Side-by-side comparison · 24 data points
Turn every customer into a sales channel. Automatic referral rewards that drive repeat purchases.
| Gift a Friend | Smile | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | ||
| Description | ||
| Screenshots | images | images |
| Languages | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Developer | ||
| Listed |
| Metric | Gift a Friend: Referral Growth | Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | — | 4.9 ★ |
| Total reviews | 0 | 4.3k |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan available | Free plan available |
| Built for Shopify | — | ★ Yes |
| Pricing tiers | 3 tiers | ★ 4 tiers |
| Listed features | 3 | ★ 5 |
| Featured placements | — | 3 |
| Languages | 1 supported | 9 supported |
| Listed since | Dec 2025 | Dec 2014 |
Based on the data on this page, Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards is the stronger choice for most Shopify App Store merchants — 4.9★ vs Gift a Friend: Referral Growth's 0.0★ is a meaningful gap that usually reflects real product or support quality differences across the user base. Pricing entry tiers: Gift a Friend: Referral Growth at Free plan available, Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards at Free plan available. Check each app's tier structure for the capacity limits you actually need before deciding — the headline number is the same shape, but the gating shape per tier (apps, orders, integrations) varies. Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards has the larger user base (4,313 reviews vs 0), which usually maps to broader integration coverage, faster bug-fix cadence, and a deeper bench of community workflow patterns. Gift a Friend: Referral Growth's smaller cohort can be an advantage for niche workflows where the bigger app has accumulated bloat. Recommended by store size: small/early-stage merchants who need fast install and low risk should default to Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards; mid-market and enterprise merchants with specific feature requirements should evaluate both — Gift a Friend: Referral Growth's 0-review base may include the workflow context that matches your specific use case better than Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards's broader-but-shallower coverage. This verdict is generated from the live marketplace data on this page — rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position all refresh from the canonical Shopify App Store listing every 24 hours. AppRanks does not accept payment to influence comparison outcomes; the methodology is documented on the About page and applies identically to every pair on the site.
Read each app's audit: Gift a Friend: Referral Growth audit • Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards audit
| Last updated | — | — |
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| Keyword | Gift a Friend | Smile |
|---|---|---|
| tiers | Not ranked | #1 |
| and rewards | Not ranked | #1 |
| loyalty and rewards | Not ranked | #1 |
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No tracked changes.
Both Gift a Friend: Referral Growth and Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards offer paid plans only. Gift a Friend: Referral Growth starts at Free plan available; Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards starts at Free plan available. Compare the per-tier features in the Pricing section above before committing.
It depends on what you're optimizing for. Gift a Friend: Referral Growth fits better if you prioritize broader integrations; Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards is the call if you need the higher-rated option. Read both apps' detail pages on AppRanks for the full feature breakdown, install counts, and recent listing changes.
Both apps are one-click installs from the Shopify App Store marketplace. Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards has more onboarding documentation maturity (4,313 reviews vs 0), which usually translates to better-tested setup wizards and quicker time-to-value. AppRanks doesn't measure setup time directly — read the recent reviews on each app's detail page for merchant-reported install experience.
Gift a Friend: Referral Growth typically suits early-stage and growth-mode stores based on its review-base composition (0 reviews). Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards aligns more with early-stage and growth-mode stores (4,313 reviews). Larger review bases generally mean the app has been load-tested at scale — relevant if you're processing high order volume or handling enterprise compliance requirements.
Migration support varies by app and category. Gift a Friend: Referral Growth and Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards both publish their export options on their marketplace listing pages (or in their support docs); some apps offer one-click import from competitors, others require CSV. The fastest check: search "import from Gift a Friend: Referral Growth" in each app's help center. AppRanks does not track migration tooling directly — this is a category-specific capability worth verifying before commitment.
