Retainful Email Marketing, SMS vs RetainAI: Cart Recovery
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Nov 8, 2026 for Retainful Email Marketing, SMS, Oct 13, 2026 for RetainAI.
The short answer
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $14/month for Retainful Email Marketing, SMS and $29/month for RetainAI.
- Retainful Email Marketing, SMS lists 39 features RetainAI’s listing doesn’t mention, including Analytics, Announcements, Automations.
Head to head
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Australia
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Free
- · 100+ Readymade Email Templates
- · 500 emails / month
- · Abandoned Cart Recovery
- · Email Campaigns & Newsletters
- · Flows - Welcome, winback, post purchase
- · Lists & Segmentation
Pro
- · Abandoned Cart Recovery
- · Email Campaigns & Newsletters
- · Flows - Welcome, winback, post purchase
- · Lists & Segmentation
- · Live Chat Support
- · Monthly Email Sends: 10x list size
Free
- · 50 emails per month
- · AI-written abandoned cart recovery email
- · RetainAI branded email footer
Pro
- · 1,000 emails per month
- · Full 3-email recovery cadence
- · One-click loyalty with discount codes
- · Post-purchase review requests
Growth
- · 10,000 emails per month
- · Everything in Pro
- · Multi-store and priority support
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureRetainful combines email marketing, SMS campaigns in one dashboard for Shopify stores. Create automated workflows that recover abandoned carts, welcome new customers, and drive repeat purchases through next order coupons. Build your contact list with customizable popups and forms that convert visitors into leads. The drag-and-drop email builder includes 100+ professional templates.
RetainAI bundles three retention engines for small Shopify stores: AI-written abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase review request emails, and one-click loyalty with auto-issued Shopify discount codes. Built for stores that would otherwise install three separate apps for these jobs. Every recovery email is written by Claude AI using the customer's name and the line items in their cart.
- AI cart recovery: 3 emails at 1, 24, 72 hours, personalized to each cart
- Post-purchase review requests sent 7 days after fulfillment, personalized by AI
- One-click loyalty with auto-issued discount codes and zero theme edits
All the numbers
Every figure, side by side
A green dot marks the app ahead on a measured figure. Estimates, gaps and apps that leave no storefront trace never take the lead.
Adoption
| Measure |  Retainful Email Marketing, SMS |  RetainAI |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | 23 | Not published |
| Net store change, 28 days | 0 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Apparel & Accessories, Health & Beauty, Arts & Entertainment | Not published |
| Top store countries | United States, United Kingdom, Australia | Not published |
Reviews
| Measure | Retainful Email Marketing, SMS | RetainAI |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 4.4 ★ | Not published |
| App Store reviews | 28 | Not published |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Retainful Email Marketing, SMS | RetainAI |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $14/month(ahead) | $29/month |
| Longest free trial | Not listed | 7 days |
| Plans listed | 2 | 3 |
Listing
| Measure | Retainful Email Marketing, SMS | RetainAI |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | Not enough data | #404 |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Apr 8, 2020 | Jun 1, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | Retainful | OuttaApps |
FAQ
Retainful Email Marketing, SMS and RetainAI: common questions
- Is Retainful Email Marketing, SMS or RetainAI cheaper?
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $14/month for Retainful Email Marketing, SMS and $29/month for RetainAI. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- Retainful Email Marketing, SMS lists 39 the others don’t mention, such as Analytics, Announcements, Automations, Campaigns. RetainAI lists 3 the others don’t mention, such as AI generation, Email requests, Product reviews. A feature missing from a listing may still be supported; this compares what each App Store listing says.
- Where does this comparison’s data come from?
- Shoplist crawls Shopify storefronts to detect which apps each store runs, and reads each app’s Shopify App Store listing for reviews, pricing, features and integrations. Store counts are as of Nov 8, 2026 for Retainful Email Marketing, SMS, Oct 13, 2026 for RetainAI; estimated figures are labeled.
How Shoplist compares apps
Store counts come from Shoplist’s crawl of Shopify storefronts, which detects the apps each store runs; they are as of Nov 8, 2026 for Retainful Email Marketing, SMS, Oct 13, 2026 for RetainAI. Reviews, ratings, plans, features and integrations come from each app’s Shopify App Store listing. 28-day figures are labeled when estimated, and a figure that is missing or estimated never decides who leads. Read the methodology.