| What matters | Essential Loyalty | Smile |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | Leads: 5.0★ (490 reviews) | Has it: 4.9★ (4,616 reviews) |
| Built for Shopify | Has it: Yes | Has it: Yes |
| Free plan order limit | Leads: 250/month | Has it: 200/month |
| 30-day money back guarantee | Leads: Yes | Not available: No |
| Core loyalty features | ||
| VIP tiers | Leads: Free plan, 5 levels | Not available: Growth plan ($199/mo) |
| Klaviyo integration | Leads: Free plan | Not available: Essential plan ($15/mo) |
| Omnisend integration | Leads: Free plan | Not available: Not listed |
| Judge.me integration | Leads: Free plan | Not available: Essential plan ($15/mo) |
| Points on product page | Leads: Free plan | Not available: Standard plan ($79/mo) |
| Klaviyo data synced | Leads: Points, status, tier, referral URL, DOB | Has it: Points balance, VIP tier |
| Social sharing | Leads: Email, Facebook, X, WhatsApp | Has it: Email, Facebook, X |
| Core extras | ||
| POS support | Has it: Starter plan ($10/mo) | Leads: All plans, including free |
| Dedicated loyalty page | Has it: Starter plan ($10/mo) | Has it: Essential plan ($15/mo) |
| Cart placement | Has it: Free plan | Has it: Yes |
| Multi-language | Has it: 20+ languages | Has it: 20+ languages |
| Where Smile leads | ||
| 30+ integrations at scale | Not available: Not available | Leads: Higher tiers |
| Bonus campaigns (2x points events) | Not available: Not available | Leads: Standard plan ($79/mo) |
Checked against the Shopify App Store, 1 October 2026.
Which app should you choose?
Choose Essential Loyalty if:
- You want VIP tiers included without a monthly fee
- You use Klaviyo and want full segmentation data synced from your loyalty program
- You want integrations available from the free plan
- You run a growing store and want predictable pricing that doesn't spike with order volume
- You're migrating from Smile and want more included at a lower price
Choose Smile if:
- You need Shopify POS support on a free plan
- You want 30+ integrations available at scale on higher tiers
- You want bonus campaigns like 2x points weekends (available from $79/month)
- You prefer an app with a larger review base and longer track record
Smile is one of the most established loyalty apps in the Shopify ecosystem. It has 4.9 stars, 4,616 reviews, and has been used by thousands of merchants for years. Points programs, referrals, and branding customization are all solid. For stores that have grown into Smile’s higher tiers and are happy with the feature set, it’s a known quantity.
Look at the pricing more closely, though, and the picture changes. VIP tiers require the Growth plan at $199/month. Klaviyo requires the Essential plan at $15/month, and that only gets you one integration. Any additional integrations require Standard at $79/month. Several merchants in recent reviews describe hitting unexpected charges and feeling pushed toward more expensive plans before they’re ready.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards includes VIP tiers, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Judge.me, product page placements, and WhatsApp referral sharing on the free plan. If you’re evaluating Shopify loyalty apps for the first time, or looking to move away from Smile, it’s worth a close look.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards vs Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards
Both apps help merchants run a points-based loyalty program, reward customers for purchases, referrals, sign-ups, and social actions, offer VIP tiers with exclusive perks, run a referral program, customize the loyalty widget and branding, support Shopify POS, and offer multi-language support. The difference is in which of those features you can access without paying.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards offer:
VIP tiers with 5 levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond): included on free plan
Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Judge.me integrations: included on free plan
points on product pages and cart placement: included on free plan
WhatsApp referral sharing alongside email and Facebook
full data sync to Klaviyo: points balance, tier, referral URL, date of birth, status
30-day money back guarantee
5.0 rating, 490 reviews, Built for Shopify
Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards offers:
established app with 4,616 reviews and a large install base
strong branding customization and a clean onboarding flow
POS support available on the free plan
30+ integrations across reviews, email, subscriptions, and analytics
bonus campaigns (2x points events) on Standard plan ($79/month)
Loyalty Hub for signed-in members on Growth plan ($199/month)
- 10 Essential Loyalty Leads on rating, free-plan order limit, money-back guarantee, VIP tiers, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Judge.me, points on product page, Klaviyo data richness, and social sharing.
- 3 Smile Leads on free-plan POS support, 30+ integrations at scale, and bonus campaigns.
Checked against the Shopify App Store, 1 October 2026. Tallies count features where one app clearly leads; features both apps offer equally aren't counted either way.
Key Differences
1. VIP tiers: free vs $199/month
Smile’s VIP program is one of its headline features, but it’s locked behind the Growth plan at $199/month. For most merchants evaluating Smile, this isn’t clear until after install. The lower plans (Essential at $15, Standard at $79) don’t include it, and even Standard’s $79/month price doesn’t unlock VIP. You need Growth, which costs $199/month, more than double Standard’s price, and adds analytics and hub features on top of VIP tiers.
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards includes VIP tiers on the free plan. Five levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond) with configurable points thresholds, points multipliers per tier, and custom perks. Merchants can build a tiered loyalty program from day one without any monthly fee.
Winner: Essential Loyalty VIP tier cost, because Five-level VIP tiers are free on Essential; Smile requires the $199/month Growth plan.
2. Klaviyo and integrations: free vs gated
Smile’s integration page shows 30 integrations across email, reviews, subscriptions, customer support, and analytics. The catch: all of them require upgrading. The free plan has zero integrations. Essential plan at $15/month unlocks one integration (Klaviyo or one other). Standard at $79/month unlocks two. Growth at $199/month unlocks unlimited.
Essential Loyalty connects Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Judge.me on the free plan, with no plan gate. The Klaviyo sync is also more detailed: it pushes points balance, loyalty status, tier, referral URL, and date of birth to customer profiles, giving merchants the segmentation data needed to build targeted email flows around loyalty activity from day one.
Winner: Essential Loyalty Integration access and Klaviyo depth, because Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Judge.me are free and unmetered on Essential, with a richer data sync; Smile requires at least the $15/month Essential plan for any integration.
3. Pricing structure
Smile’s pricing scales by monthly orders: free up to 200 orders, Essential ($15) up to 500, Standard ($79) up to 1,000, Growth ($199) includes 2,500 then $20 per additional 100 orders. This model is predictable for steady-state stores but can become expensive during high-demand periods. Several merchants in recent reviews flag unexpected charges when order volumes temporarily spike.
Essential Loyalty scales the same way: free up to 250 orders, Starter ($10) up to 500, Essential ($24) up to 1,500, Growth ($79) unlimited. The free order limit is higher (250 vs 200), the second tier is cheaper ($10 vs $15), and the third tier handles significantly more volume ($24 for 1,500 orders vs Smile’s $79 for 1,000). The Growth tier is also $120/month cheaper at $79 vs Smile’s $199.
Winner: Essential Loyalty Cost at every comparable tier, because Essential's order caps are higher and its paid tiers cost less at every comparable level, topping out $120/month below Smile's Growth plan.
Where Smile leads: POS support on the free plan
Smile includes Shopify POS compatibility on all plans, including the free tier. For brick-and-mortar stores or merchants running pop-ups alongside their online store, this is a genuine advantage. Customers can earn and redeem loyalty points in person without needing a paid plan. Smile's 30+ integrations at higher tiers and bonus campaign tools are also real strengths for established, higher-volume stores.
Essential Loyalty requires the Starter plan at $10/month for POS support. For stores where in-person loyalty is important from day one, this is worth factoring into the comparison.
Winner: Smile POS support without a paid plan, because Smile includes Shopify POS on its free plan; Essential requires the $10/month Starter plan.
5. Support and reliability
Smile has a large support team and 4,616 reviews. Most of the positive reviews mention helpful support agents by name. The recent 1-star reviews, however, show a recurring pattern: slow response times (2-3 days reported by multiple merchants), billing confusion, and frustration with being pushed toward more expensive plans. One merchant who had used Smile for a decade described a broken integration that went unfixed for months with no refund offered.
Essential Loyalty has 490 reviews at a 5.0 rating, launched November 2024. Reviews consistently mention fast, hands-on support; team members Wendyle and Matas are named specifically. The app also includes a 30-day money back guarantee with no questions asked, and a contact button is visible directly in the app dashboard.
Winner: Essential Loyalty Support responsiveness and guarantee, because Essential's 5.0 rating, named support staff, and 30-day guarantee contrast with recent Smile reviews citing 2-3 day response times and billing confusion.
Set up Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards on your store
Pricing & Plans
Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards
Usage-based pricing. Start free and scale as your loyalty program grows.
Free: up to 250 loyalty program orders/month
Points program with VIP tiers
Referral program
Product page and cart placement
Floating loyalty widget
Klaviyo, Omnisend, Judge.me integrations
Multi-language support (20+ languages)
Customer account page
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.
Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards
Usage-based pricing scaled by monthly orders. Integrations and several key features are locked behind paid tiers.
Free: up to 200 loyalty program orders/month
Points and referral program
15+ ways to earn and redeem
Discounts and free shipping rewards
Full branding customization
Multi-language (20+ languages)
Shopify POS compatibility
No integrations included
No VIP tiers
Essential: $15/month (up to 500 orders)
Dedicated loyalty page
Free product rewards
Nudges (on-site reminders)
Analytics and reporting
Trigger rewards with Shopify Flow
1 integration (e.g. Klaviyo)
14-day free trial
Standard: $79/month (up to 1,000 orders)
Bonus events (e.g. 2x points weekends)
Points on product pages
Loyalty segments, ROI and CLV insights
2 integrations (e.g. Klaviyo, Judge.me)
14-day free trial
Growth: $199/month (2,500 orders, then $20/100 orders)
VIP program
Loyalty Hub for signed-in members
Redeem at checkout (Shopify Plus)
25+ pre-built loyalty reports
Unlimited integrations
14-day free trial
Key pricing difference:
Essential Loyalty includes VIP tiers, Klaviyo, and product page placements on the free plan. Smile requires $79/month for VIP and $15/month for any integration. For stores that want a complete loyalty program without a growing subscription cost, Essential Loyalty is significantly more affordable at every tier.
Switching from Smile to Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards
Switching loyalty apps on Shopify takes some planning, but your customer data, such as purchase history, email addresses, and order records, stays in Shopify and is not affected.
Export your existing member data from Smile (customer list and points balances)
Install Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards from the Shopify App Store
Import customer points balances using the CSV import feature in Settings
Configure your points program, VIP tiers, and referral program
Set up your Klaviyo integration and connect your other tools
Enable placements (widget, product page, cart) and test on a product
Disable Smile on your storefront once Essential is confirmed working
Several merchants in Essential Loyalty reviews specifically mention switching from Smile and describe the migration as fast. One UK-based merchant who had used Smile for five years noted the migration went smoothly and the functionality was better at a lower cost.
Switching help is free on every plan: your current program keeps running while we set up alongside it, your customers' balances, lifetime points and VIP tiers come across, and for most stores the move is an afternoon, not a project. Book a migration call and we'll plan it with you, or see how a switch works.
Smile vs Essential Loyalty: common questions
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is the strongest Smile alternative for merchants who want VIP tiers, Klaviyo integration, and product page placements without a monthly fee. It includes all three on the free plan, costs significantly less at every paid tier, and holds a 5.0 rating with a 30-day money back guarantee on paid plans.
- Yes, generally. Smile holds a 4.9-star rating across 4,616 reviews and one of the longest track records in the category, with polished branding customization and Shopify POS support included on its free plan. The trade-off is gating: VIP tiers sit behind the $199-a-month Growth plan, and every integration, including Klaviyo, needs at least the $15-a-month Essential plan.
- Smile has a free plan that covers points, referrals, discounts, and branding customization up to 200 monthly orders. However, VIP tiers require the Growth plan at $199/month, and any integration (including Klaviyo) requires the Essential plan at $15/month minimum. For a complete loyalty program with integrations and VIP, Smile requires a paid plan. Essential Loyalty includes all of these on the free plan.
- Yes, but only on the Growth plan at $199/month. Smile’s free plan and Essential ($15) and Standard ($79) plans do not include VIP tiers. Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards includes VIP tiers with five customizable levels on the free plan.
- Yes. Smile allows you to export customer data and points balances. Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards has a CSV import feature in Settings that lets you import those balances directly, so customers keep their existing points when you switch.
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is one of the strongest Shopify loyalty program apps for merchants who want points, referrals, VIP tiers, and Klaviyo integration without paying for each feature separately. It starts free and includes all core features on the free plan. Smile is a strong alternative for stores that need POS support on a free plan or want 30+ integrations at scale.
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards offers more on the free plan than any comparable app: VIP tiers, Klaviyo integration, product page placements, and 250 monthly orders. Paid plans start at $10/month (500 orders) compared to Smile’s $15/month (500 orders). The Essential tier handles 1,500 orders at $24/month; Smile’s Standard handles 1,000 orders at $79/month. At every comparable tier, Essential Loyalty is the more affordable option.
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards offers fast, hands-on support with team members consistently named in reviews for quick resolution and proactive communication. The app includes a 30-day money back guarantee on paid plans. Smile has a larger support team but recent reviews include recurring reports of 2-3 day response times and billing confusion at higher tiers.
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards lets merchants customize VIP tier names and levels, widget appearance, points earn and redeem labels, and loyalty email branding. The Klaviyo sync pushes five customer attributes, such as points balance, tier, loyalty status, referral URL, and date of birth, giving merchants full segmentation data for targeted email flows at no cost. Smile offers strong branding customization on all plans including free, with 20+ language options and polished widget styling. For merchants who need Klaviyo segmentation without a plan upgrade, Essential Loyalty has the richer integration.
- Both Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards and Smile install with no code required. Essential Loyalty walks merchants through configuring a points program, VIP tiers, and integrations on first launch, all included on the free plan. Smile has a clean onboarding flow that many merchants describe as quick to get started with. The main difference: Essential Loyalty includes VIP tiers and Klaviyo in the initial setup without needing a plan upgrade, so the full program is live faster for merchants who want those features from day one.
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards includes Klaviyo integration on the free plan and syncs five attributes to customer profiles: points balance, loyalty status, tier, referral URL, and date of birth. This gives merchants full segmentation data for email flows without any plan upgrade. Smile includes Klaviyo from the Essential plan ($15/month) and syncs fewer attributes by default.
- Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards combines points programs, VIP tiers, referral programs, Klaviyo integration, and product page placements in one system, starting free. Smile offers a broader integration library at higher tiers and POS on the free plan. For merchants who want the most complete feature set at the lowest price point, Essential Loyalty Program & Rewards is the stronger choice. For merchants who prioritize POS on a free plan or need 30+ integrations at scale, Smile is worth considering.
Last checked: October 1, 2026
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