In short
- Loyalty, referrals, and rewards built around a public API
- White-label theming and component-level customisation
- Klaviyo, Postscript, and Gorgias integrations on paid tiers
- Best fit: Shopify brands with engineering capacity that want loyalty embedded into their custom storefront
What is Rivo
Rivo is a Shopify-native loyalty platform built around a public API and component-level customisation. The product covers the standard loyalty toolkit, points, referrals, tiers, on-site widgets, but exposes more of the underlying primitives so engineering teams can embed loyalty into custom headless storefronts rather than dropping in a generic widget.
Where Rivo fits in 2026
Rivo is the right pick for Shopify brands that have engineering capacity and a custom storefront where a generic loyalty widget would look wrong. Headless Hydrogen stores, custom React storefronts, and brands with strong design systems benefit from the API-first model. The white-label theming means the loyalty experience can match the brand exactly rather than carrying the loyalty vendor’s visual signature.
The honest trade-off is that Rivo is overkill for brands without engineering capacity. If your team installs Shopify apps and configures them through dashboards, Smile.io or LoyaltyLion will get you to launch faster and look fine on a standard Shopify theme. Rivo earns its keep when the surface needs to be custom-built and the team can read API docs.
How Rivo compares to alternatives
Versus Smile.io: Smile is the no-code option for standard Shopify themes. Rivo is the API option for custom storefronts. Both cover points and referrals; the deciding factor is whether you want a widget or a component. Versus LoyaltyLion: LoyaltyLion is feature-rich and marketer-facing with deep Klaviyo integration. Rivo is API-first and developer-facing. Pick on who owns the loyalty program internally. Versus BON Loyalty: BON is the budget app-store option. Rivo is the premium API-first option. Different buyer profiles entirely.
FAQ about Rivo
How much does Rivo cost?
Paid plans start at $49 per month (Starter) and scale to $199 per month (Growth) and $599 per month (Premium). All paid plans include unlimited integrations and lifecycle emails, which is unusual at the $49 entry price.
Is Rivo good for Shopify?
Yes, Rivo was built exclusively for Shopify and uses checkout extensions to embed loyalty directly in the purchase flow. It does not support BigCommerce, Wix, or other platforms.
Does Rivo have an API?
Yes, Rivo offers a public API and white-label theming, which is one of its main differentiators versus simpler apps like Smile.io. It is positioned for developer-led teams that want to customise the loyalty experience.
What are Rivo alternatives?
The most common alternatives are Smile.io (simpler, lower-cost), Yotpo Loyalty (bundled with reviews), and LoyaltyLion (more analytics depth). Stamped and BON Loyalty also come up for cheaper bundles.
Does Rivo support VIP tiers and referrals?
Yes, all paid plans include points, VIP tiers, and referral programs. Custom integrations and advanced analytics unlock on Growth and Premium.
How to use Rivo?
Install Rivo from the Shopify App Store, configure points, tiers, and referral rules, and white-label the customer-facing experience. Most stores are live within a day.
Why choose Rivo?
Rivo gives developers a public API and white-label theming, which lets you embed loyalty deeply into your storefront rather than living inside an off-brand widget.
How does Rivo work?
Rivo runs points, VIP tiers, and referrals on Shopify, integrates with your storefront through API or pre-built blocks, and exposes the data for downstream segmentation.
Is Rivo free?
No, Rivo starts at $49/mo with a 14-day trial. There is no permanent free tier.
How to learn Rivo?
Rivo maintains documentation at rivo.io/help. Their YouTube channel has product walkthroughs and partner agencies offer paid training.
What are Rivo reviews?
Rivo is rated 4.8 on Shopify App Store with 1,363 reviews. See the reviews for detailed feedback.
Does Rivo have a trial or a demo?
Yes, Rivo offers a 14-day trial. Sign up at https://www.rivo.io to start.
Does Rivo have AI?
Rivo doesn’t market traditional machine-learning features as a headline. It positions itself as a Shopify-exclusive retention platform built on points, VIP tiers, referrals, and paid memberships, with 20+ fraud prevention tools and weekly product updates rather than AI as a primary differentiator.
Rivo pricing
Rivo pricing starts at $49/mo. Plans are organised as Starter / Scale / Plus. A 14 days free trial is available. See the full Rivo pricing page for current tiers and any add-ons.
