Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards vs. TrueLoyal: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Selecting the right retention tools for a Shopify storefront often dictates the trajectory of customer lifetime value. For growing brands, the choice between a modern, developer-friendly loyalty app and an enterprise-grade, AI-powered platform involves more than just a list of features. It requires an understanding of how each tool integrates into the existing tech stack, how it handles complex sales channels, and whether it creates more operational overhead than it solves. As merchants move away from simple discount-based marketing toward high-retention models, the technical nuances of these applications become critical success factors.

Short answer: Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards is ideal for fast-growing DTC brands seeking a customizable, developer-friendly loyalty and referral solution with deep Shopify-native integrations. TrueLoyal is better suited for complex organizations requiring AI-driven insights and support for B2B, B2C, and B2B2C channels across online and offline environments. While both apps offer robust specialized features, merchants often find that integrating multiple specialized tools leads to higher costs and fragmented data compared to a unified platform.

The purpose of this comparison is to provide a fair, data-driven analysis of Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards and TrueLoyal. By examining their core functionalities, pricing structures, and integration capabilities, merchants can determine which solution aligns with their current operational maturity and future growth objectives. This guide will evaluate the strengths and limitations of each app to facilitate an informed decision for long-term retention strategy.

Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards vs. TrueLoyal: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

To understand the practical impact of these tools on a Shopify store, one must look beyond the surface-level marketing. Both apps aim to solve the problem of customer churn, but they approach the solution from different architectural perspectives.

Core Features and Workflows

Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards focuses on a streamlined, high-performance experience for both the merchant and the end-user. The core functionality revolves around points, rewards, and referrals designed specifically for the Shopify environment. It emphasizes a modern tech stack, ensuring that the loyalty program does not slow down the storefront. The presence of a developer toolkit suggests that the app is built for brands that have outgrown "out-of-the-box" solutions and require deep, bespoke logic for their rewards programs.

TrueLoyal takes a broader approach by utilizing artificial intelligence to power its loyalty platform. Its primary differentiator is the ability to handle complex online and offline sales channels simultaneously. While Rivo focuses heavily on the DTC experience within the Shopify ecosystem, TrueLoyal is built to accommodate B2B and B2B2C programs. This makes it a viable candidate for brands that sell through wholesalers or have a diverse network of distributors but still want to maintain a direct connection with the end consumer.

Customization and Control

Customization is a high-priority area for any brand looking to maintain a consistent visual identity. Rivo offers a tiered approach to branding. On the Scale plan, merchants gain access to advanced branding features including custom CSS and fonts. This allows for a loyalty page that feels like a native part of the website rather than an external plugin. For enterprise-level merchants on the Plus plan, the Rivo Developer Toolkit unlocks full customization, providing the technical freedom to build unique loyalty experiences that go beyond standard templates.

TrueLoyal focuses its customization on the program type and rewards logic. Because it supports various business models (B2C, B2B, B2B2C), the platform is inherently flexible in how it structures incentives. Merchants can set up tier-based promotions and rewards that apply to different customer types. However, based on the provided data, TrueLoyal’s focus appears to be more on functional flexibility across channels rather than the visual CSS-level control highlighted by Rivo.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards offers a structured pricing model that caters to different stages of business growth. The 100% Free Forever plan is a significant entry point, allowing smaller stores with up to 200 monthly orders to implement basic loyalty and email campaigns. As a brand grows, the Scale plan at $49 per month introduces VIP tiers and analytics. The Plus plan, priced at $499 per month, is a significant jump but includes checkout extensions, custom integrations, and priority concierge support. This structure ensures that merchants only pay for high-end features like the developer toolkit when they have the volume and technical requirements to justify the investment.

In contrast, the specific pricing tiers for TrueLoyal are not specified in the provided data. This often indicates a bespoke pricing model common with enterprise-level software that requires custom quotes based on channel complexity and order volume. For merchants, this lack of transparent pricing can make it difficult to perform a direct cost-benefit analysis without engaging in a formal sales process. Merchants should consider the total cost of ownership, including potential implementation fees for connecting complex systems like Netsuite or Clover.

Integrations and Tech Stack Fit

The "works with" list for an app is often the best indicator of its intended audience. Rivo is deeply embedded in the Shopify ecosystem, integrating with Shopify POS, Flow, and Checkout. Its compatibility with marketing giants like Klaviyo, Postscript, and Attentive suggests a focus on creating a cohesive lifecycle marketing strategy. By syncing loyalty data with these platforms, merchants can trigger personalized emails and SMS based on a customer's point balance or VIP status.

TrueLoyal’s integration list reveals its strength in the omnichannel and enterprise space. It connects with Netsuite, Listrak, Clover, and Lightspeed, in addition to Shopify-centric tools like Klaviyo. This makes it a specialized tool for merchants who operate physical storefronts or use complex ERP systems to manage their inventory and sales. For a merchant who purely operates on Shopify, TrueLoyal’s enterprise-facing integrations might represent unnecessary complexity. Conversely, for a brand with a large offline footprint, these integrations are essential for maintaining a unified view of the customer.

Support and Reliability Cues

Merchant feedback serves as a critical trust signal in the Shopify App Store. Rivo currently holds a 4.8 rating, though this is based on a very limited number of reviews (1). This suggests the app might be newer or transitioning into a more prominent market position. However, the developer emphasizes a world-class customer success team and weekly product updates, which are strong indicators of a proactive support culture.

TrueLoyal has a larger volume of feedback with 31 reviews and a 4.0 rating. A 4.0 rating is respectable but indicates that some merchants may have encountered challenges, possibly due to the inherent complexity of setting up AI-powered, multi-channel programs. Merchants evaluating TrueLoyal should investigate recent reviews to understand how the support team handles the integration of offline systems and complex B2B2C logic.

Performance and Operational Overhead

Running multiple single-function apps can lead to a phenomenon known as "app sprawl," where the store's performance suffers, and data becomes siloed. Rivo attempts to mitigate this by offering a developer toolkit and ensuring its code is built for the latest Shopify tech standards. However, if a merchant uses Rivo for loyalty and other apps for reviews or wishlists, they still face the challenge of managing multiple subscriptions and distinct customer data points.

TrueLoyal faces a similar challenge. While it excels at loyalty across complex channels, it does not provide integrated solutions for other retention pillars like user-generated content or wishlists. Merchants choosing either app must be prepared for the operational overhead of coordinating data between their loyalty program and other customer-facing tools. This often requires additional work in platforms like Klaviyo to ensure that the "loyalty points" data from one app doesn't conflict with "review request" data from another.

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

When merchants evaluate Rivo or TrueLoyal, they are often solving one piece of the retention puzzle. However, as a brand scales, the complexity of managing a "best-of-breed" stack—where one app handles loyalty, another handles reviews, and a third handles wishlists—can lead to significant friction. This friction manifests as slower site speeds, inconsistent user experiences across widgets, and a higher total cost of ownership due to stacked monthly fees.

The "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy represents a shift away from this fragmented approach. By consolidating these essential functions into a single platform, merchants can eliminate data silos and ensure that every customer interaction informs the next. For example, when a customer leaves a review, they can be immediately rewarded with loyalty points without needing a complex third-party integration to bridge the two apps. This level of synergy is difficult to achieve when using separate specialized tools.

If consolidating tools is a priority, start by a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows.

Growave provides an integrated suite that covers loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases, referrals, wishlists, and reviews. Instead of navigating the trade-offs between a developer-focused app like Rivo or an AI-omnichannel tool like TrueLoyal, many merchants find success with a platform that prioritizes a unified data layer. This approach allows marketing teams to focus on strategy rather than troubleshooting app conflicts.

One of the primary benefits of an integrated platform is the ability to create VIP tiers and incentives for high-intent customers that are influenced by more than just purchase history. In a unified system, loyalty status can be boosted by engagement behaviors like submitting a photo review or adding items to a wishlist. This holistic view of customer engagement is what truly drives long-term retention.

Furthermore, collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews becomes a seamless part of the customer journey. When the review system and the loyalty system live under the same roof, review automation that builds trust at purchase time can be directly tied to loyalty incentives, ensuring a higher response rate and more robust social proof on product pages.

For larger brands, having capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs is essential. The complexity of high-volume stores requires features aligned with enterprise retention requirements, such as API access, custom reward actions, and dedicated success management. By moving away from tool sprawl and toward an integrated retention stack, merchants can choosing a plan built for long-term value while maintaining the agility needed to compete in a crowded market.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards and TrueLoyal, the decision comes down to the specific complexity of the business model and the desired level of technical control. Rivo is a compelling choice for DTC brands that want a high-performance, developer-ready loyalty solution that fits perfectly into a modern Shopify-first stack. Its transparent pricing and focus on the latest Shopify tech make it a reliable partner for brands prioritizing visual customization and deep integrations with tools like Klaviyo and Gorgias.

On the other hand, TrueLoyal serves a distinct niche for enterprise-level organizations with multi-channel requirements. Its support for B2B2C models and integrations with offline systems like Clover and Netsuite provide the necessary infrastructure for brands that operate far beyond the digital storefront. However, this flexibility may come with a steeper learning curve and a potentially higher total cost of ownership, especially given the lack of public pricing data.

Ultimately, the most successful brands are often those that look beyond individual features and consider the health of their entire retention stack. While specialized apps like Rivo and TrueLoyal offer powerful loyalty mechanics, they still require the merchant to manage separate tools for reviews, wishlists, and other conversion drivers. Transitioning to an integrated platform can significantly reduce technical debt and provide a clearer view of total retention-stack costs, allowing the brand to focus on building lasting relationships with its customers.

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 merchant with physical retail stores?

TrueLoyal is specifically designed for complex online and offline sales channels, offering integrations with systems like Clover, Lightspeed, and Netsuite. While Rivo also supports Shopify POS, TrueLoyal’s broader range of offline integrations makes it a strong candidate for brands with a diverse retail footprint that extends beyond the Shopify ecosystem.

Does Rivo or TrueLoyal offer more customization?

Rivo offers significant visual and technical customization through its Scale plan (Custom CSS/Fonts) and its Plus plan (Developer Toolkit). This is ideal for brands that need their loyalty program to be a seamless extension of their brand identity. TrueLoyal focuses on functional customization, allowing for different program types like B2B and B2B2C, which is more about how the rewards logic works across various customer segments rather than just the visual design.

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

Specialized apps like Rivo and TrueLoyal often provide deep, niche features for loyalty but require additional apps to handle other retention needs like reviews or wishlists. An all-in-one platform integrates these functions into a single system, reducing the number of scripts running on the store and ensuring that data is shared instantly between modules. This typically results in a better customer experience, checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals often reveals that merchants prefer the lower overhead of a consolidated stack.

Can I migrate my existing points and customer data to these apps?

Most loyalty apps, including Rivo, TrueLoyal, and Growave, provide tools or support services to import existing customer data and point balances. When migrating, it is important to verifying compatibility details in the official app listing to ensure that the transition will not disrupt the current customer experience. For enterprise-level migrations, seeking a platform that offers dedicated launch plans or customer success managers is highly recommended to ensure data integrity throughout the process.