ESC Wishlist vs. Squadkin Multi Wishlist: In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app can feel like a small decision with outsized consequences. A wishlist impacts conversion paths, email recovery, social sharing, and long-term customer retention. Merchants must weigh feature depth, customization, data capture, and how a wishlist fits into a larger retention stack.

Short answer: ESC Wishlist + Save for Later is a very simple, low-cost option suited to stores that want a basic "save for later" area under the cart and minimal setup. Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App offers richer wishlist features, guest support, analytics, and stronger customization, making it a better fit for merchants that need category-based wishlists and product-level analytics. For merchants who want to reduce tool sprawl and gain loyalty, referral, and review features alongside a wishlist, an integrated platform such as Growave is typically the better value for money.

This article compares ESC Wishlist + Save for Later and Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App feature by feature. The goal is to give merchants practical guidance on which app fits specific operational needs and what trade-offs to expect. After the direct comparison, a section explains how moving to an integrated retention platform can reduce app fatigue and increase lifetime value.

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later vs. Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

The following sections explore critical dimensions merchants care about: features, customization, pricing and value, integrations, analytics, support, performance, and which store types should choose each app.

Features and Core Functionality

Wishlist Types and User Experience

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Provides an in-cart "saved for later" section. Items saved appear under the cart so returning shoppers see them at checkout.
• Claims support for unlimited wishlists so customers can categorize items, though interface details and examples are limited in the public listing.
• Social sharing is available to increase reach.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Supports multi-category wishlists, letting customers create organized lists (for example, “Holiday Gifts,” “My Favorites,” or “Home Decor”).
• Offers guest wishlist functionality so visitors who aren’t logged in can save items.
• Allows sharing via social media or sharable links.
• Shows top wishlisted products so merchants can surface popular items.

Analysis

• Squadkin provides clearer wishlist types for different shopper journeys (guest vs. logged-in, multi-category). That flexibility can increase engagement and make wishlists more actionable.
• ESC’s core UX emphasis is on simplifying the cart -> wishlist pathway by placing saved items under the cart. For merchants focused strictly on recovery from the checkout experience, that placement is convenient.

Sharing and Social Reach

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Offers free social sharing to extend brand reach.
• Sharing is aimed at turning saved items into social recommendations.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Supports social sharing and email link shares.
• Focus on shareable links and social discovery, plus guest share support.

Analysis

• Both apps support social sharing; Squadkin adds explicit sharable link handling and the guest wishlist which can make peer-to-peer discovery smoother for non-logged-in users.

Customization and Theming

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Provides a broad range of options for customizing how the app looks in the store. Public details on customization depth are sparse.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Supports custom CSS and text content changes for alerts and labels.
• Stores can adapt the wishlist look to fit a theme more precisely.

Analysis

• Squadkin’s explicit support for custom CSS and text changes signals better control for stores that need pixel-perfect UI alignment. ESC states a broad range of visual options but does not list explicit developer-level controls in the public listing.

Guest Users and Persistence

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Public documentation does not emphasize guest wishlist support; primary focus is saved items visible in the cart for returning customers.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Explicitly supports guest wishlist additions. This helps capture intent from casual visitors who may not create accounts.

Analysis

• Guest support is a meaningful difference: allowing non-account holders to save items typically increases the number of wishlists and improves shareability for gift-buying scenarios.

Pricing and Value

Price Points

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Monthly plan: $5 / month.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Basic plan: $3.99 / month (includes multiple categories, guest wishlist, custom CSS, text customization, social sharing, unlimited wishlists, analytics).

Analysis

• On headline price, Squadkin’s basic plan at $3.99/month is slightly cheaper than ESC’s $5/month. Price alone does not capture value. The features included at the listed price matter substantially.
• Squadkin’s basic plan lists several features (guest wishlist, analytics, custom CSS) which make it better value for money for merchants who need those capabilities.
• ESC might still represent reasonable value if the primary need is a cart-adjacent “save for later” widget and setup simplicity, but public listing lacks clarity on what specific customization and analytics are included at $5.

Total Cost of Ownership

When evaluating cost, merchants should consider:

• Time to implement and maintain the integration.
• Any developer hours required for customization.
• Whether the app prevents a second paid app (e.g., if it includes analytics or guest features that would otherwise need another tool).

Analysis

• Squadkin reduces the need for an additional analytics or guest-wishlist workaround given its feature set at the basic price.
• ESC could be cheaper in total if minimal setup and maintenance is the goal, but the low number of reviews and poor rating (see below) create uncertainty about long-term support cost.

Ratings, Reviews, and Trust Signals

• ESC Wishlist + Save for Later: 2 reviews, rating 1.0.
• Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App: 5 reviews, rating 4.9.

Analysis

• Ratings and review count matter when judging reliability and responsiveness. A rating of 1.0 based on 2 reviews is a significant red flag: there could be unresolved issues, poor support, or problematic updates. The small review count means limited data, but the score is severe.
• Squadkin’s 4.9 rating across 5 reviews is a positive trust signal, indicating strong experiences among reviewers so far. The review sample is still small; merchants should read reviews for specifics about support, updates, and edge cases.

Integrations and Ecosystem Fit

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Public listing does not show a wide integration matrix. Works with: (no specifics provided).

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Public listing likewise does not display an extensive integration list beyond standard store compatibility.

Analysis

• Neither app advertises deep integrations with email platforms, CRMs, or loyalty systems in the public descriptions provided. This is a limitation for merchants who want wishlists to trigger behavior-based flows (e.g., wishlisted product back-in-stock emails or abandoned-wishlist recovery).
• For stores that depend on automation with tools like Klaviyo or enterprise flows, limitations on integrations may require manual workarounds or middleware.

Analytics and Reporting

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Public detail: none explicit about analytics or reporting other than saving behavior and social sharing.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Includes analytics that show top-10 wishlisted products, enabling merchandising and marketing campaigns focused on popular items.

Analysis

• Squadkin’s analytics are a differentiator. Knowing which products are wishlisted can inform promotions, bundling, and inventory planning.
• ESC’s lack of explicit analytics makes it less useful for merchants who want data-driven merchandising decisions from wishlists.

Support, Documentation, and Maintenance

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Low review count and a rating of 1.0 raise concerns about support responsiveness and product stability.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Higher rating suggests better support, but merchants should still verify support channels, response time, and hours.

Practical checks before installing either app:

• Review the app listing’s support contact options.
• Check changelog or version history for recent updates.
• Ask whether support includes help with theme conflicts and custom CSS guidance.

Implementation, Theme Compatibility, and Performance

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Designed to add a saved-for-later section under the cart. Implementation may be straightforward if a store uses a standard cart template.
• Unknown performance impact and theme compatibility details in the public listing.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Supports custom CSS, which helps resolve styling conflicts. Guest wishlist and shareable links imply a more involved installation process but better integration with store design.
• Offers analytics, which may require scripts; merchants should assess front-end performance impact.

Guidance for merchants:

• Test any wishlist scripts in staging or during low-traffic hours to spot performance regressions.
• Ask the app developer whether scripts load conditionally (only on product pages or cart pages) to reduce site-wide load.

Data Ownership, Security, and Privacy

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

• Public listing does not list security or data portability details.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Public listing does not explicitly state data export or storage policies.

Analysis

• Merchants must confirm how wishlist data is stored, whether it is exportable, and how it integrates with Shopify customer accounts. For regulations like GDPR and CCPA, confirm data processing addenda and deletion processes.
• Lack of visible documentation is a risk; merchants should request written confirmation from developers on data policies.

When To Choose Which App

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later Is Best For:

• Merchants who want a minimal "save for later" widget directly under the cart.
• Stores that prioritize a very simple installation without needing guest wishlist or product analytics.
• Shops that anticipate low maintenance and limited customization.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App Is Best For:

• Brands that need organized, multi-category wishlists.
• Stores that want guest wishlist support to capture non-account-holder intent.
• Merchants that want basic analytics (top wishlisted products) and the ability to fully customize the wishlist UI via CSS.

Pros and Cons

ESC Wishlist + Save for Later

Pros

• Simple, straightforward concept centered on cart save-for-later behavior.
• Fixed, low monthly cost ($5).

Cons

• Very low review count and a rating of 1.0 raise concerns about reliability and support.
• Limited publicly disclosed analytics and integrations.
• Unclear guest wishlist support and developer-level customization details.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

Pros

• Strong feature list in the basic plan (guest wishlist, multiple categories, analytics).
• High rating (4.9) indicates positive user experiences among reviewers.
• Custom CSS support allows visual alignment with store designs.

Cons

• Still a relatively small set of public reviews (5).
• May require more configuration than a single-purpose, in-cart save-for-later widget.
• Integration limitations for advanced automation unless manually bridged.

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

Why App Fatigue Matters

App fatigue emerges when merchants add too many single-purpose apps to their store. Each app increases the complexity of maintenance, risk of theme or script conflicts, and total recurrent spend. App fatigue can create operational drag in several ways:

• Fragmented customer data across multiple systems.
• Multiple monthly fees that add up and erode margin.
• Increased risk of performance degradation from many third-party scripts.
• Higher support overhead when issues cross app boundaries.

The core limitation of single-purpose wishlist apps is they solve one problem well but create additional needs (loyalty, referrals, reviews, data-driven workflows) that require separate tools. That pushes merchants into a complex tech stack rather than optimizing for retention and lifetime value.

Growave’s "More Growth, Less Stack" Proposition

Rather than stitching together specialized tools, some merchants prefer a single, integrated retention platform. Growave follows a "More Growth, Less Stack" approach by combining loyalty, referrals, wishlist, reviews, and VIP tiers in one suite. That consolidation delivers several practical benefits:

• Unified customer profiles so wishlist behavior directly informs loyalty and referral campaigns.
• Reduced chance of theme conflicts or overlapping scripts.
• Single billing and consolidated support for core retention features.

Merchants can learn how consolidation helps stores by reviewing customer stories of brands that scaled retention with fewer tools; see some customer stories from brands scaling retention.

What Growave Provides That Wishlist-Only Apps Don’t

Growave combines multiple retention levers into one product set. Key capabilities relevant to wishlist replacement include:

• Wishlist functionality tied into loyalty incentives (for example, rewarding points for adding items to a wishlist), which increases repeat engagement and lifetime value. To explore loyalty mechanics that improve retention, review how merchants build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Review collection and amplification tools that turn wishlists into social proof. Stores can use wishlist insights alongside social proof to improve conversion; learn how to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Referral programs that make wishlist sharing more actionable and trackable, turning friend recommendations into acquisitions.
• VIP tiers and custom reward actions that let merchants reward high-intent shoppers identified through wishlist behavior.

Growave documents examples and case studies that demonstrate how combining these features increases retention and reduces app sprawl; merchants can read more customer stories from brands scaling retention.

How an Integrated Platform Changes Workflows

Consolidating wishlist, reviews, and loyalty affects day-to-day operations:

• Marketing automation becomes more precise. Wishlisted products, combined with reviews or loyalty segments, can trigger targeted flows.
• Merchandisers get a unified picture: top wishlisted products are visible alongside review sentiment.
• Support and operations teams handle fewer vendors and fewer potential integration breakpoints.

For merchants evaluating options, comparing the cost of multiple single-purpose subscriptions versus a consolidated plan is essential. Compare pricing tiers and feature bundles to determine the breakeven point; merchants typically save time and reduce friction when they consolidate retention features.

Practical Steps to Move from Single-Purpose Apps to an Integrated Suite

• Audit current app usage and monthly spend for wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referral apps.
• Determine which wishlist behaviors get used in flows (e.g., top wishlisted items, guest wishlist shares).
• Map required integrations (e.g., Klaviyo, Recharge) and confirm the integrated platform supports them.
• Pilot the integrated suite with a subset of customers or a staging store to measure impact on conversion, site speed, and operations.

Growave supports integrations commonly used by merchants, and Growave’s plans are structured to support retailers scaling from basic to enterprise levels. Explore the different plan tiers to understand what level of integration and support fits the store size and technical needs by checking how to consolidate retention features.

Integrations and Platform Compatibility

One of the constraints with standalone wishlist apps is limited integrations. An integrated platform like Growave explicitly lists compatibility with common systems and headless setups, which helps merchants avoid custom integration work. For merchants on Shopify Plus, specific enterprise features and onboarding support are often required; Growave offers solutions targeted at larger merchants—review options for solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

How Growave Addresses Key Wishlist App Trade-Offs

• Customization: Growave allows visual and functional customization while keeping the wishlist connected to loyalty and review triggers.
• Analytics: Wishlist behavior surfaces in the same analytics suite used for loyalty and referrals, making product prioritization more data-driven.
• Guest and multi-category support: Features that standalone apps advertise can be implemented as part of retention flows, reducing the need for separate guest wishlist plugins.
• Performance and maintenance: A single vendor reduces the number of third-party scripts and the chance of inter-app conflicts.

For merchants that want to compare the app listing view before committing, the integrated app is available via the Shopify App Store; merchants who prefer installing from Shopify can install an integrated retention suite from the Shopify App Store.

Cost Comparison — A Strategic Look

• Standalone wishlist apps are lower-cost per month but often require additional tools (reviews, loyalty, referrals) with separate fees.
• An integrated platform typically has a higher monthly price but combines multiple retention tools into a single platform, reducing cumulative monthly spend and administrative overhead.

Merchants should estimate combined monthly fees of their current stack and test whether an integrated pricing tier can replace multiple subscriptions. Review Growave’s pricing tiers to match store scale and order volume and evaluate value vs. current stack: consolidate retention features.

Common Migration Concerns and Mitigations

• Data portability: Ensure wishlists, customer data, and review history can be exported or migrated. Request data export options from each app.
• Feature parity: Identify wishlist features that are mission-critical (guest wishlist, multi-category, top-10 analytics) and ensure the integrated platform supports them or offers comparable alternatives.
• Downtime and UX changes: Plan migrations during low-traffic windows and communicate UI changes to customers to avoid confusion.

Growave provides migration support and onboarding suited to stores that want to move from a fragmented stack; merchants can learn more about how migration and onboarding work and book a demo to discuss a migration plan.

Closing the Loop: Which Option Fits Which Merchant

The direct comparison above shows clear trade-offs. To summarize in practical terms:

• Choose ESC Wishlist + Save for Later if:
  • The primary need is a simple "saved for later" item visible during checkout.
  • The store wants the lowest upfront complexity and minimal configuration.
  • The merchant is comfortable accepting limited analytics and integration visibility.
• Choose Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App if:
  • The store needs multi-category wishlists and guest wishlist support.
  • Custom styling and lightweight analytics (top wishlisted products) are important.
  • The merchant values higher-rated support and a stronger feature set at a low monthly cost.
• Consider an integrated retention platform if:
  • The merchant is already paying for multiple single-purpose apps (e.g., wishlist + loyalty + reviews).
  • There is a strategic focus on increasing customer lifetime value, repeat purchase rate, and reducing operational overhead.
  • The store needs enterprise-level integrations, multi-language support, or Shopify Plus features.

Merchants evaluating consolidation should start by comparing the combined cost and the synergies created when wishlist behavior feeds directly into loyalty and reviews. For an integrated approach that consolidates wishlist, rewards, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers, merchants can compare plans and see which tier fits store volume and goals by reviewing how to consolidate retention features.

Implementation Checklist Before Installation

• Confirm the required wishlist behavior (guest vs. account-only, single vs. multi-category).
• Verify whether the app provides exportable data and supports automation triggers.
• Test theme compatibility on a staging store or duplicate theme.
• Ask about support SLAs and developer assistance for custom CSS.
• Measure baseline metrics (wishlists count, recoveries from wishlists, site performance) to evaluate impact post-installation.

If a merchant decides to evaluate an integrated solution as part of this checklist, exploring real merchant examples can be helpful—review customer stories from brands scaling retention to see how integrated stacks changed metrics.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between ESC Wishlist + Save for Later and Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App, the decision comes down to scope and reliability. ESC is a minimal, cart-focused save-for-later tool that may be suitable for very simple use cases, but limited public feedback and a very low rating create uncertainty. Squadkin delivers more robust wishlist management—guest support, multiple categories, customization, and analytics—making it a stronger choice for brands that need wishlist segmentation and product-level insight.

Beyond feature-by-feature comparison, the strategic question is whether a single-purpose wishlist app is enough or whether a consolidated retention suite better supports long-term growth. Using separate apps for wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews can create app fatigue, fragmented data, and ongoing maintenance overhead.

For merchants ready to reduce tool sprawl and leverage wishlist behavior as part of a unified retention strategy, exploring an integrated platform that combines wishlist with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers is the logical next step. To evaluate whether consolidation is a better fit for store goals and budget, compare plans and features to see which tier matches required order volume and integrations by visiting the page to consolidate retention features.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how a unified retention stack improves retention and lifetime value. Start a 14-day free trial

For merchants who prefer to install and evaluate via the Shopify App Store, an integrated retention solution is available to install and test on the store directly; view options to install an integrated retention suite from the Shopify App Store.

FAQ

What are the key differences between ESC Wishlist + Save for Later and Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App?

• The primary differences are scope and features. ESC focuses on a cart-adjacent "save for later" section with visual customization and social sharing, while Squadkin offers multi-category wishlists, guest wishlist support, custom CSS, and analytics for top wishlisted products. Squadkin’s public ratings are stronger, suggesting better user satisfaction to date.

Is the low price of ESC a good reason to choose it?

• Price alone is not enough. Evaluate feature parity, analytics needs, guest support, and reliability. Cheap monthly fees can still be expensive if the app lacks key functionality or requires developer time for fixes. Squadkin’s basic plan appears to provide better value for money if the merchant needs category support and analytics.

How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps like these wishlist tools?

• An integrated platform combines wishlist, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers into a single system. That reduces the number of paid subscriptions, centralizes customer data, and enables cross-feature automation (for example, rewarding points for wishlist actions). The trade-off is a higher single monthly fee but typically less operational complexity and better long-term ROI.

If reliability and support are priorities, which app is safer?

• Based on public ratings, Squadkin has a higher rating (4.9 across 5 reviews) compared to ESC’s rating of 1.0 across 2 reviews. While both sample sizes are small, a higher rating usually correlates with better support or fewer issues. Merchants should still test support responsiveness before committing.

How should a merchant decide whether to consolidate into an integrated retention platform?

• Start by adding up the monthly costs of current apps and the time spent managing them. Identify whether wishlist behavior needs to feed into loyalty, review activation, or referral flows. If those connections matter for retention strategy, testing an integrated suite is often the next logical step. For merchants ready to explore consolidation, the pricing tiers explain which features align with order volume and enterprise requirements: consolidate retention features.