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Free Loyalty Software Comparison Scorecard
A blank, printable scoring grid for comparing free loyalty tools side by side on the criteria that actually decide whether a free plan works.
How this scorecard works
This is a blank scoring grid, not a review. Free loyalty tiers change often enough that any pre-filled score would be stale within months, so the grids below give you the criteria and you supply the scores from each vendor's current pricing page and a real test account. Print this page or copy the grids into a spreadsheet and compare up to three tools side by side.
Write each tool's name at the top of a vendor column. For every row, score 0 if the capability is missing, 1 if it exists but is limited, trial-only, or paid, and 2 if it is fully included on the free plan. Total each column at the bottom of each grid, then carry the totals to the decision summary at the end.
One rule keeps the exercise honest. Verify every score against the vendor's own pricing page on the day you compare, not against a review site's summary. Where a row asks for a number, such as a customer cap or an upgrade price, write the number in the margin next to your score.
Grid 1: Core loyalty mechanics
What the program actually does day to day. These rows decide whether the tool runs a real loyalty program or just a signup form.
| Criterion | What to verify on the free plan | Vendor A (0-2) | Vendor B (0-2) | Vendor C (0-2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital stamp or punch card | Stamps per reward is configurable and can be edited after launch without resetting cards already issued | |||
| Points option | Points can map to spend as well as visits, in case your average ticket varies too much for stamps | |||
| Reward redemption flow | Staff can redeem at the till in seconds and each redemption is logged against the customer | |||
| Fraud controls on stamping | Adding a stamp requires a staff action such as a PIN, staff scan, or one-time code, not a customer self-tap | |||
| Fast enrollment | A customer can join from a QR code or link in under a minute while standing at the counter | |||
| No app required to join | The program works without customers installing and keeping a dedicated app | |||
| Multi-location support | One program spans locations, and a stamp earned at one branch can be redeemed at another | |||
| Editing after launch | You can change the reward, design, or terms without invalidating existing cards or re-enrolling everyone |
Grid 2: Free plan limits and upgrade traps
Where free stops. Most free loyalty plans are honest about their limits, but the limits live in footnotes. Write the actual numbers in the margin next to each score.
| Criterion | What to verify on the free plan | Vendor A (0-2) | Vendor B (0-2) | Vendor C (0-2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free forever, not a trial | The free tier has no end date and is not a 14- or 30-day trial described as a free plan | |||
| Customer or card cap | Note the exact number of customers or cards allowed before payment is required | |||
| Message or push cap | Note the monthly limit on notifications or campaigns, and what a send above the limit costs | |||
| Your branding, not theirs | The free plan does not place the vendor's logo or watermark on your customer-facing card | |||
| Feature gating | The features advertised on the homepage are actually on the free tier; list the paid ones in the margin | |||
| First paid tier price | Write the current monthly price you would pay on the day you outgrow the free plan | |||
| Data export on free | You can export your customer list and stamp history as a CSV without upgrading first | |||
| Cancellation behavior | The terms state what happens to issued cards and customer data if you stop paying or close the account |
Grid 3: Reach after the customer leaves
A loyalty card only works if customers see it again after they walk out. Channels differ in mechanics, not just features: SMS typically costs per message, app push requires the customer to install and keep an app, and wallet passes sit in Apple or Google Wallet with no install and no per-message fee. Wallet-native platforms exist too, PushNotice among them; score every tool on the same rows regardless of category.
| Criterion | What to verify on the free plan | Vendor A (0-2) | Vendor B (0-2) | Vendor C (0-2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Wallet passes | Customers can add their card to Apple Wallet and updates appear on the pass itself | |||
| Google Wallet passes | The same on Android; check both stores separately, as support is often uneven between the two | |||
| Notifications without an app | You can reach customers on their lock screen without them installing a dedicated app | |||
| Per-message cost | Sends are included rather than metered per message; if metered, price a realistic month in the margin | |||
| Email to your list | Built-in email campaigns to your loyalty list, or at minimum a clean export to your email tool | |||
| Location-based reminders | The card can surface near your store; note platform limits, as this is often Apple-only | |||
| Segmented sending | You can message a slice of your list, such as lapsed customers, not only everyone at once |
Ten questions to ask before you commit
Work through these once you have a shortlist of one or two. Each has caught real small businesses after launch, when switching costs the goodwill of re-enrolling every customer.
Is the free tier free forever?
Ask directly or read the pricing footnotes; free landing pages sometimes describe a time-limited trial.
Can customers join without downloading an app?
An app-install requirement slows the queue and loses signups at the counter; a QR to a link or wallet pass does not.
Who owns the customer data?
Confirm in the terms that the list is yours and exportable, not the platform's marketing asset.
Can I export everything today?
Run a test export on the free tier before you invest weeks of enrollments in the tool.
What exactly happens at the cap?
Some tools block new signups, others disable messaging; find out before your busiest week, not during it.
What does the next message cost?
If sends are metered, price a realistic month, such as one campaign to your whole list every week.
Is stamping staff-gated and still fast?
Self-serve stamping invites abuse, but a staff-gated flow has to survive a lunchtime rush.
Whose brand is on my customer's phone?
Free tiers commonly show the vendor's branding on the card; decide whether you can live with that.
Does it work beyond one till and one site?
Even single-site shops add a market stall, a pop-up, or a second till eventually.
Can I change the program without breaking it?
Confirm that editing the reward or design does not void existing cards or force everyone to re-enroll.
Decision summary
Fill this in after scoring all three grids. The maximum possible total across the 23 rows is 46.
My three non-negotiable rows
Choose them before totaling; a failed non-negotiable overrides any total score.
Vendor A name and total score
Sum the column across all three grids; maximum is 46.
Vendor B name and total score
Sum the column across all three grids; maximum is 46.
Vendor C name and total score
Sum the column across all three grids; maximum is 46.
Deal-breakers discovered
Any 0 on a non-negotiable row; note the vendor and the row.
Decision and reason
One sentence naming the winner; if you cannot write it, run your top two live for two weeks and re-score.
Re-check date
Free tiers change; recheck caps and pricing before you reach about 80 percent of any limit you recorded.
From the guide: Free Loyalty Software: The 2026 Guide
This resource accompanies the full article — worth reading before you commit to a tool.