- Rivo holds a 4.8/5 rating from 1,386 reviews on the Shopify App Store.
- VIP tiers and referrals are locked behind the $49/month Scale plan — Free and $15 Essential only include basic points.
- The $49/month Scale plan is the cheapest tier that unlocks VIP tiers, referrals, points expiry, and 20+ analytics reports.
- The $499/month Plus plan adds advanced Klaviyo integration, white-glove onboarding, and a dedicated customer success manager.
- Paid plans include a 14-day free trial, and none of Rivo's tiers charge transaction fees.
01 What Rivo Is and Who Makes It
Rivo is worth installing if you're a small store testing loyalty for the first time — its 4.8-star rating across 1,386 reviews and a genuinely usable free tier make it the safest low-risk pick, and you should start on the Free or $15/month Essential plan rather than jumping straight to a paid tier. Move to Smile.io only if you outgrow Rivo's $49/month feature caps on VIP tiers or need deeper integrations than Rivo's 2-integration limit on Essential allows.
Rivo (full name: Rivo: Loyalty Program, Rewards) is a Shopify loyalty and referrals app. It handles points-based rewards, VIP tiers, referral programs, and a customer-facing loyalty page, and integrates with Shopify POS and email platforms like Klaviyo. As of August 2026, it sits at a 4.8/5 rating from 1,386 reviews on the Shopify App Store.
02 Rivo Ratings & Reviews at a Glance
A 4.8 average with 1,386 reviews puts Rivo in solid company for a mid-market loyalty app — high enough volume that the rating isn't easily skewed by a handful of reviews. As with any app at this review volume, a portion of ratings are critical; it's worth reading the app store reviews directly before committing a live customer base to the platform.
03 Pricing Breakdown: Free, $15, $49, $499 Plans
Rivo's Shopify App Store listing shows four tiers.
| Plan | Price | Order Cap | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 200 orders/mo | Loyalty points, email campaigns |
| Essential | $15/mo | Up to 500 orders | Dedicated loyalty page, 2 integrations, POS support |
| Scale | $49/mo | Up to 2,500 orders | VIP tiers, referrals, points expiry, 20+ analytics reports, basic Klaviyo integration, 24/7 chat support |
| Plus | $499/mo | Unlimited orders/participants | Advanced Klaviyo, white-glove onboarding, priority Slack support, dedicated CSM |
Paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, and there are no transaction fees on any tier. The single biggest thing to understand before picking a plan: VIP tiers and referral programs are locked behind the $49/month Scale plan. If you're on Free or Essential expecting a referral program, you won't get one — you'll need to upgrade.
04 Key Features by Plan Tier — and Where Rivo Falls Short
- Free and Essential are points-only — fine for a store just validating that loyalty drives repeat purchases, but you won't get VIP tiers or referrals without upgrading to Scale.
- Scale is the real workhorse tier — this is where most stores that stick with Rivo end up, since it's the cheapest plan that unlocks VIP tiers, referrals, and meaningful analytics.
05 Rivo vs. Alternatives (Smile.io, LoyaltyLion)
Smile.io and LoyaltyLion are the two most common alternatives merchants compare Rivo against. Rivo's own verified numbers — a 4.8/5 rating from 1,386 reviews, and VIP tiers unlocked at $49/month on the Scale plan — are documented above. We don't have verified current rating, review count, or pricing data for Smile.io or LoyaltyLion to publish alongside them here; check each app's current Shopify App Store listing directly before deciding between them.
06 Who This Is For & Final Verdict
Rivo is the right call for a small-to-mid Shopify store that wants to test whether a loyalty program moves repeat-purchase rate, without committing to a high monthly bill up front. The Free and $15/month tiers are genuinely usable starting points, and $49/month gets you VIP tiers and referrals. That's the core value proposition, and it holds up against the verified numbers: 4.8/5 across 1,386 reviews is a solid, trustworthy base.
If you're a larger store that needs deeper customization, more integrations, or want to weigh trust signals like review volume beyond what's documented here, Smile.io and LoyaltyLion are worth evaluating directly against their current App Store listings once you're past the $49/month Scale tier's ceiling.
Bottom line: start with Rivo's Free or $15/month plan if you're testing loyalty for the first time. It's a low-risk entry point at that price, backed by a review base large enough to trust. Graduate to Smile.io or LoyaltyLion only when Rivo's $49/month ceiling genuinely limits you — not before.
07 Frequently asked questions
- Is Rivo a good Shopify loyalty app?
- Yes for small to mid-size stores — it holds a 4.8/5 rating from 1,386 reviews and offers a usable free tier for testing loyalty before committing to a paid plan.
- How much does Rivo cost?
- Rivo has four tiers on the Shopify App Store: Free ($0, up to 200 orders/month), Essential ($15/month, up to 500 orders), Scale ($49/month, up to 2,500 orders, adds VIP tiers and referrals), and Plus ($499/month, unlimited orders).
- Does Rivo's free plan include VIP tiers or referrals?
- No. VIP tiers and referral programs are only available starting on the $49/month Scale plan; Free and Essential ($15/month) only include basic points.
- Is Rivo better than Smile.io?
- We don't have verified current rating, review count, or pricing data for Smile.io to make a direct numeric comparison. Rivo's own verified numbers — a 4.8/5 rating from 1,386 reviews and VIP tiers unlocked at $49/month — are a reasonable baseline; check Smile.io's current Shopify App Store listing directly before comparing.
- Does Rivo charge transaction fees?
- No transaction fees are listed on any Rivo plan, and paid plans include a 14-day free trial.