Smile.io Alternative: 99minds vs Smile.io | Gift Cards, POS & More

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Smile.io Alternative : Compare 99minds vs Smile.io

Looking beyond Smile.io? See why 1,000+ brands choose 99minds for gift cards, store credits, omnichannel loyalty, and advanced referral programs - all at a better price.

Trusted by teams at

Bestop
Cariloha
Club Monaco
Birdsnest
Flynn Ohara
Corner Bakery
Tootsies
Jaxen Gray
Lovable
Mud Australia
Dunning
La Senza
Mizuno
Natori
DIM Paris
Pinstripes
Greg Norman
Solo Brands
Solstice Sunglasses
ThirdLove
Bestop
Cariloha
Club Monaco
Birdsnest
Flynn Ohara
Corner Bakery
Tootsies
Jaxen Gray
Lovable
Mud Australia
Dunning
La Senza
Mizuno
Natori
DIM Paris
Pinstripes
Greg Norman
Solo Brands
Solstice Sunglasses
ThirdLove

Why look for Smile.io alternatives?

Smile.io handles points and referrals well, but brands that need gift cards, store credits, POS loyalty, or support beyond Shopify quickly outgrow it. 99minds fills every gap Smile.io leaves open - see our pricing plans and compare for yourself.

No Gift Cards

Smile.io does not support gift cards or store credits - both of which 99minds handles natively out of the box.

Shopify-Only Focus

Smile.io is built primarily for Shopify. Merchants on BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or Magento have very limited options.

Limited POS Support

Smile.io only supports Shopify POS. 99minds natively connects with Square, Heartland, Lightspeed, and Clover for true omnichannel in-store loyalty.

Steep Pricing at Scale

Smile.io pricing scales steeply with order volume, making it expensive for high-growth brands. 99minds offers transparent, budget-friendly plans.

99minds vs Smile.io - Feature Comparison

A detailed side-by-side comparison of 99minds and Smile.io across loyalty, gift cards, pricing, integrations, and more.

Feature
99minds
Smile.io

Loyalty Programs

Points-based loyalty
Tiered / VIP loyalty
Growth plan ($199/mo)
Cashback rewards
Punch card programs
Gamification (spin-to-win, scratch cards)
Custom reward catalog
Limited
Mobile Wallet (Apple Pay / Google Pay)

Gift Cards

Digital gift cards
Physical gift cards
Multi-currency gift cards
Bulk gift card creation
Gift card balance tracking
Scheduled gift card delivery

Store Credits

Store credit management
Partial payment with store credits
Credit expiry management
Automated refund-to-credit

Referral Programs

Referral tracking
Double-sided referral rewards
Custom referral rewards
Limited
Multi-channel referral sharing
Limited

Coupons & Promotions

Coupon code management
Limited
Bulk coupon generation
Auto-applied discounts
Cart-level promotions
SKU-based coupons

Integrations

Shopify / Shopify Plus
BigCommerce
WooCommerce
Adobe Commerce (Magento)
Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Shopify POS
Square, Heartland, Lightspeed, Clover POS
Klaviyo / email marketing sync
REST API access
Plus plan ($999/mo)

Pricing

Free plan available
200 orders/mo cap
Starting paid plan price
$49/mo
$15/mo
VIP tiers on entry paid plan
Transparent public pricing
No order volume caps on paid plans
Budget-friendly at scale

Why Brands Switch from Smile.io to 99minds

More than a loyalty app - a complete customer retention platform built for omnichannel growth.

All-in-One Platform

Loyalty, gift cards, store credits, referrals, coupons, and mobile wallet - all from one dashboard. No juggling multiple tools or paying for separate add-ons.

Flexible, Transparent Pricing

Plans start at $49/month with no volume traps or hidden fees. Fully public pricing means no surprise quotes - most brands save 70-85% annually by switching to 99minds.

Omnichannel by Default

Native POS support for Square, Heartland, Lightspeed, Clover, and ConnectPOS means loyalty rewards work seamlessly in-store and online - not just on Shopify POS.

24/7 Dedicated Support

Every plan includes dedicated onboarding support and round-the-clock assistance - not just enterprise tiers. Get a team that monitors your program and suggests improvements.

Customer Success Stories

Don’t just take our word for it. Hear it from our successful customers. All Customer Stories

  • Mud Australia

    38%

    Increase Average Spend Over Gift Card Value

    Multi-Currency

    AUS $ USD $ GBP £

    30%

    Increase in Sales due to rise in Gift card Redemption frequency

    Saved 400hrs

    Manual work

    Mud Australia store
  • Solstice

    $640K

    In Sales due to Promotional Gift Cards

    45 Days

    Summer Promotion

    28%

    Increase in AOV

    Gift Card

    As new promotion channel

    Solstice campaign
  • Natori

    25%

    Increase in
    Customer LTV

    Omnichannel

    Online and In-store

    40%

    Higher Spending on Redemption

    Gift Cards

    As new marketing channel

    Natori product
  • Bestop

    $1.5M

    In Sales due to Gift Card Promotion

    60 Days

    Social Media promotion with Heather Storm

    20%

    Increase in AOV

    15%

    Increase in Conversion Rate

    Bestop promotion
  • Calico

    25%

    Increase in
    Customer LTV

    30%

    Increase in ARR

    10%

    Increase in AOV

    Omnichannel Loyalty & Referral

    New Customer Acquisition & Retention channel

    Calico loyalty
  • Tassels

    15%

    Increase in
    Customer LTV

    20%

    Increase in ARR

    15%

    Increase in AOV

    Omnichannel Loyalty & Referral

    New Customer Acquisition & Retention channel

    Tassels loyalty

Compare 99minds vs Other Loyalty Platforms

Explore how 99minds stacks up against other leading loyalty and rewards platforms.

Save minimum 70-85% annually on costs with the Best Smile.io Alternative

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about switching from Smile.io to 99minds.

  • Yes. 99minds covers everything Smile.io offers in points and referrals, then adds native gift cards, store credits, cashback, gamification, and POS integrations for Square, Heartland, Lightspeed, and Clover - all features Smile.io does not provide. Plans start at $49/month with no order volume caps, making it a stronger option for most brands.

  • Smile.io has a free plan capped at 200 orders per month. Paid plans start at $15/month (Essential), then $79/month (Standard), $199/month (Growth, required for VIP tiers), and $999/month (Plus, required for API access). Order volume caps apply on all paid plans - exceeding them requires upgrading. 99minds starts at $49/month with no volume caps.

  • Smile.io does not support gift card management. It can offer a gift card as a reward type on Standard plans and above, but there is no native system for creating, tracking, or managing gift cards. 99minds provides full digital and physical gift card management including bulk creation, balance tracking, scheduled delivery, and multi-currency support - all out of the box.

  • No. Smile.io is built exclusively for Shopify. Merchants on BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce (Magento), or Salesforce Commerce Cloud cannot use Smile.io. 99minds integrates with all of these platforms, plus Shopify and Shopify Plus.

  • VIP tiers on Smile.io require the Growth plan at $199/month. They are not available on the free, Essential ($15/month), or Standard ($79/month) plans. 99minds includes VIP tiers on all paid plans starting at $49/month.

  • Smile.io supports Shopify POS natively but has no integrations for Square, Heartland, Lightspeed, or Clover. If your business uses in-store POS systems outside Shopify's ecosystem, Smile.io cannot bridge online and in-store loyalty. 99minds supports Square, Heartland, Lightspeed, Clover, and ConnectPOS natively.

  • Yes. 99minds offers a guided migration process to transfer customer point balances, tier status, and program history from Smile.io. The 99minds onboarding team helps ensure customers retain their earned rewards without any disruption to your loyalty program.

  • Smile.io charges by order volume, so costs rise sharply as your business grows - the Plus plan at $999/month is required for API access and priority support. 99minds plans are feature-based, not volume-based, so you are never penalized for growth. Most high-volume brands save significantly when switching from Smile.io to 99minds.

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