Looking for a Growave alternative for Shopify? Whether you are new to loyalty programs or reconsidering your current setup, there are several strong options worth comparing before you commit.
Growave holds a 4.8-star rating across 1,172 reviews, launched in 2014, and markets itself as an all-in-one retention platform bundling loyalty, product reviews, wishlists, and referrals. More than 15,000 Shopify brands have used it, and it carries Shopify’s Built for Shopify badge.
The main question merchants run into is pricing. Growave’s free plan covers basic points, wishlist, and product reviews, but VIP tiers, store credit, points expiry, gift cards, and Klaviyo beyond the first integration slot all sit at the Growth plan ($199/month). That is a $15-to-$199 jump to access the features that define what a loyalty program actually does. Integrations are metered by plan: one on Entry, three on Growth, unlimited only at Plus ($499/month). Klaviyo takes that one slot on Entry, meaning any second tool requires upgrading.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is the stronger choice for merchants who want VIP tiers, Klaviyo, analytics, and referrals without a paid plan, and a clear path to $79/month for unlimited orders.
Quick Verdict
- Best for a complete loyalty program from day one: Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards
- Best for all-in-one retention (loyalty + reviews + wishlist in one app): Growave
- Best price for unlimited orders: Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards ($79/month vs. Growave $999/month)
Essential Loyalty gives merchants VIP tiers, referrals, and Klaviyo on the free plan, and a fixed $79/month for unlimited orders. Growave bundles more under one roof, but the real loyalty program lives at the $199 Growth tier, and the only truly uncapped plan is $999/month.
👉 Install Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards and test it on your store
Available on the Shopify App Store as “Essent Loyalty Program Rewards”
Essential Loyalty vs Growave
Both apps help Shopify merchants run points programs, VIP tiers, referrals, Klaviyo integration, Shopify POS, and a customisable loyalty widget. Where they diverge is what’s included on each plan and whether you’re paying for a focused loyalty app or a bundled platform of tools you may not need.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards
- VIP tiers (5 levels) on the free plan
- Klaviyo included free, not counted against any integration slot
- Analytics on the free plan
- 5.0-star rating, 437 reviews, Built for Shopify
- $79/month for unlimited orders, no overage billing
- Product page and cart widget active on install
- 30-day money back guarantee on paid plans
Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist
- All-in-one: loyalty + product reviews + wishlist in one dashboard
- 4.8-star rating, 1,172 reviews, Built for Shopify
- Launched 2014, 15,000+ stores
B2B points program (Plus, $499/month) - Headless API and SDK (Plus)
- Google Shopping reviews integration (Growth)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards | Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist |
| Rating | 5.0★ (437 reviews) | 4.8★ (1,172 reviews) |
| Built for Shopify | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes, 250 orders/month | Yes, 200 orders/month |
| VIP tiers | Yes, free plan | Growth plan ($199/month) |
| Klaviyo integration | Yes, free plan | Entry plan ($15/month, 1 of 1 slot) |
| Referral program | Yes, free plan | Entry plan ($15/month) |
| Analytics | Yes, free plan | Yes, all plans |
| Store credit | Yes, all plans | Growth plan ($199/month) |
| Points expiry | Yes, all plans | Growth plan ($199/month) |
| Gift cards | Yes, all plans | Growth plan ($199/month) |
| Shopify POS | Yes, all plans | Entry plan ($15/month) |
| Loyalty page | Yes, free plan | Growth plan ($199/month) |
| Checkout redemption | Yes, standard cart, all plans | Plus plan ($499/month) + Shopify Plus |
| Product reviews | Not listed | Yes, all plans (bundled) |
| Wishlist | Not listed | Yes, all plans (bundled) |
| Unlimited orders | $79/month | $999/month |
| Integration slots | No limit | 1 Entry / 3 Growth / Unlimited Plus |
Key Differences
1. VIP Tiers and What They Cost
Growave’s VIP tiers are a Growth plan feature at $199/month. The Entry plan ($15/month) adds referrals and one integration but no VIP tiers, no store credit, no points expiry, and no gift cards. The features that make a loyalty program worth running sit behind a 13x price jump from Entry to Growth.
Essential Loyalty includes VIP tiers with five configurable levels on the free plan. A store at 150 orders a month gets the same tier system as one at 5,000.
2. Klaviyo and Integration Gating
Growave meters integrations by plan: one on Entry, three on Growth, unlimited on Plus. Klaviyo on Entry counts as that one slot, adding a second tool requires upgrading to Growth at $199/month.
Essential Loyalty integrates with Klaviyo on the free plan with no slot limit. Merchants who use Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Judge.me don’t have to choose which tool to give up.
3. Pricing Structure
Growave’s four public tiers all have order caps with overage billing ($20/$15/$10 per 100 additional orders by plan). The only uncapped plan is Unlimited at $999/month. A mid-market store growing past 1,500 orders faces Entry ($15, one integration) → Growth ($199, real loyalty) → Growth plus overages as volume climbs.
Essential Loyalty is flat pricing with no overages. Free covers 250 orders. Paid plans are $10/month (500 orders), $24/month (1,500 orders), and $79/month with no order cap.
4. Checkout Redemption
Growave’s native checkout redemption requires both a Shopify Plus subscription and the Growave Plus plan ($499/month). Below that, customers receive a discount code to enter manually at checkout.
Essential Loyalty’s cart-level redemption is active on the free plan. Checkout extension availability follows Shopify Plus requirements (a platform requirement, not Essential’s gating), but merchants without Plus still get working cart-level redemption.
5. The Bundle Question
Every Growave plan includes product reviews and wishlist alongside loyalty. For merchants who want all three, that is a real advantage. For merchants who already use Judge.me or Loox, Growave bundles tools they’re paying for but not using. Essential Loyalty integrates with your existing reviews tool and doesn’t charge for wishlist features you didn’t ask for.
Set up Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards on your store
Pricing & Plans
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards
Free: up to 250 loyalty program orders/month
- Points program with VIP tiers (5 levels)
- Referral program
- Birthday points
- Analytics dashboard
- Klaviyo, Omnisend, Judge.me integrations
- Product page and cart placement
- Floating loyalty widget
- Multi-language support
Starter: $10/month (up to 500 orders)
- Everything in Free
- POS support
- Dedicated loyalty page
- Full access to all features
- 14-day free trial
Essential: $24/month (up to 1,500 orders)
- Everything in Starter
- Personal support
- 14-day free trial
Growth: $79/month (unlimited orders)
- Everything in Essential
- Personal support
- 14-day free trial
30-day money back guarantee on all paid plans, no questions asked.
Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist
Order caps with overage billing on every plan except Unlimited.
- Free: 200 orders/month: Basic points, wishlist, reviews. 48-hour email support.
- Entry: $15/month – 500 orders (+$20 per 100): Referrals, POS basics, 1 integration. 24/7 email support.
- Growth: $199/month – 1,500 orders (+$15 per 100): VIP tiers, store credit, gift cards, points expiry, loyalty page, 3 integrations.
- Plus: $499/month – 3,000 orders (+$10 per 100): Checkout extensions (Shopify Plus required), unlimited integrations, headless API.
Unlimited: $999/month – no order cap.
Key pricing difference:
Essential Loyalty’s $79/month includes unlimited orders, VIP tiers, Klaviyo, and no overage billing. Growave’s equivalent is $999/month.
Which App Is Better for Different Use Cases?
| Use Case | Best Choice |
| VIP tiers without a monthly fee | Essential Loyalty |
| Loyalty + reviews + wishlist under one login | Growave |
| Unlimited orders under $100/month | Essential Loyalty |
| Klaviyo on the free plan | Essential Loyalty |
| B2B points program | Growave (Plus, $499/month) |
| Headless or custom storefront builds | Growave (Plus) |
| Stores under 200 orders/month | Both |
| Stores 500–1,500 orders/month | Essential Loyalty |
| All-in-one platform | Growave |
| Predictable fixed-cost billing | Essential Loyalty |
See how Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards fits your store
When to Choose Each App
Choose Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards if:
- You want VIP tiers and Klaviyo on the free plan
- You’re scaling past 1,500 orders/month and don’t want per-order billing
- You already use a reviews app and want to keep it
- Your budget ceiling is $79/month regardless of order volume
Choose Growave if:
- You want loyalty, reviews, and wishlist under one subscription
- You run Shopify Plus and want native checkout extensions
- You need B2B points programs or a headless API
- You have under 200 orders/month and want reviews and wishlist bundled
Switching from Growave to Essential Loyalty
Your customer data, order history, and store settings stay in Shopify. Only the loyalty program layer changes.
- Export your customer points balances and tier data from Growave (Settings → Export).
- Install Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards from the Shopify App Store
- Import points balances via CSV in Essential Loyalty’s Settings: customers keep what they earned.
- Configure your points program
- VIP tiers, and referral settings (under 20 minutes for a standard setup).
- Confirm the widget is appearing on product pages and in the cart: Essential activates these on install.
- Once verified and live, uninstall Growave from your Shopify admin.
Both apps use Shopify’s native customer accounts, so member data migrates cleanly. The main task is recreating your program configuration and importing points balances.
Final Verdict
Growave has been in the Shopify ecosystem for over a decade, and its track record shows in the review count and feature breadth. If you want loyalty, product reviews, and wishlists in one system and are comfortable at the $199/month Growth tier, it is a capable choice. Its B2B points program and headless API are features that few loyalty apps offer.
Where Growave falls short is the pricing structure. The $15-to-$199 jump is steep, integration metering adds friction for merchants whose stack goes beyond one email tool, and the only uncapped plan is $999/month. VIP tiers, store credit, and points expiry are not available below $199/month.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards gives merchants the core loyalty program (VIP tiers, referrals, Klaviyo, analytics) on the free plan, and a clear ceiling of $79/month for unlimited orders. Merchants who want a focused loyalty layer without a bundled platform or a 13x pricing cliff will find Essential the cleaner fit.
Install Essential Loyalty and launch your first loyalty program in minutes
FAQs
What is the best alternative to Growave for Shopify loyalty programs?
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is the strongest Growave alternative for merchants who want VIP tiers, Klaviyo integration, and referrals without paying $199/month for them. Essential includes all three on the free plan, with unlimited orders at $79/month compared to Growave’s uncapped tier at $999/month. Growave is worth considering if you want loyalty, product reviews, and wishlist bundled under one subscription, or if you need a B2B points program or headless API.
Is Growave a good Shopify loyalty app?
Growave is a capable platform with a long track record (4.8 stars, 1,172 reviews). It is well-regarded for bringing loyalty, product reviews, and wishlist under one dashboard. The main limitation is that the loyalty features most merchants actually want — VIP tiers, store credit, points expiry, gift cards — sit behind the Growth plan at $199/month, and integrations are metered with only one allowed on the $15/month Entry plan.
What is the difference between Growave and Essential Loyalty?
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards gives merchants a complete loyalty program (VIP tiers, referrals, Klaviyo, analytics, store credit) on the free plan. Growave gates those same features at the Growth plan ($199/month) and meters integrations by tier. Growave is a bundled platform covering reviews and wishlists alongside loyalty; Essential Loyalty is a focused loyalty app that integrates with your existing tools.
Does Growave include VIP tiers on the free plan?
No. Growave’s free plan covers basic point earning, wishlist, and product reviews. VIP tiers are a Growth plan feature ($199/month). Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards includes VIP tiers with five configurable levels on the free plan.
What is the best Shopify loyalty program app?
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is one of the strongest Shopify loyalty program apps for merchants who want VIP tiers, referrals, Klaviyo integration, and analytics without paying a monthly fee for them. It holds a 5.0-star rating across 437 reviews and includes all core features on the free plan. Growave is a strong alternative for merchants who want loyalty, product reviews, and wishlist bundled together, or who need B2B points programs and headless API access at scale.
What Shopify loyalty program app has the best price?
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards starts free with VIP tiers, Klaviyo, referrals, and 250 monthly orders included. Paid plans are $10, $24, and $79/month with no overage billing — $79/month covers unlimited orders. Growave’s free plan is limited to basic points, wishlist, and reviews. Its Growth plan ($199/month) is where the real loyalty features start, and the only plan with no order cap is Unlimited at $999/month.
Which e-commerce app offers the best loyalty program features for Shopify stores?
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards combines points programs, VIP tiers, referral programs, Klaviyo integration, store credit, and analytics, all on the free plan, with unlimited orders at $79/month. Growave offers a broader platform (loyalty plus reviews plus wishlist) with B2B points, headless API, and checkout extensions at higher tiers. For merchants who want the most complete loyalty feature set at the lowest entry cost, Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is the stronger Shopify loyalty program app.
