for that job: it rewards the next purchase, gives shoppers a reason to share your store with friends, and creates a list of your best customers you can treat differently.

Points also pair well with social proof. Several of the tools below award points for writing a product review, which helps if you are already using customer review collection software.

1. Smile.io — Best for Simple Points Programs on Shopify

Best for: Shopify and BigCommerce stores that want a straightforward points and referral program with a free plan to start.

What Smile.io does well

• The Free plan includes points, referrals, discount and free-shipping rewards, full branding customization and multi-language support for up to 200 monthly orders.
• Essential adds free product rewards, a dedicated loyalty page, on-site nudges and Shopify Flow actions.
• Growth adds a VIP program, the Loyalty Hub and fully embedded loyalty for stores ready for tiers.

Potential drawbacks

• VIP tiers start on the $199/month Growth plan, a large jump from the $79 Standard plan.
• Overage fees apply on higher plans: $20 per 100 extra orders on Growth.
• Smile lists Shopify and BigCommerce support, not WooCommerce.

Pricing

Free: up to 200 monthly orders. Essential: $15/month, 500 orders. Standard: $79/month, 1,000 orders. Growth: $199/month, 2,500 orders. Smile Plus: $999/month billed annually, 7,500 orders. Enterprise: custom. The page shows no annual discount for Essential, Standard or Growth. Source: Smile.io pricing page, checked November 7, 2026.

Check Smile.io Pricing →

2. LoyaltyLion — Best for Analytics-Led Shopify Brands

Best for: Growing Shopify brands that want loyalty reporting, onboarding help and Klaviyo flows set up for them.

What LoyaltyLion does well

• The Classic plan includes a branded loyalty page, pre-built earning rules, referrals, Shopify POS for one location and dedicated onboarding.
• Analytics cover retention, ROI, customer lifetime value and RFM segments, which helps you prove the program pays for itself.
• Higher plans add VIP and conditional tiers, Loyalty Challenges, translation into 130+ languages and AI-assisted campaigns.

Potential drawbacks

• The step from the free plan to Classic at $199/month is steep for small stores.
• Advanced and Plus are custom-quoted, so you need a sales conversation to price them.
• The pricing page and Shopify listing describe order limits and plan features differently, so confirm what your plan includes.

Pricing

Free: up to 400 monthly orders, per the Shopify App Store listing. Classic: $199/month, which the pricing page says includes 500 orders per month, with a 14-day free trial. Advanced and Plus: custom pricing based on monthly orders. Source: LoyaltyLion pricing page and Shopify App Store listing, checked November 7, 2026.

Compare LoyaltyLion Plans →

3. BON Loyalty — Best Budget Pick on Shopify

Best for: Small and mid-size Shopify stores that want VIP tiers and POS support without paying enterprise prices.

What BON Loyalty does well

• The free plan covers points, an anti-cheat referral program, automated emails and free-shipping rewards for up to 150 monthly orders.
• The $29 Basic plan adds Shopify POS earning and redemption, limited-time offers such as double-points days, multi-language display and unlimited integrations.
• Growth at $129/month has no order cap and adds VIP and B2B tiers, streak and check-in points and anniversary rewards.

Potential drawbacks

• Shopify only.
• VIP tiers sit on the top Growth plan, not the cheaper tiers.
• API and SDK access require contacting the team about an enterprise plan.

Pricing

Free: up to 150 monthly orders. Starter: $15/month, 300 orders. Basic: $29/month or $324/year, 500 orders. Growth: $129/month or $1,236/year, unlimited orders. Paid plans include a 7-day free trial. The listing showed a 5.0 rating from 1,984 reviews when we checked. Source: BON Loyalty Shopify App Store listing, checked November 7, 2026.

See BON Loyalty Plans →

4. Growave — Best All-in-One Loyalty, Reviews and Wishlist

Best for: Shopify stores that would rather run loyalty, reviews and wishlists from one app than pay for three.

What Growave does well

• Even the free plan bundles a points program, wishlists and product reviews.
• Entry adds referrals with fraud protection, on-site nudges, review request emails, Shopify POS and Flow, and one integration such as Klaviyo.
• Growth adds VIP tiers, store credit, Apple and Google Wallet passes, back-in-stock emails and a custom loyalty page design.

Potential drawbacks

• Shopify only.
• Overage charges apply on every paid plan, from $20 per 100 extra orders on Entry.
• VIP tiers start on the $199 Growth plan, and checkout extensions and the headless API sit on the $499 Plus plan.

Pricing

Free: up to 200 monthly orders. Entry: $15/month, 500 orders. Growth: $199/month, 1,500 orders. Plus: $499/month, 3,000 orders. Overage is $20, $15 and $10 per additional 100 orders on Entry, Growth and Plus. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial. Source: Growave Shopify App Store listing, checked November 7, 2026.

Explore Growave Pricing →

5. WPLoyalty — Best Loyalty Program Software for WooCommerce

Best for: WooCommerce stores that want points, referrals and VIP levels without a monthly SaaS bill tied to order volume.

What WPLoyalty does well

• A free version on WordPress.org lets customers earn points on purchases and redeem them as coupons, with points shown on product, cart and checkout pages.
• Pro adds points for sign-ups, reviews, birthdays, referrals and social shares, plus VIP levels and conditional rules by role, spend or category.
• Pricing is per site per year, not per order, so a busy store does not pay more for growth.

Potential drawbacks

• WooCommerce only.
• You maintain the plugin on your own hosting, including updates and compatibility testing.
• If your license lapses, the plugin keeps working but you lose updates and support.

Pricing

WPLoyalty Lite: free on WordPress.org. Pro, regular yearly price: Starter $105 for 1 site, Professional $155 for 3 sites, Agency $295 for 10 sites. When we checked, a Black Friday sale cut 1-year plans by 30% (to $73, $108 and $206) with no end date shown. Multi-year terms were also offered. Source: WPLoyalty pricing page, checked November 7, 2026.

Check WPLoyalty Pricing →

Loyalty Program Software Compared Side by Side

Which Loyalty Program Tool Is Right for You?

Use this decision path to narrow it down in about a minute.

What to Look for in Loyalty Program Software

• Pricing model. Most Shopify apps charge by monthly orders and add overage fees. Model your cost at your busiest month, not your average one.
• Reward types. Look for discounts, free shipping, free products and store credit, so you can match rewards to your margins.
• VIP tiers and referrals. Tiers reward your best buyers, and referrals turn them into a source of new customers. Check which plan unlocks each.
• Integrations. Loyalty data is more useful in your email tool. Confirm a native Klaviyo or similar integration, and POS support if you sell in person.
• Store speed and design. Widgets load on every page. Test page speed before and after, and make sure the rewards page matches your theme.

Quick Wins You Can Make Before Buying Anything

1. Find your repeat purchase rate. Your platform reports show how many customers bought more than once. That number is your baseline.
2. Send a thank-you email after the first order. A short, personal note with a reason to come back costs nothing.
3. Offer a second-order incentive. A one-time code for the next purchase tests whether your customers respond to rewards at all.
4. Ask happy customers for referrals. A simple “share with a friend” link in your post-purchase email is a manual referral program.
5. Check your app stack. If you already pay for reviews or wishlists, an all-in-one tool may replace them. Our list of the best Shopify apps for ecommerce can help you audit what you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is loyalty program software?

It is software that runs a customer rewards program for an online store. It tracks points, applies rewards at checkout, runs referral programs and manages VIP tiers, so you do not have to do any of it by hand.

What is the best loyalty program software?

It depends on your platform and budget. BON Loyalty, Smile.io, Growave and LoyaltyLion are strong Shopify options, and WPLoyalty is the pick here for WooCommerce.

Is there free loyalty program software?

Yes. Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, BON Loyalty and Growave all have free Shopify plans with monthly order caps, and WPLoyalty has a free Lite version for WooCommerce.

How much does loyalty program software cost?

Entry paid plans start around $15 per month on Shopify (Smile.io, BON Loyalty, Growave). LoyaltyLion Classic is $199 per month, and WPLoyalty Pro starts at $105 per year at its regular price.

Do loyalty programs actually increase sales?

They can, by giving customers a reason to return. Bain research found that keeping 5% more customers raised profits by 25% to 95%. Results depend on your margins, products and how often people need to reorder.

Points, tiers or referrals: which should I start with?

Start with points for purchases plus a referral reward. Add VIP tiers once you have enough repeat buyers to make the top tier feel exclusive.

Does a loyalty program work for low-frequency products?

Less well. If customers buy once every few years, referral rewards and review incentives usually do more than points for repeat purchases.

Can I use these tools on WooCommerce?

Of the five tools here, only WPLoyalty runs on WooCommerce. For more options, see our roundup of the best WooCommerce plugins for ecommerce.

Will a loyalty app slow down my store?

Any app that adds widgets can. Test page speed before and after installing, and remove widgets you do not use.

Do I need a developer to set this up?

Most of these tools are built for merchants to configure themselves. If you want a custom rewards page or a faster WooCommerce store to begin with, our WordPress development service can help.

Final Verdict: Which Loyalty Program Software Should You Choose?

If you run Shopify on a tight budget, start with BON Loyalty or Smile.io on their free plans and upgrade when you hit the order cap. Choose Growave if replacing separate review and wishlist apps would save money, and talk to LoyaltyLion once you need deeper analytics and onboarding help. On WooCommerce, WPLoyalty gives you points, referrals and VIP levels with flat yearly pricing.

Your next step: note your current repeat purchase rate, launch a simple points and referral program, and compare the numbers after 90 days. A small program you measure beats a complex one you cannot evaluate.

Sources

• Bain & Company: E-Loyalty: Your Secret Weapon on the Web (Reichheld and Schefter, HBR, 2000)
• Smile.io pricing
• LoyaltyLion pricing
• LoyaltyLion on the Shopify App Store
• BON Loyalty on the Shopify App Store
• Growave on the Shopify App Store
• WPLoyalty pricing
• WPLoyalty on WordPress.org

About the author

Jaykishan Panchal

Founder & CEO, TechCognate · SEO Strategist & WordPress Expert

Jaykishan Panchal is the founder of TechCognate and an SEO strategist with 15+ years of hands-on experience driving organic growth for businesses worldwide. He specialises in technical SEO, content strategy and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), helping brands stay visible in both traditional search and AI-driven discovery.

• Technical SEO
• Content Strategy
• AI & GEO
• Google Ads
• E-Commerce SEO

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