Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty vs. Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards Comparison

Introduction

Selecting the right retention tools is one of the most consequential decisions a merchant makes when building a Shopify storefront. The choice often comes down to finding a balance between feature depth and operational simplicity. While many apps offer overlapping functions, the way they integrate into a store's workflow and the customer experience they create can vary significantly. This analysis focuses on two prominent players in the retention space: Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty and Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards.

Short answer: Merchants looking for a reviews-first platform with advanced community marketing features like quizzes and surveys may find Okendo more suitable. In contrast, Rivo is better for brands prioritizing a modern, loyalty-centric program that leverages Shopify’s latest technology for high-speed performance. Both solutions provide paths to improve customer lifetime value, though choosing an integrated platform can often streamline internal workflows more effectively than managing disconnected tools.

The purpose of this comparison is to examine the core functionalities, pricing structures, and integration capabilities of both Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty and Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards. By the end of this article, brand owners will have a clearer understanding of which tool aligns with their specific growth stage, technical requirements, and retention goals.

Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty vs. Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

To understand which app fits a merchant's needs, it is necessary to look beyond the basic feature lists. Both apps aim to keep customers coming back, but they emphasize different parts of the post-purchase journey. Okendo leans heavily into the social proof and community aspect, while Rivo focuses on the mechanics of the loyalty loop.

Core Features and Workflows

Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty positions itself as a unified platform for "community marketing." This approach is built on five connected applications: Reviews, Loyalty, Surveys, Quizzes, and Referrals. For a merchant, this means that a customer's interaction with a review request can seamlessly transition into a quiz to find their next product or a survey to gauge satisfaction. The AI-enabled features, such as review summaries and keyword identification, are designed to help new shoppers digest information quickly, which directly supports conversion rates on product pages.

The workflow in Okendo often begins with the review request. Because the platform includes UGC (User Generated Content) collection automations, brands can gather photos and videos from customers systematically. These assets are then displayed through AI-powered widgets. The inclusion of quizzes and polls within the same ecosystem allows merchants to gather zero-party data—information customers proactively share about their preferences—which can be used to personalize future marketing efforts.

Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards takes a more focused approach. The platform is built around driving specific retention metrics through loyalty points, referrals, and VIP tiers. Rivo emphasizes its use of the latest Shopify technology, which is a critical consideration for brands concerned with site speed and checkout performance. The workflow in Rivo is centered on clear incentives: customers earn points for actions and redeem them for rewards, while the referral system encourages word-of-mouth growth.

A standout aspect of Rivo's workflow is its "Developer Toolkit." For high-growth brands that need more than a standard template, this toolkit allows for deep customization. This is particularly useful for stores with complex branding or those operating in a headless environment. While Okendo offers a wide breadth of tools, Rivo aims for a high degree of flexibility and performance within its core loyalty and referral functions.

Customization and Control

Control over the customer experience is a major factor for growing brands. Okendo provides a "Smart Review Form" and various review displays that can be adjusted to match a store's aesthetic. In the higher-tier plans, such as the Power plan, merchants gain access to an advanced CSS editor. This level of control is necessary for maintaining brand consistency across all customer-facing widgets. The ability to group reviews across similar products also helps ensure that new items benefit from the social proof of existing catalog staples.

Rivo offers branding and automated email campaigns even on its free tier. As merchants move into the Scale plan, they gain access to custom CSS and fonts, as well as a dedicated loyalty and referral page. This dedicated page is a crucial touchpoint for retention, as it gives customers a central hub to track their progress and rewards. For brands on the Plus plan, the addition of checkout extensions allows the loyalty program to be integrated directly into the final stages of the purchase path, reducing friction for reward redemption.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

Okendo’s pricing begins with a free plan for up to 50 orders per month, which includes automated review requests and SEO snippets. This makes it accessible for very small stores. However, as order volume grows, the costs increase to $19 for 200 orders, $119 for 1,500 orders, and $299 for 3,500 orders. The Growth plan at $119 is where AI features and the TikTok Shop integration become available. The Power plan at $299 adds advanced reporting and managed onboarding, which is helpful for teams that need strategic guidance.

Rivo also offers a "100% Free Forever" plan that supports up to 200 monthly orders. This is a more generous entry point for growing stores compared to Okendo's 50-order limit on the free tier. The Scale plan at $49 per month provides access to all features, including VIP tiers and custom CSS. This is a significant jump from the free tier but offers a comprehensive feature set for a flat fee. The Plus plan at $499 per month is geared toward enterprise-level stores, offering advanced analytics, priority support, and the developer toolkit.

When evaluating value for money, merchants must consider the total cost of their retention stack. If a merchant requires reviews, loyalty, and surveys, Okendo's bundled approach might prevent the need for three separate apps. On the other hand, if a merchant already has a preferred review tool and only needs a powerful loyalty system, Rivo’s focused plans might offer better alignment with their budget.

Integrations and Technical Fit

Both apps have robust integration ecosystems, but they serve slightly different tech stacks. Okendo works with essential Shopify tools like Checkout, POS, and Flow. It also has strong ties to marketing platforms like Klaviyo, Postscript, and Gorgias. The TikTok Shop and Google integrations are particularly noteworthy for brands that rely on multi-channel selling and search engine visibility. By syncing review data with Google and Meta, Okendo helps brands improve the performance of their paid social and search ads.

Rivo similarly integrates with Klaviyo, Postscript, and Gorgias. It also mentions integrations with newer tools like Fuego and Status. The focus here is on ensuring that loyalty data flows into the brand's communication channels. For example, a customer's point balance or VIP status can trigger specific email flows in Klaviyo. Rivo's emphasis on Shopify's latest tech suggests a focus on compatibility with the newest Shopify themes and features, which can reduce the technical debt a merchant accumulates over time.

Support and Reliability

Support is often the deciding factor when technical issues arise during a busy sales period. Okendo provides 24/7 customer support and strategy guidance for all users. This is a strong signal of commitment to merchant success, especially for those who may not have in-house technical teams. The 4.9 rating suggests a high level of satisfaction among its users.

Rivo also highlights its 24/7 world-class live chat support and a customer success team focused on retention metrics. The founder’s message within the app description emphasizes a proactive approach to product updates and customer service. With a 4.8 rating, Rivo maintains a strong reputation for reliability and responsiveness. For larger brands, Rivo's Plus plan adds the option for priority or concierge support, which is often a requirement for Shopify Plus merchants who cannot afford downtime.

Operational Overhead and App Stack Impact

Using a "unified platform" like Okendo can significantly reduce the mental load on a marketing team. Instead of learning five different interfaces, they manage reviews, loyalty, and surveys in one place. This consistency often leads to a more cohesive customer experience, as the design of the widgets and the timing of the emails are naturally aligned.

Rivo’s impact on the app stack is different. Because it focuses so intently on loyalty and referrals, it allows merchants to pick the "best-in-breed" tools for other functions like reviews or wishlists. However, this modular approach can sometimes lead to "app sprawl," where a merchant is managing ten different subscriptions and trying to get them all to communicate. The choice between Okendo and Rivo often reflects a merchant's broader philosophy: do they want an all-in-one suite or a specialized tool that does one thing exceptionally well?

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

Many merchants eventually reach a point where the sheer number of apps installed on their store becomes a bottleneck for growth. This phenomenon, known as app fatigue, happens when tool sprawl leads to fragmented data, inconsistent user experiences, and rising monthly costs. Managing separate apps for reviews, loyalty, wishlists, and referrals often means that customer data is trapped in silos, making it difficult to get a clear picture of true customer lifetime value. Furthermore, every additional app can add a small amount of weight to the storefront's loading time and increase the risk of technical conflicts.

To solve this, many high-growth brands are moving toward a more integrated approach. By adopting a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows, merchants can access a wide range of retention tools without the complexity of managing a dozen different vendors. This strategy allows for a more synchronized customer journey. For instance, when a customer leaves a review, they can immediately see their updated loyalty point balance, or when they add an item to their wishlist, they can receive a personalized referral incentive.

Growave is built on this "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy. It combines loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases with other essential features like wishlists, social login, and collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews. This integration ensures that the customer experience feels seamless rather than disjointed. Instead of seeing a different design for every widget, the merchant can maintain a unified brand aesthetic across all retention touchpoints.

From an operational perspective, an all-in-one platform reduces the time spent on training and troubleshooting. Marketing teams only need to master one dashboard to launch a new VIP tiers and incentives for high-intent customers or to set up review automation that builds trust at purchase time. This efficiency is particularly valuable for brands that are scaling quickly and need to stay agile.

For stores with more complex requirements, such as those on Shopify Plus, an integrated stack provides the stability needed for high-volume periods. Having capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs means the platform can handle thousands of concurrent users without compromising performance. When a brand uses features aligned with enterprise retention requirements, they can focus on strategy and creative execution rather than managing the technical overhead of a bloated app stack.

Ultimately, the goal of any retention strategy is to create a frictionless experience that keeps customers coming back. If consolidating tools is a priority, start by evaluating feature coverage across plans. By moving away from a fragmented stack, merchants can reduce their total cost of ownership while creating a more powerful and data-driven retention engine.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Okendo: Reviews & Loyalty and Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards, the decision comes down to where their current priorities lie. Okendo is an excellent choice for brands that want to build a community around their products, using reviews, surveys, and quizzes to gather deep customer insights. Its higher tiers provide sophisticated AI tools that can transform how shoppers interact with social proof. On the other hand, Rivo offers a streamlined and modern loyalty experience that is highly optimized for the Shopify ecosystem, making it a strong contender for brands that want a dedicated, high-performance rewards and referral program.

While both apps are highly capable, the long-term challenge for many Shopify stores remains the accumulation of multiple single-purpose apps. As a store matures, the benefits of specialized features can sometimes be outweighed by the complexity and cost of managing an extensive app stack. Integrated platforms offer a compelling path forward by housing several critical retention functions under one roof, which simplifies data management and ensures a consistent experience for the shopper.

By choosing a plan built for long-term value, merchants can find a balance that supports growth without adding unnecessary technical debt. Whether the focus is on reviews, loyalty, or a combination of both, the most successful brands are those that can execute their retention strategy efficiently and with a clear understanding of their customers' needs.

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

FAQ

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

An all-in-one platform provides a unified dashboard for multiple retention tools, such as reviews, loyalty, and wishlists. This reduces the need to manage multiple subscriptions and ensures that data flows seamlessly between different functions. Specialized apps, conversely, often offer deeper functionality in one specific area but may require more effort to integrate with other parts of the store's tech stack.

Is Okendo better for reviews than Rivo?

Based on the provided data, Okendo is a reviews-first platform that includes AI-enabled display widgets and UGC collection automations. It is specifically designed to handle complex review needs. Rivo is primarily a loyalty and rewards platform, though it can integrate with review tools to provide a complete retention solution. Merchants who prioritize advanced review features may find Okendo more aligned with their needs.

Can Rivo handle high-growth enterprise requirements?

Yes, Rivo's Plus plan is designed for fast-growing DTC brands and includes a Developer Toolkit, advanced analytics, and checkout extensions. These features are specifically built to support the customization and performance needs of Shopify Plus merchants.

Which app offers better value for small stores?

Both apps offer free plans for stores with low order volumes. Okendo's free plan supports up to 50 orders per month, while Rivo's free plan supports up to 200 orders. For a brand just starting out, Rivo might offer more room to grow before moving to a paid tier. However, if a small store specifically needs review features that Rivo's free plan lacks, Okendo's entry-level options might be more appropriate.