BON Loyalty vs. Line Loyalty: A Comparison for Shopify Growth

Introduction

Choosing the right retention tools often feels like a high-stakes balancing act for Shopify merchants. The decision involves weighing immediate feature needs against long-term scalability, all while trying to keep the store's performance and user experience intact. For many, the choice narrows down to two popular contenders: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Line Loyalty Program & Rewards. Both apps offer the core mechanics of modern loyalty systems, yet they cater to different operational styles and technical requirements.

Short answer: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is highly suited for merchants requiring advanced B2B functionality and headless commerce readiness on higher-tier plans. Line Loyalty Program & Rewards provides a streamlined, accessible alternative with a strong focus on real-time insights and a low barrier to entry for growing stores. Both apps effectively move merchants away from basic discounting and toward more sustainable retention models, though they differ significantly in their pricing structures and integration depths.

The goal of this analysis is to provide a neutral, data-driven comparison of these two solutions. By looking at feature sets, customization capabilities, and pricing models, store owners can better determine which tool aligns with their current growth phase. This comparison also serves as a starting point for understanding how specialized apps fit into a broader retention strategy and when a more consolidated approach might yield better results for a scaling business.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

To understand which app fits a specific business model, it is necessary to examine how each handles the day-to-day mechanics of customer engagement. A loyalty program is not just a widget on a site; it is a data-driven system that influences customer behavior and purchase frequency.

Core Loyalty and Reward Mechanics

Both apps provide the foundational elements of a loyalty program: points for purchases, referral incentives, and rewards for specific actions like birthdays or sign-ups.

Points and Earning Rules

BON Loyalty emphasizes an effortless setup that allows merchants to launch a program in minutes. The app supports standard earning rules, such as points for every dollar spent. On higher-tier plans, it introduces an "Order Booster" feature, which likely facilitates accelerated earning during specific periods or for specific products, though the exact technical implementation is not specified in the provided data.

Line Loyalty offers 12+ earn rules, providing a slightly more granular approach to how customers accumulate points. This includes manual adjustments, which are critical for customer support teams who may need to credit points to a customer’s account manually to resolve a service issue. This manual control is a practical feature for stores that prioritize high-touch customer service.

Redemption and Rewards

Redemption options are fairly consistent across both platforms. Merchants can offer "money off" and "percentage off" discounts, as well as free shipping rewards. BON Loyalty differentiates itself by offering "free product rewards" on its Basic plan ($25/month), allowing merchants to move inventory while providing high perceived value to loyal customers.

Line Loyalty includes the ability for customers to redeem rewards directly in the cart. This reduces friction during the checkout process, as customers do not have to leave the purchase flow to find or apply a discount code. Keeping the customer on the checkout path is a vital strategy for maintaining conversion rates.

Referral and VIP Tier Systems

A successful retention strategy often relies on turning existing customers into brand advocates through referrals and creating aspirational value through VIP tiers.

Referral Programs

Both apps include referral mechanics designed to lower customer acquisition costs. BON Loyalty highlights an "Anti-Cheat" referral program on its free tier, which is essential for preventing the abuse of referral links. Line Loyalty also provides a referral program but groups it into its "Grow" plan ($15/month), whereas BON provides basic referral functionality even on the Free Forever plan.

VIP Tiers

VIP tiers are a primary driver of customer lifetime value. BON Loyalty places its VIP tier program on the Growth plan ($99/month). This plan includes accelerated points and exclusive rewards for high-tier members. Notably, BON also offers a B2B Tier Program, which is a rare feature in the loyalty app space. This allows wholesale merchants to offer specialized incentives to their business clients, a segment that typically has much higher average order values.

Line Loyalty includes VIP tiers in its Grow plan ($15/month). This makes VIP functionality much more accessible for smaller stores that may not be ready for a $99 monthly commitment but still want to segment their best customers. While it may lack the specific B2B focus of BON, the lower cost of entry for VIP tiers is a significant factor for budget-conscious merchants.

Customization and Technical Flexibility

As a store grows, the need for the loyalty program to feel like a native part of the brand becomes paramount. Consistency in design helps build trust and improves the overall user experience.

Branding and Design Control

BON Loyalty provides a loyalty page and a tailored experience that can be integrated at various touchpoints, including the homepage, product pages, and checkout. For merchants with specific design requirements, the Growth plan ($99/month) allows for custom CSS with developer support from the BON team. At the Professional tier ($349/month), merchants get access to a Software Development Toolkit (SDK) and full API access, making it a strong candidate for brands that want to build completely bespoke loyalty experiences.

Line Loyalty focuses on "no-code" customization. It offers widget customizations and a dedicated loyalty page to ensure the program fits the brand’s visual identity without requiring technical expertise. This approach is ideal for teams that do not have dedicated developers and need to manage their storefront appearance through simple administrative interfaces.

Support for Headless and Multi-Language Stores

The modern e-commerce landscape is increasingly moving toward headless commerce and internationalization. BON Loyalty is clearly positioned for this transition. It supports Hydrogen (Shopify’s headless framework) and provides multi-language display options on its Basic plan. This makes it a viable option for global brands or those using modern frontend architectures.

Line Loyalty does not explicitly mention headless support or multi-language capabilities in the provided data. Its focus appears to be on the standard Shopify storefront experience, which remains the most common setup for the majority of merchants.

Pricing Structure and Value Assessment

The pricing models of these two apps represent different philosophies toward scaling. One uses feature gates, while the other uses order volume gates.

BON Loyalty Pricing

• Free Forever: Includes basic points, referrals, and automated emails. This is a robust starting point for new stores.
• Basic ($25/month): Adds the loyalty page, multi-language support, POS rewards, and unlimited integrations.
• Growth ($99/month): Introduces VIP tiers, B2B tiers, and unlimited orders.
• Professional ($349/month): Aimed at enterprise-level stores with SDK/API access and Hydrogen support.

Line Loyalty Pricing

• Free: Limited to 250 orders per month but includes most core features like the loyalty page and POS support.
• Grow ($15/month): Removes the small order cap and includes VIP tiers, referrals, and analytics.
• Enterprise ($299/month): Designed for Shopify Plus stores with unlimited orders and custom integrations.

The primary difference here is how a merchant pays for growth. Line Loyalty is more affordable in the mid-range for stores that need VIP tiers but have relatively low order volume. BON Loyalty, however, offers unlimited orders on its $99 plan, which could be more cost-effective for high-volume stores that do not yet need enterprise features.

Integrations and Ecosystem Fit

No app exists in a vacuum. The ability to sync loyalty data with email marketing tools or review platforms is essential for a unified customer experience.

Marketing and Email Integrations

Both apps integrate with Klaviyo, the industry standard for Shopify email marketing. This allows merchants to send automated emails triggered by loyalty events, such as points earned or rewards about to expire. BON Loyalty also mentions integration with Shopify Flow, which allows for complex automation based on loyalty data.

Social Proof and Reviews

BON Loyalty lists several integrations with review apps, including Fera, LAI, and Judge.me. This is a critical synergy; rewarding customers for leaving reviews is one of the most effective ways to build social proof. Line Loyalty also works with Judge.me, ensuring that merchants can connect their loyalty rewards to their review generation efforts.

POS and Multi-Channel Selling

Both BON and Line Loyalty work with Shopify POS. This is a major advantage for merchants who have both a physical and an online presence. It allows customers to earn and redeem points regardless of where they shop, creating a seamless omnichannel brand experience.

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

While choosing between two specialized loyalty apps like BON and Line is a common path, it often highlights a larger challenge in e-commerce: app fatigue. As a store scales, the number of individual apps required to manage loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and referrals grows. This leads to tool sprawl, where a merchant is managing multiple subscriptions, multiple customer support channels, and, most importantly, fragmented data. When your loyalty program doesn't "talk" to your review program or your wishlist data, you miss opportunities to create a cohesive customer journey. Assessing app-store ratings as a trust signal is a good first step in identifying tools that can handle this complexity at scale.

Managing separate apps often results in a disjointed user experience. A customer might see different branding on a loyalty widget compared to a review request email. Furthermore, multiple app scripts running on the storefront can lead to slower page load times, which directly impacts conversion rates. By moving toward a "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy, merchants can consolidate these functions into a single platform. This reduces the total cost of ownership and ensures that all retention features work in harmony. For instance, loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases work significantly better when they are directly tied to other engagement behaviors, such as sharing a wishlist or uploading a photo review.

If consolidating tools is a priority, start by choosing a plan built for long-term value. An integrated platform like Growave replaces several standalone apps by combining loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists. This integration allows for more sophisticated marketing. For example, review automation that builds trust at purchase time can be incentivized by the same loyalty system that manages your VIP tiers. This creates a virtuous cycle where every customer action feeds into a unified profile, making it easier to segment and target high-value shoppers.

Instead of managing a "stack" of five or six different apps, merchants can use a single dashboard to oversee their entire retention strategy. This results in a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows without the sudden jumps in cost associated with adding new specialized tools. For teams that want to see how this looks in practice, a guided evaluation of an integrated retention stack can provide clarity on how to transition from a fragmented setup to a unified one.

Furthermore, the data silos created by separate apps make it difficult to calculate true customer lifetime value. When reward mechanics that support customer lifetime value are integrated with collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews, the merchant gets a 360-degree view of the customer. You can see not just who is buying, but who is advocating for the brand and who is engaging with the products they haven't even purchased yet. This level of insight is difficult to achieve when your data is spread across multiple dashboards. To better understand if your current growth phase warrants this transition, evaluating feature coverage across plans will help determine the right time to consolidate.

Finally, the technical benefits of consolidation cannot be ignored. A single integration point for your theme means fewer code conflicts and easier updates. For those interested in a deeper look at the implementation process, a product walkthrough aligned to Shopify store maturity can show how an integrated approach simplifies the technical overhead for your development team or agency.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Line Loyalty Program & Rewards, the decision comes down to the specific technical needs and the current scale of the business. BON Loyalty is a powerful choice for those who need to support B2B sales or are building a headless storefront, offering high-level developer tools and enterprise-grade support. On the other hand, Line Loyalty provides an excellent entry point for growing stores that prioritize ease of use and need a more affordable way to launch a VIP tier program. Both apps have earned their 5-star ratings by providing reliable, specialized services that help Shopify stores move beyond simple transactions.

However, as a store moves from its early growth phase into a more mature operation, the friction of managing multiple single-function apps often becomes a bottleneck. The strategic advantage shifts from having the "best" individual tool to having the most "integrated" system. Consolidating loyalty, reviews, and other retention features into a single platform doesn't just save money; it creates a more consistent experience for the customer and a more manageable workflow for the merchant. By checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals, it becomes clear that many successful brands eventually reach a point where they outgrow the "one app per feature" model.

Transitioning to a unified platform allows for a more holistic view of the customer journey, where every interaction—from a wishlist addition to a social referral—is captured and rewarded in one place. This reduces the operational overhead of the retention stack and allows the team to focus on strategy rather than software management. When scanning reviews to understand real-world adoption, the trend toward consolidation for the sake of performance and simplicity is evident.

To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

Is BON Loyalty or Line Loyalty better for a new Shopify store?

Both apps offer free plans that are excellent for new stores. Line Loyalty allows for more advanced features like VIP tiers at a lower monthly cost ($15), which may be attractive for new stores on a tight budget. However, BON Loyalty’s free plan includes referral protection and automated emails without an order cap, which might be better if you expect a high volume of small orders early on.

Can I use these loyalty apps with my physical retail store?

Yes, both BON Loyalty and Line Loyalty integrate with Shopify POS. This allows your customers to earn points for in-person purchases and redeem their rewards either in-store or online. This cross-channel functionality is essential for maintaining brand loyalty across different shopping environments.

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

Specialized apps like BON or Line focus deeply on one area, such as loyalty. They often provide niche features like B2B tiers or specific reward rules. An all-in-one platform, however, integrates loyalty with reviews, wishlists, and referrals. While it may not have every single niche feature of a standalone app, the benefit is a unified customer database, faster site speeds, lower total costs, and a more consistent user experience across all customer touchpoints.

Do I need a developer to set up these loyalty programs?

Generally, no. Both apps are designed to be "no-code" for standard setups. They provide widgets and dedicated pages that can be customized through the Shopify admin. However, if you require advanced customization, such as using BON Loyalty’s SDK for a headless store or applying custom CSS, you may need technical assistance. BON Loyalty does offer developer support for CSS on their Growth plan to help with this process.