Ask to Buy create & share cart vs. Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right app for wishlist, cart sharing, and quote features is a common challenge for Shopify merchants. Single-feature apps can solve a specific problem quickly, but they also create ongoing maintenance, integration overhead, and inconsistent customer experiences when used together. This review compares two popular, single-focus Shopify apps—Ask to Buy create & share cart and Fish Wishlist & Quote Request—so merchants can make a practical decision based on features, pricing, integrations, and likely business outcomes.

Short answer: Ask to Buy create & share cart is a focused, lightweight solution for brands that need cart creation and share-to-checkout flows (useful for gifting, teen-to-parent checkout, and sales reps). Fish Wishlist & Quote Request provides a broader wishlist toolkit with B2B quote workflows, POS and draft order integration, and multi-channel wishlist functions. For merchants who want to avoid stacking many single-purpose apps, a consolidated platform that includes wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals may deliver better long-term value.

This post provides a feature-by-feature comparison of the two apps, examines pricing and support, outlines realistic use cases, and then presents an alternative approach for merchants tired of tool sprawl.

Ask to Buy create & share cart vs. Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

Overview of Positioning

Ask to Buy create & share cart is billed as a focused tool to let visitors or sales reps create and share carts that land invitees directly in checkout with pre-filled shipping and a welcome flow. That single problem orientation is deliberately narrow: it solves the handoff between someone who can assemble a cart and someone who completes payment.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request presents itself as a lightning-fast wishlist with extended capabilities for B2B and omnichannel experiences. It targets stores that need wishlist sharing, quote requests, POS management, and multi-language/currency support.

Both sit in the wishlist category on the Shopify App Store but approach customer intent differently—one centers on cart handoff and conversion at checkout; the other on saved lists, social proof, and B2B workflows.

Core Features Compared

Cart Sharing & Invite Flow

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Lets a visitor create a cart and share it via email or link.
• Pre-fills checkout details so invitees only need to pay.
• Invitees land directly in checkout with a custom welcome experience.
• Notifications sent to inviters when purchases finalize.
• Group share supported.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Focuses on wishlists that can be shared as links; not primarily built as invite-to-checkout cart handoff.
• Can create wishlist links that direct shoppers to product or collection pages; some storefront widgets can facilitate checkout, but the flow is wishlist-first rather than cart-first.

Assessment: For use cases where a partially responsible shopper (e.g., teen) needs to send a ready-to-pay checkout to another person, Ask to Buy provides a clear advantage. Fish is stronger when the goal is social wishlist sharing and persistent saved lists.

Wishlist Functionality

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Can be used as a wishlist substitute via shareable lists, but wishlist is not the central product.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Core competence is wishlist creation, storage, and sharing.
• Express widgets for fast setup, checkout and account page widgets, previously purchased & abandoned cart visibility, and extensive sharing options.
• Designed for seamless omnichannel wishlist experiences, including integration with POS.

Assessment: Fish is the stronger wishlist tool. It offers features expected from a modern wishlist app: account and checkout widgets, social proof, and cross-channel continuity.

B2B, Quote & Draft Order Capabilities

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Not positioned as a B2B quoting or draft-order tool. Its strength is in converting shared carts into checkout transactions.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Built-in Request a Quote function for B2B workflows.
• Trade plan includes draft order creation from wishlists, auto invoicing, quantity pickers, and B2B pricing.
• Suited for wholesale or trade stores that need to convert wishlist interest into negotiated orders.

Assessment: Fish clearly targets B2B use cases; Ask to Buy does not.

POS & Offline Channel Support

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Primary focus is online checkout handoff. No advertised Shopify POS features.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Supports Shopify POS: manage wishlists, purchase history, and even abandoned carts in-store.
• Useful for brands with brick-and-mortar operations that want wishlist continuity across channels.

Assessment: Fish provides meaningful POS features; Ask to Buy does not.

Social Proof & Sharing Widgets

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Sharing is functional (link/email) and conversion-tracking oriented. Social proof widgets are not a core selling point.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Offers social proof widgets and built-in sharing designs to boost conversions and make wishlists more visible socially.

Assessment: Fish has stronger capability for social engagement and conversion nudges.

Checkout Pre-Fill & Custom Welcome Experiences

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Specifically offers pre-filling checkout details, enabling invitees to pay faster, with a personalized welcome experience on checkout landing.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Integrates with checkout via wishlist widgets and checkout/ account page extensions but its checkout pre-fill for invite-to-pay flows is not the primary capability.

Assessment: If the objective is to minimize friction by pre-populating checkout, Ask to Buy has a distinct advantage.

Pricing & Value

Ask to Buy create & share cart Pricing

• Basic plan: $15 / month
• No free plan listed
• Small, focused pricing for a single-purpose tool

Value considerations:

• Low monthly fee for shops that only need a share-to-checkout capability.
• For stores that require only this function, the pricing is straightforward and predictable.
• But as a single feature, it may not replace other apps required for wishlists, loyalty, or reviews—adding additional apps increases monthly spend and integration effort.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request Pricing

• Starter Wishlist: Free (up to 100 customers, 2-minute setup, Shopify Flow triggers, Klaviyo integration)
• Lightning: $40 / month (unlimited wishlists, checkout upsell, account page extension)
• Trade: $90 / month (B2B features: request a quote, draft orders, auto invoicing)
• Higher tiers reflect added capabilities and B2B features.

Value considerations:

• Free entry point lowers friction for merchant testing.
• Pricing scales with features: $40 for unlimited wishlists may be compelling for DTC brands; $90 for B2B features is competitive relative to custom quoting solutions.
• When combined with other retention or conversion tools, Fish is still a single-purpose app and may require other apps for loyalty, reviews, or referrals.

Relative Value for Money

• Ask to Buy: better value for money when a merchant needs only cart sharing and minimal monthly cost.
• Fish: better value for merchants needing wishlist features and B2B quoting in addition to POS and social proof; the free tier is useful for trials.
• Both apps are single-function; merchants should calculate total cost of ownership. Adding a wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referral stack across multiple apps often exceeds consolidated platform pricing.

Integrations & Extensibility

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Works with Shopify checkout experience (pre-fill and custom welcome flow).
• Tracking for cart shares and conversions.
• Integration list is limited compared to Fish; merchants should confirm compatibility with email platforms and third-party analytics before installing.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Works with Checkout, Shopify POS, Customer accounts, Shopify Flow, Flow Checkout Extensibility, Klaviyo, Draft Orders, and POS.
• Explicit Klaviyo and Shopify Flow integrations make Fish useful for automated marketing and workflows.
• POS and draft order support increase versatility for omnichannel and B2B merchants.

Assessment: Fish has broader and deeper integrations useful for automation and omnichannel operations. Ask to Buy is narrower and more self-contained.

Implementation, Setup & Customization

Time to Launch

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Designed to be simple: add AskToBuy button and configure basic settings.
• With fewer options, launch time is typically short—good for merchants who want a fast, low-effort change.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Express Wishlist promises very fast setup; Starter setup can be minutes.
• More advanced functionality (POS, draft orders, B2B pricing) may require additional configuration and testing.
• Offers white-glove installation if desired.

Assessment: Both apps are positioned for quick setup, but Fish’s broader feature set means advanced setups will take longer. Ask to Buy is likely the fastest to implement for a single feature.

Customization & Theming

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Allows built-in button usage or custom button styling.
• Limited customization scope consistent with its niche feature set.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Offers multiple widgets, account and checkout page extensions, and more frontend options for social proof and sharing.
• Better fit for stores that want extensive control over wishlist presentation.

Assessment: For stores that value front-end customization and consistent design across wishlist widgets, Fish offers more options.

Analytics & Reporting

Ask to Buy create & share cart

• Tracks cart shares, conversions, and generated revenue.
• Focused analytics for the share-to-checkout workflow; straightforward reporting for measuring invite-driven revenue.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request

• Provides insights around wishlist usage, previously purchased and abandoned cart visibility, and social proof performance.
• B2B features include draft order and quote workflows which can be tracked via draft order statuses and POS records.

Assessment: Ask to Buy’s analytics are purpose-fit for conversion tracking of shared carts. Fish provides broader behavioral insights around wishlists and omnichannel activity.

Customer Support & Reviews

Both apps have small, but equal, numbers of reviews (7 each), making it difficult to generalize broadly from review volume.

• Ask to Buy create & share cart: Rating 4.4 (7 reviews)
  • Pros mentioned by reviewers typically include ease of use and the specific value of cart pre-fill for invite flows.
  • Limited review volume means product maturity and support responsiveness should be validated pre-install.
• Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Rating 5.0 (7 reviews)
  • High average rating suggests strong customer satisfaction among reviewers; common praise focuses on wishlist functionality, POS integration, and helpful support.
  • Again, small sample size—merchants should consider testing the free tier or contacting support to validate fit.

Support channels:

• Fish advertises white-glove installation; that can be helpful for complex setups.
• Ask to Buy’s product description emphasizes in-app tracking and basic customization; merchants should check available support hours and response times.

Assessment: Ratings favor Fish, but both apps have limited review datasets. Trialing both in a live store or test environment is recommended.

Security, Data Ownership & Privacy

• Both apps operate within the Shopify ecosystem and must comply with Shopify’s app requirements.
• Merchants should confirm how each app handles customer data, whether it stores sensitive customer information, and how it exports order and wishlist data.
• For B2B and POS uses (Fish), confirm GDPR/CCPA compliance and any data residency concerns, especially if saving customer quotes or draft orders.

Assessment: Neither app advertises concerns on security, but merchants with strict compliance requirements should request data handling documentation before committing.

Pros & Cons Summary

Ask to Buy create & share cart Pros:

• Simple, focused solution for share-to-checkout flows.
• Low entry price ($15/month).
• Pre-fill checkout reduces purchaser friction and increases conversion likelihood.
• Useful for gifting, teen-to-parent checkout, and sales rep handoffs.

Cons:

• Narrow feature set; not a full wishlist or B2B tool.
• Small number of reviews; limited public evidence of long-term reliability.
• May require additional apps for wishlist, loyalty, or reviews.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request Pros:

• Robust wishlist features with POS and B2B tools.
• Free starter tier reduces adoption friction.
• Integrates with Klaviyo, Shopify Flow, draft orders, and POS.
• High rating among reviewers (5.0 from 7 reviews).

Cons:

• More expensive at higher tiers ($40 and $90) for advanced features.
• Advanced setup for B2B/POS may require additional time or white-glove service.
• Still a single-provider for wishlist/quote—other retention tools may be needed.

Which App Is Best For Which Merchant?

Ask to Buy create & share cart is best for:

• Brands that primarily need a share-to-checkout workflow.
• Stores focused on gifting behaviors, teen-to-parent purchase flows, or sales reps creating carts for customers.
• Merchants on a tight functionality requirement who want fast implementation and low monthly cost.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request is best for:

• DTC or omnichannel brands that want robust wishlist features and social-proof widgets.
• Shops that require B2B quoting, draft order creation, and POS wishlist continuity.
• Merchants who plan to automate workflows via Klaviyo and Shopify Flow and want a free entry point to test wishlist behavior.

Migration, Stack Considerations, and Long-Term Costs

Choosing a single-purpose app often starts with the immediate ROI for a use case. However, merchants should consider the following:

• Feature Duplication: Installing separate apps for wishlist, cart-sharing, loyalty, and referrals multiplies monthly costs and increases the chance of overlapping features and inconsistent experiences.
• Integration Complexity: Each app introduces another integration point for data syncing, tracking, and email flows.
• Theme & Checkout Changes: Checkout pre-fill or account page widgets may need theme or checkout app customizations; multiple apps modifying the same pages can cause conflicts.
• Support Overhead: Troubleshooting multi-app workflows often requires contacting several support teams and coordinating fixes.

For merchants with predictable needs and low technical complexity, a single-purpose app like Ask to Buy or Fish can be a fast and economical solution. For merchants planning to scale retention and LTV through loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists, consolidating functionality into fewer platforms reduces friction and support overhead.

Decision Checklist: Questions Merchants Should Ask Before Installing

• Is the goal a short-term experiment or a long-term capability?
• Will the app need to integrate with Klaviyo, POS, draft orders, or custom checkout flows?
• What will total monthly cost be once all required features are accounted for?
• How important is a consistent brand experience across wishlist, checkout, and post-purchase communication?
• Does the store need B2B quoting or POS wishlist management?
• How quickly must the feature ship to production?

Answering these will point merchants to either a targeted install (Ask to Buy) or a broader wishlist/B2B solution (Fish), or to consider a platform that consolidates multiple retention tools.

The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform

Many merchants reach a tipping point: multiple specialized apps solve specific problems, but the cost of maintaining and integrating them becomes a barrier to growth. This phenomenon—often called app fatigue—manifests as duplicated functionality, inconsistent customer experiences, and rising subscription costs.

An alternative approach is to adopt an all-in-one retention platform that centralizes wishlist, loyalty, reviews, referrals, and VIP tiers. This reduces the number of third-party apps, lowers total cost of ownership, and creates a unified data model for customer behavior.

Growave’s philosophy—More Growth, Less Stack—addresses the core pain points merchants face with single-purpose add-ons. Growave bundles the major retention tools into one integrated suite, enabling merchants to run loyalty programs, referral campaigns, wishlists, and review collection from a single dashboard.

• For merchants evaluating consolidation, Growave’s pricing information offers an immediate way to compare ownership costs and feature coverage. Explore flexible plans and compare monthly options on the Growave pricing page to see how bundling features can be a better value for money compared to multiple single-purpose apps. Compare subscription plans and features.
• Growave also lists its Shopify App Store presence, which helps merchants validate app permissions and install quickly. View the app store listing to confirm compatibility and reviews. Check app store compatibility and install options.

Growave’s suite includes a loyalty engine, wishlist, referrals, and review tools. For merchants looking to consolidate retention features:

• Merchants can build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases with customizable point rules, VIP tiers, and reward actions. These features centralize incentives that would otherwise require a separate loyalty app.
• Growave helps merchants collect and showcase authentic reviews and turn user-generated content into trust signals rather than adding another review widget.

Repeated contextual coverage:

• Consolidating wishlist and referral flows with a platform that includes loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases simplifies the customer experience and reduces the number of pages and popups a shopper sees.
• Centralized review management makes it easier to collect and showcase authentic reviews across product pages and marketing channels without integrating separate review apps.

Beyond features, Growave supports merchants across tiers:

• Startups and small shops can use a free plan or entry plan to test loyalty and wishlist capabilities.
• Growth and Plus merchants get advanced customization, priority support, and additional order capacity—useful for brands that expect scaling retention programs. For detail on entry and scale plans, consult the Growave pricing page to compare which plan matches projected order volumes and feature needs. Explore plan comparisons and trial options.

If a merchant wants a personalized walkthrough to see how consolidation impacts retention metrics, a demo with a product specialist can be the fastest route. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention. Schedule a tailored walkthrough

Practical Benefits of Consolidation

• Reduced Monthly Costs: Bundling reduces duplicate subscription fees for wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals.
• Unified Customer Data: A single source of truth for a customer’s loyalty points, wishlist items, and review history enables more effective segmentation and lifecycle marketing.
• Consistent UX: Widgets, account pages, and emails come from a unified design system, lowering friction and improving brand consistency.
• Easier Automation: One platform streamlines integrations with Klaviyo, Shopify Flow, and other marketing tools, making automation simpler and more reliable.
• Scalable Support: With one vendor responsible for multiple features, troubleshooting becomes faster and less fragmented.

When Consolidation Might Not Be Right

• Extremely Narrow Use Case: If a store only needs a single feature (e.g., share-to-checkout) and has no plans to adopt loyalty or review campaigns, a focused app like Ask to Buy can be a practical short-term choice.
• Complex Custom Development: Stores with heavy custom requirements or unique enterprise workflows might still need specialized apps or bespoke development. For Shopify Plus merchants, Growave offers enterprise capabilities such as headless support and custom development options if consolidation is desired. Explore solutions for high-growth brands to see how integrated platforms handle enterprise needs. See options for enterprise-level retention solutions

Cost Comparison Example (Hypothetical TCO Considerations)

A merchant comparing monthly spend should include:

• Subscription fees for each app
• Implementation or white-glove onboarding costs
• The time cost for maintenance and cross-app troubleshooting
• Potential revenue lift from combined loyalty + referral + review strategies that single apps cannot deliver alone

For many stores, the combined monthly cost of a wishlist app ($40), a loyalty app ($50+), and a reviews app ($20+) quickly exceeds the entry Growave plan while offering a disjointed experience.

Customer Stories and Inspiration

Seeing how other stores implement retention stacks helps set expectations for implementation timelines and performance. For merchants seeking real-world examples of retaining customers and increasing lifetime value, Growave’s case studies and customer stories provide practical inspiration. Review customer stories for retention strategies that scale

Final Comparison Summary

For merchants choosing between Ask to Buy create & share cart and Fish Wishlist & Quote Request, the decision comes down to the primary business need:

• Choose Ask to Buy create & share cart if the top priority is a simple, reliable share-to-checkout flow that minimizes friction for invitees and converts group or parent-assisted purchases quickly at a low monthly cost.
• Choose Fish Wishlist & Quote Request if the broader need is wishlist management, B2B quoting, POS wishlist continuity, and integrations with Klaviyo and Shopify Flow; Fish offers a free starter tier that reduces risk for testing.

If the objective extends beyond a single function—aiming to increase retention, boost average order value with loyalty rewards, turn referrals into repeat buyers, and collect reviews—consolidation into an integrated retention platform reduces complexity and improves long-term ROI. Compare subscription plans to calculate whether bundling features provides better value for money than multiple single-purpose apps. Compare plans and feature coverage

Start a 14-day free trial to see how an integrated retention stack accelerates growth. Try consolidated retention tools free for two weeks

FAQ

Q: Which app is easier to install and test quickly?

• Ask to Buy create & share cart is easiest for a focused, quick implementation to enable share-to-checkout flows. Fish also supports fast setup for its Starter Wishlist; advanced features may require additional configuration.

Q: Which app is better for B2B quoting and draft orders?

• Fish Wishlist & Quote Request is designed for B2B needs and includes request-a-quote, draft order creation, and auto-invoicing on its Trade plan. Ask to Buy does not provide quote/draft order workflows.

Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps?

• An all-in-one retention platform reduces tool sprawl, centralizes customer data, and streamlines automation. For merchants planning to run loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlists together, a unified solution typically offers better value for money and a more consistent customer experience. Explore loyalty and reviews together to understand the combined business impact. See how loyalty programs and review collection work togetherand how review management integrates across channels.

Q: If a merchant needs only wishlist sharing now but expects to invest in loyalty later, which path is best?

• Starting with Fish can be low-risk thanks to the free Starter plan. However, merchants planning to add loyalty, referrals, and reviews should evaluate a platform that bundles those features from the start to avoid later migration headaches and duplicated expense. Comparing consolidated plans on the pricing page can highlight long-term savings. Compare bundle pricing and features

This comparison is designed to help merchants match features to business needs, consider long-term costs and integration complexity, and evaluate whether single-purpose apps or a consolidated retention platform will deliver better outcomes for retention, repeat purchase behavior, and growth.