Rivo Alternatives for Shopify Brands: 2026 Comparison

Most "Rivo alternatives" lists compare points apps to a points app. That misses why a lot of Shopify brands start looking in the first place. The short answer: if you want a cheaper or simpler points program, Smile.io and Growave are the closest Rivo alternatives; if you need reviews in the same tool, look at Yotpo or Growave; if you want customers who pay to belong and spend store credit every month, Subscribfy is the alternative built for that. Below are the published prices, the limits that matter, and how to pick.

Already know points alone won't move your repeat rate? Get a membership plan built on your own store numbers, free and in your inbox within the hour.

What does Rivo do well, and why do brands look for an alternative?

Rivo is a solid Shopify loyalty app: points, referrals, VIP tiers and Shopify POS support, with a free plan for stores under 200 monthly orders. Its Shopify App Store listing shows a 4.7 rating from 1,441 reviews at the time of writing.

The friction shows up in two places.

The first is price as you grow. VIP tiers start on the Scale plan at $49 a month for 400 orders, then $20 per additional 100 orders, capped at $499. The Plus plan is $499 a month for up to 2,500 orders, and higher volumes go to a custom quote. A store doing 2,000 orders a month on Scale hits $369 before anything custom.

The second is paid membership. Rivo does sell one, but its memberships page lists two requirements: the brand runs on Shopify Plus and does more than $5M in GMV. The same page says Rivo limits new membership installations to 4 a month. Perks named there are free shipping, early access and priority support. Store credit appears on Rivo's site under its separate Cashback product, not as the core of the membership.

If you are a $3M brand on Shopify Plus, you can be the right size for a membership and still not qualify for Rivo's.

Rivo alternatives compared: price, VIP tiers and paid membership

The table below uses each app's published Shopify App Store pricing at the time of writing. "Paid membership" means a customer pays a recurring fee to join, as opposed to earning a free tier with points.

Sources: Shopify App Store listings for Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo Loyalty, Growave and Subscribfy.

Two things jump out. Among the apps that publish a tier price, Rivo is actually the cheapest way to get VIP tiers. And none of the points apps describe a paid, credit-first membership on their listings.

Curious what a paid membership would look like next to your current points program? See the plan for your store: perks, pricing logic and a year-one estimate.

Smile.io: the closest like-for-like swap

Smile.io is the Rivo alternative to pick if you want the same kind of points program with the largest review base on the App Store. It shows 4.9 from 4,670 reviews. Points, referrals and Shopify POS support are on the free plan.

The catch is VIP tiers. They only come with Growth at $199 a month for 2,500 orders, then $20 per 100 more. Redeeming points at checkout requires Shopify Plus. If tiers are why you are leaving Rivo, Smile.io costs more for them. Our Smile.io alternatives breakdown covers the trade-offs in more depth.

LoyaltyLion: for brands that want hands-on setup

LoyaltyLion fits a brand that wants a designed loyalty page and Klaviyo flows set up for it. The Classic plan at $199 a month lists a loyalty page design, onboarding support, VIP tiers, POS locations and loyalty-attributed revenue reporting. Above 500 monthly orders, pricing is a custom quote.

It holds 4.7 from 550 reviews. It's a good choice when your team has no time to build the program. It's a points program all the same. More on that in our LoyaltyLion alternatives guide.

Yotpo and Growave: when you want reviews in the same stack

Growave bundles loyalty, reviews and wishlist in one app, which makes it the cheapest way to replace Rivo plus a reviews tool. Reviews are on its free plan; VIP tiers and store credit rewards arrive on Growth at $199 a month for 1,500 orders. It shows 4.8 from 1,286 reviews.

Yotpo sells loyalty and reviews as separate products that work together. Yotpo Loyalty is free under 100 monthly orders, then $199 a month on Pro, with a per-order fee from 500 orders. It shows 4.7 from 966 reviews.

Is a paid membership a better Rivo alternative than another points app?

For a catalog brand with no natural reorder, often yes: a paid membership gets the customer to commit before the next purchase, while points reward them after it. Points also go unused. Antavo's Global Customer Loyalty Report 2026 found that 26.2% of loyalty points go unspent and 11.9% expire unspent (Business Wire).

The credit-first model works differently. A customer pays a monthly fee, gets the same amount back as store credit, plus perks like member pricing. The credit sits in their account, so they come back to spend it. That's the model the founders of Subscribfy ran at Adore Me for ten years before building it for any Shopify brand.

Here is what it has produced on brands with no subscription logic:

• Tres Colori (jewelry): 54% of shoppers opt into Tres VIP, members drive 51% of total revenue, and member LTV is 43% higher after 12 months.

• Ana Luisa (jewelry): $39.99 a month turns into $39.99 of store credit that rolls over; member LTV is 70% higher than regular shoppers after 12 months and returning members' AOV is 22% higher.

• Riversol (skincare): a 66% increase in customer LTV, with members at 32% of total revenue and 58% of issued store credit redeemed.

You don't have to drop points to do this. Subscribfy runs loyalty points, VIP tiers and a paid membership in one app, so casual shoppers earn points and your best customers pay to belong. There is no GMV threshold to qualify. If you are weighing Rivo's own membership specifically, the head-to-head is in Rivo Membership vs Subscribfy.

How to choose the right Rivo alternative for your store

Start from the problem you are leaving Rivo to solve, not from the feature list.

1. You only want cheaper points: stay on Rivo or test Growave's Entry plan. Smile.io and LoyaltyLion cost more once you need tiers.

2. You want reviews and loyalty in one bill: Growave, or Yotpo if you already use Yotpo Reviews.

3. You want someone to build the program for you: LoyaltyLion Classic.

4. Your repeat rate is flat and your products don't reorder on their own: test a paid membership with store credit, and keep points for everyone who doesn't join.

Where Rivo is the better choice: a store under 2,500 orders a month that wants VIP tiers on a budget. Its Scale plan beats every app here that publishes a tier price on that one job.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Rivo alternative for Shopify?

Smile.io is the closest swap for a points program, Growave is the cheapest way to add reviews, and Subscribfy is the alternative when you want a paid membership with store credit next to your points.

Does Rivo offer a paid membership?

Yes, as a separate product. Rivo's memberships page lists Shopify Plus and more than $5M in GMV as requirements, and limits new membership installations to 4 a month.

Can I migrate my Rivo points to another app?

Ask the new app, before you sign, whether it imports point balances and VIP status from a Rivo export, and switch off Rivo only once balances are loaded, so members never see their points reset.

Can I run points and a paid membership at the same time?

Yes. Subscribfy runs both in one app: free points for every shopper, a paid tier with monthly store credit for your best customers.

Find out what a membership would do for your store

The fastest way to compare is with your own numbers. Get your personalised membership plan: perks, pricing logic and a year-one revenue estimate for your store, in your inbox within the hour.

Prefer to talk it through? Book 30 minutes with our CEO and bring your monthly order volume and current Rivo plan.