Gather: Refer a Friend vs Love Loyalty Program & Rewardsfor Shopify (2026)
Gather: Refer a Friend focuses specifically on referral programs, positioning itself as an acquisition channel. It emphasizes ease of deployment and customization of referral experiences through drag-and-drop design, reward tiers, and targeting options (sales, lead generation, newsletter growth). It appears to target merchants who want a streamlined, dedicated solution to leverage their existing customer base for growth through referrals. Love Loyalty Program & Rewards, on the other hand, is a broader loyalty and rewards platform encompassing points programs, VIP tiers, referrals, and even memberships. Its emphasis is on building a comprehensive loyalty ecosystem across the customer journey, including POS support and B2B options. The core difference lies in their scope. Gather is laser-focused on referrals, while Love Loyalty Program & Rewards provides a more holistic loyalty solution. Gather prioritizes ease of use and targeted referral campaigns, while Love Loyalty Program & Rewards aims to build a complete loyalty program including points, rewards, VIP tiers, and membership options. The number of reviews, though both are 5/5, strongly suggests Love Loyalty Program & Rewards has a larger and more established user base, potentially implying more extensive features and support resources. Love Loyalty Program & Rewards boasts a larger feature set including POS support, B2B loyalty programs, and membership options, indicating it caters to a wider range of merchants including brick and mortar stores and B2B businesses. The emphasis on free and fast migration from other loyalty apps suggests they are targeting merchants looking to switch from existing solutions like LoyaltyLion, Smile, and Yotpo.
At a Glance
Gather: Refer a Friend
14 reviews
Love Loyalty Program & Rewards
214 reviews
Detailed Overview
Gather: Refer a Friend
Gather activates your customer to customer referral channel, with automation and personalisation.
Key Features
- Sales growth, newsletter growth or lead-gen with referrals.
- Invitations, including: email with contact search, social media and messaging.
- Deploy reward tiers / milestones. Provide One-sided or two-sided rewards.
- Enrol members in a post-purchase CTA sidebar and directly from Klaviyo.
- Design emails with a drag-and-drop editor. Design the embedded dashboard.
Love Loyalty Program & Rewards
Loyalty points program with loyalty and rewards, VIP tiers, referral, membership for loyal customers
Key Features
- Set how your customers earn points, redeem rewards, add VIP tiers and referrals
- Let customers redeem rewards in the Cart without any confusing pop-up widgets
- Choose from 15+ high-converting loyalty placements to add on the storefront
- POS support: earn & redeem in physical stores; Loyalty programs for B2B as well
- Offer monthly and yearly memberships with our memberships feature
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Gather: Refer a Friend5/5 Love Loyalty Program & Rewards5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 14 | 214 |
Reviews Gather: Refer a Friend14 Love Loyalty Program & Rewards214 | ||
| Focus | Referral Program Only | Comprehensive Loyalty Program |
Focus Gather: Refer a FriendReferral Program Only Love Loyalty Program & RewardsComprehensive Loyalty Program | ||
| Target Merchant | Merchants seeking referral-focused growth | Merchants seeking a full loyalty ecosystem |
Target Merchant Gather: Refer a FriendMerchants seeking referral-focused growth Love Loyalty Program & RewardsMerchants seeking a full loyalty ecosystem | ||
| Key Features | Drag-and-drop design, tiered rewards, email/SMS lead-gen referrals | Points, rewards, VIP tiers, referrals, memberships, POS support, B2B loyalty |
Key Features Gather: Refer a FriendDrag-and-drop design, tiered rewards, email/SMS lead-gen referrals Love Loyalty Program & RewardsPoints, rewards, VIP tiers, referrals, memberships, POS support, B2B loyalty | ||
| Ease of Use (Inferred) | Likely High, focuses on simplicity | Potentially more complex, broader feature set |
Ease of Use (Inferred) Gather: Refer a FriendLikely High, focuses on simplicity Love Loyalty Program & RewardsPotentially more complex, broader feature set | ||
| Value Proposition | Quickly activate a referral channel | Build a comprehensive, long-term loyalty program |
Value Proposition Gather: Refer a FriendQuickly activate a referral channel Love Loyalty Program & RewardsBuild a comprehensive, long-term loyalty program | ||
| Migration Support | Not mentioned | Claims Free and Fast migration from LoyaltyLion, Smile, Yotpo |
Migration Support Gather: Refer a FriendNot mentioned Love Loyalty Program & RewardsClaims Free and Fast migration from LoyaltyLion, Smile, Yotpo | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants solely focused on leveraging referrals for quick wins in customer acquisition, Gather: Refer a Friend offers a streamlined and potentially easier-to-manage solution. Its simplicity and focus on design and targeted campaigns are appealing. However, given the significant difference in the number of reviews, it could also signify less support or a smaller community.
Love Loyalty Program & Rewards is better suited for businesses looking to build a comprehensive loyalty program beyond just referrals. Its broader feature set, including points, rewards, VIP tiers, memberships, POS support, and B2B options makes it a more robust platform for creating a lasting customer loyalty ecosystem. The claim of easy migration from competitors adds to its appeal for existing loyalty program users. If long-term loyalty and a wider range of features are priorities, Love Loyalty Program & Rewards is the stronger choice.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up?
Gather: Refer a Friend likely offers a simpler setup process due to its focus on referral programs only. Love Loyalty Program & Rewards, with its wider array of features, may require a more involved configuration.
Which app is better for brick-and-mortar stores?
Love Loyalty Program & Rewards, with its POS support, is the clear choice for brick-and-mortar stores seeking to integrate their loyalty program across both online and offline channels.
Which app is better for B2B businesses?
Love Loyalty Program & Rewards explicitly offers loyalty programs designed for B2B businesses, a feature not mentioned for Gather: Refer a Friend.
Does Gather: Refer a Friend offer points-based loyalty programs?
No, Gather: Refer a Friend focuses solely on referral programs, while Love Loyalty Program & Rewards includes points-based loyalty as a core feature.
Which app offers more customization options for the visual design?
Both apps claim to offer design customization. Gather: Refer a Friend mentions a drag-and-drop editor for emails and embedded dashboards, suggesting robust design options specifically for referral content. Love Loyalty Program & Rewards states 15+ loyalty program placements to customize. It's unclear which provides more design flexibility overall, but Gather focuses on a dedicated referral experience.
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