LoyaltyLion vs Smile.io

Choose LoyaltyLion if you run several Shopify brands and want customers to earn at one and spend at another. Choose Smile.io if you sell on BigCommerce or want points that expire with reminders. Both start with a free plan, then paid plans billed by the month, and higher plans sold by quote.

A retention manager who wants variety will find that LoyaltyLion runs time-boxed challenges, which reward customers for finishing a set of actions. It also shares one program across several stores, so points earned at one brand are spent at a sister store. A digital loyalty card can go into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. LoyaltyLion's limit is reach, because it is made for Shopify and Shopify Plus stores.

Smile.io suits marketing teams without developer time, since merchants set it up from an admin app instead of writing code. Points expire after a set period, and the app sends reminders before they do. The app also serves BigCommerce stores as well as Shopify ones. Smile.io's limit is range, since design and earning options stay limited on the free and lower plans.

LoyaltyLion's users praise onboarding with a named account manager, which gets a program live quickly, and support that replies fast and resolves escalations. They also find the platform easy to use with Shopify and Klaviyo. Smile.io's reviewers like quick setup that needs no technical help and responsive support. They also like its smooth Shopify integration. Some find the price climbs quickly as a store grows.

LoyaltyLion describes a cosmetics and skincare company that built a tiered loyalty program with exclusive benefits, linked to email for personal loyalty messages. The company's repeat purchase rates and customer spend both rose. One Smile.io customer, a travel luggage brand, ran a points program with reward levels to drive repeat purchases. Active members purchased nearly twice as often as other customers.