BON Loyalty Program & Rewards vs. Mage: Loyalty & Rewards

Introduction

Selecting a loyalty and retention tool for a Shopify store often feels like a balancing act between feature depth and operational simplicity. The choice between BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Mage: Loyalty & Rewards represents a decision between two distinct approaches to customer retention. While both focus on rewarding repeat behavior, their technical depth, pricing structures, and specific niche strengths cater to different types of e-commerce businesses. One leans heavily into technical customization and wholesale support, while the other prioritizes social engagement and community building for emerging brands.

Short answer: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is better suited for established brands and Shopify Plus merchants who require headless commerce support, B2B loyalty structures, and advanced API access. Mage: Loyalty & Rewards is a strong fit for growing stores looking for an accessible way to reward social media engagement on platforms like TikTok and Instagram at a lower monthly cost. For merchants aiming to eliminate tool sprawl, moving toward an integrated platform often provides a smoother customer experience and lower operational overhead.

The purpose of this analysis is to provide a neutral, feature-by-feature comparison of BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Mage: Loyalty & Rewards. By looking at their core functionalities, integration capabilities, and value for money, merchants can determine which tool aligns with their current growth stage and long-term retention strategy.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards vs. Mage: Loyalty & Rewards: At a Glance

The following table provides a quick summary of the core differences and similarities between these two loyalty solutions based on their available data and market positioning.

Deep Dive Comparison

Core Features and Loyalty Workflows

The foundation of any loyalty program lies in how easily customers can earn and redeem points. Both apps provide a standard points-for-purchases model, but their peripheral earning rules diverge significantly.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards emphasizes a robust infrastructure for various business models. It includes traditional points and referrals but adds a layer of sophistication with B2B loyalty programs. This allows wholesale merchants to offer exclusive tiered rewards to bulk buyers, a feature often missing in entry-level loyalty apps. For Shopify Plus merchants, BON offers points at checkout, a critical feature for reducing friction during the final stages of the purchase journey.

Mage: Loyalty & Rewards, conversely, focuses on the modern marketing funnel. Beyond purchase points, it heavily weights social engagement. By rewarding customers for following the brand on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, Mage helps build a community around the store. This focus on social rewards serves as an organic acquisition engine, turning loyal customers into brand advocates on the platforms where discovery happens most frequently.

VIP Tier Management and Customer Segmentation

VIP tiers are essential for increasing customer lifetime value (LTV) by creating a sense of exclusivity and gamifying the shopping experience. Both apps offer VIP tier systems, but they serve different scaling needs.

In the BON ecosystem, VIP tiers are integrated into the Growth and Professional plans. The tiers can be customized to offer accelerated points, meaning high-value customers earn more points per dollar spent. This is particularly effective for brands with high purchase frequency. The inclusion of B2B tiers suggests that BON is designed to handle complex customer segments where a retail customer and a wholesale partner need entirely different incentive structures.

Mage’s VIP tier system is designed to automatically upgrade customers based on their loyalty. This automation reduces the administrative burden on the merchant. The rewards within these tiers include exclusive benefits like free products and shipping. While Mage provides a dedicated loyalty landing page on its higher tiers, the focus remains on rewarding the general consumer base rather than managing complex wholesale relationships.

Customization and Brand Control

A loyalty program should feel like a native extension of the brand, not a third-party plugin. The level of control a merchant has over the aesthetics and technical implementation of the program varies between these two tools.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards offers significant customization, especially at the Professional plan level. Merchants can unlock custom CSS with developer support and utilize a Software Development Toolkit (SDK). This is a major advantage for brands running headless commerce setups via Shopify Hydrogen. By providing full API access, BON allows developers to build custom loyalty interfaces that match a unique storefront design perfectly.

Mage: Loyalty & Rewards provides a dedicated loyalty program page and a landing page to explain the benefits to customers. It offers a user-friendly way to customize rewards like discounts and free products. However, the data does not specify the same level of deep API or CSS access found in BON. This makes Mage a more "plug-and-play" solution, which is excellent for speed but may limit brands with very specific design requirements or complex tech stacks.

Pricing Structure and Total Cost of Ownership

When comparing plan fit against retention goals, merchants must look beyond the monthly fee and consider the features unlocked at each level.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards follows a tiered pricing model that scales with feature complexity rather than just order volume.

• Free Forever: Includes basic points, referrals, and automated emails.
• Basic ($25/mo): Adds multi-language display, POS rewards, and unlimited integrations.
• Growth ($99/mo): Unlocks VIP tiers, B2B tiers, and 24/7 live chat support.
• Professional ($349/mo): Designed for enterprise needs, offering API access, Hydrogen support, and custom development packages.

Mage: Loyalty & Rewards uses a hybrid model that factors in order volume.

• Free: Up to 100 monthly orders with full points and social rewards.
• Startup ($19/mo): Up to 200 monthly orders, POS integration, and VIP tiers.
• Growth ($39/mo): Everything in Startup plus loyalty points expiration and priority support.

For a merchant with a high volume of low-value orders, BON’s $99 plan might offer a lower total cost of ownership than Mage if the store exceeds Mage's order limits. However, for a small store just starting out, Mage’s $19 plan provides VIP tiers at a much lower entry point than BON’s $99 Growth plan.

Integrations and Tech Stack Compatibility

A loyalty app cannot exist in a vacuum; it must communicate with email marketing tools, review platforms, and the point-of-sale system.

BON boasts a wide range of "Works With" partners. Its integration with Shopify POS is vital for omnichannel brands that want to reward online and in-store shoppers equally. It also integrates with several review apps like Judge.me, Fera, and LAI, allowing merchants to reward customers for leaving reviews. The inclusion of Shopify Flow support means merchants can automate complex workflows based on loyalty events.

Mage also integrates with the core Shopify ecosystem, including Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Judge.me. Its integration list is streamlined, focusing on the most essential marketing tools used by small to mid-sized businesses. While it also supports Shopify POS, its primary strength lies in its ability to connect loyalty actions to social media growth, which is a key integration for brands focused on UGC and community.

Technical Performance and Operational Overhead

For larger merchants, the operational impact of an app is just as important as its features. BON's support for Headless (Hydrogen) and its Full API Access indicate that it is built for performance in complex environments. It is a "heavy-duty" tool that requires more strategic setup but offers higher scalability.

Mage appears to be a lighter-weight solution. By focusing on automated emails and a dedicated landing page, it reduces the maintenance time required by the merchant. For a small team, this lower operational overhead is a significant benefit. However, as a store grows, the lack of a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows in a predictable way (without hitting order caps) might lead to a transition to more robust platforms.

The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform

While choosing between two specialized loyalty apps like BON and Mage is a common path, many merchants eventually encounter the phenomenon known as "app fatigue." This occurs when a store's tech stack becomes a collection of single-purpose tools that do not communicate with one another. When loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and referrals are managed by four different apps, the merchant faces fragmented data, inconsistent user interfaces, and stacked monthly costs.

A more strategic approach is to look for loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases that exist within a unified platform. This "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy ensures that every part of the customer journey—from viewing a product to leaving a review—is connected. For example, when a customer uses a wishlist, that data can be used to send a personalized loyalty incentive, or when they leave a review, they are automatically credited with points toward their next VIP tier.

By choosing a plan built for long-term value, merchants can avoid the headache of managing multiple subscriptions and integrations. A unified platform like Growave allows for collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews while simultaneously managing VIP tiers and incentives for high-intent customers. This integration ensures that the customer experience is seamless, as they don't have to navigate different widgets or email styles for different rewards.

Furthermore, for brands reaching a certain level of maturity, capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs become essential. An integrated platform provides a single source of truth for customer data, making it easier to analyze which rewards truly drive retention and which are simply adding to the noise. Instead of checking three different analytics dashboards, merchants can see how review automation that builds trust at purchase time directly correlates with loyalty program participation and overall revenue.

If consolidating tools is a priority, start by evaluating feature coverage across plans. Moving to a multi-functional platform often provides features aligned with enterprise retention requirements without the complexity of managing a fragmented app stack. This holistic view of the customer journey is what ultimately drives sustainable, long-term growth.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Mage: Loyalty & Rewards, the decision comes down to the specific goals and technical requirements of the store. BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is the clear choice for merchants who need high-level customization, B2B functionality, or support for a headless commerce setup. Its pricing reflects this enterprise-leaning approach, offering deep API access for brands that have the developer resources to utilize it.

Mage: Loyalty & Rewards, on the other hand, is an excellent entry point for brands that want to turn social media engagement into a core part of their loyalty strategy. Its focus on rewarding TikTok and Instagram interactions, combined with a pricing model that is accessible for stores with lower order volumes, makes it a competitive choice for lifestyle brands and community-focused storefronts.

However, as a brand scales, the limitations of using specialized, single-function apps often become apparent. Managing disparate systems for loyalty, reviews, and wishlists can lead to data silos and a disjointed customer experience. Strategic merchants often find that a consolidated approach offers better long-term value and operational efficiency. By seeing how the app is positioned for Shopify stores, one can understand the benefits of a platform that houses all these retention tools under one roof.

Ultimately, the best retention strategy is one that grows with the business. Whether a merchant selects a specialized tool or an integrated platform, the focus should remain on reducing friction and providing genuine value to the customer. To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

Which app is better for a Shopify Plus store?

Based on the available data, BON Loyalty Program & Rewards offers more features specifically tailored for Shopify Plus, such as points at checkout and a Professional plan with full API access and Hydrogen (headless) support. These are critical for the advanced customization and performance needs typical of Plus merchants.

Can I reward social media engagement with these apps?

Mage: Loyalty & Rewards specifically highlights its ability to reward social follows and shares on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. While BON Loyalty Program & Rewards mentions unlimited integrations with marketing tools, Mage's native focus on social community building makes it more specialized for that specific use case.

Does BON Loyalty support B2B wholesale stores?

Yes, BON Loyalty Program & Rewards includes specific B2B Tier Programs starting from its Growth plan. This allows merchants to create exclusive tiered rewards tailored for wholesale customers, helping to boost bulk sales and retain high-volume business partners.

How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps?

An all-in-one platform reduces "app sprawl" by combining loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists into a single interface. This typically leads to a more consistent user experience for the customer, easier data management for the merchant, and often a lower total cost of ownership compared to paying for multiple individual subscriptions. While specialized apps may offer very deep features in one specific niche, an integrated platform ensures all retention tools work together harmoniously. To see how this works in practice, consider verifying compatibility details in the official app listing to understand the breadth of features available in a unified solution.