4 categories · RankedSmile.io
Smile.io is a loyalty platform for Shopify brands · smile.io ↗
Strongest at small business. Ranked 92 of 93 for enterprise buyers.
The standing depends on who is buying. Every model is asked the same questions for each company size.
Referral Rock is first at 42%.
Referral Rock is first at 21%. 0 of 14 models made it the first choice when asked directly.
Influitive AdvocateHub is first at 30%.
Why models recommend it
“Start with Smile.io's free plan if you have under 200 orders/month - it's the only platform offering genuine referral functionality at zero cost.”Kimi K2 · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“Best Overall (Free Plan): Smile.io ... widely considered the best option for small businesses because it offers a genuine free plan”GLM 4.7 FlashX · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“Smile.io (now known as Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards) stands out as the best overall choice for a company with a limited budget.”Grok 4.20 · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“Best Overall Free Option for E-Commerce: Smile.io ... widely considered the best starting point for small e-commerce businesses”Qwen 3.7 Flash · Budget-constrained question · first choice
What gives them pause
“Criticized for billing complaints (such as charges after cancellation) and outdated customer service.”Mistral Small · Negative question · warning
“Noted for billing complaints (charges after cancellation) and poor customer service.”Mistral Small · Negative question · warning
“Basic versions of *Smile.io*, *ReferralCandy*, or light referral plugins... Why be cautious: These apps work well for small e-commerce stores”Gemini 3.5 Flash · Negative question · warning
“I wouldn’t avoid it outright: its Shopify listing shows a high overall rating. Still, read recent low-rated reviews”GPT-6 Luna · Negative question · warning
Also on the shortlist
The products named in the same answers as Smile.io, over the 118 answers that named it, and how often each was the first choice instead.
| Product | Named together | Picked instead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89 | 6 | Compare → | |
| 72 | 1 | Compare → | |
| 44 | 1 | View → | |
| 42 | 3 | Compare → | |
| 39 | 1 | View → | |
| 33 | 0 | View → | |
| 32 | 2 | Compare → | |
| 30 | 2 | Compare → | |
| 28 | 2 | Compare → | |
| 24 | 1 | View → |
What the models named instead of Smile.io →
A side-by-side page exists where both products are among a category's top eight.
At a glance
Stated on Smile.io's own site, not checked by Gane.
- For
- ambitious Shopify brands
- Price stated
- Transparent Pricing. No hidden fees, no surprises. We believe in predictable pricing at the best rates.
- Starting price
- 15
- Free plan or trial
- Get started — it's free
- Integrations
- 25
- Certifications
- SOC 2 Type II
- Customers named
- Fiesta Tableware, Naturium, Hikoco, Live Bearded, Death Wish Coffee, Sloane Tea, Plate Pal Perks, Blue Banana
How this is measured
Fourteen AI models from 12 labs are asked the same buying questions six ways, for three company sizes. Standings refresh every edition.
Gane sells AI visibility software. No company can pay to change a result.
Read the method →Sources returned with these answers
Fourteen of the fourteen models returned a source list in this edition: five return the pages they cited and nine the search results they consulted. These counts come from 108 of the 118 answers that named Smile.io and are not a share of its labels.
Domains cited
305 of the 335 domain citations in answers naming Smile.io came from a third party's page.
Pages cited
Pages are listed as the models cited them.
By model
| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Grok 4.20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Mistral Small | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Kimi K2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
What it publishes
| Kind | Pages | Last 90 days | 2025-10 to 2026-09 | Latest | Categories named |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blog | 307 | 6 | 2026-09-25 | Mobile apps, Ecommerce | |
| Report or ebook | 62 | undated | |||
| Case study | 60 | 21 | 2026-09-29 | ||
| Glossary or explainer | 33 | undated | |||
| Comparison | 12 | 4 | 2026-09-29 | ||
| Conference or event | 4 | undated | |||
| Template or tool | 4 | undated | |||
| News or press | 3 | 2 | 2026-09-29 | ||
| Webinar or virtual event | 1 | 0 | 2026-06-18 | ||
| Podcast or video | 1 | undated |
Most recent
- 2026-09-29Press kit news or press
- 2026-09-29Smile vs yotpo comparison
- 2026-09-29Smile vs loyalty lion comparison
- 2026-09-29Smile vs rivo comparison
- 2026-09-29Smile vs okendo comparison
- 2026-09-29Fiesta tableware case study
How it is countedHide how it is counted
Every page smile.io exposes, subdomains included. Kind is read from the address and title. The last 90 days, the latest date and the twelve months count pages by when they were published, from the site's feeds, a date in the address, or the page's own publication date, read from up to a hundred of its most recently changed pages; a page that says only when it last changed is counted in its kind but not in when, so the recent counts are a floor, and a kind none of whose pages gives a publication date reads undated. An event counts as online when its address or title says so (webinar, on demand, virtual or online summit); a conference, summit, trade show, expo or roadshow that does not say so is counted as a conference or event, which on a vendor's site is mostly in person. Read September 29, 2026.