Rivo vs Growave: 2026 Comparison
It costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Yet many Shopify store owners treat loyalty programs as an afterthought—if they implement them at all. The platform you choose can make or break your retention strategy, impacting everything from customer lifetime value to site speed.
If you're evaluating loyalty solutions, you've probably encountered Rivo and Growave. Both serve Shopify merchants, but they take fundamentally different approaches. Rivo specializes in laser-focused loyalty and referral programs, built on modern Shopify architecture. Growave, meanwhile, positions itself as an all-in-one marketing suite combining loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and social login into a single dashboard.
This comparison cuts through the marketing claims to show you exactly what each platform delivers, where they stumble, and which one actually fits your business model.
TL;DR: Rivo vs Growave Quick Takeaway
Rivo is the specialist: a modern, Shopify-native loyalty and referral platform designed for merchants who want speed and deep customization without bloat. Growave is the generalist: a bundled solution that combines loyalty with reviews, wishlists, and more—ideal if you want to consolidate multiple tools into one dashboard. The "best" choice depends on whether you prioritize specialized depth (Rivo) or all-in-one convenience (Growave).
Rivo vs Growave: An In-Depth Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | Rivo | Growave |
|---|---|---|
| Core Focus | Loyalty & Referrals | All-in-one Marketing Suite |
| Free Plan | Up to 200 monthly orders | Up to 100 monthly orders + reviews & wishlist |
| Pricing | Starting at $49/month | Starting at $39/month |
| App Store Rating | 4.9/5 stars | Highly recommended |
| Integrations | Klaviyo, SMS tools | 40+ integrations (Klaviyo, Gorgias, TikTok, Shopify POS, etc.) |
| Multi-language Support | Limited | Strong |
| Best For | Speed-focused DTC brands | International brands needing all-in-one solution |
Feature Showdown: Loyalty, Referrals, and Beyond
Both platforms enable core loyalty mechanics, but their architecture and breadth differ significantly. Understanding these differences is crucial before committing.
Loyalty & Rewards Program Capabilities
Rivo and Growave both support points-based systems where customers earn points for purchases, account creation, social engagement, and referrals. Both offer flexible redemption options: fixed discounts, percentage discounts, free shipping, free products, and store credit.
The difference lies in depth and philosophy. Rivo emphasizes its 150+ loyalty features out of the box, positioning itself as a specialized platform for merchants who want granular control over earning rules, point expiration, and reward thresholds. Growave offers 200+ features but spreads them across five different modules (loyalty, reviews, wishlist, social login, referrals), meaning individual loyalty depth may feel less specialized.
For merchants running complex promotional campaigns—multiple point multipliers, seasonal bonuses, tier-specific earning rates—Rivo's focused feature set often provides clearer configuration pathways. Growave handles these scenarios, but the broader admin panel can feel cluttered when you're configuring loyalty alone.
Referral Programs
Our comprehensive guide to setting up a Shopify referral program covers the mechanics both platforms employ: tracking referrer and referee rewards, customizing referral messaging, and handling incentive structures.
Rivo's referral module is tightly integrated with its loyalty system, allowing merchants to set point multipliers for successful referrals, create custom referral landing pages, and implement fraud detection rules. The platform includes anti-cheat safeguards that monitor for suspicious referral patterns—valuable protection for brands running aggressive referral campaigns.
Growave's referral component works similarly but is less specialized. It handles the mechanics smoothly but lacks Rivo's advanced fraud prevention and the ability to create fully branded referral landing pages without additional tools.
VIP Tiers Program
Both platforms support tiered loyalty programs where customers progress through levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc.) and unlock escalating benefits. Learn how to create compelling VIP tier programs that drive engagement and increase customer lifetime value.
Rivo allows unlimited tier creation with customizable progression rules, tier-specific earning multipliers, and conditional rewards. Growave supports VIP tiers but with slightly less granular configuration—adequate for most businesses but limiting if you need highly specific tier mechanics.
Beyond Loyalty: Additional Marketing Features
This is where the platforms diverge most sharply.
Rivo stays laser-focused on loyalty and referrals. It doesn't include native product reviews, UGC galleries, or wishlist functionality. If you need these features, you're buying separate apps (like Judge.me for reviews or Okendo for UGC). This specialization has a tradeoff: Rivo doesn't bloat your tech stack with features you might not use, but it also means more app dependencies.
Growave bundles five tools: loyalty, reviews, wishlists, social login, and referrals. The platform automatically emails customers when wishlist items drop in price, enables single-click account creation via social login, and includes basic review collection. This all-in-one approach consolidates billing, data, and admin access—appealing if you want to reduce your app footprint.
Customization & Branding
Rivo offers advanced branding capabilities including custom CSS and fonts, allowing merchants to create loyalty experiences that feel seamlessly integrated with their brand. The specialized Loyalty Page builder lets you craft fully branded loyalty hub pages without touching code.
Growave provides solid branding customization for its loyalty module specifically, but the admin panel's density can make styling feel rigid. Some merchants report difficulty achieving completely custom looks across all five modules.
Integrations and Ecosystem
Rivo integrates with Klaviyo and SMS platforms, enabling email and text automation around loyalty events (points earned, tier progression, reward redemptions). This is essential for modern retention strategies.
Growave's ecosystem is broader: Klaviyo, Gorgias, Attentive, TikTok, Shopify POS, Shopify Flow, and 40+ total integrations in higher tiers. For merchants running omnichannel operations or heavy social commerce, Growave's integration breadth is compelling. Explore our dedicated Klaviyo integration page to understand how email automation amplifies loyalty programs.
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Site Speed & Performance: The Unseen Impact
Here's a hard truth: both platforms claim to be fast, but concrete performance data is virtually nonexistent in existing comparisons.
Rivo emphasizes "Shopify-native speed" and highlights its modern 2026 API architecture. Built using Shopify's latest standards, Rivo claims faster load times compared to legacy competitors. The platform uses lightweight checkout UI components that minimize friction during redemption.
Growave claims to improve site speed by consolidating multiple apps into one—reducing app dependencies that typically slow down Shopify stores. However, merchants also report that loading Growave's full feature suite can negatively impact Lighthouse speed scores, particularly around Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) when reviewing components load.
The reality? Neither platform publishes real-world Core Web Vitals data, Largest Contentful Paint metrics, or independent benchmarks. The performance claims rely on architectural philosophy rather than measured evidence. Before committing, test both platforms on a staging environment using Shopify's built-in performance tools or Google PageSpeed Insights to measure actual impact on your store's specific setup.
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Pricing Structure and Total Cost of Ownership
Free Plans Comparison
Rivo's free tier supports stores with up to 200 monthly orders—roughly $2,000–$4,000 in monthly revenue depending on average order value. Growave's free plan caps at 100 monthly orders but includes wishlist and basic product review features, giving you more functionality at a lower volume threshold.
For early-stage brands, Rivo's larger free tier is more generous. For multi-product brands needing review functionality, Growave's included reviews justify accepting the lower order limit.
Paid Tiers and Scalability
Rivo's "Scale" plan starts at $49/month. Growave's "Starter" plan begins at $39/month. Both scale pricing with order volume, so exact monthly costs depend on your traffic and transaction volume.
For very high-volume stores (10,000+ monthly orders), both platforms move to custom enterprise pricing. Rivo's specialized focus can mean lower costs at scale since you're not paying for unused features like reviews or wishlists. Growave's all-in-one pricing can still be competitive if you'd otherwise pay for multiple separate apps.
Value Proposition and ROI
The ROI question isn't just about app costs—it's about revenue impact. Rivo-using merchants cite impressive results: one brand grew loyalty revenue by $800k in under six months; another achieved 156% average order value lift. These aren't guarantees, but they illustrate the potential when loyalty is your primary growth lever.
Growave's value pitch is different: consolidation savings (fewer apps, one dashboard, one integration workflow). If you're currently running five separate apps for loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and referrals, Growave's pricing can feel like a bargain. You're also reducing the cognitive load of managing multiple vendor relationships.
Discover strategies to increase average order value (AOV) and understand how loyalty programs directly contribute to this metric.
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User Experience and Customer Support
Merchant Interface and Setup
Rivo is praised consistently for ease of setup and an intuitive admin interface. The dashboard clearly separates loyalty configuration from referral settings, reducing confusion for new users. Most merchants report being productive within an hour of installation.
Growave's interface is user-friendly but dense. Because five modules live in one app, the admin panel includes more options and tabs. Merchants who only want loyalty features sometimes report feeling overwhelmed by the volume of available configurations. However, this same density is a strength if you're using multiple modules—everything lives in one place.
Customer Support Quality
Rivo is known for world-class, dedicated, responsive customer support. Merchants consistently cite fast response times and personalized assistance with complex setups.
Growave offers general customer support that's helpful for standard questions but can struggle with highly technical loyalty-specific or API-level inquiries. Some merchants report inconsistencies when dealing with complex problems.
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Rivo: Strengths and Weaknesses
Rivo Strengths
- Built natively using Shopify's latest 2026 API standards to ensure maximum speed and performance
- Specialized Loyalty Page builder allowing fully branded loyalty pages without coding
- Performance-first architecture resulting in faster load times for your store
- Advanced anti-fraud and anti-cheat rules protecting your brand from referral abuse
- Modern Checkout UI components enabling seamless redemption experiences
- User-friendly interface praised for ease of setup and management
- World-class, dedicated customer support responsive to merchant needs
- High Shopify App Store rating: 4.9/5 stars
- 150+ loyalty features providing granular control and customization
- Proven results: Merchants report $800k loyalty revenue growth in 6 months, 156% AOV lift, and 27% repeat purchase rate increases
Rivo Weaknesses
- No native reviews or UGC tools—requires separate apps like Judge.me or Okendo
- Smaller third-party integration library compared to legacy competitors
- No built-in visual UGC gallery found in comprehensive suites like Growave
- Limited multi-language support compared to Growave's international capabilities
- Specialized landing page builder may lack some features of dedicated builders like Unbounce
- No integrated affiliate or influencer marketing module for brands running ambassador programs
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Growave: Strengths and Weaknesses
Growave Strengths
- Bundles five essential marketing tools—Loyalty, Reviews, Wishlist, Social Login, Referrals—for one price
- Built-in wishlist feature with automatic price-drop email notifications
- Native Social Login allowing customers to create accounts with one click
- Cost-effective for accessing high-end features like VIP tiers and reward programs
- Consolidates all retention data and billing into a single Shopify app
- Strong multi-language support ideal for international expansion
- 40+ integrations (for Established plans) including Klaviyo, Gorgias, TikTok, Shopify POS
- 200+ flexible features across all modules
- Highly recommended by merchants for customer engagement and sales boost
Growave Weaknesses
- Loading the full feature suite can negatively impact Lighthouse speed scores
- Individual loyalty features are generally more basic than specialized loyalty-only apps
- Dense admin panel can confuse merchants using only loyalty features
- Generalist customer support may struggle with technical loyalty API questions
- Styling options are somewhat rigid, making completely custom looks difficult
- Lower free plan threshold (100 monthly orders vs. Rivo's 200)
- Less specialized depth in pure loyalty compared to focus-only competitors
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Who is Rivo Best For?
Rivo excels for modern DTC brands prioritizing speed, customization, and loyalty as a primary growth engine. If you're running a brand that treats customer retention as a competitive advantage—and you're willing to integrate separate apps for reviews and UGC—Rivo delivers specialized depth that specialist loyalty-only platforms can't match. Teams with technical resources or willingness to experiment benefit from Rivo's advanced fraud detection and custom rule-building capabilities.
Who is Growave Best For?
Growave suits brands seeking an all-in-one marketing toolkit, especially those expanding internationally. If you're currently running multiple apps for reviews, wishlists, and loyalty, Growave's consolidation—and single billing relationship—provides operational simplicity. Merchants who want decent loyalty functionality without deep specialization, combined with review collection and wishlist features, find strong value in Growave's bundled approach.
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Rivo Loyalty App Alternatives
Both platforms have worthy competitors worth evaluating. Review a broader look at the best Shopify loyalty apps available today to understand your full range of options. Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, and others offer different feature sets and pricing models—each with distinct strengths depending on your specific needs.
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Conclusion: Making Your Decision in 2026
Choosing between Rivo and Growave comes down to your priorities. Rivo wins if you want specialized loyalty depth, maximum speed, and don't mind managing separate apps. Growave wins if you want consolidated tools, built-in reviews and wishlists, and international multi-language support.
Both platforms deliver results. Both integrate with Klaviyo and essential marketing tools. The "best" choice isn't universal—it's determined by your business model, growth strategy, and operational preferences. Test both on a staging environment. Check their performance impact. Read customer reviews specific to your industry. The winner will be the platform that aligns with how you actually run your retention strategy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rivo better than Growave for site speed?
Rivo emphasizes modern Shopify-native architecture and claims superior speed. Growave claims speed improvements through app consolidation but reports indicate its full feature suite can impact Lighthouse scores. Neither platform publishes detailed performance benchmarks. Test both on your staging store using Google PageSpeed Insights to measure actual impact.
Does Growave include product reviews?
Yes. Growave is an all-in-one platform bundling loyalty, reviews, wishlists, social login, and referrals. Rivo focuses solely on loyalty and referrals, requiring separate apps for reviews.
Which app has a better free plan?
Rivo's free plan supports up to 200 monthly orders. Growave's free plan supports 100 monthly orders but includes wishlist and basic reviews. Rivo's threshold is more generous if you only need loyalty; Growave's included features provide more functionality at lower volume.
Can both Rivo and Growave integrate with Klaviyo?
Yes. Both platforms offer native Klaviyo integrations, enabling email automation around loyalty events, tier progression, and reward redemptions. Key loyalty analytics metrics that drive revenue are essential for measuring the ROI of your email campaigns alongside loyalty program participation.
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TLDR
Rivo is a specialized, speed-focused loyalty and referral platform with advanced customization and stellar support—ideal if loyalty is your core growth lever and you don't mind integrating separate apps. Growave is an all-in-one marketing suite combining loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and more at a slightly lower price point—perfect if you want consolidation and multi-language support. Both deliver strong results; the best choice depends on whether you prioritize specialized depth (Rivo) or operational convenience (Growave).
