Disclosure: Keystone is our product. This comparison uses each app's published Shopify App Store pricing as of August 2026, and we call out where competitors' free plans genuinely beat ours.
Every major Shopify loyalty app now has a free plan, but they are not the same product at $0. The differences that matter are the monthly order limit, whether referrals and POS are included, and how expensive the first upgrade is once you outgrow the free tier. Here is the short version:
| App | Free order limit / mo | Referrals at $0 | POS at $0 | Biggest gap at $0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone | 250 | No ($14.99) | No ($14.99) | Referrals, POS, points expiry |
| Smile.io | 200 | Yes | Yes | No loyalty page or analytics |
| Rivo | 200 | No ($49) | No ($15) | No loyalty page, few earn rules |
| BON | 150 | Yes | No ($29) | Lowest order limit |
| Joy | 250 | Yes | No ($129) | No points expiry or loyalty page |
| LoyaltyLion | 400 | No | No ($199) | Huge jump to first paid plan |
| Appstle | 250 | Yes | No ($10) | No VIP or expiry until $30 |
What each free plan is actually good for
Smile.io: the most complete $0 plan, with a $199 cliff
Smile's free tier (4.9 stars, 4,197 reviews) is genuinely usable: points and referrals, 15+ ways to earn and redeem, full branding customization, 20+ languages, and it works with Shopify POS out of the box. That is the strongest feature set anyone offers at $0. The catch is what comes next: nudges and a dedicated loyalty page start at $15/month, but VIP tiers and points expiry only arrive on the $199/month Growth plan. If your program ever needs tiers, Smile becomes one of the most expensive routes on this list.
Rivo: solid basics, VIP at $49
Rivo's free plan (4.8 stars, 1,386 reviews) covers 200 monthly orders with a points program, branding, and automated email campaigns. Referral pages, product-page embeds, and POS need the $15 Essential plan; VIP tiers and points expiry sit on the $49 Scale plan. That mid-range is more reasonable than Smile's, but the free tier itself is thinner.
BON: referrals at $0, but only 150 orders
BON (5.0 stars, 1,831 reviews) includes an anti-cheat referral program, free shipping rewards, and even checkout redemption for Shopify Plus stores, all free. The trade-off is the lowest order ceiling here: 150 orders per month, which an established store crosses quickly. POS arrives at $29 and VIP tiers not until $129.
Joy: generous free tier, expensive middle
Joy (4.9 stars, 1,705 reviews) gives you 250 monthly orders with points, fraud-protected referrals, and a unified widget. But points expiry, the loyalty page, and integrations all start at $29, and VIP tiers plus POS need the $129 Advanced plan.
LoyaltyLion: the biggest free limit, the biggest jump
LoyaltyLion's free plan (4.6 stars, 473 reviews) allows 400 monthly orders, the highest limit on this list, with on-site earning activities, seven languages, and loyalty analytics. If you are certain you will never pay for loyalty software, this is worth a look. The problem is growth: the next plan is $199/month Classic. There is nothing in between.
Appstle: cheap upgrades, newer app
Appstle (5.0 stars, 1,264 reviews, launched 2023) covers 250 orders free with points, loyalty pages, store credits, and referrals. Its paid ladder is the gentlest: POS at $10, VIP tiers at $30. Recent reviews praise its support responsiveness.
Keystone: a leaner free plan, built as an on-ramp
Our own free plan covers 250 monthly orders with a points program, discount rewards, basic dynamic discount codes, the storefront widget, product-page embeds, and free data import/export, that last one matters if you are migrating from another app and want to test with real customer balances. We are upfront that referrals, POS, points expiry, and gift cards are not free; they arrive together at $14.99/month.
Where competitors genuinely win at $0
- Smile.io is the best pure free plan if you need POS and referrals immediately and never plan to upgrade.
- LoyaltyLion's 400-order limit is unmatched for higher-volume stores staying at $0 forever.
- BON offers the most reward variety free, including free-shipping rewards.
Why the upgrade path matters more than the free plan
Most stores that take loyalty seriously outgrow every free tier within months, usually the moment they want points expiry (to create urgency), referrals (to acquire), or VIP tiers (to retain). So the real question is: what does the full program cost?
As of August 2026: Smile charges $199/month for VIP tiers and expiry. Joy and BON charge $129. Rivo charges $49. Keystone's Starter plan at $14.99/month adds referrals, POS rewards, gift cards, custom rewards, campaigns, nudges, and points expiry in one step, and the $69 Standard plan adds VIP tiers plus a done-for-you setup where our team builds and launches the program for you. That is roughly a third of what the big-name apps charge for the same tier features.
Bottom line
If $0 forever is the constraint, pick Smile.io for features or LoyaltyLion for volume. If the free plan is a starting point, and for most growing stores it is, Keystone gets you to a complete program (referrals, POS, expiry at $14.99; VIP tiers at $69) for less than any comparable ladder on this list, with migration import included free from day one.
Related reading
- Which Keystone Loyalty plan do you actually need?
- Best Shopify loyalty apps in 2026: full comparison
- What a loyalty program really costs on Shopify (real numbers)
Ready to run a full loyalty program without big-name pricing? Keystone Loyalty gives you VIP tiers, referrals, and POS rewards at a third of what the legacy apps charge, starting free, with a 14-day trial on every paid plan.
