ESC Wishlist + Save for Later vs. Top Advanced Wishlist App: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Shopify merchants face a crowded app marketplace where small feature choices can ripple into conversion rates, repeat purchases, and long-term retention. Wishlist tools are a common first move to capture intent and nudge customers back, but not all wishlist apps deliver the same outcomes. Choosing the wrong app can create integration gaps, increase maintenance overhead, and produce disappointing value for money.

Short answer: ESC Wishlist + Save for Later is a basic, low-cost option for stores that only need a simple save-for-later widget under the cart. Top Advanced Wishlist App provides a more modern guest wishlist experience, REST API access, and broader sharing options for stores that want lightweight wishlist features with slightly richer behavior. For merchants looking to reduce tool sprawl and drive retention across loyalty, referrals, and reviews, an integrated retention platform like Growave often offers better value for money and faster ROI.

This article provides a detailed, objective, feature-by-feature comparison of ESC Wishlist + Save for Later (Eastside Co®) and Top Advanced Wishlist App (Top App Developer). The goal is to help merchants understand which app fits specific use cases and where an all-in-one solution may be a smarter strategic choice.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later vs. Top Advanced Wishlist App: At a Glance

How to Read This Comparison

This comparison is structured to evaluate the apps across practical merchant criteria: features, pricing and value, integrations, support, UX, performance, data handling, marketing capabilities, and implementation. Each section highlights strengths and weaknesses and clarifies which store types will gain the most from each app.

The analysis remains neutral and outcome-focused: how each app affects retention, conversion, and customer lifetime value (LTV). After the objective comparison, the article explores a broader option: reducing app fatigue through an integrated retention stack.

Feature Comparison: What Each App Actually Does

Wishlist mechanics and customer flow

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

ESC positions itself primarily as a "save for later" tool that shows saved items under the cart. Key behavior points:

• Unlimited wishlists so customers can categorize items.
• Saved items surface near checkout, reducing friction for conversion when a shopper returns.
• Social sharing capability for lists, intended to drive reach.
• Visual customization options to match store styling.

Strengths:

• Simple path from saved item to checkout by placing saved items under the cart.
• Clear UX for customers who return directly to the checkout.

Limitations:

• The app description and low review count suggest limited product maturity and adoption.
• No explicit mention of guest wishlist behavior or API for developers.
• Placement under the cart is useful but may be less visible for stores with dynamic cart flows (e.g., slide-out mini carts).

Top Advanced Wishlist App

Top Advanced Wishlist App markets itself as an "Advance Wishlist" with guest wishlist support and wide sharing options. Key behavior points:

• Customers can create and share wishlists without registering or logging in.
• The app supports sharing via email, text, and social media.
• REST API support for deeper integrations and custom flows.

Strengths:

• Guest wishlist capability reduces account friction and captures intent from first-time visitors.
• REST API enables bespoke integrations (marketing automation, customer segmentation).
• Designed for easy, code-free installation.

Limitations:

• Minimal review count so real-world reliability is less proven.
• The guest wishlist model requires a strategy for identifying and re-engaging anonymous users (cookies, email capture, or follow-up flows).

Customization and branding

ESC emphasizes a “broad range of options for customizing how the app looks,” which is useful for maintaining brand consistency on product and cart pages. However, customization depth (templates, CSS access, and JavaScript hooks) is not documented in detail.

Top Advanced Wishlist App promotes code-free installation and a responsive UI, which typically suits stores that want a quick deploy without developer time. The presence of a REST API implies the app can be styled and extended, but exact customization capabilities are not fully enumerated in the public listing.

Practical takeaway:

• Merchants who need pixel-perfect visual control and a developer team should verify available theme hooks and CSS/JS access before committing to either app.
• For stores without developer resources, Top Advanced Wishlist App's code-free focus may reduce setup friction.

Sharing and social reach

Both apps include sharing features. ESC advertises "free social sharing" to increase brand reach. Top Advanced Wishlist App explicitly mentions sharing via email, text, and social media, including guest sharing without login.

Marketing impact:

• Sharing features can boost referrals and discovery when combined with tracking links or referral incentives.
• The ability to share without forcing registration (Top Advanced) generally increases the likelihood of list sharing.

Data, API, and developer options

ESC’s public listing does not highlight an API, which limits developers who want to export wishlist data to CRM, email platforms, or analytics. That creates an integration barrier for merchants wanting to stitch wishlist actions into lifecycle marketing.

Top Advanced Wishlist App includes a REST API, enabling:

• Exporting wishlist events into systems like Klaviyo or a custom data lake.
• Building custom automation (e.g., targeted win-back emails based on wishlist changes).
• Syncing wishlist data with other systems for reporting and segmentation.

For merchants serious about leveraging wishlist behavior as part of lifecycle marketing, REST API access is a decisive advantage.

User accounts and guest behavior

ESC appears to rely on customer accounts or persistent cart behavior to surface saved items at the next checkout. It’s positioned around save-for-later within the cart flow.

Top Advanced Wishlist App explicitly supports guest wishlists, allowing customers to create wishlists without logging in. This is useful for stores that experience high one-time traffic, want to capture anonymous intent, and prefer low-friction sharing.

Considerations:

• Guest wishlists are powerful but require a plan to reconcile anonymous intent with identified customers (e.g., when a guest later checks out).
• Stores with membership/loyalty programs may prefer account-based wishlist data to tie into LTV metrics.

Pricing & Value

Pricing influences adoption significantly. Merchants must evaluate cost relative to the feature set and the revenue impact of wishlist-triggered conversions.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later pricing

• Monthly plan: $5 / month

Observations:

• Low monthly cost reduces risk for small merchants testing wishlist functionality.
• The single-price model simplifies budgeting but may imply a narrower feature set.

Value assessment:

• For stores that only want a minimal save-for-later function to nudge checkouts, $5/month can be attractive and provide immediate benefit.
• The app’s very low pricing trades off with limited integrations and an unclear product maturity given the small review footprint.

Top Advanced Wishlist App pricing

• BASIC (ONE PLAN): $0.99 / month
  • No limit on wishlist items
  • No limit on number of customers
  • Guest wishlist
  • REST API
  • Up to 10,000 wishlist items per month

Observations:

• Extremely low price with generous usage limits makes this a compelling, low-cost option.
• REST API inclusion at this price is notable for merchants wanting to extract event data.

Value assessment:

• The app can deliver significant ROI if wishlist-to-purchase conversions are present, and the store can act on wishlist data via the API.
• Long-term value depends on support quality and product stability, which is harder to assess with only one review.

Price-to-value comparison

Both apps are priced to be low-friction, low-risk additions, but price alone does not capture integration, reporting, and marketing utility. For merchants who expect wishlist events to feed into customer lifecycle campaigns, the REST API in Top Advanced adds disproportionate value for its price point. Conversely, ESC’s $5/month plan is straightforward for stores that need only a simple save-for-later widget.

Important concept: "Value for money" should factor in:

• Revenue lift from recovered carts and wishlist-triggered purchases.
• Time and development cost to integrate wishlist data into email flows or loyalty programs.
• Ongoing maintenance and compatibility with theme updates.

Integrations & Ecosystem Fit

Integrations determine whether wishlist signals can be actioned inside marketing automation, customer service, and analytics stacks.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

Public listing shows basic features but lacks explicit integration references (e.g., Klaviyo, Omnisend, Recharge). That suggests:

• Limited out-of-the-box integrations.
• Potential need for manual exports or bespoke development to send wishlist events to external tools.

Merchant consequence:

• Stores that rely on email automation, SMS campaigns, or advanced analytics will face additional work to use wishlist data for lifecycle marketing.

Top Advanced Wishlist App

This app mentions a REST API and notes it works with Checkout. REST API availability opens the door to custom integrations with:

• Email platforms (e.g., Klaviyo).
• SMS tools.
• Custom CRMs and data warehouses.
• Server-side processes for reconciling guest wishlists to identified customers.

Merchant consequence:

• Easier to feed wishlist data into marketing automation if the merchant or agency can implement API calls.

What merchants should verify before installing

• Whether the app pushes events to webhooks or requires periodic exports.
• If integration templates exist for popular platforms (Klaviyo, Omnisend, Gorgias).
• How the app handles data retention and GDPR/CCPA compliance, especially for guest wishlists.

User Support & Documentation

Support quality directly affects time-to-value, especially when an app touches critical flows like checkout.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Very small review count (2 reviews) and overall rating 1 suggests limited or unsatisfactory support experiences reported by users.
• Public documentation and support SLAs are not clearly highlighted in the app listing.

Consideration:

• Merchants should contact the developer ahead of installation to verify expected response times and available support channels.

Top Advanced Wishlist App

• Single review with a 5-star rating gives a positive signal but is too small a sample to generalize.
• The developer promotes “fast and responsive customer support” and offers a REST API, implying some developer-oriented documentation and help.

Consideration:

• With REST API access, merchants may need developer support, so confirm the availability of technical docs and sample code before committing.

Implementation & Time To Launch

Quick implementation reduces friction and accelerates value.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Appears to be install-and-configure with cart placement for saved items.
• Customization options suggest theme edits may be required for advanced styling.

Time estimate:

• Small merchants can likely deploy basic functionality within a few hours.
• Custom integrations or design tweaks may increase implementation time.

Top Advanced Wishlist App

• Described as “easy & code free installation,” meaning a fast setup for most merchants.
• REST API adds options for deeper implementation where needed.

Time estimate:

• Basic guest wishlist and sharing can be live in under an hour for many stores.
• API-based integrations will require developer time depending on complexity.

UX, Design, and Conversion Impact

A wishlist's UI and placement influence whether customers use it and later convert.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later conversion logic

• By surfacing saved items under the cart, the app reduces click friction at checkout: saved items are visible when a shopper is ready.
• This placement can recover intent at the critical conversion moment.

UX risks:

• Works best for sites with a traditional cart and checkout flow. For stores using modern cart experiences (e.g., dynamic slide-out carts or checkout apps), the visibility may be inconsistent.

Top Advanced Wishlist App conversion logic

• Guest wishlist and sharing increase the likelihood of capturing interest for users who won’t create accounts.
• Sharing via multiple channels can introduce new traffic and potential indirect conversions.

UX strengths:

• Low friction for list creation and sharing typically yields higher adoption rates, especially on mobile.

Performance, Reliability & Maintenance

Performance and compatibility with theme updates are practical concerns.

• Both apps have minimal public reviews, making it difficult to judge long-term reliability.
• Top Advanced’s API suggests a more actively maintained product for developer needs, but confirm SLA and uptime policies with the developer.
• ESC’s limited footprint increases risk of orphaned app problems if the developer stops active maintenance.

Recommendation:

• For mission-critical flows (checkout or loyalty), choose an app with proven market adoption or a vendor with clear support and roadmap commitments.

Data Privacy, Ownership & Export

Wishlist data can be a valuable part of customer profiling. Merchants should confirm:

• Who owns the wishlist dataset? (Merchant vs. app vendor)
• How to export wishlist data in bulk.
• How guest wishlist identifiers are handled and whether they are pseudonymized.
• Retention policies and compliance with GDPR/CCPA.

Top Advanced’s REST API implies better export and control options. ESC’s public listing lacks clarity on these points—ask the developer before install.

Marketing & Lifecycle Use Cases

A wishlist is only as valuable as the downstream actions taken by the merchant.

• Use case: Capture product interest and trigger automated abandoned wishlist emails or SMS reminders.
  • Top Advanced App + REST API: Easier to implement these automations with event forwarding.
  • ESC: Might require manual work or limited automation if integrations are lacking.
• Use case: Turn wishlist sharing into referrals.
  • Both apps support sharing; combine with incentives to improve conversion from shared lists.
• Use case: Analyze product-level demand through wishlist aggregations.
  • REST API and data exportability (Top Advanced) enable monthly reports to inform merchandising.

Strategic recommendation:

• Confirm how wishlist data feeds into loyalty programs, referral campaigns, and review solicitation processes—areas where an integrated platform can significantly reduce complexity.

Pros & Cons Summary

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later (Eastside Co®)

Pros:

• Simple, focused save-for-later workflow under the cart.
• Unlimited wishlists.
• Low monthly cost ($5).

Cons:

• Very small review base (2 reviews) and low rating (1) raises reliability and support concerns.
• Limited public information on APIs and integrations.
• Potential incompatibility with nonstandard cart experiences.

Best for:

• Small merchants who need a simple save-for-later widget and minimal integration, and who accept trade-offs in support and scalability.

Top Advanced Wishlist App (Top App Developer)

Pros:

• Extremely low price ($0.99/month) with generous usage caps.
• Guest wishlist capability reduces friction.
• REST API for integrations and custom workflows.
• Works with Checkout.

Cons:

• Very small review count (1 review) limits visibility into long-term reliability and support.
• Merchant will need a plan to reconcile guest wishlist data for lifecycle campaigns.

Best for:

• Stores that want a low-cost guest wishlist solution and have developer resources to act on the REST API.

Which App Is Best For Specific Merchant Profiles

• Merchant on a tight budget who just wants save-for-later at checkout:
  • ESC is adequate if the store uses a standard cart and the merchant accepts limited integrations.
• Merchant wanting guest wishlist with sharing and developer integrations:
  • Top Advanced Wishlist App is a better fit due to REST API and guest wishlist features.
• Merchant who intends to use wishlist data inside email/SMS workflows and loyalty programs:
  • Top Advanced is preferable because of its API, but both apps will require additional integrations. Consider an all-in-one stack for streamlined ownership of retention signals.

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

App fatigue is a growing problem for merchants. Installing multiple single-purpose apps may solve a short-term gap but creates longer-term costs: integration overhead, theme conflicts, duplicated fees, and fragmented customer data. These problems reduce velocity on retention initiatives and increase maintenance risk as the tech stack scales.

Growave’s philosophy of "More Growth, Less Stack" addresses these issues by consolidating retention tools—loyalty, referrals, wishlists, reviews, and VIP tiers—into one platform. Rather than stitching events across multiple apps, a unified approach centralizes customer behavior, simplifies automation, and reduces theme integration complexity.

Key reasons merchants choose an integrated platform:

• Consolidated data model: Wishlist actions, referral events, and loyalty points live in the same customer profile, making segmentation and LTV calculations straightforward.
• Reduced app maintenance: One vendor handling feature parity, compatibility, and support lowers operational burden.
• Faster experiment cycles: With centralized tools, A/B tests and promotion experiments can run without coordinating across different vendors.

Growave offers these specific capabilities that target the gaps identified in the wishlist-only apps:

• Loyalty and reward programs that create ongoing incentives for wishlisted customers to convert and return. See how merchants can build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Integrated review collection and display that ties product interest to social proof. Merchants can easily collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Case studies and examples of brands that scaled retention using a consolidated platform provide practical inspiration for merchants evaluating alternatives; consult customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Practical benefits of consolidation

• Faster ROI: Instead of paying for several single-purpose apps, the consolidated monthly cost often delivers greater measurable uplift across retention metrics.
• Easier cross-channel campaigns: Use wishlist signals to trigger loyalty point incentives and follow-up review requests without building custom middleware.
• Enterprise-ready features: For stores on Shopify Plus, an integrated stack provides API-level controls, checkout extensibility, and tailored support—review the available options for solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Technical and integration advantages

• Pre-built connectors and native integrations reduce developer time. Growave integrates with common marketing stacks so wishlist data can inform email and SMS flows immediately.
• Central analytics: Merchants get consolidated reporting on wishlists, referrals, loyalty redemptions, and reviews without manual joins or exports.
• One support channel for cross-feature issues: A single product team can diagnose interaction issues between loyalty rules and wishlist behavior—no finger-pointing across vendors.

Operational gains

• Single billing and vendor relationship.
• Easier governance for data retention and privacy policies.
• Reduced theme conflict risk: Growave maintains integration compatibility across a range of page builders and checkout flows.

If a merchant wants to compare practical steps:

• Instead of wiring wishlist events from Top Advanced via API into Klaviyo and separately implementing a loyalty program, an integrated platform offers the same triggers, actions, and tracking out of the box.

Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack reduces complexity and accelerates growth. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention.

Note on trying before committing

• Growave provides pricing tiers to match merchant scale and requirements. Merchants can evaluate plans and feature scope on the pricing page. For many, the incremental cost from single-purpose wishlist apps to a full retention suite translates into faster growth and lower total cost of ownership.

How Growave Compares to Single-Function Wishlist Apps

When comparing Growave to a standalone wishlist app, consider the following dimensions beyond immediate wishlist functionality:

• Cross-feature orchestration: Growave lets wishlists trigger loyalty points, referral incentives, and review reminders without coding.
• Consolidated analytics: Instead of piecing together events from several apps, score customer intent and assign VIP tiers using centralized behavior signals.
• Support and roadmap: A platform vendor typically prioritizes integrations and feature parity across the core retention tools, whereas single-purpose apps may focus narrowly on incremental wishlist features.

Growave links and resources for merchants evaluating consolidation:

• Merchants exploring pricing tiers and plan features can review details on the pricing page.
• To install Growave via Shopify, merchants can install from the Shopify App Store and test basic wishlist features quickly.
• For merchants focused on loyalty strategy, review the benefits of loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• To understand how reviews and UGC can complement wishlist-driven conversions, explore how to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• To see examples of brands using a consolidated approach, read customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Implementation Scenarios: Choosing the Right Path

To make the choice actionable, here are straightforward scenarios and recommended approaches:

• Scenario: Small boutique store with limited budget and no developer support
  • Short-term: Install Top Advanced Wishlist App for guest wishlist and social sharing at $0.99/month to test demand.
  • Long-term: If wishlist events begin to generate repeat traffic, plan a migration to an integrated platform to centralize retention triggers.
• Scenario: Mid-size store running email and SMS automation that wants to act on wishlist events
  • Short-term: Top Advanced’s REST API can feed wishlist events into marketing automation, but expect developer time for setup.
  • Long-term: Migrating to a consolidated platform reduces ongoing integration maintenance and enables richer automations without repeated development.
• Scenario: High-growth brand on Shopify Plus with loyalty and VIP programs
  • Short-term: Single-purpose wishlist apps will quickly become limiting; evaluate an enterprise retention platform for checkout integration and dedicated success support.
  • Long-term: Platform solutions reduce tech debt and provide dedicated onboarding for complex loyalty mechanics.

Migration & Exit Strategy

If a merchant starts with a single-purpose app and later decides to consolidate, plan for:

• Data export: Confirm how to export wishlists and associated customer identifiers.
• Reconciliation: For guest wishlists, map anonymous identifiers to known customers when possible.
• Redirects and UX consistency: Preserve customer experience to avoid lost saved items during migration.

Top Advanced’s REST API should make exports easier; ESC may require developer assistance to extract historical data. In either case, verify export formats and retention windows prior to removal.

Cost of Ownership: Short-Term vs Long-Term

Initial low monthly fees are attractive, but merchants should evaluate total cost of ownership (TCO):

• Licensing fees across multiple single-purpose apps can exceed a single platform subscription as the store scales.
• Developer and maintenance costs to integrate wishlist data into lifecycle tools often are under-counted.
• Opportunity cost: Time spent managing multiple vendors delays experiments and reduces the ability to run cohesive retention strategies.

An integrated platform aims to lower TCO by consolidating functionality and vendor management.

Practical Checklist Before Installing a Wishlist App

• Does the app provide an API or export for wishlist events?
• How does the app handle guest vs account-based wishlists?
• Where are saved items surfaced (cart, account page, user profile)?
• What sharing channels are available (email, SMS, social)?
• Are there pre-built integrations with the merchant’s ESP or CRM?
• What are the data retention policies and privacy controls?
• How does the app impact page load and checkout performance?
• What is the vendor’s support SLA and public review footprint?

Answering these questions helps merchants avoid surprises and ensures the wishlist solution supports broader retention goals.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between ESC Wishlist + Save for Later and Top Advanced Wishlist App, the decision comes down to intended use and integration needs. ESC is a simple, cart-focused save-for-later tool offered at a low monthly price, but has limited public reviews and unclear integration options. Top Advanced Wishlist App provides a compelling low-cost guest wishlist solution with REST API access and flexible sharing, making it a better choice for stores that want to act on wishlist data through developer integrations.

For merchants seeking to reduce tool sprawl and execute coordinated retention strategies across loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists, a consolidated approach often delivers superior long-term value. Growave’s "More Growth, Less Stack" model combines wishlist features with loyalty and referrals, review collection, VIP tiers, and dedicated support, simplifying integration and amplifying retention outcomes. Merchants interested in consolidating retention tools and trying a unified suite can start a 14-day free trial to try Growave's integrated retention platform.

Additional resources:

• Explore how merchants can consolidate retention features with flexible pricing tiers.
• Learn how Growave appears in the Shopify ecosystem by visiting the option to install from the Shopify App Store.

Book a personalized demo or try the platform free to evaluate whether a unified retention stack fits the store’s growth plan. Install from the Shopify App Store to begin testing features in a live store

FAQ

Q: Which wishlist app is better if a merchant only wants a simple save-for-later widget? A: ESC Wishlist + Save for Later targets the save-for-later use case with saved items displayed under the cart, making it suitable for merchants who only need minimal functionality and prefer a low-cost option.

Q: Which app is better if the merchant wants guest wishlists and developer-level integrations? A: Top Advanced Wishlist App supports guest wishlists and offers a REST API, making it the stronger choice for merchants who need low-friction list creation and plan to integrate wishlist events into marketing automation or analytics.

Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized wishlist apps? A: An all-in-one platform consolidates wishlist, loyalty, referral, and reviews data into a single customer profile, reducing integration overhead and enabling coordinated retention campaigns that are harder to execute when wishlist data lives in a separate app.

Q: How should a merchant approach migration from a single-purpose wishlist app to a consolidated platform? A: Confirm export paths for wishlist data, plan to reconcile guest and account-based identifiers, and ensure the platform can ingest historical events to preserve continuity for customers and ongoing campaigns.