This is a direct comparison between Smile and LoyaltyLion for Shopify merchants. We're Smile's product team, and we know you've read dozens of these pages. Our goal is to give you a real breakdown, acknowledge where LoyaltyLion is strong, and clearly state where we believe we're the better choice for your brand.
Smile is a certified, scalable loyalty platform designed to integrate deeply with Shopify. It's built to be managed by marketing teams without developer help. LoyaltyLion is a data-focused platform aimed at high-growth brands, with a loyalty page its team designs for you and a close Klaviyo partnership.
For most brands on Shopify, Smile is the better choice: it holds both of Shopify's certifications, runs inside the Shopify admin, and includes VIP tiers and loyalty benchmarks from its Growth plan, with Shopify POS on every plan. Every competitor fact on this page comes from LoyaltyLion's own Shopify App Store listing, pricing page, security page or help center, read on October 26, 2026.
About Smile.io
Smile is the loyalty platform for Shopify Plus and enterprise brands: points, VIP tiers and referrals, managed by your marketing team. Its customers include Fiesta Tableware, Naturium and Blue Banana, which moved its program from LoyaltyLion to Smile.
Our focus is singular: loyalty and retention for commerce. Smile is Built for Shopify, Shopify's certification for app quality, and a Shopify Certified Technology Partner, its certification for enterprise readiness, and it holds a SOC 2 Type II audit (May 2026). Our plans run from Growth, at $199 a month with 2,500 monthly orders, to Smile Plus at $999 a month, billed annually, and Smile Enterprise for retailers with over $40M in annual revenue.
About LoyaltyLion
LoyaltyLion is a well-established loyalty platform based in London, on the Shopify App Store since 2014. They position themselves as a data-driven solution for high-growth and enterprise merchants. They are in Shopify's technology partner directory, and their security page describes a SOC 2 Type I attestation. As of October 26, 2026, their Shopify App Store listing shows a 4.7-star rating.
Their strengths include strong industry-specific content for verticals like fashion and beauty, and a close integration with Klaviyo as a Klaviyo Elite Master Partner. Their Classic plan includes a loyalty page their team designs for you, and their Advanced plan translates a program into 130+ languages. Their listing does not show the Built for Shopify badge.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
The at-a-glance version, before we go deep on each area:
| Smile | LoyaltyLion | |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify App Store rating | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| Built for Shopify badge on its listing | ||
| In Shopify's technology partner directory | ||
| SOC 2 | Type II, audited May 2026 | Type I attestation, per its security page |
| Plans | Growth $199 a month with 2,500 orders; Smile Plus $999 a month, billed annually, with 7,500 | Free up to 400 orders; Classic from $199 a month for 500 orders to $549 for 4,000 (pricing page); Advanced and Plus by quote |
| VIP tiers | Included from Growth | In Classic on its listing; an optional add-on on Classic on its pricing page, included from Advanced |
| Shopify POS | Every plan, one balance online and in store | One location on Classic, multiple locations from Advanced |
| Analytics | 25 pre-built reports on Growth, 30+ on Smile Plus, and loyalty benchmarks against stores of similar size and industry | Loyalty analytics and customer segments; predictive analytics and revenue insights on every plan |
| Klaviyo | Pre-built Klaviyo flow templates, five Smile profile properties and eight loyalty events | Klaviyo Elite Master Partner; Klaviyo loyalty flows built for you on Classic |
Ratings, badges and plans from each Shopify App Store listing; LoyaltyLion's plan features from its pricing page; the directory is Shopify's technology partner directory. All read October 26, 2026.
Shopify Certification & Integration
This is the most important difference. A loyalty program isn't just an app; it's a core part of your customer account and checkout experience. The quality of its integration with Shopify matters.
Smile holds two distinct Shopify certifications:
- Built for Shopify (BFS): Shopify's certification for app quality. To earn it, Shopify's own app quality team reviews an app for performance, ease of use, and deep integration with Shopify's platform, including things like checkout extensions and customer accounts.
- Shopify Technology Partner (TP): This certification is for enterprise readiness. Shopify's requirements include an annual independent penetration test and 24/7 support worldwide.
LoyaltyLion is in Shopify's technology partner directory, which reflects their security and infrastructure for enterprise use. But their listing does not show the Built for Shopify badge (October 26, 2026). That means their app has not completed Shopify's review for user experience, performance and integration quality, which matters for a program your customers use in their account and at checkout.
Points, Rewards & Earning Rules
Both platforms cover the essentials of a points-based program. You can create rules for earning points on purchases, account creation, social follows, and birthdays. You can also configure rewards like dollar-off coupons, percentage discounts, or free shipping.
Smile's advantage is in how these features integrate with the Shopify ecosystem. Our points and rewards are available directly in Shopify's checkout through a checkout extension, allowing customers on Shopify Plus stores to redeem points without leaving the payment flow. Our on-site tools, like the loyalty panel and nudges, are designed to feel like a native part of your Shopify theme, not a third-party script. LoyaltyLion's pricing page also lists checkout redemption for Shopify Plus stores on every plan.
VIP Tiers
VIP tiers are a core part of modern loyalty strategy, encouraging customers to increase their spend to earn new perks.
With Smile, VIP tiers are available on our Growth plan for $199/month. You can create multiple tiers with unique earning rates, entry rewards, and exclusive perks, all managed through a simple UI. Our guide to creating a VIP tier program that drives revenue covers thresholds and perks.
With LoyaltyLion, the two sources differ. Their App Store listing includes VIP loyalty tiers in the Classic plan at $199/month. Their pricing page shows dynamic VIP tiers as an optional add-on on Classic and included on the Advanced and Plus plans, which are priced by quote (both read October 26, 2026). Ask them which applies to your store before you compare costs.
Referrals
Both Smile and LoyaltyLion offer built-in referral programs. Both allow you to reward the advocate (the person referring) and the friend (the person being referred) with points or discounts. Both provide unique referral links and track performance. The core functionality here is comparable across both platforms; for a wider view, see the best referral program apps for Shopify.
Analytics & Insights
Data is useless if you can't act on it. LoyaltyLion's pricing page lists loyalty analytics, predictive analytics and revenue insights on every plan.
Smile offers 25 pre-built reports on Growth and 30+ on Smile Plus, but our key differentiator is loyalty benchmarks, available on our Growth plan and up. Instead of just showing your data, we put four program rates (redemption rate, order earning rate, reward usage rate and membership rate) next to stores of a similar size in your industry. This turns your data into a clear roadmap for what to improve next.
Customization & Developer Tools
Your loyalty program should look and feel like your brand. LoyaltyLion's Classic plan includes a branded loyalty page their team builds for you from a standard template, with the option to customize it further.
Smile is designed to be fully customized by your marketing team. You can change colors, text, and layouts directly within the Smile admin without writing a line of code, and publish a branded loyalty landing page in one click. For brands that need deeper, programmatic control, Smile Plus adds a REST API with OAuth and webhooks and a JavaScript SDK, with full documentation. The key is that developers are an option for advanced use cases, not a requirement for a well-branded program.
Support & Onboarding
When you have a question, you need an answer quickly. LoyaltyLion's support model is tiered: their listing names onboarding support on Classic, and their pricing page offers quarterly reviews on Plus, on request.
At Smile, every plan includes live chat with a loyalty expert, and as a Technology Partner we meet Shopify's requirement for 24/7 support worldwide. Smile Plus adds a migration and launch plan run by Smile's team, quarterly program monitoring and priority support. Because our platform is intuitive, our support team can focus on strategy advice, not basic troubleshooting. If you are comparing more than these two, see our guide to the best LoyaltyLion alternatives.
Pricing
The two price on different terms, so compare them at your own order volume.
Smile's pricing is published on smile.io/pricing and based on monthly orders. Growth, which includes VIP tiers, Loyalty Hub and loyalty benchmarks, is $199/month with 2,500 monthly orders. Smile Plus is $999/month, billed annually, with 7,500 monthly orders, and adds the migration and launch plan, quarterly program monitoring, priority support and API access.
LoyaltyLion offers a free plan up to 400 monthly orders. Its pricing page prices Classic from $199/month for 500 monthly orders to $549/month for 4,000, with a custom quote above 4,000 and for its Advanced and Plus plans; its App Store listing asks for a quote above 500 orders (both read October 26, 2026).
Who Should Choose Smile
You should choose Smile if you're a Shopify merchant who values a deep, certified integration that just works. Our platform is for teams that want to own their retention strategy without being dependent on developers for every change.
If you want enterprise-grade security, performance, and features with published pricing, Smile is built for you. Shopify Plus brands like Fiesta Tableware and Naturium run their programs on Smile, and our marketing-led setup means your team can launch and change the program without a developer.
Who Should Choose LoyaltyLion
LoyaltyLion is a valid choice for a specific type of merchant. If you want a loyalty page their team designs for you, Klaviyo flows set up by a Klaviyo Elite Master Partner, or a program translated into 130+ languages on their Advanced plan, LoyaltyLion offers those as part of its service.
LoyaltyLion also runs one program across one online store and your Shopify POS stores. Its help center says a program can't span two online stores (read October 26, 2026). Brands that are already heavily invested in LoyaltyLion's ecosystem, particularly their AI features, may also find it to be a good fit.
Switching to Smile from LoyaltyLion
Migrating from LoyaltyLion to Smile is a well-defined process managed by our team. The primary task is moving your existing member point balances, which you can import with a CSV file. On Smile Plus, Smile's team builds your migration and launch plan and carries members, point balances and VIP tiers over intact. For the full plan, see how to launch a Shopify Plus loyalty program.
The timeline can be fast. The Spanish adventure streetwear brand Blue Banana migrated its entire program, including its online store and 20+ retail locations, from LoyaltyLion to Smile in one week. Members showed 10% higher lifetime value within the first 30 days on Smile, and its redeemers show 40% higher average annual purchase frequency than non-redeemers. Read the Blue Banana story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Smile better than LoyaltyLion? For most merchants on Shopify, Smile is the better choice. It is Built for Shopify and in Shopify's technology partner directory, it runs inside the Shopify admin, VIP tiers and loyalty benchmarks are included from Growth, and Shopify POS on every plan. LoyaltyLion's strengths are a loyalty page its team designs for you and its Klaviyo partnership.
How does Smile's pricing compare to LoyaltyLion? As of October 26, 2026, Smile Growth is $199/month with 2,500 monthly orders and Smile Plus is $999/month, billed annually, with 7,500. LoyaltyLion has a free plan up to 400 monthly orders and prices Classic from $199/month for 500 orders to $549/month for 4,000 on its pricing page, with a quote above that and for Advanced and Plus; its listing asks for a quote above 500 orders.
How difficult is it to migrate from LoyaltyLion to Smile? The process is straightforward. You import member point balances with a CSV file, and on Smile Plus, Smile's team runs the migration and launch plan, carrying members, point balances and VIP tiers over intact. Blue Banana moved its program from LoyaltyLion to Smile in one week, online and across 20+ retail locations.
Does LoyaltyLion have any important features that Smile doesn't? LoyaltyLion's service includes a loyalty page its team designs for you on Classic, Klaviyo flows built by a Klaviyo Elite Master Partner, and 130+ language translations on its Advanced plan (October 26, 2026). Smile publishes a branded loyalty landing page in one click and shows your program in 20+ languages.
What is the Built for Shopify certification and why doesn't LoyaltyLion have it? Built for Shopify is Shopify's certification for app quality, performance, and integration. It's awarded after a review by Shopify's internal team. Smile's listing shows the badge; LoyaltyLion's does not (October 26, 2026). Shopify doesn't publish why an app hasn't earned it.
Can I achieve the same level of customization with Smile? Yes, and your marketing team can do it in the Smile admin without code: colors, text, layouts and a branded loyalty landing page. Smile Plus adds a REST API with OAuth and webhooks and a JavaScript SDK for anything custom.
