Open source loyalty software is free to download, but not free to run. Add up server infrastructure, DevOps time, security patching, version upgrades, and the engineering hours needed to build features that don't exist out of the box. For most loyalty programs, those costs exceed a SaaS subscription within the first year.
Cloud loyalty software bundles infrastructure, security, hosting, and ongoing development into a predictable cost. Your team focuses on the loyalty program, not the platform it runs on.
Open source gives you code, not certifications. GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 audits, and 99.99% uptime guarantees require dedicated resources that no open source project provides out of the box.
Open Loyalty is ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, audited regularly against OWASP Top 10 and CWE/SANS Top 25, and fully GDPR compliant. Enterprise procurement teams can complete security reviews without months of additional work on your end.
Fork an open source project and every future improvement becomes your responsibility: new mechanics, API updates, bug fixes, and security patches all require engineering time. Fall behind on maintenance and technical debt accumulates, making future changes harder and more expensive.
Cloud loyalty software ships improvements continuously. Stay current with new mechanics, integrations, and platform updates without touching your codebase or planning a migration.
No. Open Loyalty is a cloud-based SaaS platform. The source code is not publicly available.
Open source loyalty software gives you a codebase to self-host and modify.
Cloud loyalty software is a managed service: the vendor handles infrastructure, security, updates, and compliance.
Open source shifts operational costs onto your team; cloud software bundles them into a predictable subscription.
The license fee for open source software is zero, but the operational costs are not. Hosting, DevOps, security patching, and custom development accumulate quickly.
For most enterprise programs, the total cost of ownership for a self-hosted open source deployment exceeds a SaaS subscription within the first year.
Yes. Open Loyalty is ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, GDPR compliant, and audited against OWASP Top 10 and CWE/SANS Top 25.
Certifications are included with the platform; no separate security project is required.
Yes. Open Loyalty's REST API makes it straightforward to connect existing systems and migrate loyalty data.
