Ask to Buy Create & Share Cart vs. Simple Wishlist: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right Shopify app can be a deceptively time-consuming task. Merchants often pick single-function tools to address immediate needs, only to discover months later that the store is running on a patchwork of apps that add cost, slow performance, and duplicate functionality. This comparison focuses on two narrowly focused wishlist/cart-sharing apps so merchants can decide which fits their store now — and whether a broader retention platform might be a smarter investment.

Short answer: Ask to Buy create & share cart is a focused tool for stores that need an easy way to let shoppers share pre-filled carts (ideal for gift-giving, parental purchases, and sales-rep workflows). Simple Wishlist is a minimal wishlist layer for stores that want a fast, code-free wishlisting experience. For merchants aiming to scale retention, increase lifetime value, and reduce tool sprawl, an integrated retention platform can offer better value for money than combining multiple single-purpose apps.

Purpose of this post: provide a feature-by-feature comparison of Ask to Buy create & share cart and Simple Wishlist, examine pricing, integrations, implementation, and analytics, and then explain how a consolidated retention suite addresses the limits of single-purpose apps.

Ask to Buy create & share cart vs. Simple Wishlist: At a Glance

The table provides a quick snapshot: both apps are lightweight, with the same average rating but very limited reviewer counts. The small sample sizes make subjective reviews less reliable for enterprise decisions; look at features, implementation friction, and measurable outcomes.

Why the comparison matters

Both apps fall into the "wishlist/cart sharing" category but have different end goals. Ask to Buy is about moving a pre-built cart to another party who will complete the payment. Simple Wishlist is about letting a customer save items for later. Those are complementary behaviors, but merchants should choose tools aligned with their KPIs: conversion velocity, AOV (average order value), repeat purchase rate, or cart conversion lift.

The remainder of the article breaks down key decision criteria so merchants can select the tool that best supports retention, average order value, and operational workflows.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Core functionality and user flows

Ask to Buy create & share cart: what it does well

Ask to Buy adds a button that lets shoppers or staff create a shareable cart link or email. The most practical user flows include:

• Teens or shoppers without a payment method can build a cart, pre-fill shipping and customer details, and send the cart link to a parent for payment.
• Customers can assemble a gift registry or group present and share it with multiple invitees.
• Sales representatives can create a cart for a particular customer and send a checkout-ready link that pre-fills checkout details and includes a custom welcome message.

These flows reduce friction for complex purchase paths where the person building the cart is not the one paying. The invitee lands directly on checkout with pre-filled fields and minimal required action: pay and place order. The app also reports on cart shares, conversions, and revenue generated from shares.

Strengths:

• Streamlines multi-person purchase flows.
• Reduces friction for gift and sales-rep scenarios.
• Tracks shares and conversions, providing channel attribution for shared carts.

Limitations:

• Narrow scope: focuses on share-to-checkout flows rather than long-term retention or catalog engagement.
• Limited review volume (7 reviews), which makes it harder to infer broad user experience patterns.
• Potential UX edge cases requiring testing across checkout customizations, especially for stores with non-standard checkout flows.

Simple Wishlist: what it does well

Simple Wishlist is intentionally minimal. It offers a one-click wishlist button, styling options, and a wishlist page where customers can view saved items. The app claims no custom code is added to the store, which reduces implementation risk.

Strengths:

• Quick implementation without code changes.
• Simple UI for customers to save favorites.
• Button styling options let merchants match brand design.

Limitations:

• Extremely basic feature set; lacks incentives or integrations to convert wishlists into purchases (no automated email triggers or loyalty incentives built in).
• Very low review count (2 reviews), making real-world reliability harder to gauge.
• No clear pricing or advanced settings listed publicly — merchants may need to contact the developer to learn more.

Wishlist behavior and conversion potential

Both apps touch on wishlist-like behavior, but they approach value differently. Simple Wishlist targets traditional wishlisting: customers save items, potentially return later to buy. Its conversion potential depends on follow-up triggers outside the app (email marketing, on-site promos). Ask to Buy introduces a hybrid pattern: it lets someone assemble a cart for someone else to pay — this can accelerate conversion when purchase responsibility differs between builder and payer.

For conversion impact:

• Use Simple Wishlist to capture demand signals and feed them into email campaigns. Without automation, conversion depends on other systems.
• Use Ask to Buy to immediately create a conversion pathway that removes payment friction for the final payer.

Customization and branding

Ask to Buy supports built-in button elements and custom buttons, plus a custom welcome experience for invitees landing on checkout. This helps maintain brand consistency during the shared-cart conversion flow.

Simple Wishlist touts button design options and a wishlist display page. The "no custom code" stance is good for merchants without developer support, but design flexibility beyond presets may be limited.

Takeaway: Ask to Buy is more focused on the end-to-end experience for the invitee; Simple Wishlist prioritizes low-friction setup for the store admin.

Analytics and reporting

Ask to Buy includes tracking for cart shares, conversions, and revenue generated by shares. These metrics are central to evaluating the app’s return on investment because merchants can measure the incremental revenue attributable to shared carts.

Simple Wishlist does not advertise analytics beyond the wishlist page. If a merchant needs to measure wishlist-to-purchase conversion, that tracking usually requires integration with third-party analytics or marketing automation.

Merchants that require attribution for shared-cart workflows will find Ask to Buy’s built-in tracking valuable. Merchants using Simple Wishlist should be prepared to rely on external tools (e.g., analytics or email platforms) to quantify wishlist impact.

Integrations and technical compatibility

Neither app lists extensive integrations publicly. The lack of published integration ecosystems suggests both are lightweight, plug-and-play solutions. That simplicity is beneficial for stores wanting no-friction installs, but it creates limits for merchants who rely on advanced stacks (headless setups, CRM sync, or complex checkout customizations).

Because Ask to Buy interacts with checkout flows (pre-filling customer and shipping details), it’s important to test compatibility with any checkout customizations (apps like Recharge or custom scripts). Simple Wishlist’s "no custom code" promise minimizes risk, but merchants should confirm compatibility with page builders and theme customizations.

Implementation & maintenance

Table stakes for both apps: install, configure button appearance, and test. Key differences in maintenance:

• Ask to Buy requires periodic testing after checkout or theme changes because it interacts with checkout fields and pre-fill behavior. If checkout fields change, invitee pre-filling could break.
• Simple Wishlist has simpler maintenance because it does not modify checkout behavior. It’s less likely to be affected by checkout updates.

Merchants with limited developer resources may prefer Simple Wishlist for lower long-term maintenance, while merchants who rely on sales reps or gift registries may accept Ask to Buy’s slightly higher maintenance for its conversion benefits.

Pricing and Value for Money

Pricing is often the decisive factor for early-stage merchants. But the right question is value for money: how much incremental conversion or lifetime value does the app produce relative to its monthly cost?

Ask to Buy create & share cart pricing

• Listed plan: Basic — $15 / month.

That price is straightforward and affordable. For stores that deploy shared carts frequently (gift registries, parental buy-ins, or sales-rep workflows), $15 per month can quickly pay for itself if a handful of shared-cart conversions close each month.

Value considerations:

• For a store with average order value above $50, just a few incremental purchases driven by pre-filled carts make this a strong value.
• The presence of tracking for shares and conversions helps quantify ROI, turning $15 into a measurable cost of customer acquisition or conversion acceleration.

Limitations in pricing transparency:

• No clear tiering beyond the basic plan — merchants with large catalogs or multiple advanced needs may outgrow the single plan.

Simple Wishlist pricing

• No public plan details in the provided data.

Simple Wishlist often positions itself as low-cost or free for basic needs. The absence of published pricing suggests a minimal charge model or variable pricing depending on features.

Value considerations:

• If the app is free or very low cost, it becomes attractive for budget-conscious merchants who simply need a wishlisting button.
• Without automations tied to wishlist-to-purchase conversion, the inherent value of wishlists depends heavily on the merchant’s ability to follow up with marketing.

Comparative value:

• Ask to Buy at $15/month gives a clear value for conversion flows that require another party to complete payment.
• Simple Wishlist may be lower cost but likely requires supplemental apps or marketing effort to capture comparable revenue impact.

Hidden costs and total cost of ownership

Single-purpose apps often carry hidden costs that emerge over time:

• Maintenance and compatibility testing after theme or Shopify updates.
• Duplication of features across multiple apps leading to paying multiple vendors for overlapping functionality.
• Performance costs: each installed app may add scripts and slow page load, indirectly affecting conversion rates.

Merchants should estimate total cost of ownership for both short-term and long-term use. An app that costs more per month can still be better value if it reduces manual labor, improves conversion metrics, or replaces several other tools.

Integrations and Ecosystem Considerations

Which platforms and tools will need to connect?

Consider the rest of the merchant stack when choosing between these apps:

• Email and marketing automation platforms (Klaviyo, Omnisend).
• CRM and customer service tools (Gorgias).
• Checkout or subscription platforms (Recharge).
• Page builders and theme frameworks (Pagefly, GemPages).

Ask to Buy’s checkout pre-fill requires careful coordination with any system that touches checkout. Simple Wishlist’s minimal footprint reduces integration complexity but limits automated follow-up unless connected to marketing tools.

Extensibility for growth

If a merchant anticipates growing into loyalty programs, referral campaigns, or review management, a small wishlisting or cart-sharing tool may solve only one piece of the puzzle. Consider whether it’s preferable to add focused apps over time or invest in an integrated platform that bundles loyalty, referrals, wishlists, and reviews.

User Support and Reliability

Both apps have the same average rating (4.4), but reviewer counts differ considerably: Ask to Buy has 7 reviews, Simple Wishlist has 2. Ratings with low review counts carry significant variance and may not reflect ongoing support quality.

Questions merchants should ask before installing:

• What is the expected response time for support requests?
• Are updates included or charged extra?
• Is there a service-level commitment for critical bugs, especially those involving checkout pre-fills?

Because both apps are niche, merchants should request a demonstration or a proof-of-concept for their specific checkout flow, particularly for Ask to Buy. Verify that the developer can reproduce invitee landing behavior and maintain the feature through Shopify updates.

Security, Data, and Privacy

Apps that pre-fill checkout details handle customer data and must be judged on how they manage that data. Relevant considerations:

• Does the app store customer data off-site, and if so, how is it secured?
• Is sensitive payment information ever exposed by the pre-fill mechanism?
• How does the app comply with regional regulations such as GDPR or CCPA when transferring or storing personal data?

Simple Wishlist primarily stores product IDs tied to customers; the privacy surface area is smaller. Ask to Buy exchanges customer details and shipping addresses between inviter and invitee flows, so merchants should confirm data handling practices and obtain documented assurances if the store operates in regulated markets.

Performance and Theme Compatibility

Both apps claim lightweight installs, but any additional script can impact page load. Test the following before rolling out:

• Page speed impact on collection and product pages.
• Mobile performance — many wishlisting and gift-sharing interactions happen on mobile.
• Compatibility with custom themes and page builders.

Ask to Buy has additional friction because it modifies checkout pre-fill behavior, which can be affected by checkout scripting or custom checkout UI. Simple Wishlist’s "no code" approach reduces the risk of conflicts.

Scalability and Enterprise Needs

Shopify Plus merchants and high-growth brands require features beyond wishlists and single cart sharing. At scale, needs typically include:

• Multi-language support.
• Headless compatibilities and APIs.
• Advanced reporting and attribution across channels.
• Dedicated onboarding and customer success.

Neither Ask to Buy nor Simple Wishlist advertises enterprise-level features or large user bases. For stores with Big ambitions, investigating integrated retention platforms that offer loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlist functionality is often a better strategic fit.

Use Cases and Decision Criteria

This section helps merchants match apps to specific business needs.

When Ask to Buy create & share cart is the right choice

• The store frequently sells items where the person selecting items is not the payer (gifts, parental purchases).
• Sales representatives create carts for clients or boutique stores with a concierge purchase flow.
• The merchant needs minimal ongoing maintenance and can accept the $15 monthly cost for a conversion-focused feature.
• Gifting and group purchase behavior accounts for a meaningful share of revenue.

Why choose it:

• Designed specifically for share-to-pay flows.
• Built-in tracking lets merchants measure revenue driven by shared carts.

When Simple Wishlist is the right choice

• The merchant needs a fast, code-free wishlisting button and page to capture favorite items.
• Budget-conscious stores that can rely on existing email automation to act on wishlist data.
• Merchants who prefer minimal maintenance and minimal risk from code injections.

Why choose it:

• Quick implementation and minimal upkeep.
• Works for catalog-heavy sites where wishlisting is a common browsing behavior.

When neither is sufficient

• The merchant wants integrated retention features like loyalty programs, referral campaigns, review management, and wishlists in one place.
• The store needs enterprise-grade integrations with Klaviyo, Recharge, POS systems, or headless storefronts.
• There is a desire to reduce app sprawl and operating complexity.

For these priorities, an integrated retention platform can provide better long-term value than stitching together single-function apps.

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

Single-purpose apps solve immediate problems, but over time they create "app fatigue": too many vendors, overlapping features, harder maintenance, and higher total cost. The limitations include:

• Fragmented loyalty and retention strategies that live across disparate tools.
• Duplicate features (email triggers, analytics, UI widgets) paid multiple times.
• Increased chance of script conflicts and slower site performance.
• Difficulty attributing revenue and retention improvements across platforms.

An alternative approach is to consolidate critical retention functions into a single, integrated platform that reduces tool sprawl while delivering coordinated campaigns across loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlists.

Growave positions itself around the "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy to combat app fatigue. By bundling wishlist functionality with loyalty and rewards, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers, merchants can manage retention from a single control center.

• Consolidate retention features and centralize configuration by adopting a platform that groups loyalty, wishlists, and reviews into one unified experience.
• Use a single analytics source to measure attribution across loyalty-driven repeat purchases and wishlist-to-purchase flows.

For merchants evaluating consolidation, consider these practical benefits of integrated platforms:

• Unified customer profiles that link wishlist actions to loyalty points, referral behavior, and review submissions.
• Automated triggers that convert wishlist signals into loyalty offers or cart reminders without additional middleware.
• Fewer injected scripts and one vendor to contact for troubleshooting.

Growave integrates a broad set of retention capabilities. For merchants looking to measure the ROI of consolidation, Growave’s pricing and plans document the available tiers and trial options. See how merchants can consolidate retention features by reviewing the available plans and pricing to match store scale and needs: consolidate retention features.

To better understand how loyalty and wishlists work together, merchants can explore how to build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases. Rewards programs can turn wishlist behavior into points or targeted incentives that raise conversion probability.

Growave’s reviews product helps merchants collect and showcase authentic reviews, which amplifies the social proof needed to convert wishlisted products into sales.

For merchants who want a hands-on walkthrough before committing, Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention. Book a personalized demo to see an integrated retention stack

How Growave addresses the limitations of Ask to Buy and Simple Wishlist

• Wishlist behavior is native to a broader retention strategy. A wishlist in Growave becomes a signal that can trigger reward offers, referral prompts, or review invitations — turning a wishlist metric into measurable LTV uplift.
• Shared-cart scenarios can be handled in tandem with loyalty and VIP tiers. For example, a shared cart that results in purchase can automatically grant loyalty points to the recipient or inviter.
• Consolidated analytics simplify attribution. Instead of tracking conversions through multiple vendor dashboards, a unified platform ties activity to customer lifetime value.
• Enterprise-grade features and integrations reduce friction for scaling merchants. Growave supports headless setups and integrations with common tools, enabling smoother workflows for fast-growing stores.

Integrations and ecosystem fit

Integrated platforms compete on how well they connect to existing stacks. Growave supports common tools used by merchants of all sizes, which helps avoid siloed data and duplicated work across vendors. For merchants on Shopify Plus or those anticipating multi-channel requirements, it’s straightforward to check compatibility with headless setups and enterprise expectations. See solutions tailored for larger merchants: solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Case examples of consolidated outcomes

Consolidation commonly produces these benefits:

• Shorter setup time for cross-channel campaigns because loyalty and wishlist triggers live in one admin.
• Reduced monthly vendor costs once overlapping features are migrated out of single-purpose apps.
• Improved customer experience because reward offers, wishlist reminders, and referral prompts are consistent and personalized.

For inspiration on how merchants scale retention with consolidation, merchants can review examples of customer success and strategies on how other brands improved retention: customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Cost comparison — why consolidation can be better value for money

A typical growth stage merchant might run:

• A wishlist app ($0–$15/month).
• A separate loyalty app ($50–$199/month).
• A reviews app ($20–$99/month).
• A referrals app ($30–$100/month).

Individually these can add up quickly and create maintenance overhead. Consolidation with a platform that bundles these channels frequently delivers:

• Lower combined monthly bill compared to separate mid-tier tools.
• Less integration setup and ongoing maintenance overhead.
• Higher aggregated impact because signals flow between modules.

Merchants should calculate likely incremental revenue gains from loyalty and referrals combined with wishlist conversions to see the value for money of consolidation.

Implementation Checklist and Migration Steps

If a merchant decides to switch from single-purpose apps to an integrated platform, follow a structured migration approach:

• Inventory current apps and overlapping features.
• Export any data required (wishlists, customer-tagged lists, points ledger).
• Map triggers: wishlist events -> email/SMS -> reward assignment.
• Decide on phased migration: move wishlist features first, then loyalty and review modules.
• Test thoroughly on staging or a theme duplicate: check mobile, checkout pre-fill, and automation flows.
• Monitor KPIs closely for 30-90 days after migration for anomalies in conversion, load time, or customer support volumes.

Consolidation reduces long-term complexity but requires careful migration planning to avoid customer friction.

Recommendations by Merchant Profile

These condensed recommendations can help merchants select the right approach.

• Small hobby store with limited technical resources and low wishlisting volume: Simple Wishlist for the immediate need, paired with existing email flows.
• Boutique with sales-rep or gifting workflows: Ask to Buy create & share cart to accelerate conversion where builder ≠ payer.
• Growth-stage merchant focused on LTV and repeat purchase: Consider consolidation to a retention suite; quantify the monthly savings and potential LTV uplift before migrating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which app is better at turning saved items into purchases? A: Ask to Buy focuses on converting a prepared shopping list into a completed purchase by having the invitee land straight on checkout. Simple Wishlist collects intent signals but does not include built-in conversion triggers; converting those signals typically depends on external marketing automation.

Q: How do the apps compare in terms of implementation complexity? A: Simple Wishlist emphasizes a no-code installation and minimal maintenance. Ask to Buy requires more attention because it interacts with checkout pre-fills and invite flows, which need testing after theme or checkout customizations.

Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps? A: An integrated platform centralizes wishlists, loyalty, referrals, and reviews, enabling coordinated campaigns and single-source analytics. This reduces vendor overhead, improves data consistency, and often delivers better value for money at scale compared to managing multiple single-purpose apps.

Q: Which app offers better reporting and attribution? A: Ask to Buy includes tracking for shares and conversions, giving clearer attribution for shared-cart revenue. Simple Wishlist provides minimal reporting natively; wishlist-to-purchase attribution typically needs external reporting tools.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Ask to Buy create & share cart and Simple Wishlist, the decision comes down to the specific conversion behavior being targeted. Ask to Buy is an excellent choice for stores that need to convert shared carts when the person building the cart is not the payer. Simple Wishlist makes sense for merchants who want a quick, low-friction wishlist feature and plan to use existing marketing automation to follow up.

For merchants that want to reduce app sprawl and create coordinated retention strategies across wishlists, loyalty, referrals, and reviews, consolidating features into a single retention platform is frequently better value for money. An integrated approach improves data consistency, reduces maintenance, and increases the ability to measure lifetime value uplift across channels. Start a 14-day free trial to see how Growave replaces multiple apps and increases repeat purchase rates. Start a 14-day free trial to see how Growave replaces multiple apps and increases repeat purchase rates

Additional resources:

• Learn how to build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Discover ways to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• See how other merchants approached consolidation by reviewing customer stories from brands scaling retention.
• Compare plan levels and assess the cost-benefit at different growth stages by reviewing the pricing tiers: consolidate retention features.
• Find Growave on the Shopify App Store to review listings and install options: find Growave on the Shopify App Store

For a hands-on walkthrough, Book a personalized demo to see an integrated retention stack. Book a personalized demo to see an integrated retention stack