BON vs Growave: 2026 Comparison

Your Shopify store's retention strategy lives or dies on the loyalty platform you choose. Most merchants don't realize they're making this decision in a vacuum—comparing two fundamentally different approaches without understanding what each actually solves.

BON Loyalty and Growave are both top-tier solutions on the Shopify App Store. But they're not competitors in the traditional sense. One is a specialist. The other is a generalist. And that distinction matters far more than star ratings ever could.

This article cuts through the marketing noise and gives you the clarity you need to pick the right platform for your specific situation.

BON Loyalty vs. Growave: At a Glance

Think of BON Loyalty as the craftsman's tool and Growave as the all-in-one toolkit.

BON Loyalty positions itself as a dedicated, specialized loyalty and rewards suite. It obsesses over one thing: building the most powerful, flexible, customizable loyalty engine possible. Deep technical control. Headless commerce support. B2B-specific tier structures. Multi-language customization across 250+ languages. This is a platform built for merchants who know exactly what they need and want maximum control to get it.

Growave, by contrast, is an all-in-one marketing platform that consolidates loyalty, reviews, wishlists, referrals, social login, and user-generated content (UGC) into a single dashboard. The pitch is simple: replace four or five separate apps with one. Simplify your tech stack. Reduce operational overhead. One dashboard. One billing. One login.

Both integrate with Shopify POS. Both offer free plans. Both have strong app store ratings. But they're solving different problems for different merchants.

Deep Dive: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards

BON Loyalty's entire philosophy centers on specialization. While other platforms try to do everything, BON doubles down on what it does best: creating a loyalty program engine that bends to your exact specifications.

Pros:

Here's what sets BON apart. It's recognized as the best value loyalty app for mid-market brands processing under 5,000 orders/month. The platform is multilingual by default, allowing you to launch a global rewards program in minutes—with support for over 250 languages simultaneously, which is genuinely rare at this price point.

The technical foundation is rock-solid. BON is engineered to handle high order volume and traffic spikes without slowing down the storefront, making it the choice for high-growth or Shopify Plus merchants. When you're processing thousands of orders daily, page speed matters. A lot.

The customization options are extensive. You get extensive widget customization (banners, text color, illustrations, icons) and the ability to create a dedicated loyalty page to match store branding, plus custom CSS support for power users who want granular control over every pixel.

BON also provides API access and headless commerce compatibility (think Hydrogen), which matters if you're building beyond the standard Shopify storefront. You get dedicated B2B tier programs—a feature most loyalty apps gloss over but B2B brands desperately need.

The migration support is genuinely helpful. BON's migration team provides a free white-glove service to help you move your data from other apps, including mass imports from Growave, Smile, Yotpo, and others. And here's the kicker: unlimited monthly orders for $99, which compared to competitors charging $99 for only 1,000 orders, is substantial savings at scale.

Finally, BON uses simple and reliable logic that makes it a great 'Set and Forget' tool for busy founders.

Cons:

Specialization has a cost. BON does not include native wishlist or social login features found in suites like Growave. If you need these, you're adding separate apps—which kind of defeats the purpose of simplifying your tech stack.

The interface feels dated. The admin dashboard feels visually dated and less responsive than modern competitors. It works, and it works well, but aesthetically it's not winning any design awards. Some merchants find this annoying. Others don't care—they just want results.

Analytics depth is moderate. BON lacks the deep data mining and predictive analytics found in high-end retention platforms. You get the core metrics. Advanced segmentation and predictive modeling? Not here. When diving deeper into loyalty program analytics and reporting, specialized solutions may offer more granularity.

Product development moves at a steady pace, not lightning speed. The product development cycle is slower than agile challengers, leading to delayed features. If you need bleeding-edge functionality, BON might disappoint.

And—BON does not currently include built-in Instagram galleries or social proof tools. If UGC is central to your strategy, that's another app.

Deep Dive: Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist

Growave takes the opposite approach. Instead of excelling at one thing, it aims to be genuinely good at five things, all in one place.

Pros:

The value proposition is immediately clear. Growave bundles five essential marketing tools—Loyalty, Reviews, Wishlist, Social Login, and Referrals—for one price. No hunting for separate apps. No juggling multiple dashboards. One login. One billing statement.

The wishlist feature, specifically, solves a real problem. Growave includes a built-in wishlist feature that automatically emails customers when an item's price drops. This is automated recovery revenue that most merchants leave on the table.

Social frictionless onboarding is built in. Growave features native 'Social Login' that allows customers to create a loyalty account with one click. Fewer friction points = higher enrollment rates. Simple, but effective.

Pricing-wise, Growave is one of the most cost-effective ways to get high-end features like VIP tiers and reward programs. You're getting loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and referrals for what you'd pay for just one premium app elsewhere.

Data consolidation matters more than it sounds. Growave consolidates all your retention data and billing into a single Shopify app for easier management. From a workflow perspective—especially for small teams—this reduces context-switching and operational friction.

You can also explore leveraging user-generated content (UGC) within loyalty programs natively through Growave's integrated tools.

Cons:

Loading five features from one JavaScript bundle creates a real trade-off. Growave can lead to 'script bloat' that impacts site speed. Not catastrophically, but it's measurable. Every millisecond of load time affects conversion rates.

The loyalty features themselves are less deep than a specialized tool. The individual loyalty features are generally more basic than those found in a specialized loyalty-only app. You get points, tiers, and referrals—all solid. But advanced mechanics like dynamic multipliers, complex B2B tier structures, or headless commerce integration? Not available.

The admin interface is dense. The admin panel is dense and can be confusing for merchants who only want to use the loyalty features. When you're paying for five tools but only using one, navigating the UI becomes tedious.

Support has limits. Their customer support is generalist and may struggle with highly technical loyalty API questions. If you need deep technical help, you might hit a wall.

Customization is constrained. The styling options are somewhat rigid, making it difficult to achieve a completely custom look. You'll get a polished, professional appearance—but on Growave's terms, not yours.

Feature Comparison: Side-by-Side Analysis

Let's break this down by specific functionality.

Core Loyalty Program Mechanics: Both platforms handle the basics well. Points earning, redemption, VIP tiers, referral tracking. The difference emerges in flexibility. BON lets you create complex earning rules with custom logic. Growave gives you the standard playbook—which works for most merchants, but limits experimentation.

Customization & Branding: This is where BON's specialization shines. BON offers extensive widget customization (banners, text color, illustrations, icons) and the ability to create a dedicated loyalty page to match store branding, plus custom CSS. Growave's widget customization is more limited to color adjustments and basic layout options. If brand consistency and visual control matter—and they should—BON wins decisively.

Internationalization: BON supports 250+ languages with full customization. Growave offers multi-language support, but it's more standardized. For global merchants, BON's approach scales better.

Target Audience & Best Fit: BON excels for high-growth, B2B, and Shopify Plus merchants. Growave is perfect for small-to-mid-market merchants who want to simplify their tech stack without deep customization needs.

Technical Integrations: BON provides deep integrations with powerful email marketing platforms like Klaviyo, plus API access for headless commerce. Growave integrates with major email platforms but doesn't offer API-level flexibility. If you're building custom workflows or using headless storefronts, BON is your answer.

Pricing & Value Analysis

BON's free plan covers the basics. Paid plans start at $25/month, scaling to $99/month for unlimited orders. That unlimited orders tier is the real value—once you hit 1,000+ orders monthly, you're saving money versus Growave's $99/month for exactly 1,000 orders.

Growave's free plan is generous too. Paid plans start around $49/month, with growth tiers available. The value proposition isn't price—it's consolidation. You're replacing four separate apps with one, which from a complexity and billing standpoint, is worth something.

For merchants processing under 5,000 orders monthly with straightforward loyalty needs, Growave's all-in-one approach often makes financial sense. For high-volume operations or merchants needing deep customization, BON's unlimited-orders pricing at higher tiers becomes the smarter investment.

User Experience, Reviews & Customer Support

Both apps have strong ratings on the Shopify App Store. BON often shows near-perfect scores with smaller review counts, suggesting high satisfaction among its user base. Growave typically has higher total review counts, indicating a broader user base.

Setup time: BON requires slightly more configuration due to customization options. Growave is faster—select features, customize colors, go live. For someone wanting a quick implementation, Growave wins. For someone wanting to build something uniquely tailored, BON wins.

Customer support for both is responsive. The distinction: BON's team understands nuanced loyalty mechanics and can help with complex configurations. Growave's support is more generalist and handles loyalty, reviews, and wishlist questions across one ticket queue.

Addressing Critical Gaps: What Most Comparisons Miss

Performance Impact: BON is engineered for speed at scale. Growave's five-feature bundle adds JavaScript overhead. For stores processing 1,000+ monthly orders, this gap becomes measurable. Test both in your environment before deciding.

Fraud Prevention: Neither platform is immune to points fraud. Both offer basic protections (velocity limits, suspicious activity monitoring). Neither offers advanced ML-based fraud detection. If fraud prevention is mission-critical, you'll need a separate tool regardless of platform choice.

Long-Term Scalability: BON scales with you—from 1,000 to 100,000+ orders monthly without architectural constraints. Growave scales too, but adding more features to your plan adds more operational complexity for teams only using loyalty features. Think about your growth trajectory and tech stack philosophy. Growing specialists? Choose BON. Growing an integrated suite? Choose Growave.

Which Platform Is Right for Your Store?

Choose BON Loyalty if:

• You process 5,000+ orders monthly and need unlimited order support without additional costs
• You require structuring effective VIP loyalty programs with complex tier mechanics or B2B functionality
• You prioritize site speed and technical performance
• You're using headless commerce or plan to in the future
• Brand customization and pixel-perfect visual control matter
• You want a dedicated, specialist tool that does loyalty exceptionally well

Choose Growave if:

• You want to consolidate four or five separate tools into one dashboard
• You need a wishlist feature that integrates with your loyalty program
• Social proof and reviews are central to your strategy
• You prefer simplicity and rapid setup over deep customization
• You're building a small-to-mid-market brand with straightforward loyalty needs
• You want one vendor relationship instead of managing multiple apps

Start with the free plans. Spend a week with each. The right choice becomes obvious once you live with both. Test strategies to significantly increase customer lifetime value (CLV) in either platform—the mechanics are solid in both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BON Loyalty better for large Shopify Plus stores?

Generally yes. BON's unlimited orders pricing, API access, and headless commerce support make it the natural choice for enterprise merchants. Growave works for larger stores too, but BON's architecture is purpose-built for high-volume operations.

Can Growave truly replace multiple marketing apps?

It replaces loyalty, reviews, wishlists, referrals, and social login in one platform. That's genuinely five tools consolidated. However, if you need advanced analytics, SMS marketing, or email automation, you'll still need other apps. Growave is five-in-one, not everything-in-one.

Do both apps integrate with Shopify POS?

Yes. Both BON and Growave support omnichannel rewards through Shopify POS integration, so in-store and online customers earn the same loyalty points.

Which app offers more extensive customization options for loyalty widgets?

BON decisively wins here. Extensive widget customization, dedicated branded loyalty pages, and custom CSS support give you complete visual control. Growave's customization is limited to color and basic layout adjustments.

TLDR

BON Loyalty is the specialist's choice—ideal for high-growth, B2B, or Shopify Plus merchants who need deep customization, technical flexibility, and unlimited order scaling at competitive pricing. Growave is the all-in-one choice for merchants seeking to consolidate loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and referrals into a single dashboard to simplify their tech stack and workflows. The right pick depends entirely on whether you value specialization or consolidation more.