Smile.io is a points and referral program for Shopify and BigCommerce stores, priced by monthly orders. BonusQR is built for shops, cafés and salons: customers keep a loyalty card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and staff scan it with a phone or tablet.
The same 23 features for both products. A tick where the product has it, a cross where its own website shows it does not.
14 features are not stated on the other provider’s website
| Feature | BonusQR | Smile.io |
|---|---|---|
| Price and setup | ||
| Free plan, not just a trial | Yes | Yes |
| Works with any till, no POS needed | Yes | No |
| Points added automatically by the POS | Custom project | Yes |
| API for developers | Yes | Paid add-on |
| The customer’s card | ||
| Card in Apple Wallet | Yes | Not stated |
| Card in Google Wallet | Yes | Not stated |
| Customers join without downloading an app | Yes | Not stated |
| Loyalty programs | ||
| Stamp card | Yes | Not stated |
| Points | Basic | Yes |
| Cashback | Yes | Not stated |
| Tiers and VIP levels | Basic | Paid add-on |
| Referral rewards | Premium | Yes |
| Birthday rewards | Premium | Not stated |
| Welcome reward for new members | Yes | Not stated |
| Marketing | ||
| Push notifications and news | Basic | Not stated |
| SMS marketing | No | Not stated |
| Location-based notifications | Basic | Not stated |
| Feedback and Google review requests | Basic | Not stated |
| Running the business | ||
| Appointment or table booking | Basic | Not stated |
| Gift vouchers sold online | Basic | Not stated |
| Several locations in one account | Basic | Not stated |
| Separate staff logins | Basic | Paid add-on |
| Rewards for online-store orders | Basic | Yes |
Green: yes. Red: no, as the provider’s own website shows. Grey: not stated on its website, which does not mean it is missing. A plan name means the feature is in that BonusQR plan. Checked on 5 November 2026.
The same ten questions for both, answered from each product’s own website and app.
| Feature | BonusQR | Smile.io |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, free forever; Basic 19 €/month, Premium 69 €/month (less with longer billing). The pricing page shows your currency. | Free (200 orders a month), Essential $15, Standard $79 (1,000 orders), Growth $199 (2,500 orders, $20 per extra 100), Smile Plus $999 a month billed annually, Enterprise custom (USD, as listed on 5 November 2026) |
| Free plan | Yes, with unlimited customers and 7 types of loyalty programs | Yes, up to 200 orders a month |
| POS or hardware needed | No. Staff scan the customer’s QR code with any phone or tablet; a POS link through the REST API is a custom project, quoted separately | Built for Shopify and BigCommerce; in a physical store it supports Shopify POS, other POS systems are not supported |
| Loyalty programs | 12 types: stamp card, cashback, reward for visits or spend, discounts, welcome coupon, custom offer (Free); points and tiered stamp card (Basic); tiered cashback, referral, birthday and other occasions (Premium) | Points and referrals on all plans; bonus events from Standard; VIP tiers from Growth |
| Apple Wallet & Google Wallet | Yes, a loyalty card for both wallets | Not stated on Smile.io’s pricing page |
| Customer app | Not required: the card works in the browser and in the wallet; the BonusQR app for iOS and Android is optional | Not stated on Smile.io’s pricing page |
| Staff and locations | Your own login on Free; 5 staff logins and several locations on Basic, unlimited staff on Premium | Not stated on Smile.io’s pricing page |
| Beyond loyalty | Bookings, customer feedback, gift vouchers, prepaid packages, news and GEO notifications (Basic), Google review invitations (Premium) | Not stated on Smile.io’s pricing page |
| Online store | WooCommerce and Shopify, on a paid plan | Shopify and BigCommerce |
| Languages | 20 languages, for the business and its customers | Not stated on Smile.io’s pricing page |
Smile.io facts from smile.io/pricing as listed on 5 November 2026. Apple Wallet or Google Wallet support, a customer app, staff logins and languages were not stated on the page we checked.
A fair look at what each product is built for.
your business is an online store on Shopify or BigCommerce, rewards are earned on orders, and in store you use Shopify POS.
customers come to your shop, café or salon, you use a till other than Shopify POS or none at all, and you want them to collect stamps, cashback or visits with a card in their wallet.
You can run BonusQR next to your current system while your customers move over.
Type your business name as it appears on Google Maps. BonusQR fills in the name, address and photo and creates a starter program you can change.
Add the stamp card, cashback or reward you run today, with the same goal, so regulars recognise it.
Print the free counter stand, sticker or flyer. Customers join from the QR code, and staff scan them with a phone or tablet.
What owners ask when they compare loyalty apps.
Smile.io is a loyalty program for Shopify and BigCommerce stores, with points and referrals on all plans, bonus events from Standard and VIP tiers from Growth. In physical stores it supports Shopify POS.
As listed on 5 November 2026: Free up to 200 orders a month, Essential $15, Standard $79, Growth $199 and Smile Plus $999 a month billed annually, with Enterprise custom. BonusQR has a free plan with unlimited customers; Basic is 19 €/month and Premium 69 €/month, and the pricing page shows your currency.
Smile.io’s pricing page says other POS systems are not supported. BonusQR needs no POS: staff scan the customer’s QR code with any phone or tablet, and a POS link through the BonusQR REST API is a custom project, quoted separately.
Yes. BonusQR is built for businesses with a counter: customers join from a QR code and keep the card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. On a paid plan it also connects to WooCommerce and Shopify.
Its pricing page did not state wallet support. A BonusQR card can be saved to both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, or kept in the browser or the optional BonusQR app.
Set up BonusQR from your Google Maps listing, create the reward your customers know, and print the free QR code stand for the counter. Customers join by scanning the QR code.
Everything we say about the other product comes from its official website, checked on 5 November 2026. Prices and features change; check the provider’s site before you decide. BonusQR facts are from the BonusQR app and pricing page.
