--- title: "The Joy blog" url: "https://joy.so/blog/" kind: "page" description: "Loyalty, rewards, and retention strategy for ambitious Shopify brands — playbooks, product deep-dives, and merchant wins from the Joy team." page: 1 total_pages: 19 --- # The Joy blog - [12 Best Shopify Loyalty Apps to Boost Customer Retention in 2026](https://joy.so/blog/md/shopify-loyalty-apps/): We compared 12 Shopify loyalty apps on real pricing, ratings, and reviews, so you can pick with confidence instead of guessing. - [Gorgias vs Zendesk: Which Shopify Helpdesk Should You Pick? (2026)](https://joy.so/blog/md/gorgias-vs-zendesk/): 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. - [Recharge vs Appstle vs Skio: Which Shopify Subscription App Should You Pick? (2026)](https://joy.so/blog/md/recharge-vs-appstle-vs-skio/): 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. - [Judge.me vs Okendo vs Yotpo: Which Shopify Reviews App Should You Pick? (2026)](https://joy.so/blog/md/judgeme-vs-okendo-vs-yotpo/): 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. - [Klaviyo vs Omnisend: Which Email/SMS Platform Fits Your Store? (2026)](https://joy.so/blog/md/klaviyo-vs-omnisend/): 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. - [Joy vs. BON: Which Loyalty App Is Better for Shopify Stores?](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-bon/): 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. - [Joy vs. Growave: What you actually get for the price \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-growave/): 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. - [Joy vs. Okendo: Which one scales with a growing store? \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-okendo/): 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. - [Joy Loyalty vs. Casa Loyalty: Features compared \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-casa/): A feature-by-feature look at Joy and Casa, two Shopify loyalty apps, covering points, VIP tiers, referrals, analytics, and support. - [Joy vs. Essent: Which one should a new store trust? \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-essent/): 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. - [Joy vs. Toki: Which one is right for your store? \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-toki/): 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. - [Joy vs. Love Loyalty: A feature-by-feature look \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-love-loyalty/): 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. - [Joy vs. LoyaltyLion: Full comparison \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-loyaltylion/): A full look at what Joy and LoyaltyLion actually cost and include, from published pricing to the features that need a custom quote. - [Joy vs. Yotpo: One app or an enterprise suite? \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-yotpo/): A full look at what Joy and Yotpo actually include, from self-serve pricing to the features locked behind a custom quote. - [Joy vs. Rivo: Scaling costs compared \[2026\]](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-rivo/): A stage-by-stage look at what Joy and Rivo actually cost as your Shopify store grows, from free plans through checkout extensions. - [Joy vs. Smile.io: Which loyalty app fits your store?](https://joy.so/blog/md/joy-vs-smile/): 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. - [Shopney Review: Is It the Best Option for Building a Shopify Mobile App?](https://joy.so/blog/md/shopney-review-2026/): 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. ## Pages - [Page 1](https://joy.so/blog/md/) (this page) - [Page 2](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/2/) - [Page 3](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/3/) - [Page 4](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/4/) - [Page 5](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/5/) - [Page 6](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/6/) - [Page 7](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/7/) - [Page 8](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/8/) - [Page 9](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/9/) - [Page 10](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/10/) - [Page 11](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/11/) - [Page 12](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/12/) - [Page 13](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/13/) - [Page 14](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/14/) - [Page 15](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/15/) - [Page 16](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/16/) - [Page 17](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/17/) - [Page 18](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/18/) - [Page 19](https://joy.so/blog/md/page/19/)