Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave. In-depth comparison for 2025

March 5, 2025
20
minutes
Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave. In-depth comparison

After extensively testing both Yotpo and Smile.io, some key differences became clear:

  • Yotpo is a powerful all-in-one solution designed to help marketers convert one-time shoppers into loyal customers. With SMS & Email, Reviews, and Loyalty features, it’s a comprehensive option for enterprise-level businesses. It integrates seamlessly with a wide range of platforms, making it a strong choice for large-scale operations. However, one of the biggest concerns frequently mentioned online is its high pricing.
  • Smile.io offers a similar loyalty experience but with a more plug-and-play approach. Unlike Yotpo, Smile.io provides a loyalty program out of the box, with additional functionalities available through integrations. It’s a more budget-friendly alternative with stronger loyalty-focused features, making it ideal for small and medium-sized businesses.

However, for fast-growing businesses that demand flexibility, customization, and rapid feature deployment, neither platform fully meets the need. That’s where Growave stands out.

Growave is designed to help merchants maximize customer retention and increase lifetime value by integrating loyalty and rewards, referrals, product reviews, wishlists, and back-in-stock emails. It offers seamless integrations with Klaviyo, mobile app builders, and subscription apps, ensuring a scalable and adaptable retention strategy. With a robust API and SDK, Growave provides the flexibility that fast-growing brands need to build a truly customized loyalty experience.

In this comprehensive comparison, I’ll be evaluating Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave across key areas to help you determine the best loyalty solution for your business.

  • User experienec: ease of use and navigation
  • Features: core functionality and customization
  • Storefront: widget design and performance
  • Pricing: cost, value, and scalability
  • Reputation: customer reviews and trust

Comparison summary

Key Features Yotpo Smile.io Growave
Pricing
Prices start at Free Free Free
Top-tier plan starts $799 $999 $499
Ratings
Shopify App Store rating 4.7 4.8 4.8
Capterra rating 4.6 4.7 4.9
G2 rating 4.3 4.6 4.6
Platform
Loyalty program
Ease of use ❌ Hard ✅ Easy ✅ Easy
Analytics
Integrations
Shopify POS
Shopify Flow
Email & SMS
Subscriptions Recharge only Recharge only ✅ Multiple
Other
Best for Enterprise Small & medium-sized Fast-growing Shopify brands
Page speed impact High Medium Low

What is Yotpo?

Yotpo empowers businesses to create customized rewards and referral programs, helping brands engage existing customers and attract new ones. Founded in 2011 by Tomer Tagrin and Omri Cohen, Yotpo was born out of a personal frustration with fake reviews while shopping for a camera. This experience led to the creation of a platform designed to ensure authenticity in customer feedback.

By 2013, Yotpo began gaining traction, securing funding to expand its capabilities. Initially launched as a review platform, Yotpo has since evolved into a comprehensive eCommerce marketing suite. Through strategic acquisitions: Swell in 2018 (loyalty and referrals) and SMSBump in 2020 (SMS marketing). Yotpo has built a powerful ecosystem that integrates product reviews, user-generated content (UGC), loyalty programs, email marketing, and SMS engagement.

However, Yotpo recently announced that it will discontinue its subscriptions app by May 31, 2025, as it shifts focus toward its core retention and engagement tools.

While widely used by enterprise merchants, Yotpo is often noted for its robust feature set, deep integrations, and scalability but also for its premium pricing, making it a stronger fit for larger businesses with extensive marketing budgets.

What is Smile.io?

Smile.io is a loyalty and rewards app designed to boost repeat purchases, reward VIP customers, and drive long-term profitability for eCommerce businesses.

Founded in 2012, Smile.io started as a point-based loyalty program for Magento. By 2014, the platform expanded to Shopify and BigCommerce, catering to a wider range of online merchants. In 2017, it rebranded from Sweet Tooth to Smile.io, cementing its position as one of the leading loyalty and rewards solutions in the market.

While Smile.io focuses exclusively on loyalty programs, it excels in its niche powering over 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses with an intuitive, easy-to-implement rewards system.

What is Growave?

Growave is a flexible, all-in-one platform designed for fast-growing DTC businesses. It equips Shopify stores with essential tools, including loyalty programs, referrals, wishlists, product reviews, and Instagram UGC, eliminating the need for multiple apps.

Founded in 2014 by a small team of three, Growave was built with a clear vision: to simplify and consolidate eCommerce marketing solutions. Over the years, it has grown into a comprehensive marketing suite that helps Shopify merchants boost customer retention and drive growth.

Growave continuously improves its platform by rolling out new features and refining existing ones based on merchant feedback. It prioritizes performance optimization, ensuring minimal impact on page speed so merchants can maintain a seamless shopping experience.

By offering cost-effective, high-quality solutions, Growave helps businesses scale efficiently while reducing dependency on multiple third-party tools.

Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave: user experience

Yotpo user experience

yotpo loyalty dashboard

Yotpo operates on a standalone dashboard with a well-designed interface. However, for Shopify users, this setup can feel disconnected since it requires switching to an external page with a different design. One major drawback is that navigating within Yotpo always opens new tabs, disrupting workflow and making it less seamless within the Shopify ecosystem. Additionally, during setup, the admin panel experienced noticeable lag, indicating a need for performance improvements, particularly in page speed.

Smile.io user experience

Smile.io offers an intuitive admin panel that blends seamlessly with Shopify. It feels embedded within the Shopify experience, making navigation smooth and familiar. Merchants who are accustomed to Shopify’s layout will find Smile.io easy to browse and manage.

Growave user experience

Growave's dashboard

Growave is fully integrated into Shopify, functioning as a natural extension of the Shopify admin. The interface maintains the same look and feel, so merchants don’t experience a visual disconnect when switching between tools. Upon onboarding, Growave provides a structured, collapsible checklist that guides users through the setup process, making it easy to track progress and revisit settings when needed.

Both Smile.io and Growave leverage Shopify’s Polaris design framework, ensuring a cohesive and optimized experience for store owners. As a result, these two platforms provide a more streamlined and Shopify-native experience compared to Yotpo.

Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave: features

Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave share many common loyalty features, including on-site widgets, earning and spending rules, custom actions, checkout and POS capabilities, and various integrations. However, each platform has unique offerings that set them apart.

Yotpo loyalty and rewards features

Yotpo enables merchants to showcase loyalty-related content across multiple customer touchpoints, such as the loyalty program page, widget, and nudges. Customers can complete actions to earn points and redeem them for different types of discounts. Additionally, Yotpo integrates with a variety of third-party apps, making it easy to connect with your existing tech stack.

Unlike Smile.io and Growave, Yotpo does not offer a floating rewards widget. Instead, it uses a sticky bar that remains at the bottom of the screen. While some merchants find it helpful, others feel it takes up too much space. The sticky bar can be disabled in the admin panel if other touchpoints are preferred.

For advanced customization, Yotpo provides a CSS editor that allows merchants to fine-tune the look and feel of their loyalty program. However, this feature is only available on the most expensive plan. One standout feature is the ability for Shopify users to combine discounts, enabling customers to redeem multiple offers at once. This can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement, but businesses must carefully track discounts to avoid excessive promotions.

Yotpo also incorporates AI-powered tools to streamline loyalty program management, though these features are only available on higher-tier plans. Since Yotpo initially started as a product review platform, it offers robust review management capabilities alongside loyalty programs. For example, merchants can request site reviews after collecting product reviews, which helps build social proof. On premium plans, merchants can also access Insights, which analyze customer feedback to identify areas for improvement.

It’s important to note that Yotpo’s loyalty and reviews functionalities are offered as separate apps. If you want to use both, you’ll need to install two different apps and manage two separate bills, though bundle options are available. 

Smile.io loyalty and rewards features

Smile.io powers loyalty, referrals, and VIP rewards programs designed to drive repeat purchases, lower acquisition costs, and enhance brand loyalty. The platform enables merchants to run bonus points events, reward customers for various actions, and offer different redemption options. It also includes a loyalty landing page, a floating rewards widget, and notifications for expiring points, ensuring customers stay engaged with the program.

One unique aspect of Smile.io is that during onboarding, the upgrade prompt remains open, continuously encouraging merchants to move to a higher-tier plan. While this may feel unusual, it reflects the brand’s positioning towards scaling businesses.

Smile.io offers an API and SDK, but access is only available on the Plus plan, which starts at $999 per month. While this pricing is on the higher end, it unlocks premium integrations with key platforms like Klaviyo, Gorgias, and Recharge, making it a powerful solution for businesses looking for deeper automation and personalization.

For referrals, Smile.io strategically places referral nudges on the order confirmation page, encouraging customers to invite friends right after making a purchase. However, while Smile.io makes it easy to promote referrals and engage customers through nudges, its loyalty program landing page has limited customization options. If you want full control over branding and layout, you may find the flexibility somewhat restricted.

Smile.io integrates well with Klaviyo for email marketing, but for small and medium-sized businesses, sending loyalty program emails directly through Smile.io can be challenging due to its limited built-in email capabilities. This means merchants may need to rely on external email platforms for effective customer communication.

One notable drawback of Smile.io is its limited translation and multilingual support. While you can change the language in the admin panel, it does not sync with the storefront, requiring manual updates for earning and spending actions, as well as VIP tiers. The number of pre-built language options is also restricted to just six, which may not be sufficient for businesses selling in multiple regions.

In contrast, Growave offers out-of-the-box multilingual support, allowing merchants to translate both the admin panel and storefront automatically. Yotpo also provides multi-language functionality but is limited to 12 languages. Growave, however, can be translated into any language either automatically, upon request, or by manually editing storefront text.

Overall, Smile.io delivers a strong loyalty and rewards experience, but businesses that require full customization, multilingual capabilities, or advanced email features may need to look at alternative solutions like Growave or Yotpo.

Growave loyalty and rewards features

Growave is a retention-focused platform designed to help merchants grow their businesses with an all-in-one solution. It combines a loyalty program, referrals, wishlist, product reviews, and Instagram UGC to drive customer engagement and repeat purchases. Let’s take a closer look at what makes Growave a strong competitor in the loyalty space.

When comparing Growave’s loyalty and rewards features to Yotpo and Smile.io, it stands out as the most complete solution. It offers a wide range of earning and spending rules with extensive customization options. Merchants can reward customers for leaving reviews, completing punch cards, placing orders, and even custom-defined actions. The reward redemption options include:

  • Gift cards
  • Percentage discounts
  • Fixed-amount discounts
  • Free shipping
  • Free products
growave loyalty program ways to redeem rewards

Growave also enhances holiday and promotional campaigns with time-limited bonus point events, allowing businesses to increase customer engagement during peak shopping seasons.

Like other loyalty platforms, Growave includes a referral program that rewards both the referrer and their friend when a purchase is made. Fraud detection and referral reporting are available on all plans, ensuring program security and transparency.

For merchants running a VIP tier program, Growave offers a tier builder where specific perks, membership discounts, and bonus point multipliers can be assigned to loyal customers based on different conditions. This allows businesses to reward high-value customers with exclusive benefits.

To ensure seamless communication, Growave includes ready-made email templates for loyalty notifications. However, for brands that want to keep all communications in one place, Growave integrates with Klaviyo and other email and SMS marketing platforms, making it easy to personalize loyalty messaging across different touchpoints.

A key feature of Growave is its rewards page, which acts as the main hub of the loyalty program. Unlike Yotpo and Smile.io, Growave’s default rewards page is highly customizable, offering built-in widgets to make the loyalty program more interactive. On Plus and Unlimited plans, merchants can even request a custom-designed loyalty page, allowing full control over the look and feel of their program.

All of these loyalty tools and customization options are managed in a single dashboard with intuitive navigation, making it easy to oversee customer rewards and engagement.

growave rewards settings

Beyond loyalty, Growave also provides product reviews, wishlists, and Instagram UGC, making it an all-in-one retention platform. Many Shopify apps that bundle multiple features often sacrifice quality, but Growave is designed so that each feature works seamlessly together, reducing the need for extra integrations.

For product reviews, Growave offers a robust review management system that includes a Q&A widget, allowing customers to get answers directly on product pages. One standout feature is review attributes, which let customers add extra details like size, quality, and fit, helping other shoppers make informed decisions. A review filter is also available so that customers can easily sort through feedback. Merchants can automate review request emails, and through integrations, send reminders via SMS and push notifications.

Growave’s wishlist feature is one of the most advanced in the Shopify App Store. Merchants can re-engage customers through automated emails when:

  • An item is back in stock
  • A product goes on sale
  • A product is about to sell out

Additionally, Growave includes a gift registry feature, allowing customers to create custom gift lists for different occasions and share them with friends and family.

Overall, Growave offers a comprehensive loyalty program, product reviews, and a wishlist feature, making it a versatile option compared to Yotpo and Smile.io. These features receive frequent updates based on merchant needs, ensuring continuous improvements. However, Yotpo provides additional tools like email and SMS, which are available at an extra cost.

Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave: Storefront & On-Site Experience

In this section, I want to highlight how Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave widgets and features appear on your website and interact with customers at different touchpoints. To better understand their functionality, I created a test account to see how these loyalty features work for both logged-in shoppers and guest visitors.

Why does this matter? A successful loyalty program isn’t just about engaging existing customers, it’s also about attracting and converting guest shoppers. A well-integrated and visible program encourages new visitors to sign up, increasing participation and customer retention.

Yotpo

yotpo rewards sticky bar collapsed version
Yotpo rewards sticky bar (collapsed)

Let’s start by exploring how Yotpo's loyalty widgets appear on a website and where they are positioned. I examined their demo stores to see how these features function in an optimal setup. Below are the different views of Yotpo’s loyalty elements:

yotpo rewards sticky bar expanded
Yotpo rewards sticky bar (expanded)
yotpo rewards page
Yotpo rewards page

Yotpo also offers a dedicated loyalty page, which is clean and well-structured. You can check it out here: Yotpo Loyalty Page.

Loyalty Features on Product Pages

yotpo demo store product page screenshot

To understand how Yotpo integrates loyalty into product pages, I tested their demo product page: Nude Palette Product Page. Surprisingly, apart from the sticky bar visible on all pages, there were no direct loyalty elements on the product page itself.

soko glam product page rewards widget

To verify whether this was a setup issue, I checked real stores using Yotpo. Among them, Soko Glam featured a small nudge displaying potential points earned from a purchase. However, this implementation wasn’t widespread across other Yotpo-powered stores, suggesting that product page integration may require additional setup.

Loyalty Features at Checkout

yotpo demo store empty checkout

Next, I looked at how Yotpo's loyalty program functions at checkout. Ideally, checkout extensions should help engage shoppers before completing a purchase, encouraging them to redeem or earn rewards. However, in Yotpo’s demo store, I couldn’t find any loyalty-related widgets at checkout. That said, I know Yotpo does provide one checkout extension, which allows customers to redeem points at checkout, though it may require specific store configurations.

Additional Observations

yotpo referrals widget
Refer-a-Friend Widget: Available on the account page, encouraging referrals.
yotpo review widget
Review Widget: Requires an additional fee and is not included with the standard loyalty package

Smile.io

To see how Smile.io’s widgets function on a live store, I explored their demo store and real Shopify stores that use Smile.io. This provides a clearer picture of what to expect when integrating Smile.io into your online store.

Smile.io Demo Store

You can visit their demo store here: Smile.io Demo Store. The setup follows a standard loyalty widget format, commonly used across the industry.

smile-io demo store screenshot

On the home screen, there is a Rewards page link and a floating widget inviting guest visitors to join the loyalty program. This is a good first touchpoint to encourage customer sign-ups. However, when visiting the dedicated Rewards page, while the design is clean and informative, it feels somewhat limited in content, lacking an FAQ section that could help shoppers better understand how to engage with the program.

smile io rewards page screenshot

Loyalty Features on Product Pages

smile io product page rewards widget

On product pages, Smile.io displays a small rewards widget, showing the number of points a shopper will earn from their purchase. This is a great way to encourage engagement by reinforcing the value of earning rewards at the moment of purchase consideration.

Loyalty Features at Checkout

smile io checkout extensions

Unlike Yotpo, Smile.io offers a checkout extension, making it possible for shoppers to redeem points directly on the checkout page. This is a significant advantage, as it keeps customers engaged with the rewards program at the final step of their purchase journey. The checkout widget also notifies customers of the points they will earn upon completing their purchase, reinforcing the benefits of the program.

Real-Store Example: Polaroid’s Membership Program

polaroid product page membership widget

To see how Smile.io is implemented in a live store, I looked at Polaroid’s membership program, which uses Smile.io. While Smile.io provides the core loyalty features, what stood out was how Polaroid actively promotes their program to new users. This highlights an important takeaway, having a loyalty program alone isn’t enough, strategic promotion and clear communication can significantly impact engagement and program success.

Growave

So far, we’ve examined how Yotpo and Smile.io integrate their features into an online store. Now, let’s take a closer look at Growave and how its loyalty program and supporting features appear across different store pages. I explored Growave’s demo stores and real brands using Growave to understand its design, usability, and overall impact on customer engagement. Plus, there’s one exclusive feature that sets Growave apart, which I’ll cover in detail below.

Growave Demo Stores

To get a hands-on look, you can visit Growave’s demo stores here:

The second demo store is specifically designed to showcase Growave’s checkout and account extensions, providing a clear understanding of how these features work in real-world scenarios.

Loyalty Program and Rewards Pages

growave demo store widgets

As soon as you land on the demo store, you’ll notice a nudge inviting new shoppers to join the loyalty program, ensuring visibility from the start. Additionally, the reviews widget is also displayed, which is included at no extra cost.

Growave provides two types of loyalty pages, which you can view here:

The first page is fully customized, while the second one showcases the default version available on Growth and Plus plans.

growave default rewards page

One key takeaway is that Growave’s default loyalty page is well-integrated into the store’s theme, with a clean design and clear messaging about the benefits of joining the program. It eliminates friction by making it easy for shoppers to understand the perks of participation.

growave rewards page widgets

When scrolling down, you’ll find structured sections detailing:

  • How the program works
  • Ways to earn points
  • Ways to spend points
  • VIP tiers
  • Referral program details
  • Frequently asked questions

This comprehensive layout ensures customers have all the information they need in one place.

growave custom rewards page design

For merchants on the Plus plan, Growave offers custom-designed loyalty pages tailored to match the store’s branding, creating a seamless customer experience. Unlike Smile.io ($999/month) and Yotpo ($799/month), Growave’s custom loyalty page is included in a more affordable Plus plan at $499/month.

growave rewards page custom design long version

Loyalty Features on Product Pages

On product pages, Growave integrates multiple widgets that go beyond just loyalty

growave product page widgets
  • Two types of review widgets for social proof
  • Wishlist button for customers to save products
  • Loyalty nudge showing how many points a shopper will earn from their purchase

A small advantage over Yotpo is that when customers click on the "Learn More" link in the loyalty widget, the floating widget opens within the same page instead of redirecting shoppers to a separate page, which can disrupt the customer journey. These small but important UX optimizations can help prevent drop-offs and improve conversions.

growave product reviews filter for custom questions

Additionally, Growave’s review widget includes a filtering system, allowing customers to quickly find relevant feedback, a nice to have for driving conversions and enhancing trust.

Loyalty at Checkout: Where Growave Stands Out

The checkout page is where Growave truly shines compared to Yotpo and Smile.io. Here’s what Growave’s checkout extensions display:

  • Discount redemption for loyalty points
  • Potential points earned from the order
  • Review request extension to encourage post-purchase feedback

This streamlined experience boosts conversion rates by reinforcing the benefits of the loyalty program at the final purchase stage.

Exclusive Feature: Shopify POS Loyalty QR

One standout feature unique to Growave is Shopify POS Loyalty QR, designed for merchants with brick-and-mortar stores. This feature bridges the gap between offline and online loyalty engagement by allowing customers to earn and redeem points for in-store purchases.

Here’s how it works:

  • Customers can scan a QR code at checkout counter, allowing cashiers to quickly locate their loyalty account and apply rewards.
  • This eliminates manual customer searches, reducing errors and ensuring a faster, more seamless checkout experience.
  • Even guest shoppers can scan the QR code to register for the loyalty program while waiting in line, helping merchants grow their program effortlessly.
growave shopify pos loyalty qr in action

This functionality is a game-changer for omnichannel businesses, something neither Yotpo nor Smile.io currently offer.

Final Thoughts

After evaluating the design, usability, and functionality of Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave, here is break down for each of them

Yotpo provides a solid set of loyalty features, but its visibility across different customer touchpoints feels somewhat limited, particularly for new shoppers who might not be familiar with the program. The reliance on a sticky bar as the primary loyalty access point may not be ideal for brands looking to actively promote their rewards program throughout the shopping journey.

Smile.io offers a simple and effective loyalty program, with key touchpoints at checkout, product pages, and floating widgets. The checkout extension is a strong feature, giving it an edge over Yotpo in terms of ease of redemption. However, merchants looking for a more comprehensive loyalty page with detailed FAQs and customer education tools may need to explore additional ways to customize the experience.

Growave provides a well-integrated loyalty experience with customizable loyalty pages, product page widgets, and checkout features that enhance customer engagement. Its Shopify POS Loyalty QR is a unique addition, enabling in-store loyalty functionality not available with Yotpo or Smile.io. While all three platforms offer well-structured and minimalistic interfaces, Growave’s additional flexibility in touchpoints and POS integration may be beneficial for businesses looking to manage customer retention across both online and offline channels.

Pricing Comparison: Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave

All three platforms Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave offer a free plan to allow merchants to explore loyalty programs before committing to a paid option. This provides a great starting point for businesses looking to understand customer retention strategies and how loyalty apps can help drive repeat purchases.

Since each platform structures its pricing based on order volume, I’ll break down their paid plans, key differences, and additional costs to help you determine which option best fits your business.

Yotpo Pricing

Yotpo’s free plan is quite limited in features and order volume. Their paid plans start at $199/month for 500 orders, which is on the higher end compared to competitors. Notably, for every additional 100 orders, merchants are charged $20, meaning costs can quickly add up.

yotpo loyalty pricing

The PRO plan ($199/month) includes:

  • A dedicated loyalty page
  • Reward redemption at checkout (available only for Shopify Plus merchants)
  • Integrations like Klaviyo and Recharge

However, some features remain locked behind higher-tier plans, such as donation-based earning rules, VIP tiers, and multi-currency support.

The Premium plan starts at $799/month for 1,000 orders and includes:

  • CSS editor and API access for advanced customization
  • More automation options
  • Enhanced analytics

For merchants processing over 3,000 orders/month, Yotpo’s pricing scales significantly, with Loyalty alone costing at least $1,149/month.

Smile.io Pricing

Compared to Yotpo, Smile.io offers more affordable entry points with its Starter plan at $49/month for 500 orders. This plan includes:

  • Most earning and spending rules
  • Two basic integrations
  • Custom email branding and loyalty nudges
smile io pricing

The $199/month plan includes 2,500 orders (a significant increase over Yotpo’s 500 orders at the same price) and unlocks:

  • Bonus points events
  • Unlimited integrations
  • A loyalty program landing page

The highest-tier plan starts at $999/month for 7,500 orders and includes:

  • A dedicated launch plan
  • 25+ loyalty analytics reports
  • API and Front-end JavaScript SDK

While Smile.io’s top-tier pricing is similar to Yotpo’s, it offers more included orders per plan. For example, getting 7,500 orders covered in Yotpo would cost around $1,500/month.

Growave Pricing

Growave also provides a free plan but includes more built-in features, such as:

  • Points-based loyalty program
  • Referrals
  • Product reviews
  • Wishlist functionality

The $49/month plan (500 orders) is comparable to Smile.io’s Starter plan but includes Shopify POS integration and Klaviyo integration by default.

growave pricing

The Growth plan ($199/month for 1,500 orders) adds:

  • VIP program
  • Dedicated loyalty page
  • Advanced features for product reviews and wishlists (e.g., gift registry, review attributes, and more touchpoints like displaying loyalty and reviews on account pages).

The Plus plan ($499/month for 3,000 orders) unlocks:

  • Custom-designed loyalty program page (included in the plan)
  • Checkout extensions
  • API & SDK access for deeper customization

Additional Costs & Scaling Pricing

All three platforms charge extra fees if you exceed your included order limits:

  • Yotpo and Smile.io: $20 per 100 extra orders
  • Growave: $15 per 100 extra orders

The table below provides a clear breakdown of the costs associated with each platform based on order volume. One key difference to note is that Yotpo requires an annual commitment for its plans, while Smile.io and Growave offer more flexible monthly pricing.

Pricing Yotpo Smile.io Growave
Free plan
Scaling plan
Price per 100 additional orders $20 $20 $15
Price for 500 orders $199 $49 $49
Price for 1,000 orders $299 (Pro) $149 $124
Price for 1,500 orders $349 (Pro) / $849 (Premium) $199 $199
Price for 3,000 orders $499 (Pro) / $949 (Premium) $399 $499
Price for 7,500 orders $724 (Pro) / $1,499 (Premium) $999 $849
Annual contract required

Trustworthiness and Reputation: Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave

When choosing a long-term platform for your business, whether you're a merchant, marketer, or entrepreneur, it's natural to check reviews before making a decision. To simplify this process, I explored review aggregator platforms like G2 and Capterra, the Shopify App Store, and discussions on forums like Reddit to get insights into real user experiences with Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave. Here’s what I found.

Yotpo

Yotpo has a mix of positive and negative feedback, with a strong reputation for its customer support and review management tools, but some concerns about usability and pricing.

Common Positive Mentions

  • Helpful customer support
  • Ease of use once set up
  • Strong review management features

Common Negative Mentions

  • Bug issues and missing features reported by some users
  • Performance concerns, including site loading speed impact
  • High pricing with additional costs for certain features
  • Some found the platform difficult to navigate
reddit yotpo review

A recent Reddit discussion highlighted a bug affecting Yotpo’s site name tag, causing users to worry about a security issue. While Yotpo confirmed it was a known issue, some users expressed frustration over the response time.

On G2, reviews are more mixed, with some users calling it a "below-average experience" and others praising it as "great software with amazing customer support." On Capterra, reviews are generally more positive, with users appreciating Yotpo’s integrations and relationship-building tools, though some find the platform intimidating to dive into.

Notable User Reviews

  • "Yotpo helps to make your product reviewed and get true analysis."
  • "I did not like my experience with them. They overcharge and far underdeliver. They are all about sales."
  • "Very good customer service."

More reviews:

Smile.io

Smile.io is well-received for its ease of use and strong core loyalty features, but customization limitations and pricing structure are common concerns.

Common Positive Mentions

  • Great for small businesses
  • Easy setup and operation
  • Recent updates improved backend experience

Common Negative Mentions

  • Limited customization options
  • Multilingual support is lacking
  • API access is restricted to the highest-tier plan ($999/month)

Some users pointed out that because Smile.io is designed to be plug-and-play, customization is limited, which can affect branding and user experience.

Notable User Reviews

  • "Great loyalty program app."
  • "Good feature set for small businesses but tired of order-based pricing."
  • "Because they design the app to be plug-and-play, it limits customization, which causes issues for branding."

More reviews:

Growave

Growave generally receives high praise for its continuous improvements, ease of use, and strong support team. Some users mention a learning curve, but recent updates, particularly the Shopify Polaris redesign, have addressed usability concerns.

Common Positive Mentions

  • Regular updates and improvements
  • Strong customer support
  • Ease of use and seamless integrations
  • Multiple features in one platform (loyalty, reviews, wishlist)
growave review on g2 long

Common Negative Mentions

  • Some users found it confusing to use initially
  • Pricing concerns for scaling businesses

A recurring theme in reviews is that Growave eliminates the need for multiple apps by combining loyalty, reviews, and wishlist functionality in one platform.

growave review on g2 short

Notable User Reviews

  • "A great experience overall. They are polite and happy to help."
  • "Pretty much fulfilled all our requirements, and the ongoing support we receive is outstanding."
  • "Everything works great, the back office is easy to handle, and the customer service is awesome."
  • "The team consistently enhances the service. I've been using Growave for almost three years."

More reviews:

Final Notes: Yotpo vs Smile.io vs Growave – Pros & Cons

Each platform offers unique strengths and trade-offs, making them suitable for different types of businesses. Below is a breakdown of the key pros and cons of Yotpo, Smile.io, and Growave to help merchants find the best fit for their needs.

Yotpo

Pros

  • SMS and email marketing
  • Review management
  • Wide range of integrations with other apps
  • Comprehensive all-in-one platform
  • Unique rewards sticky bar
  • Analytics and customer behavior insights

Cons

  • Annual contracts limit flexibility
  • Higher pricing compared to competitors
  • Non-transparent pricing structure
  • Potential impact on site speed
  • Steep learning curve and complex setup
  • Requires separate installation for extra features

Smile.io

Pros

  • Comprehensive loyalty features
  • Great for small businesses
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Checkout extensions
  • Effective loyalty reminders on-site
  • Simple setup with ready-made templates

Cons

  • Limited customization options
  • API access only available on the $999/month Plus plan
  • No built-in multi-language support
  • Limited email notifications, require integrations for more functionality

Growave

Pros

  • All-in-one platform that includes loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and Instagram UGC
  • User-friendly interface
  • Easy to set up and configure
  • Industry-leading Shopify POS integration
  • More customization options
  • Lower barrier for API & SDK access
  • Most checkout & account extensions available

Cons

  • Limited availability outside Shopify
  • Reporting features could be improved

Verdict: Which One Is Right for Your Business?

Platform Best for
Yotpo Large enterprises looking for an all-in-one platform with loyalty, reviews, and email/SMS marketing, willing to pay a premium.
Smile.io Small to medium-sized businesses wanting a simple, out-of-the-box loyalty solution with minimal setup but fewer customization options.
Growave Growing Shopify businesses looking for a fully customizable loyalty program with integrated reviews and wishlists at a more competitive price.

When to Choose Yotpo

  • Your store processes 10,000+ orders per month
  • You need SMS and email marketing, review management, and loyalty all in one platform
  • You prioritize advanced analytics and customer insights
  • You're prepared for higher pricing and annual contracts

When to Choose Smile.io

  • You want to start a loyalty program quickly without complex customization
  • Your store processes up to 2,000 orders per month
  • You're looking for a free or lower-cost plan to test a loyalty program
  • You don’t need deep personalization or API access

When to Choose Growave

  • Your business processes between 2,000 – 15,000 orders per month
  • You want to customize and personalize your loyalty program
  • You need seamless integration across multiple customer touchpoints
  • You rely on Shopify POS and want an optimized omnichannel loyalty experience
  • You want checkout and account page modifications with powerful extensions

Each platform serves different business needs, so the right choice depends on your growth stage, customization requirements, and budget.

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