Zeal vs LoyaltyLion: online loyalty or loyalty on the card machine

LoyaltyLion is an ecommerce loyalty and engagement platform built mainly for Shopify brands, with in-store earning through Shopify POS or a Loyalty Pass QR code. Zeal works on supported card machines in shops, recognising customers from the card they pay with; Shopify POS card readers can't host Zeal, and Zeal has no LoyaltyLion or Shopify integration today.

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How customers join and earn with LoyaltyLion and with Zeal

With LoyaltyLion, customers join through an account on your Shopify store and earn points for orders and other actions such as referrals. In your shops it works through Shopify POS: staff find the customer's account by email address to award points or apply rewards, and the optional Loyalty Pass puts the programme in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet for in-store QR scanning. With Zeal, recognition happens on a supported card machine: customers are recognised from the card they pay with, a new customer joins in a couple of taps on the card machine screen, and their progress shows on the card machine screen and receipt.

Zeal and LoyaltyLion at a glance

Feature	Zeal	LoyaltyLion
How customers join	A couple of taps on the card machine screen during a card payment. No app to download and no email address.	Create an account on your Shopify store. Staff can also sign customers up in your shops through Shopify POS.
What the customer does when paying	Pays by card as usual. Customers are recognised from the card they pay with, and their progress shows on the card machine screen and receipt.	Online, earns points on orders. In shops on Shopify POS, staff look up the account by email address, or scan the customer's Loyalty Pass QR code (optional add-on).
Works with which card machines or POS	Supported card machines from Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments and Viva Wallet (availability depends on the model). Shopify POS card readers can't host Zeal. No LoyaltyLion or Shopify integration today; any link to an online programme is scoped per platform.	Built for Shopify and Shopify Plus stores, with a Headless API for custom set-ups and 100+ integrations. In shops through Shopify POS: the pricing page lists one location on Classic and multiple on Advanced and Plus.
App needed	No app needed. Groups and multi-site brands can add their own branded app.	No customer app: customers use their store account. Optional Loyalty Pass for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
Price	Talk to us	Classic $199 a month including 500 orders a month; Advanced and Plus custom, based on monthly orders. A free plan is recommended for stores with 400 orders a month or fewer.
Free trial	Talk to us	14-day free trial through the Shopify App Store.
Best for	Brands with shops on supported card machines that want in-store customers recognised without an email lookup. Any link to an online programme is scoped separately.	Ecommerce-led Shopify brands that want points, referrals and VIP tiers online, with Shopify POS in their shops.

Sources by row, numbered as in About this page. How customers join: Zeal 4, 5; LoyaltyLion 1, 3. What the customer does when paying: Zeal 4; LoyaltyLion 2, 3. Works with which card machines or POS: Zeal 4, 7, 8; LoyaltyLion 1, 2, 3. App needed: Zeal 4, 6; LoyaltyLion 2. Price: LoyaltyLion 2. Free trial: LoyaltyLion 2. Best for: Zeal 7, 8; LoyaltyLion 1, 2.

Checked 22 October 2026 against LoyaltyLion's own pages and listings.

When LoyaltyLion is the better choice

Most of your revenue is online through Shopify, and you want points, referrals and Klaviyo email flows built around your store, with VIP tiers and AI-recommended rewards on higher plans.
Your shops already take payments on Shopify POS, so in-store earning and redemption can run inside the same Shopify set-up with one loyalty account. Shopify POS card readers can't host Zeal.
You want to start on a free plan or a 14-day free trial through the Shopify App Store, or build custom loyalty with its Headless API.

Recognise your regulars, then reward them

Zeal identifies the customer from the card, enrols new ones in a couple of taps on the terminal screen, and awards points, stamps or vouchers during the payment. Your customer database grows with every card payment, with nothing for the customer or your staff to remember.

Choosing between Zeal and LoyaltyLion

If most of your sales are online and your shops run on Shopify POS, LoyaltyLion is likely the better fit: it is built for Shopify, with points, referrals and Klaviyo email flows, VIP tiers on higher plans and a Headless API for custom set-ups. Zeal is built for shops that take card payments on a card machine from a supported provider: Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments or Viva Wallet. Shopify POS card readers can't host Zeal, so shops on Shopify POS would need a supported provider's card machine to use it. Zeal has no LoyaltyLion or Shopify integration today; Zeal's ecommerce loyalty page says any link between an online programme and in-store recognition is scoped for each platform.

Explore more features

Discover more ways Zeal can realise the full potential of your card machines and grow your business.

Effortless Loyalty

Make loyalty effortless for your customers

Run frictionless loyalty programmes on your card machines without the need for any extra steps, QR, or loyalty cards.

Learn more

Identify Customers

Your card machines can identify & segment your..

Zeal turns your card machines into powerful data sources, giving you actionable insights about your customers.

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Remarketing Tools

Your card machines as loyalty engines

With Zeal, your card machines can run hyper-personalised marketing campaigns for your customers.

Learn more

Powerful Analytics

Realise the full potential of your in-store data

With Zeal, you can gain deeper insights into your customers and utilize data to boost retention.

Learn more

FAQ

Zeal compared with LoyaltyLion

Frequently asked questions

What is LoyaltyLion?

LoyaltyLion is an ecommerce loyalty and engagement platform built mainly for Shopify brands. It offers points, referrals and Klaviyo integration, with VIP tiers and AI-recommended rewards on higher plans, in-store loyalty through Shopify POS, an optional Loyalty Pass for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, and a Headless API.

Can LoyaltyLion reward customers in my shops?

Yes, through Shopify POS. LoyaltyLion's FAQ says staff locate the customer's account in Shopify POS by email address to see and apply rewards, and Loyalty Pass adds in-store QR scanning. Its pricing page lists one Shopify POS location on the Classic plan and multiple locations on Advanced and Plus.

Can I keep LoyaltyLion online and use Zeal in my shops?

Only if your shops take card payments on a supported card machine from Worldpay, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet, NMI, Adyen, DNA Payments or Viva Wallet; Shopify POS card readers can't host Zeal. Zeal has no LoyaltyLion or Shopify integration today. Zeal's ecommerce loyalty page says it is designed to sit alongside an online loyalty platform rather than replace it, with any link between the two scoped for your platform, so talk to us before planning on it.

How much do LoyaltyLion and Zeal cost?

LoyaltyLion lists Classic at $199 a month including 500 orders a month, with Advanced and Plus priced on monthly order volume and a free plan recommended for stores with 400 orders a month or fewer. Zeal quotes once we have checked your shops' card machines and payment provider, so talk to us for a price.

When was this comparison checked?

We checked LoyaltyLion's website on 22 October 2026. Products and prices change, so check with LoyaltyLion for the latest. The Zeal details come from Zeal's own product information.

About this page

Written by the Zeal team, October 2026

Sources

LoyaltyLion homepage, checked 22 Oct 2026
LoyaltyLion pricing, checked 22 Oct 2026
LoyaltyLion Shopify POS integration, checked 22 Oct 2026
Card machine loyalty for your business (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026
Make loyalty effortless for your customers (Zeal seamless loyalty), checked 22 Oct 2026
White-label loyalty app (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026
Ecommerce loyalty (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026
Loyalty for Square merchants (Zeal), checked 22 Oct 2026

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. Details of Zeal's own products come from Zeal.

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