Thomas Nguyen is the CTO of Joy, a loyalty solution for Shopify and eCommerce brands. With years of experience building high-performance Shopify apps, Thomas aims to help merchants grow through customizable and retention-focused tools.
Every Smile.io alternatives list online ranks itself first. Here's an honest one, with pricing verified straight from each app's own Shopify listing, so you can see exactly what you're comparing.
Thomas Nguyen-4a830f.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Rivo bundles referrals and analytics into one $49-a-month tier. Here are 7 alternatives with pricing verified straight from each app's own Shopify listing.
Thomas Nguyen
Growave bundles loyalty with reviews and wishlists into one app. Here are 7 alternatives, most of them dedicated loyalty platforms, with pricing verified straight from each app's own Shopify listing.
Thomas Nguyen
Yotpo requires a sales call before you can even install it, even for the free plan. Here are 7 alternatives you can install directly, with pricing verified straight from each app's own Shopify listing.
Thomas Nguyen
Gorgias charges by ticket volume with unlimited agents. Zendesk charges per agent with no ticket cap. Here's what that actually costs, plus how support ties into a loyalty program once you've picked one.
Thomas Nguyen
Three Shopify subscription apps, three very different pricing models, from a flat 0% transaction fee to a single $599 plan. Here's what Recharge, Appstle, and Skio actually cost, plus how renewals feed into a loyalty program once you've picked one.
Thomas Nguyen
Three Shopify reviews apps, three different pricing models. Here's what Judge.me, Okendo, and Yotpo actually cost and include, plus how reviews feed into a loyalty program once you've picked one.
Thomas Nguyen
Klaviyo and Omnisend both promise to grow revenue through email and SMS. Here's what each actually costs, where each wins, and how loyalty data fits into whichever one you pick.
Thomas Nguyen
Joy and BON launched weeks apart in 2021 and hold nearly identical ratings today. Here's where the two platforms actually pull apart, plan by plan.
Thomas Nguyen
Growave has been live since 2014, seven years longer than Joy. Here's what each loyalty platform actually gets you at every price, feature by feature.
Thomas Nguyen![Joy vs. Okendo: Which one scales with a growing store? [2026]](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-web.joy.so%2Fcdn%2Fimage%2F2026%2F08%2Fjoy-okendo-c32687.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Okendo doesn't gate VIP tiers or POS behind a higher plan, but Loyalty only comes bundled with Reviews, and referrals cost extra on top. Here's what that actually costs a growing store.
Thomas Nguyen
A feature-by-feature look at Joy and Casa, two Shopify loyalty apps, covering points, VIP tiers, referrals, analytics, and support.
Thomas Nguyen
Essent launched in late 2024 with a generous free plan and no visible overage pricing. Joy costs more at almost every stage but backs it with years of documented depth. Here's the real trade-off.
Thomas Nguyen
Toki puts VIP tiers and POS on its free plan, the most generous in this comparison series. Joy gets cheaper as your order volume grows. Here's where each one actually wins.
Thomas Nguyen![Joy vs. Love Loyalty: A feature-by-feature look [2026]](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-web.joy.so%2Fcdn%2Fimage%2F2026%2F08%2Fjoy-love-04c8f1.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Both platforms unlock more as you move up their plans. Here's exactly what Joy and Love Loyalty include at each stage, feature by feature.
Thomas Nguyen![Joy vs. LoyaltyLion: Full comparison [2026]](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-web.joy.so%2Fcdn%2Fimage%2F2026%2F08%2Fjoy-lion-afe39c.webp&w=3840&q=75)
A full look at what Joy and LoyaltyLion actually cost and include, from published pricing to the features that need a custom quote.
Thomas Nguyen
A full look at what Joy and Yotpo actually include, from self-serve pricing to the features locked behind a custom quote.
Thomas Nguyen![Joy vs. Rivo: Scaling costs compared [2026]](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-web.joy.so%2Fcdn%2Fimage%2F2026%2F08%2Fjoy-rivo-1cd676.webp&w=3840&q=75)
A stage-by-stage look at what Joy and Rivo actually cost as your Shopify store grows, from free plans through checkout extensions.
Thomas Nguyen
An honest side-by-side of Joy and Smile.io, with real 2026 pricing, feature breakdowns, and a clear answer for which one fits your store.
Thomas Nguyen-13b34f.webp&w=3840&q=75)
An honest look at whether Shopney is the strongest way to build a mobile app for your Shopify store, based on real features, pricing, and reviews.
Thomas Nguyen-101493.webp&w=3840&q=75)
A complete ABConvert review covering its features, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares with Shopify's native testing tools. Find out if this A/B testing app is right for your store.
Thomas Nguyen-1f6552.webp&w=3840&q=75)
The 7 best wishlist apps for Shopify, compared on features and pricing, plus where a wishlist app fits into your store's bigger retention strategy.
Thomas Nguyen-c995d0.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Rubik Variant Images & Swatch earns its 5.0/5 rating with features that actually work, like AI auto-assign - here's what that's worth for the price.
Thomas Nguyen-68d473.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Most referral roundups stop at the reward. We checked 23 programs against each brand's own page to show what actually makes them work - and how to build your own.
Thomas Nguyen