Best customer loyalty software for 2027: a comparison for local businesses

What is the best customer loyalty software in 2027?

No loyalty software fits every business. In 2027, three questions decide: which point of sale you use, how much time you can spend on it, and whether your customers buy in store or online. The table gives the best choice for each situation.

2027 comparison of loyalty software in Canada: prices and features

For each tool, we picked the first plan with both a Wallet card and an automated reminder, or the entry plan when no plan has both. Prices range from free to about CA$280 per month; most complete plans cost CA$60 to CA$125 per month per location.

“Not found” means we found nothing on the vendor’s website, not that the feature does not exist. Prices change: BonusQR raised its Premium plan from CA$99 to CA$119 in October 2026. Check each price with the vendor before you sign.

What is changing in loyalty software in 2027?

An Apple Wallet and Google Wallet card with no app is becoming standard: 10 of the 17 tools we checked offer one. Tools now differ on four points: automated reminders, POS integration, where data is hosted, and help with setup.

• A Wallet card is no longer enough to choose. With most vendors, your customers add it in one tap, with no app. Compare what the software does with that card afterwards.
• Reminders move to the second plan. FidCard (Essential), BonusQR (Basic), Stamp Me (Lite) and Kangaroo (Core) keep automated reminders for their higher plan. Compare the price of the plan that brings lapsed customers back, not the entry price.
• POS systems keep their points, without a Wallet card. In Canada, Lightspeed keeps its Wallet card for Australia and Square offers it on iPhone only. A POS program works, but it reminds your customer of nothing on their phone.
• Data hosting matters more. Under Quebec’s Law 25, ask where your customer data is kept. Several vendors host it in the United States or Europe; Fidlon and ARSOM keep it in Canada.
• Setup help is back as a criterion. Most tools sell self-serve, with a 14 to 30-day trial. Two Montreal players, LoyalTea and ARSOM, set the program up with the business owner instead.

How to choose loyalty software in 2027: 7 criteria

Judge each tool on seven criteria: an Apple and Google Wallet card with no app, scan speed at the counter, automated reminders, a readable dashboard, Law 25 and data hosting, fit with your POS, and total cost over 12 months, including currency and hardware.

1. Wallet card with no app. With an app to download, about 5% of customers sign up; with a Wallet card, 40 to 70%.
2. Speed at the counter. During the trial or demo, time a scan at rush hour. If a stamp takes more than a few seconds, your staff will stop offering it.
3. Automated reminders. Birthday, a customer who has not come back in a while, a reward almost reached: these messages create the extra visits. Check they are in the plan you pay for.
4. Dashboard. At a glance, it should tell you how many customers come back, which ones are drifting away and who your best customers are.
5. Law 25 and hosting. Separate consent for marketing, access and deletion of data, and the hosting location written in the privacy policy.
6. Your POS. A Quebec restaurant must use a POS certified SRM/MEV-WEB by Revenu Québec. Ask how the loyalty software records a reward on the bill.
7. Total cost over 12 months. Subscription, setup fees, tablet, plastic cards, and exchange fees if the vendor bills in US dollars or euros.

How much does customer loyalty software cost in 2027?

Expect CA$0 to about CA$280 per month. Free plans drop the Wallet card or the reminders, or require an app. A plan with a Wallet card and an automated reminder usually costs CA$60 to CA$125 per month per location, before tax and exchange fees.

Over 12 months, for a single location, that comes to about CA$700 to CA$1,500 for a complete plan. Three costs often come on top of the listed price:

• Currency. FaveCard, Kangaroo, Marsello and Smile.io list prices in US dollars; Loopy, FidCard and Boomerangme do not show a currency. Ask before you sign.
• Setup. DataCandy lists a 500 setup fee and Freebees a 199 activation fee, plus plastic cards.
• Hardware. Most tools expect you to scan with your own phone or tablet. With ARSOM Pro, the tablet is lent and installed.

What ARSOM does, and what it does not do

ARSOM issues Apple Wallet and Google Wallet cards, sends automated reminders (birthday, inactive customers, top customers), sets the program up on site and hosts data in Canada. Pro adds a lent tablet and Google review requests. ARSOM does not offer gift cards or loyalty for online stores.

Prices as of November 2, 2026: Starter CA$69/month or CA$660/year; Pro CA$119/month or CA$1,140/year, tablet lent and installed; Network CA$99/month per location (CA$950/year per location), 15% less per location from 4 to 6 locations, quote from 7. Starter can also be topped up with some Pro options.

What ARSOM does not do, or not yet:

• no POS integration in production: staff scan the card on a tablet or phone;
• no gift cards;
• no online store module: if you sell mostly on Shopify, an app like Smile.io will serve you better;
• no self-serve trial: setup happens with you, by appointment.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Square. Square Loyalty (Canada).
2. Loopy Loyalty. Pricing.
3. FaveCard. Pricing (Canada).
4. Boomerangme. Pricing.
5. Stamp Me. Pricing.
6. BonusQR. Price list.
7. LoyalTea. How to choose.
8. FidCard. Pricing.
9. Fidlon. Fidlon.
10. Kangaroo Rewards. Pricing.
11. Freebees. Pricing.
12. DataCandy. Pricing.
13. Marsello. What are the Marsello pricing plans?.
14. Smile.io. Pricing.
15. Lightspeed. Lightspeed Retail pricing.
16. Lightspeed. Lightspeed Restaurant pricing.
17. Th3rdwave. Th3rdwave for coffee shops.
18. Revenu Québec. Mandatory billing in the restaurant sector.
19. Bank of Canada. Daily exchange rates (USD/CAD).