BON Loyalty Program & Rewards vs. Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards: A Comparison

Introduction

Selecting the right retention tool is a pivotal decision for any Shopify store owner. The choice often feels like a balancing act between feature richness, ease of use, and budget constraints. As stores scale, the need to move beyond simple discounts toward structured loyalty programs becomes evident. This comparison focuses on two major players in the loyalty space: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards. Both apps offer robust frameworks for points, referrals, and VIP tiers, but they cater to different merchant needs and operational styles.

Short answer: Choosing between these two depends largely on store maturity and the specific need for B2B features versus advanced marketing automation. BON Loyalty Program & Rewards offers an accessible entry point with strong B2B tiering capabilities, while Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards provides a highly polished, analytics-driven experience suited for established brands looking for deep marketing integrations. Merchants should also consider how their chosen tool impacts their overall tech stack, as integrated platforms can often reduce operational overhead compared to managing several disconnected apps.

The goal of this analysis is to provide a clear, data-backed comparison of these two solutions. By examining pricing, features, integrations, and customization options, merchants can determine which app aligns best with their current growth stage and long-term retention goals.

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

Comparing Core Loyalty Features and Workflows

The foundation of any loyalty program lies in how easily customers can earn and redeem rewards. Both apps offer the standard "three pillars" of loyalty: points, referrals, and VIP tiers. However, the execution of these workflows differs in ways that impact the daily operations of a Shopify store.

Points and Rewards Mechanics

Points programs are designed to incentivize specific behaviors, primarily purchases. BON Loyalty Program & Rewards emphasizes a quick launch, allowing merchants to set up points for purchases and other actions in a short timeframe. A standout feature in the BON ecosystem is the inclusion of "Points at checkout" for Shopify Plus merchants, which reduces friction by allowing customers to apply points directly during the payment process. They also offer diverse reward types, including money-off discounts, percentage-off discounts, and free shipping.

Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards approaches points with a heavy focus on visibility and engagement. Their "Points" module is built to be highly visible within the customer account area. Smile also incorporates "Bonus Events," such as double-points weekends, which are strategic for driving short-term spikes in revenue. Like BON, Smile supports discounts and free shipping rewards, but they also include "Gift card rewards" and "Subscription rewards" at specific plan levels, which can be highly effective for stores using recurring billing models.

Referral Program Structure

Referral programs turn existing customers into brand advocates. BON utilizes an "Anti-Cheat" referral program to ensure that rewards are only granted for legitimate new customer acquisitions. This is a critical feature for maintaining the integrity of a store’s marketing spend. Their system sends automated emails for referrals, keeping both the advocate and the friend informed of their status.

Smile focuses on the "viral" aspect of referrals, making it easy for customers to share links via social media and email. Their referral system is tightly integrated with their "Nudges" feature—small on-site reminders that prompt customers to share the brand after a successful purchase. This proactive approach helps maintain referral momentum without requiring the merchant to manually trigger campaigns.

VIP Tiers and B2B Loyalty

VIP tiers are essential for increasing customer lifetime value by rewarding high-spending segments. BON Loyalty Program & Rewards offers a unique value proposition here with its B2B Tier Program. This allows wholesale merchants to create exclusive rewards for their business clients, which is a rare feature in standard loyalty apps. Their tiers focus on accelerated points and rewards, encouraging customers to climb the ladder for better benefits.

Smile’s VIP tiers are built around exclusivity and data. Their tiers are often used to segment customers for targeted marketing in Klaviyo. While Smile does not explicitly focus on B2B in the same way BON does, their VIP system is highly sophisticated, offering performance benchmarks that allow merchants to see how their top-tier customers compare to those of other top brands.

Customization and Branding Control

A loyalty program should feel like a native part of the store's brand identity, not a third-party add-on. The level of customization available can be a deciding factor for brands that are protective of their visual aesthetic.

Visual Design and Layout

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards provides a tailored loyalty page and allows for significant customization through its services. For merchants on the Growth plan, BON offers "Unlock custom CSS" with developer support, which is ideal for brands that want a unique look without writing the code themselves. They also offer a multi-language display, which is crucial for stores operating in international markets.

Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards is known for its "Smile Panel," a modern, sleek interface that slides out when clicked. It is designed to look good out of the box with minimal effort. Smile offers "Full branding customization" even on its free plan, including colors and logos. For more advanced users, the "Loyalty Hub" provides a centralized location for rewards inside customer accounts, creating a professional and cohesive user experience.

Positioning and On-Site Integration

Both apps allow for loyalty elements to be embedded on product pages and at checkout. BON emphasizes integration at every touchpoint, including the homepage. This ensures that the loyalty program is visible throughout the entire customer journey. Smile uses a "modern loyalty page" approach and focuses heavily on the "Loyalty Hub," ensuring that once a customer is signed in, their rewards experience is front and center.

Pricing Structure and Total Cost Analysis

Understanding the total cost of ownership is vital when comparing plan fit against retention goals. Both apps offer tiered pricing, but the value provided at each level varies significantly.

Entry-Level and Free Plans

Both apps offer a "Free" tier, making loyalty accessible to startups. BON's Free plan includes points, an anti-cheat referral program, and automated emails. It is a surprisingly generous starting point for very small stores. Smile’s Free plan also covers points, rewards, and referrals, with a focus on branding and multilingual support (available in 20 languages). Smile’s free tier is often praised for its ease of use for new merchants.

Mid-Tier Options for Growing Stores

At the $25 to $49 range, the differences become clearer. BON’s "Basic" plan at $25 focuses on POS rewards, free product rewards, and points expiration reminders. This is a very competitive price point for stores that have both online and physical locations. Smile’s "Starter" plan at $49 introduces "Nudges" and "Bonus events," moving the focus toward active marketing and engagement. Smile also begins to offer loyalty data sync with Klaviyo at this level, which is a major draw for email marketers.

Scaling to Enterprise Levels

For high-volume stores, BON offers a "Growth" plan at $99 (with unlimited orders) and a "Professional" plan at $349. The Professional plan is quite comprehensive, offering an SDK, full API access, and Hydrogen/Headless commerce support. This makes BON an attractive option for developers building custom storefronts who want a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows without hitting the $1,000 mark.

Smile’s "Growth" plan is $199 and includes VIP tiers and ROI insights. Their "Plus" plan jumps to $999 per month. This plan is aimed at enterprise-level merchants who need a dedicated launch plan, white-glove migration, and SOC 2 security. While the cost is higher, Smile justifies this with its extensive reporting suite (30+ pre-built reports) and priority support, making it a "Plus-ready" solution for the largest Shopify stores.

Integration Ecosystem and Tech Stack Compatibility

A loyalty app does not exist in a vacuum; it must communicate with email tools, help desks, and review platforms. Selecting plans that reduce stacked tooling costs often involves looking at how well an app integrates with your existing stack.

Email and SMS Marketing

Both apps prioritize Klaviyo, as it is the standard for Shopify email marketing. BON offers unlimited integration on its $25 plan, allowing merchants to connect with Klaviyo, Fera, and other tools. Smile offers 2 integrations on its Starter plan and moves to unlimited integrations on the $199 Growth plan. Smile’s integration with Klaviyo is particularly deep, allowing for the automation of emails based on specific loyalty events, like points earned or rewards nearing expiration.

Reviews and Social Proof

Loyalty and reviews have a symbiotic relationship. BON integrates with Fera, LAI, and Judge.me. Smile integrates with Judge.me, Loox, and Gorgias. By rewarding customers with points for leaving reviews, merchants can significantly increase their social proof. If a store is already heavily invested in a specific review platform, checking the "Works With" list for compatibility is essential before installation.

Omnichannel and POS

Both BON and Smile work seamlessly with Shopify POS. This allows customers to earn and redeem points whether they are shopping online or in a physical store. For merchants with a brick-and-mortar presence, this unified experience is non-negotiable for maintaining brand loyalty across all channels.

Analytics, Insights, and Performance Tracking

The ability to measure the success of a loyalty program is what separates a cost center from a profit center. Evaluating feature coverage across plans often reveals that advanced analytics are gated behind higher tiers.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards provides features like points expiration reminders and automated emails, which help track engagement indirectly. However, the provided data does not specify an extensive analytics dashboard in the same way Smile does. BON focuses more on execution and customization services to drive growth.

Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards places a high premium on data. Their $49 plan includes analytics and reporting, while higher tiers offer "Performance benchmarks" and "Loyalty ROI" insights. These tools allow merchants to see exactly how much revenue is being generated by the loyalty program and how their customer lifetime value (CLV) is evolving over time. For data-driven teams, these insights are often worth the additional monthly investment.

Customer Support and Operational Reliability

When a loyalty program is the primary driver of repeat purchases, downtime or technical glitches can be costly. Support and reliability are key trust signals for merchants.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards boasts a 5-star rating and offers 24/7 live chat support on its $99 plan. They emphasize their customization services, suggesting a high-touch approach to customer success. For merchants on the $349 Professional plan, support priority is a core feature, ensuring that technical issues are addressed quickly.

Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards maintains a 4.9-star rating with a much larger review pool, indicating a long history of reliability at scale. They offer priority support and a dedicated launch plan on their Plus tier. Smile is also SOC 2 compliant, which provides an extra layer of security and peace of mind for enterprise-level organizations concerned with data governance and security standards.

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

While specialized apps like BON and Smile offer deep loyalty features, many merchants eventually face a challenge known as "app fatigue." This occurs when a store's tech stack becomes a collection of fragmented tools, each handling a single function like loyalty, reviews, or wishlists. This fragmentation often leads to inconsistent customer experiences, data silos, and a higher total cost of ownership. Planning retention spend without app sprawl surprises becomes difficult when multiple subscriptions are involved.

The "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy offers a different path. Instead of layering separate apps for every marketing need, merchants can use an integrated platform that combines these functions into one cohesive system. This approach ensures that customer data flows seamlessly between loyalty programs, product reviews, and wishlists. For instance, when a customer adds an item to their wishlist, the system can automatically know their loyalty tier status, allowing for more personalized outreach without the need for complex third-party integrations.

By choosing an integrated solution, stores can reduce the technical debt associated with managing multiple APIs and scripts. This often results in faster page load speeds and a more stable storefront. Merchants can focus on loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases while simultaneously collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews from the same dashboard. This consolidation simplifies the administrative side of the business, allowing teams to focus on strategy rather than troubleshooting app conflicts.

Many brands have found success by moving away from a fragmented stack. There are numerous customer stories that show how teams reduce app sprawl by centralizing their retention efforts. When loyalty, reviews, and referrals live under one roof, the merchant gains a 360-degree view of the customer. This enables more effective VIP tiers and incentives for high-intent customers, as the system can trigger rewards based on review activity or wishlist behavior.

Consolidating these tools also impacts the bottom line. Instead of paying for three or four separate premium subscriptions, a single platform provides a clearer view of total retention-stack costs. This financial clarity is essential for scaling stores that need to maintain healthy margins. Additionally, using review automation that builds trust at purchase time alongside a loyalty program creates a powerful feedback loop that drives sustainable growth.

If consolidating tools is a priority, start by choosing a plan built for long-term value. Moving to an all-in-one platform is not just about saving money; it is about building a foundation for a more agile and responsive e-commerce business. By observing real examples from brands improving retention, it becomes clear that simplicity often leads to better execution and higher customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards, the decision comes down to the specific needs of the business and the current stage of growth. BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is an excellent choice for merchants who value affordability and specialized B2B features. Its lower price points for advanced features like API access and custom CSS make it a powerful tool for brands with technical resources or those targeting wholesale markets.

On the other hand, Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards remains a top-tier choice for established B2C brands that prioritize a polished user interface and deep marketing analytics. Its ability to provide benchmarks against other top brands and its SOC 2 compliance make it a highly reliable, enterprise-grade solution for stores that have the budget to invest in high-level retention marketing.

However, as merchants scale, the complexity of managing these specialized apps alongside other tools for reviews and wishlists can become a significant hurdle. This is where an integrated platform provides a strategic advantage. By combining these essential functions, merchants can deliver a more consistent customer experience and gain better insights into their retention efforts without the overhead of a bloated app stack. Consolidating your tools allows for a more unified approach to growth, ensuring that your loyalty, review, and wishlist strategies are all working toward the same goal.

To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from. This approach allows you to build loyalty programs that keep customers coming back while maintaining a clean, efficient technical environment.

FAQ

Which app is better for a new Shopify store on a budget?

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards offers a very competitive entry point, especially with its Basic plan at $25 per month, which includes POS rewards and multi-language support. Smile also has a strong free plan, but BON tends to offer more advanced features at lower price points, making it a strong value-for-money option for startups.

Can I use these loyalty apps for a B2B or wholesale store?

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is specifically designed with a B2B Tier Program that caters to wholesale sales with exclusive tiered rewards. While Smile can be used for B2B through its VIP tiers, BON has more direct, built-in functionality tailored to the wholesale merchant’s unique needs.

Do these apps work with Shopify Plus?

Yes, both apps are compatible with Shopify Plus. BON offers points at checkout specifically for Plus merchants, and Smile provides an enterprise-grade "Plus" plan at $999 per month that includes white-glove migration, advanced reporting, and SOC 2 security, specifically designed for high-growth, high-volume storefronts.

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

A specialized app like Smile or BON focuses deeply on a single area, such as loyalty. An all-in-one platform integrates loyalty with other features like reviews, wishlists, and referrals. While specialized apps might offer more niche features in their specific category, an all-in-one platform reduces technical complexity, lowers the total cost of ownership, and ensures all customer data is synchronized across different marketing functions, leading to a more cohesive customer experience.

Is it easy to migrate from one loyalty app to another?

Most major loyalty apps, including Smile and BON, offer some form of data import or migration service. Smile specifically highlights a "white-glove migration" for its Plus users. When switching, it is important to ensure that customer point balances and VIP tier statuses are preserved to avoid frustrating your existing loyal customers.

How do points at checkout work?

Points at checkout allow customers to see their available point balance directly on the checkout page and apply them as a discount toward their purchase. This feature typically requires a Shopify Plus account because it involves modifying the checkout experience. Both BON and Smile offer this functionality to help reduce cart abandonment and increase the perceived value of the loyalty program.

Which app has better customer support?

Both apps have very high ratings, which is a strong indicator of quality support. BON offers 24/7 live chat on its Growth plan and emphasizes custom development support. Smile is a larger organization with a long history on Shopify, offering dedicated launch plans and priority support for its enterprise clients. The choice may depend on whether you prefer the high-touch, customization-focused support of BON or the structured, enterprise-ready support of Smile.

Can I customize the look of the loyalty widget?

Yes, both apps offer customization. Smile provides a sleek, modern panel that is easy to brand with colors and logos. BON offers a more service-oriented approach to customization, including the ability to unlock custom CSS on higher plans, allowing for a deeper level of visual integration with your store's theme.

Do these apps support multiple languages?

Smile supports 20 different languages and is well-suited for international brands. BON also offers multi-language display options on its Basic plan ($25/month), making it a viable choice for merchants selling across different regions and cultures.

What are "Nudges" in Smile?

Nudges are on-site reminders used by Smile to prompt customers to take action, such as signing up for the loyalty program, checking their points, or referring a friend. They are designed to be subtle but effective marketing triggers that keep the loyalty program top-of-mind without the merchant having to manually send as many emails.

Can I reward customers for following me on social media?

Yes, both BON and Smile allow you to set up point-earning actions for social media follows (like Instagram or Facebook). This is a standard feature in loyalty apps that helps grow your social presence while rewarding your customers for their engagement.

Does the loyalty program affect store speed?

All Shopify apps add some level of script to your storefront. However, both BON and Smile are optimized for performance. An all-in-one platform can sometimes offer a speed advantage by replacing multiple scripts from different apps with a single, optimized script that handles several functions at once.

Can I set points to expire?

Yes, both apps allow you to set expiration dates for points. This is a common strategy to create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to return to the store to spend their rewards. Both apps also offer email reminders to notify customers before their points are about to expire.

Which app integrates better with Klaviyo?

Smile has a very deep integration with Klaviyo that is widely used by many top Shopify brands to automate loyalty-based email flows. BON also offers Klaviyo integration on its Basic plan and above, allowing for automated emails for points and referrals. For most merchants, either app will provide the necessary connectivity to run effective loyalty-driven email campaigns.

Do I need to know how to code to use these apps?

No, both BON and Smile are designed to be "plug-and-play" and can be set up in minutes without coding knowledge. However, if you want deep visual customization, BON's CSS support and Smile's API access allow developers to build more bespoke experiences.

Are there any hidden fees?

Generally, no. Both apps follow a subscription model based on the plan you choose. However, merchants should always check if there are transaction fees or order limits that could affect costs as the store grows. For example, BON’s Growth plan offers unlimited orders, which can be a significant cost-saving factor for high-volume stores. Smile’s pricing is also tiered, with higher costs for more advanced features and larger scale.

Can I reward customers for reviews with these apps?

Yes, through integrations with review apps like Judge.me or Loox, you can set up rewards so that customers automatically receive points for leaving a product review. This is a highly effective way to build social proof while simultaneously building loyalty.

Which app is better for Shopify Plus merchants?

Both apps are highly capable for Shopify Plus. Smile offers an enterprise-level Plus plan with SOC 2 security and dedicated support. BON offers the Professional plan with Hydrogen/Headless support and SDK access at a lower price point than Smile’s Plus plan. The choice depends on whether the merchant values enterprise-grade security and benchmarks (Smile) or developer flexibility and value (BON).

How do referrals work in these apps?

Referrals typically work by giving a customer a unique link to share with their friends. When the friend makes a purchase using that link, both the advocate (the person who shared) and the friend receive a reward (like a discount or points). Both BON and Smile offer automated email systems to manage this process and ensure it runs smoothly without manual intervention.

Why should I consider an integrated platform over these apps?

An integrated platform is beneficial for merchants who are tired of managing multiple bills, separate support teams, and disconnected customer data. By combining loyalty with reviews, wishlists, and other retention tools, you get a single source of truth for your customer data and a more streamlined technical setup, which often leads to better long-term growth and less operational stress.