Most sports brands pay to win a customer through ads and athlete partnerships, then pay again every time that customer runs out of electrolytes, wears through a pair of running shoes, or needs new grip tape. A loyalty app gives customers their own reason to restock with you, since every order earns points toward their next piece of kit. VIP tiers can give your most committed athletes early access to new drops, and a paid membership can include free shipping on bulky gear like bikes and weights.
The Shopify App Store lists hundreds of loyalty apps, and most include the same core features: points, VIP tiers, referrals, and POS support for pro shops and race expos. Each app puts those features on different plans and raises the price as your monthly orders grow.
In this comparison article, I'll break down the most important customer loyalty features for sports brands, then compare pricing across identical order volumes (500, 2,000, and 10,000 orders per month), so you can see which features you get on each plan and what you'll pay for them.
Here are ten must-have features to check before you choose a customer loyalty app for your food and drink brand.
Points for training data. Every app on this list offers points, so check which non-purchase actions earn them. Points for a quiz about a customer's sport, training level, or next race tell you which gear to recommend and when they'll need it.
Free product rewards. Socks, energy gels, tape, or a water bottle are rewards an athlete will use every week. They also get customers to try a product line outside their usual order, and some plans don't include free product rewards at all.
VIP tiers for early access to drops. Serious athletes and fans want first access to a limited jersey, a new colorway, or a new shoe model. VIP tiers let you give that access to your best customers, and the plan they start on ranges from $79/month to a custom quote.
Paid memberships for free shipping on bulky gear. Bikes, weights, boards, and rackets are heavy or oversized, so shipping costs put customers off buying online. A paid membership lets you sell free shipping or member pricing as a yearly perk, and only one app on this list lists paid memberships on its pricing page.
Programs for teams, clubs, and gyms. Clubs, teams, and gyms order kit in bulk, so they need different rewards from an individual athlete. Check whether the app can run separate earning and redemption rules for these accounts.
Referrals that travel through teams and training groups. A teammate asks where the new cleats came from, and a running crew compares shoes at the start line. A referral program that rewards both sides gives the person asking a discount code to use.
In-cart redemption for mixed orders. Sports orders often combine gear with consumables, like a pair of shoes with gels and socks. When customers can apply points in the cart, they use their balance on that order without leaving to find a discount code.
Klaviyo flows that use loyalty data. Sports brands already send pre-season launch emails and restock reminders from Klaviyo. When the loyalty app passes points balances and tier status into those flows, a pre-season email can tell customers how many points they have toward new gear.
Apple and Google Wallet passes. A Wallet pass puts a customer's points and tier on their phone, so they can show it at a pro shop or race expo stand without logging in. The pass stays in their phone's wallet through the off-season.
Shopify POS for pro shops, stores, and events (skip if you're online-only). If you run a pro shop, a flagship store, or stands at race expos and tournaments, staff need to enroll customers and apply rewards at the till. All seven apps list a POS integration, but the plan it starts on differs.
Best for: Enterprise Shopify Plus sports brands that want an all-in-one loyalty app with VIP tiers, paid memberships, referrals, POS integration, Klaviyo flows, Apple and Google Wallet passes, and B2B loyalty from $79/month for up to 2,000 orders, and unlimited orders for $399/month.
Rating: 5.0 | Price: $12–$399/month | Free Plan: Yes
Love Loyalty is the most complete loyalty platform for sports brands and is built exclusively for Shopify and Shopify Plus. It covers every retention lever this vertical runs on: points for consumable replenishment, VIP tiers with early access for your most committed athletes, referrals that reward the teammate conversation, paid memberships that offset bulky-gear shipping, Shopify POS for pro shops and event pop-ups, and B2B loyalty for clubs, teams, and gyms buying wholesale.
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Schedule a free call and launch your loyalty program with Love Loyalty with points, VIP tiers, memberships, and POS, all set up for your sports brand.
Best for: Sports brands sold through sporting goods retailers
Rating: 4.6 | Price: From $199/month | Free Plan: No
LoyaltyLion is a loyalty platform with receipt upload for points and API access on every plan. It's designed for sports brands whose customers also buy through sporting goods stores, and who want those purchases to earn points.
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Best for: Sports brands that reward gear reviews
Rating: 4.7 | Price: From $199/month | Free Plan: No
Yotpo Loyalty is a loyalty and referrals platform that awards points for photo and video reviews on its entry plan. It's designed for sports brands that want customers to review fit and durability, since shoppers want to know whether a shoe runs true to size or a racket holds up after a season.
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Best for: New sports brands that want reviews with loyalty
Rating: 4.8 | Price: $49–$349/month | Free Plan: Yes
Nector is a loyalty app that combines points, referrals, and product reviews. It's designed for new sports brands that want customer reviews and a points program in one app.
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Best for: Small sports brands with a pro shop
Rating: 4.9 | Price: $15–$999/month | Free Plan: Yes
Smile is a points and referrals app with native Shopify POS support on every plan, including the free one. It's designed for small sports brands that want one loyalty program in their pro shop and online.
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Best for: Creator-led sports brands
Rating: 5.0 | Price: $99–$999/month | Free Plan: Not verified
Loyoly is a loyalty and referral app with 40+ missions that reward opt-ins, UGC, Instagram posts, and Google reviews. It's designed for sports brands whose customers already post race-day photos and training content, and who want to reward that content.
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Best for: Sports brands whose customers save up for big-ticket gear
Rating: 4.8 | Price: $15–$999/month | Free Plan: No
Growave is a retention app that combines loyalty, product reviews, and a wishlist. It's designed for sports brands whose customers save bikes, treadmills, and rackets to a wishlist while they budget for them.
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Where it has an edge: Shopify POS on the $49 entry tier is rare at that price, since most apps gate POS to the mid or premium tier. For an indie brand running a single pro shop or a weekend tournament stall, that's a real edge. The bundled wishlists also fit this vertical unusually well, because athletes routinely save big-ticket gear like bikes, treadmills, and rackets while they budget for it, and a wishlist gives you a reason to email them when the sale or the new model lands.
Who is it best for: indie sports brands at the early-validation stage who want to consolidate loyalty, reviews, and wishlists into one subscription, especially with a small retail outlet alongside the Shopify store.
Stage 1: Up to 500 orders/mo.
What you need: points, a loyalty page, in-cart redemption, Klaviyo integration, and live chat + email support. Enough to start rewarding repeat nutrition and accessory orders without overspending on features you haven't earned the right to use yet.
The pick: Love Loyalty's $12/mo entry tier covers all of this. Closest alternatives are Nector at $49/mo or Smile at $79/mo.
Stage 2: Up to 2,000 orders/mo.
What you need: VIP tiers for your club athletes and marathon regulars, a paid membership that offsets shipping on bulky gear, referrals for the teammate pipeline, and Shopify POS if you're opening a pro shop or working race expos.
The pick: Love Loyalty's $79/mo mid-tier bundles all four (VIP tiers, paid memberships, referrals, and Shopify POS) into one published plan, with onboarding support included. Smile's $199 plan covers VIP tiers and referrals but no memberships or POS, at more than twice the price.
Stage 3: Up to 10,000 orders/mo.
What you need: everything from Stage 2, plus checkout extensions, B2B loyalty for team, club, and gym accounts, and unlimited order volume so your January surge stops generating overage fees.
The pick: Love Loyalty's $399/mo premium plan offers unlimited orders, checkout extensions, B2B, and a reduced 0.8% membership fee. Smile's Plus plan at $999/mo caps at 7,500 orders without paid memberships. LoyaltyLion lands on a custom quote that typically clears $1,500/mo.
Stage 4: Enterprise or Shopify Plus (10,000+ orders, 100,000+ customers).
What you need: everything from Stage 3, plus migration support if you're moving off a legacy contract, and the operational capacity to handle 100,000+ customer records without losing point balances or tier statuses.
The pick: Love Loyalty's $399/mo premium plan with free migration support, which also offers unlimited orders, checkout extensions, B2B, and paid memberships.
Your first products (up to 500 orders a month). You need points, free product rewards, and in-cart redemption so customers use points on their next restock. Love Loyalty's $12/month plan includes all three, plus a loyalty page, Klaviyo, and Shopify POS for a first event stand. Smile and Growave both start at $15/month for 500 orders with POS and free product rewards.
A pro shop and an athlete club (up to 2,000 orders a month). You need VIP tiers for early access to drops, paid memberships for free shipping on bulky gear, and POS for the pro shop. Love Loyalty's $79/month plan includes all three, plus Wallet passes. Smile's $199/month Growth plan includes VIP tiers and POS, but paid memberships aren't listed.
Team, club, and gym accounts (up to 10,000 orders a month). You need separate rules for bulk buyers and a plan that won't charge overages in January or pre-season. Love Loyalty includes B2B programs from $79/month and unlimited orders at $399/month. Nector's $349/month Premium plan includes 12,000 orders with VIP tiers and tag-based rewards, if you don't need memberships.
Seasonal peaks and several stores (over 10,000 orders a month). You need unlimited orders and a migration that keeps every point balance and tier. Love Loyalty stays at $399/month at any volume, and Growave's Unlimited plan costs $999/month.
Schedule a free demo with Love Loyalty and get a personalized walkthrough of the features, integrations, and pricing built for where your sports brand is right now.
Already running a loyalty program and worried about losing point balances or tier data?
Agradi, an equestrian sports retailer, migrated from LoyaltyLion (which they described as "very expensive" with "too many steps for customers to redeem") to Love Loyalty with a customer base in the millions and hit a 47% redemption rate within months, with 17% of sales driven by the loyalty program.
Yoggies migrated 100,000+ customers to Love Loyalty with zero data loss and ended with 97.3% participation post-migration. Their previous program was rigid and costly. Their CMO Jirka Švihálek put it plainly when comparing platforms: Love Loyalty came out ahead on feature offerings, pricing, and adjustability.
Both migrations preserved point balances, tier statuses, and customer trust, with onboarding manager support throughout.
Book a free demo and our migration team will walk you through how we'd move your customers over and what your setup would look like on Love Loyalty.
Love Loyalty is the best fit for most sports brands, but the right app changes with your size and how you sell.
If you're a sports brand thinking of building a loyalty program on Shopify, schedule a demo with Love Loyalty.
1. What's the best loyalty program software for a sports brand?
The best loyalty program software for a sports brand on Shopify is Love Loyalty for most brands. Its $79/month plan includes VIP tiers, paid memberships, B2B programs, referrals, in-cart redemption, Wallet passes, and Shopify POS for up to 2,000 orders a month.
2. What should I compare before choosing a loyalty program for a sports brand?
Compare the price of the plan that includes the features you need at your busiest month's order volume, since January and pre-season can be far busier than the rest of the year. Then check which plan includes VIP tiers, paid memberships, in-cart redemption, and POS.
3. Which Shopify loyalty platform suits a fast-growing sports brand?
A fast-growing sports brand needs a plan that doesn't cap its busiest months. Love Loyalty's plans go from $12/month to $79/month to $399/month with unlimited orders, while Smile's $999/month Plus plan includes 7,500 orders and Loyoly doesn't publish pricing above 500 orders.
4. What's the best enterprise loyalty platform for sports brands?
The best enterprise loyalty platform for sports brands on Shopify is Love Loyalty, whose $399/month plan includes unlimited orders, checkout extensions, and API access. Growave's Unlimited plan costs $999/month, while Smile, LoyaltyLion, and Yotpo Loyalty price their top plans by quote.
5. Is Love Loyalty good for sports brands?
Love Loyalty suits sports brands that want early-access tiers, a free-shipping membership, and one program across online, pro shops, and team accounts. Agradi, an equestrian retailer, runs a four-tier VIP program on Love Loyalty with a 47% redemption rate. It only runs on Shopify.
6. Where can I compare loyalty programs for sports brands?You can compare them in the volume table above, which prices every app at the same three
order volumes. For reviews, the Shopify App Store shows reviews from merchants who installed each app, and the Built for Shopify badge marks apps that meet Shopify's standards for performance and integration.
7. Which sports brands run strong loyalty programs?
Agradi runs a four-tier VIP program from Bronze to Platinum, with early access, exclusive offers, and free items at higher tiers, and customers redeem points in the cart with one click. Rubino sells a $20/year membership with 10% off every order and free shipping, and paid members spend about 3x more than non-members.
