LP - Alternatives - Smile

Where smile.io stops

Smile.io is a great starter loyalty app. That is also the ceiling.

It is the default choice on Shopify for a reason. Free under 200 orders a month, live in minutes, no code, and a 4.9/5 on the App Store from thousands of merchants. If the job is to launch points, a VIP tier and basic referral, it does that, and we would tell you so.

The ceiling shows up when you want the program to do more. Smile rewards around ten actions, almost all tied to the purchase. The behaviour worth the most to you, a customer who creates content and brings you the next customer, is the one it cannot generate, verify or reward. And the program lives in a pop-up widget, not a space customers come back to.

The question before you scale isn't "is it working?". It's "will it still fit when the program has to do more than hand out points?".

Last verified: October 2026. Sources linked.

Who this page is for

If points for purchases are the job, stay where you are.

STAY ON SMILE.IO

Points, a VIP tier and referral for a small Shopify store. It does that well, and the free plan is hard to beat.

THIS PAGE IS FOR THE OTHER CASE

Your best customers do more than buy, and the purchase is almost all Smile lets you reward.

You want customers creating content and bringing in new ones, not just earning points at checkout.

Your program has outgrown a pop-up widget. You need real orchestration, segmentation and automation.

Order volume is climbing, and the invoice climbs with it, faster than the value you get back.

Why brands switch

The three reasons brands switch to Loyoly

Your customers do more than buy. Reward it.

Smile rewards the purchase, a review through an add-on, and social that stops at a follow. Loyoly runs 40+ mechanics: a story, a reel, a TikTok, a product photo, a cross-platform review, verified automatically, not by someone on your team opening screenshots.

The point isn't the count. It's that the behaviour worth the most to you, a customer telling other people about you, is the one Smile can't generate, can't verify and can't reward.

Instagram Story

Reel

TikTok

Product photo

Google review

40+ mechanics

Loyalty that acquires, not just retains.

Smile brings customers back with points. Good, so do we. But points for purchases mostly reward people who were coming back anyway, and lean on discounts to do it.

Loyoly turns your base into an acquisition channel: referral as a channel in its own right, UGC that feeds your ads, reviews that convert cold traffic.

A growth line in your P&L, not a bigger discount budget. Referred buyers arrive pre-sold, spending +12% to +55% more, and around 9% of acquisition comes through the program.

3/4 of our Shopify reviews mention support by name.

A real program, built to grow with you.

Smile lives in a pop-up widget with light branding and around ten actions, and the advanced rules, automation and analytics sit on the top plans.

Loyoly gives you a fully branded program, dynamic and RFM segmentation, and automation flows. When you scale, you get a mobile wallet we built in-house and in-store loyalty that goes past Shopify POS to CEGID and Fastmag.

One profile, online and in store. You don't replatform again in a year.

Loyoly vs Smile.io, side by side

Getting started

From £99/month, live in days with a dedicated team

Broad. If you run loyalty off Shopify too, this is their strength

Engagement mechanics

40+ (stories, reels, TikTok, UGC, cross-platform reviews)

Around 10 (signup, purchase, birthday, review, follows)

Mission verification

Automatic

Manual, or not available

UGC

Generated and verified natively

Not generated or verified in-platform

Program experience

Fully branded program page

Pop-up widget, light branding

Automation and segmentation

Dynamic and RFM segmentation, automation flows

Limited, advanced rules on higher tiers

Mobile wallet

Built in-house, included (geolocated push, QR redemption)

Not available

In-store / POS

Shopify POS + CEGID + Fastmag

Shopify POS, basic

What reaches your CRM

Opt-in, behavioural and declarative first-party data (80 loyalty events)

Points and tier sync

Support

Dedicated Account Manager, all plans, <2 min median response

Live chat, dedicated support on higher tiers

Pricing model

£99/month

Free under 200 orders, then $15 to $999/month by order volume, plus overage above each cap

Shopify App Store

5.0/5

4.9/5

Verified October 2026 from public pricing and documentation. Something changed? Tell us and we'll correct it.

The part that isn't in the table

Your CRM already segments.
It just can't see the half that matters.

What Klaviyo can observe

Opens

Clicks

Browsing

Orders

A Klaviyo segment sends a message.

What Loyoly adds · 80 loyalty events

Missions completed

UGC submitted

Referrals made

Points earned & spent

VIP tier reached

A Loyoly segment drives the programme itself, which missions appear, which rewards unlock, which push fires. Every entry and exit sends an event back to Klaviyo, so your flows get sharper too.

We don't replace your CRM.
We feed it the half it's been missing.

They already made the move

What switching actually returned

La Crème Libre

Skincare brand · 500 to 600 orders/month

In just a few months, our sales have increased and we've received many positive customer reviews. We're pleased with the results and are seeing steady progress every month. Loyoly has really improved our approach to loyalty.

+150%

customer lifetime value

35% → 56%

repeat rate, in 4 months

Around 9% of new customers now come through the program.

“The programme is already 18% of our revenue. Our average LTV is €120, the Loyoly cohorts are around €150.”

Health & supplements

“Referral has become an acquisition channel in its own right. €140K in revenue, 7,000 opt-ins collected.”

Fashion & accessories

Price, and the bill you can't predict

The number that moves isn't the monthly fee

Most brands leaving a loyalty tool don't leave over the list price. They leave over the invoice they didn't see coming: the overage on a good month, the module that turned out to be billed separately, the price that moves when the programme works.

From

£99

/month

✓ One platform

✓ One invoice

✓ No overage fees

Your best trading month should not produce your worst invoice.

best alternative to smile.io

The Smile.io alternative for brands ready to grow past the points widget

Smile.io is a great starter loyalty app. That is also the ceiling.

If points for purchases are the job, stay where you are.

The three reasons brands switch to Loyoly

Your customers do more than buy. Reward it.

Loyalty that acquires, not just retains.

A real program, built to grow with you.

Loyoly vs Smile.io, side by side

Your CRM already segments.
It just can't see the half that matters.

What switching actually returned

The number that moves isn't the monthly fee

Switching from Smile.io,
without losing a single point.

Book your personalised demo.

FAQ

best alternative to smile.io

The Smile.io alternative for brands ready to grow past the points widget

Smile.io is a great starter loyalty app. That is also the ceiling.

If points for purchases are the job, stay where you are.

The three reasons brands switch to Loyoly

Your customers do more than buy. Reward it.

Loyalty that acquires, not just retains.

A real program, built to grow with you.

Loyoly vs Smile.io, side by side

Your CRM already segments. It just can't see the half that matters.

What switching actually returned

The number that moves isn't the monthly fee

Switching from Smile.io,without losing a single point.

Book your personalised demo.

FAQ

Your CRM already segments.
It just can't see the half that matters.

Switching from Smile.io,
without losing a single point.