The Loyalty Club vs Smile.io
Shopify-only online loyalty. 58K merchants. No physical engagement (no NFC, no QR in-store). Free-$999/mo.
Quick Verdict
TLC is better if...
Any business that wants maximum customer adoption — no app, no signup, just tap and go
Smile.io is better if...
Shopify-only e-commerce stores wanting online-only loyalty (no physical stores)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | The Loyalty Club | Smile.io |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Engagement | ||
| NFC Tap-to-Stamp | NFC — impossible to clone, unlike standard NFC | No |
| NFC Anti-Fraud | Bank-grade cryptographic verification on every tap | No |
| QR Code Stamps | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth Beacon | No | No |
| Capacitive Touch Device | No | No |
| WiFi Captive Portal | No | No |
| Customer Experience | ||
| App Download Required | No | No |
| Apple Wallet Passes | Native passes with geofencing — auto-appears near the store | No |
| Google Wallet Passes | Coming soon | No |
| Account Creation Required | No | No |
| Personal Info Required | No | No |
| Push Notifications | Via Apple Wallet passes and location triggers | No |
| POS Integration | ||
| Square POS | Fully automatic card-linked stamping | No |
| Stripe POS | Planned | No |
| Clover POS | Planned | No |
| Lightspeed POS | Planned | No |
| Toast POS | No | No |
| Dojo | Planned | No |
| SumUp | Planned | No |
| Epos Now | No | No |
| Other POS Systems | Planned | No |
| Card-Linked Auto-Stamp | Pay with the same card and stamps land automatically | No |
| E-Commerce | ||
| Shopify Integration | Planned | Shopify-only |
| WooCommerce Integration | Planned | No |
| Security | ||
| Anti-Fraud Measures | NFC anti-fraud + rate limiting + device fingerprinting | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes | No |
| Marketing | ||
| Email Campaigns | No | No |
| SMS Campaigns | No | No |
| Automated Marketing | No | No |
| Referral Program | Planned | Yes |
| Cross-Merchant Network | No | No |
| Business Features | ||
| Multi-Location Support | Manage all locations from one dashboard | No |
| White Label / Branded | Your brand, your colours, your logo throughout | No |
| Developer API | Planned | No |
| Analytics Dashboard | See who visits, how often, and who stopped coming back | No |
Pricing Comparison
The Loyalty Club
Unlimited customers, per-location pricing, 3 staff cards. No commission. Hardware sold separately.
Smile.io
Limited features
Enterprise
First Year Total Cost (cheapest plan)
£348.00
TLC
Free
Smile.io
Smile.io entry price is lower, but TLC is flat-rate with no per-user fees, anti-fraud NFC, Apple Wallet, and zero app downloads.
What Real Users Say
Trustpilot
45 reviews
G2
Review Summary
The most popular Shopify loyalty app with 100K+ merchants. Excellent free tier for small stores. Best G2 rating in the loyalty space (4.6/5). However, purely e-commerce — no physical store NFC or stamp cards. Higher tiers are expensive.
Common Complaints from Smile.io Users
E-commerce only — zero physical store engagement (no NFC, no stamps)
Free tier limited to 200 orders/mo
Growth plan jumps to $199/mo — steep for SMBs
Pro plan is $599/mo — enterprise pricing
No SMS marketing included
Limited customization on lower tiers
Shopify-dependent — limited other platform support
Choose Smile.io if you...
- You're a Shopify e-commerce store wanting online loyalty, points, and referrals
- You want the most established Shopify loyalty app (100K+ merchants)
- You don't have physical store locations
- You want a generous free tier for online loyalty
Choose TLC if you...
- You have physical store locations wanting NFC stamp loyalty
- You want in-store engagement that customers can see and feel
- You want anti-clone NFC security
- You want transparent flat pricing (no steep jumps from free to $199/mo)
Switching from Smile.io to TLC
Smile.io is for e-commerce; TLC is for physical stores. If you have both online and physical presence, you could use Smile.io online and TLC in-store. There's no direct migration path since they serve different channels.
Under 30 minutes
Full setup from scratch
Zero downtime
Run both in parallel
No data loss
Customers start fresh on NFC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Loyalty Club really better than Smile.io?
+
TLC offers unique advantages like NFC anti-fraud NFC, zero app downloads via PWA/App Clip, and Square POS integration. However, the best choice depends on your specific needs.
Can I switch from Smile.io to TLC?
+
Yes. TLC is designed for quick setup -you can be running in under 30 minutes. Your customers don't need to download anything; they just tap the NFC tag on their next visit. There's no complex data migration needed since TLC starts fresh with your customers.
What does Smile.io do that TLC doesn't?
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Smile.io has been in the market longer and may have some features TLC is still building. Check the feature comparison table above for a detailed breakdown.
The research is clear: retailers with poorly-implemented loyalty programmes grew at just 2.28% — while those with no programme at all grew at 4.26%. McKinsey
Choosing the cheapest option can cost more than having no loyalty at all. See the full breakdown
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