Rivo vs BON: 2026 Comparison

Rivo and BON Loyalty are two established players in the Shopify loyalty ecosystem, each with a strong track record for helping e-commerce brands enhance customer retention and drive repeat purchases. Both platforms offer robust features designed to address the core challenge facing modern retailers: turning one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers. Understanding what each platform delivers can help you determine which aligns best with your brand's goals and technical roadmap.

TLDR

Rivo excels for fast-growing DTC brands needing advanced customization, seamless Shopify integration, and sophisticated developer tools, while BON Loyalty appeals to merchants prioritizing ease of use, multi-language support (250+ languages), and B2B capabilities. Both offer generous free plans, multiple integration options, and flexible reward structures—the choice depends on your growth stage, technical resources, and whether you serve global or wholesale audiences.

Rivo Loyalty and Referrals

Rivo is a loyalty and referral platform designed to integrate deeply with Shopify, offering a range of tools for merchants to build sophisticated retention programs. It generally caters to fast-growing and high-volume DTC brands that prioritize performance and modern Shopify technology.

Rivo's Dynamic Rewards Economy and Redemption Pathways

Rivo structures its points and rewards system around flexibility, allowing merchants to define how customers earn and what they receive in return. Customers can earn points through multiple channels: purchases, account creation, social media engagement, product reviews, and custom actions defined by the merchant. This breadth of earning rules means you're not limited to transactional rewards—you can incentivize behaviors that build community and brand advocacy.

What sets Rivo apart in the rewards space is its flexible point valuation system. Rather than forcing a fixed exchange rate, merchants can set their own point-to-currency conversions. A 1:1 ratio, a 100-points-for-$10 structure, or any custom formula works within Rivo's framework. This flexibility tends to resonate with high-volume DTC brands that need adaptable reward structures for diverse customer behaviors and seasonal promotions.

Redemption pathways on Rivo are equally comprehensive. Customers can redeem points for percentage-based discounts, free shipping (on Scale and Plus plans), free products (Scale and Plus), and store credit (Scale and Plus). Redemptions happen directly at the Shopify checkout, removing friction from the reward experience. The platform also supports cash back programs, giving merchants another lever to drive repeat purchases. This variety in redemption options lets brands align rewards with their specific business model—whether that's margin-friendly discounts or high-perceived-value free product offers.

Elevating Customer Status with Rivo's Tiered Membership and Exclusive Perks

Rivo's approach to VIP tiers creates a progression system that encourages deeper customer engagement over time. VIP tiers are available on Scale and Plus plans and can be structured based on customer spend, total points accumulated, or number of orders. This flexibility lets brands design tier systems that match their customer behavior patterns.

When customers achieve tier upgrades, Rivo celebrates these milestones with notifications that acknowledge the achievement. Beyond recognition, the platform allows merchants to attach exclusive perks to each tier level—early access to new products, free shipping on all orders, bonus points on purchases, or concierge-level support. These perks can be automatically displayed at checkout, reminding customers of their status benefits at the moment of purchase.

Segmentation is built into Rivo's tier architecture. The platform integrates with customer accounts and can pass tier-based customer segments to Email Service Providers (ESPs) like Klaviyo, enabling brands to send tier-specific messaging and offers. A Bronze-tier customer receives different communications than a Platinum customer, allowing for personalized retention campaigns. Brands focusing on premium experiences and cultivating exclusive communities often find Rivo's VIP capabilities align with their need for sophisticated segmentation.

Rivo's Seamless Ecosystem Integration and Technical Adaptability

Rivo functions as what many describe as an "open platform" with deep integration capabilities across the Shopify ecosystem. The platform connects with over 50 to 100+ third-party applications, including Klaviyo (with basic integration on Scale and advanced options on Plus), Shopify POS, Shopify Flow, Gorgias, Mailchimp, Postscript, and Recharge. This breadth of integrations means data flows freely between your loyalty program and the tools your team already relies on daily.

Setup praise centers on Rivo's user-friendly interface, making it accessible to merchants without technical backgrounds. That said, deeper customization and advanced use cases benefit from developer involvement. Rivo provides a robust API and developer toolkit access on higher plans, allowing custom integrations and fine-tuned configurations that match unique business logic. Built on Shopify's latest technology infrastructure, the platform integrates deeply across the tech stack rather than sitting as an isolated tool.

For established DTC brands with a developed tech ecosystem and a need for seamless data flow across platforms—from POS systems to email marketing to subscription management—Rivo's integration depth and developer resources provide the connectivity required to scale sophisticated retention programs.

At the time of writing, Rivo's pricing structure includes a Free plan supporting up to 200 monthly orders with basic loyalty points, earning and redemption rules, branding options, and automated email campaigns. The Scale plan starts at $49/month for up to 400 orders and is usage-based for 200-2,500 orders per month, including advanced rewards, VIP tiers, points expiry controls, custom CSS and fonts, a dedicated loyalty page, analytics, Shopify POS integration, Shopify Flow, and basic Klaviyo integration. The Plus plan, priced at $499/month, serves high-volume businesses with support for up to 100,000 orders per month and includes enterprise-grade features like advanced developer tools, full API access, checkout extensions, custom integrations, advanced analytics, and priority support.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards

BON Loyalty provides a comprehensive loyalty and rewards solution for Shopify merchants, emphasizing ease of use and extensive customization for global audiences. It's well-suited for merchants building loyalty programs without extensive technical resources, global brands serving international customers, or those operating B2B wholesale operations alongside direct-to-consumer sales.

BON Loyalty's Flexible Earning Opportunities and Diverse Redemption Choices

BON Loyalty offers merchants more than 18 distinct rewarding rules, giving customers numerous pathways to accumulate points. Beyond purchase-based earnings, the platform supports earning through account creation, profile completion, newsletter subscriptions, birthday recognition, product reviews (integrating with review apps like Fera and Judge.me), and social media engagement. This breadth allows brands to reward engagement behaviors that extend beyond transactional moments.

Customization extends to what customers can earn points on and what they earn for. Merchants can exclude specific product collections from earning points, useful for protecting margin on certain products or focusing rewards on core offerings. Points expiry dates can be configured, creating urgency and preventing indefinite point accumulation on your balance sheet. Read more about loyalty program structure to understand which earning model aligns best with your goals.

Redemption flexibility on BON matches its earning versatility. Customers can redeem for money-off discounts, percentage-based discounts, free shipping, free products, POS rewards for in-store purchases, gift rewards, coupons, early product access, or exclusive access to members-only content. This comprehensive suite of earning and redemption options appeals to businesses aiming for broad customer engagement across various touchpoints—both online and offline.

Cultivating Exclusive Relationships with BON Loyalty's VIP Tiers and Segmentation

BON's VIP tier functionality, available on Growth and Professional plans, allows merchants to define tier structures based on points earned or money spent. Once defined, tiers unlock specific functionality like points multipliers that reward high-value customers with accelerated point accumulation. Milestone rewards tied to tier advancement include birthday gifts, early access to new products, free shipping thresholds, and bonus point anniversaries.

A distinctive feature in BON's tier ecosystem is its B2B Loyalty Program capability. This specialized tier structure enables wholesale businesses to implement rewards specifically designed for bulk buyers and corporate accounts. For merchants serving both B2C and B2B audiences, BON's dedicated B2B tier program offers a customizable loyalty strategy that recognizes the different purchase patterns and relationship dynamics of wholesale versus retail customers. Learn more about B2B loyalty solutions to understand how this capability differentiates from standard consumer-only programs.

Streamlined Setup and Broad Integrations with BON Loyalty

BON Loyalty emphasizes user accessibility throughout its product design. The platform includes a page builder enabling merchants to create branded loyalty pages without writing code. This no-code approach significantly reduces the technical barrier for merchants who lack development resources or prefer to move quickly without developer involvement.

Multi-language support is a standout feature. BON can display its loyalty experience in 250+ languages simultaneously with customizable translations, making it exceptionally well-suited for global brands serving international customers. Rather than maintaining separate loyalty programs for different regions, one BON setup scales across language markets.

Integration capabilities include connections with Klaviyo, Fera, LAI Reviews, Judge.me, Shopify POS, Shopify Flow, Recurpay, and Seal Subscriptions for subscription order integration. The Basic plan offers unlimited integrations, meaning the platform grows with your tech stack without hitting integration caps. Advanced customization is available through custom CSS on higher plans, while the Professional plan includes full API access and SDK capabilities for developers building headless commerce experiences via Hydrogen.

Explore integration options with Klaviyo to see how loyalty data flows into your email marketing strategy.

As of the time of writing, BON Loyalty's pricing includes a Free plan supporting up to 250 monthly orders, featuring a basic points and rewards program, an anti-cheat referral program, automated emails, and various discount options. The Basic plan, at $25/month for up to 500 orders, adds advanced points and reward expiration functionality, a loyalty page, multi-language display, POS rewards, free product rewards, and unlimited integrations. The Growth plan, at $99/month with unlimited orders, includes VIP tiers, order boosters, widget functionality, and the 250+ language simultaneous display capability. The Professional plan, priced at $349/month for unlimited orders, provides an enterprise-grade solution with advanced customization, full API access, and SDK.

Platform Comparison at a Glance

Choosing Your Loyalty Platform

The ideal loyalty solution depends entirely on your brand's specific needs, current growth stage, and technical roadmap. Both Rivo and BON Loyalty offer compelling features that can significantly contribute to customer retention and revenue growth. High-volume brands with in-house development resources may gravitate toward Rivo's advanced customization and API depth. Brands prioritizing rapid implementation, multi-market expansion, or wholesale operations may find BON's ease of use and multi-language support more aligned with their trajectory.

Explore the broader Shopify loyalty app landscape to understand how these platforms fit within the competitive ecosystem.

Learn what defines a customer loyalty program if you're evaluating loyalty fundamentals before choosing a platform.

Discover how to create VIP experiences that differentiate your brand through exclusive member benefits.

Deep dive into referral program mechanics to understand how word-of-mouth loyalty drives sustainable growth.

About the Author

Mage Loyalty is a modern, high-performance Shopify loyalty platform built for brands that value founder-led, concierge-level support and hands-on partnership. If you're exploring your options for a loyalty solution that aligns with your brand's unique vision and provides exceptional service, consider learning more about what Mage offers. We're committed to helping retention managers, marketing directors, and brand leaders build loyalty programs that drive measurable revenue impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a VIP tier in a loyalty program?

A VIP tier (or membership tier) is a status level within a loyalty program that customers progress through based on their engagement—typically measured by spending, points accumulated, or number of orders. As customers advance through tiers, they unlock increasingly valuable benefits like bonus points, exclusive discounts, free shipping, early product access, or concierge support. Tiers gamify loyalty by giving customers a clear progression path and motivation to increase their engagement with your brand.

How do loyalty points work on Shopify?

Loyalty points are a currency that customers earn through various actions—purchases, referrals, reviews, social shares, or account milestones. Merchants set the earning rate (e.g., 1 point per $1 spent) and define what points can be redeemed for (discounts, free products, free shipping, store credit). Points accumulate in customer accounts and are managed by a loyalty app installed on your Shopify store. Customers can view their balance and redeem rewards directly at checkout, making the exchange seamless.

Are loyalty apps compatible with Shopify POS?

Yes, most modern loyalty apps including both Rivo and BON support Shopify POS integration. This means customers earn and redeem loyalty rewards for in-store purchases the same way they do for online orders, creating a unified omnichannel loyalty experience. This integration is particularly important for brands operating physical retail locations alongside e-commerce operations.

What's the difference between points-based and tier-based loyalty programs?

Points-based programs focus on earning a flexible currency (points) through various actions, which customers redeem for rewards of their choosing. Tier-based programs structure loyalty around membership levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold) that unlock different benefits as customers progress. Many modern loyalty platforms, including Rivo and BON, support both approaches simultaneously—customers earn points while also progressing through tiers, combining the flexibility of points with the motivation of tier advancement.

TLDR

Rivo excels for fast-growing DTC brands needing advanced customization, seamless Shopify integration, and sophisticated developer tools, while BON Loyalty appeals to merchants prioritizing ease of use, multi-language support (250+ languages), and B2B capabilities. Both offer generous free plans, multiple integration options, and flexible reward structures—the choice depends on your growth stage, technical resources, and whether you serve global or wholesale audiences.

All information presented in this article is based on publicly available data as of February 2026. Features, pricing, and offerings may have changed since publication. Please visit each platform's official website for the most current information.