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

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app on Shopify is deceptively strategic. A wishlist can lift conversion rates, shorten the path to purchase, and feed product insights, but the wrong choice adds maintenance, fragmented data, and feature overlap that drains time and margins.

Short answer: ESC Wishlist + Save For Later is a minimal, single-purpose option for merchants who want a basic "save for later" under-cart widget and simple social sharing at a low ongoing cost. Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App is a stronger pick for small-to-midsize stores that need multiple categories, guest wishlist support, and basic analytics with greater customization. For brands that want to reduce app sprawl and combine wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, and reviews, a unified retention platform like Growave offers better value for money over time.

This post provides a feature-by-feature, objective comparison of ESC Wishlist + Save For Later and Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App so merchants can choose the right fit for their needs. It ends with an explanation of when an integrated retention platform becomes a smarter option and how Growave addresses the limits of single-purpose widgets.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

This section examines each app across core areas merchants evaluate: features, customization, user experience, analytics, pricing and value, integrations, and support. The analysis draws on public listings and the recorded app data for fair, practical conclusions.

Feature Set

Core Wishlist Functionality

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Lets customers save items for later, storing a "saved for later" section under the cart so items are visible at checkout.
• Advertises unlimited wishlists so customers can categorize products.
• Provides social sharing to expand brand reach.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Allows creation of multiple wishlist categories and supports guest wishlists.
• Enables product favoriting and offers shareable wishlist links for social sharing and email.
• Exposes the top 10 wishlisted products to inform merchandising or campaigns.

Analysis

• Both apps deliver the basic value of helping browsers preserve intent. ESC is positioned around the cart experience (quick recoveries at checkout), while Squadkin focuses on organizing preferences and surfacing product popularity.
• For standard wishlist needs, both suffice. Where Squadkin pulls ahead is in guest wishlist and category organization, which improves UX for non-logged-in shoppers and supports segmentation.

Sharing and Social Features

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Social sharing is a highlighted capability, enabling customers to share lists with friends.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Supports sharing via social media and email through shareable links.

Analysis

• Both apps facilitate increased reach via sharing. Squadkin’s shareable links plus guest wishlist support may produce slightly better social virality because users don’t need accounts to create or forward wishlists.

Multi-List Management and Categories

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Claims unlimited wishlists for categorization.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Explicitly supports multiple categories and unlimited wishlists; advertises top-10 analytics by wishlist popularity.

Analysis

• Feature parity exists on basic multiple-lists, but Squadkin’s analytics make its multiple-lists function more actionable for merchandising and campaigns.

Guest Wishlist Support

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• App listing does not highlight explicit guest wishlist behavior; primary focus is saved items on the cart and logged behavior.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Prominently offers guest wishlist functionality so non-logged-in users can save favorites.

Analysis

• Guest wishlist is important for stores with high guest checkout rates or social traffic. Squadkin wins here for stores that cannot force accounts or want minimal friction.

Customization and Styling

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Provides a broad range of options to customize how the widget looks in the store.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Offers full customization using CSS plus text content customization for alerts.

Analysis

• Both allow look-and-feel changes. Squadkin’s explicit CSS customization and text edits make it more flexible for shops with bespoke themes or for merchants who want to align copy and microcopy with brand tone.

Ease of Setup & Ongoing Maintenance

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Very simple proposition: installation and plug-and-play behavior focused on the cart area. Likely minimal setup time.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Setup includes configuring categories, share links, and possible CSS edits. Slightly more setup time but more control.

Analysis

• ESC is lower friction on installation and initial setup. Squadkin requires a bit more configuration but delivers more flexible outcomes. Both are manageable for a store owner or developer.

User Experience: Customer-Facing Flows

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Placing saved items under the cart keeps them visible in checkout flow, which can reduce decision friction and increase impulse recoveries.
• The under-cart placement is a deliberate UX choice aimed at checkout lift.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Offers product-level wishlist buttons, category organization within user accounts, and guest flows that persist via shareable links.
• The ability to favorite on product pages and see top wishlisted items supports browsing and social proof.

Analysis

• ESC’s advantage is direct conversion proximity (checkout visibility). Squadkin supports discovery, browsing, and social sharing in a more structured way. The better option depends on whether conversion nudges at checkout or product discovery/social sharing is the priority.

Analytics & Reporting

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Does not advertise detailed analytics or product-level popularity reports in listing copy.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Advertises analytics such as the top 10 wishlist products to inform campaigns.

Analysis

• Squadkin is the clearer choice for merchants who want wishlist data to drive promotions or product investments. ESC may require merchants to rely on POS/Shopify reports or third-party tools to measure wishlist-driven demand.

Pricing & Value

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Monthly plan at $5 per month.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Basic plan at $3.99 per month.

Analysis

• Both apps are inexpensive, but price alone is secondary to fit. Squadkin’s slightly lower monthly cost and richer feature set (guest wishlist, analytics, CSS) suggests better value for money for stores wanting robust wishlist features. ESC can be attractive for stores that simply want a lightweight checkout nudge at a predictable price.

Consider long-term value for money:

• If wishlist data is used strategically for retargeting or merchandising, the analytics in Squadkin can offset its cost quickly.
• If wishlist is a marginal function and the priority is fewer apps, consolidating wishlist with loyalty and reviews (see Growave later) will typically deliver superior ROI even at higher monthly spend.

Integrations & Ecosystem

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• App listing does not document deep integrations; primary behavior appears self-contained.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• Focuses on wishlist capabilities with customization; listing does not advertise broad integrations with CRMs, email, or customer service tools.

Analysis

• Neither app positions itself as part of a larger retention ecosystem. That’s typical for single-purpose wishlist apps but creates trade-offs: data remains siloed and additional tools are required to act on wishlist signals in email, SMS, or loyalty programs.

Support & Documentation

ESC Wishlist + Save For Later

• Very small review base (2 reviews, rating 1.0) is a red flag: it could indicate poor support, low usage, or unsatisfactory merchant experiences.

Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App

• More reviews (5) with an average rating of 4.9 suggests merchants are generally satisfied with functionality and support.

Analysis

• Review counts are small for both apps, but Squadkin’s higher score and more reviews indicate better reliability and merchant satisfaction. For mission-critical functionality, merchants should evaluate support responsiveness directly before committing.

Security, Compliance & Data Ownership

• Neither listing highlights special security certifications or isolated data export features for wishlist data. Merchants should verify data export capabilities and GDPR/CCPA compliance when relying on wishlist data for targeted campaigns or third-party integrations.

Implementation Scenarios and Tactical Recommendations

When ESC Wishlist + Save For Later is a practical choice

• Small merchants who want a low-effort checkout nudging tool under the cart.
• Stores where account creation is rare and the priority is to visually surface saved items at checkout to speed repurchases.
• Shops that need a single, inexpensive wishlist widget without analytics or guest flows.

Suggested actions:

• Install and test the under-cart save-for-later placement for 30 days.
• Monitor checkout conversion and cart recovery metrics in Shopify to validate uplift.

When Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App is a practical choice

• Merchants who need multiple wishlist categories and guest wishlist capability to capture social or guest-driven demand.
• Stores that want basic actionable insights, like the top wishlisted products, to fuel campaigns and merchandising.
• Brands that plan to customize the wishlist experience via CSS and tailored messages.

Suggested actions:

• Configure categories that align with typical shopper intents (e.g., Gift Ideas, For Me, Reorder Soon).
• Use the top-10 wishlist report to plan promotions or email campaigns.

When neither single-purpose wishlist app is the best option

• Brands that want wishlist signals tied into loyalty programs, referral incentives, and review flows.
• Fast-growing merchants who prefer consolidated dashboards and fewer integrations to reduce maintenance and churn.

If the merchant fits this profile, consider an integrated retention suite to avoid feature and data fragmentation. The next section evaluates that alternative.

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

App fatigue is a common pain point for merchants: the longer a store grows, the more single-function apps accumulate. Each new app adds another dashboard, more billing, extra theme edits, and potential conflicts. Wishlists, loyalty programs, referral campaigns, and review collection often become a patchwork of tools that complicate processes rather than simplify them.

The limitations of multiple single-point solutions include:

• Fragmented customer data across systems that prevents cohesive personalization.
• Increased theme maintenance and potential JavaScript conflicts.
• Multiple monthly bills and overlapping features that reduce ROI.
• Disjointed customer experiences where wishlist signals don’t translate to rewards, review prompts, or referral incentives.

Growave’s "More Growth, Less Stack" proposition addresses these problems by bundling core retention tools into a single platform. Rather than stitching separate wishlist and loyalty apps together, Growave provides an integrated suite that bridges wishlist signals with rewards, referrals, UGC, and VIP tiers.

Why consolidation matters for retention outcomes

• Better lifetime value (LTV) growth: When wishlist actions can automatically feed targeted campaigns—rewarding wishlist completions, offering referral bonuses for shared wishlists, or triggering review requests for purchased wishlist items—the path to repeat purchases shortens.
• Lower operational overhead: One platform means unified support, one billing relationship, and a single theme integration to maintain.
• Data-driven campaigns: Consolidated analytics reduce guesswork. Merchants can spot bestsellers from wishlists and tie that into loyalty point rules or referral incentives without manual exports.

Merchants who want to consolidate retention features can evaluate Growave to:

• Consolidate retention features by picking an integrated toolset rather than multiple single-function apps. Consolidate retention features
• Add loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases with configurable point rules and VIP tiers. Loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases
• Collect and showcase authentic reviews and UGC alongside wishlist behavior to use social proof across the buyer journey. Collect and showcase authentic reviews

Growave feature overview relevant to wishlist needs

• Wishlist: Built-in wishlist that ties into customer accounts, sharing, and product popularity metrics without needing a separate plugin.
• Loyalty & Rewards: Points-based systems that can be configured to reward wishlist creation, sharing wishlists, or converting wishlist items into purchases.
• Referrals: Incentivize customers who share wishlists to bring new shoppers, linking referral rewards to wishlist-driven conversions.
• Reviews & UGC: Automate review collection for purchased wishlist items and showcase reviews on product pages to close sales.
• VIP Tiers: Upgrade customers based on purchase frequency or points earned—use wishlists to identify high-intent leads and convert them with tiered perks.

These capabilities reduce the need to install separate wishlist, review, referral, and loyalty apps, which is a central benefit of consolidating retention tools.

Practical examples of how consolidation works

• Turn wishlist signals into rewards: When a shopper creates a wishlist or shares a wishlist link, automatically award points that motivate a return visit and purchase.
• Reward referrals generated from wishlists: If a shared wishlist link leads to a new customer, trigger both referral credit and loyalty points for the referrer.
• Use wishlist popularity to fuel targeted reviews campaigns: Automatically invite buyers of the most wishlisted items to leave reviews and photos, amplifying social proof.

These are operational workflows that are complex to orchestrate across multiple apps without custom engineering. With an integrated platform, those workflows are built-in or achievable with less development overhead.

Integrations, support, and enterprise readiness

Growave is built to work with the broader Shopify ecosystem:

• Integrations include email and SMS tools and popular services used by merchants. This makes it easier to coordinate campaigns that use wishlist data.
• For growing brands, there are plans that include headless support, checkout extensions, unlimited integrations, and account-level success resources.
• Install or review the app from the Shopify listing if the store prefers to test directly in the platform. Install from the Shopify App Store

Merchants evaluating consolidation should also look at pricing tiers and whether the platform supports the store’s order volume and integration needs. Growave provides a range of plans to suit different stages of growth. Consider comparing plan features directly to estimate total cost versus the combined cost of multiple single-purpose apps. Consolidate retention features

Evidence and merchant outcomes

• Consolidated platforms reduce the number of login consoles and monthly subscriptions a merchant must manage, which decreases time spent on app maintenance.
• Connecting wishlist behavior directly to loyalty and referral mechanics can produce measurable lift in repeat purchase rate and average order value (AOV) because reward incentives close behavioral loops.

For merchants that want a guided evaluation, Book a demo to walk through specific workflows tailored to the store’s needs. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack accelerates growth. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack accelerates growth.

How Growave compares on secondary priorities

• Multi-language and Plus readiness: For enterprise merchants, Growave provides solutions targeted at high-growth and Shopify Plus brands, making it a fit for stores that plan to scale internationally. Solutions for high-growth Plus brands
• Customer stories: Merchants can view examples and case studies for inspiration when mapping retention strategies. Customer stories from brands scaling retention
• Reviews & UGC: Growave’s review features are designed to integrate with loyalty and wishlist flows, making review collection part of the retention lifecycle, not an isolated activity. Collect and showcase authentic reviews

Cost considerations: single app vs. consolidated suite

• Tally the combined monthly cost of single-purpose apps (wishlist + reviews + loyalty + referral) and compare to the integrated plan that includes those tools. For many stores, the suite provides better value for money after considering labor, integration work, and opportunity cost.
• For stores that genuinely only need a minimal wishlist and nothing else, a single-purpose app may remain the most economical short-term choice. However, merchants planning to invest in retention should model the long-term ROI of an integrated stack.

Consolidate retention features into a single plan and run a short pilot to measure time savings and revenue uplift versus running separate apps.

Practical Migration and Implementation Notes

If a merchant decides to switch from a single-purpose app to an integrated platform, consider these tactical steps to reduce friction.

Pre-migration checklist

• Export wishlist data if supported by the current app, or ensure that the app offers an API or CSV export.
• Audit theme customizations and record any manual CSS snippets or template edits that the wishlist relied on.
• Map existing workflows (e.g., shareable wishlist links, guest wishlist behavior) so the new platform replicates or improves them.

Implementation steps

• Install the integrated app in a staging theme first to validate display and script behavior.
• Recreate key rules and automations: points for wishlist creation, referral bonuses tied to shared wishlists, and review invites for purchases originating from wishlists.
• Run a parallel period where both systems are live (if possible) to validate data parity and shipping of events into email/SMS channels.

Post-implementation

• Measure impact on repeat purchase rate, redemption behavior from wishlist-triggered rewards, and review volume for wishlisted items.
• Solicit customer feedback on the wishlist and rewards experience to make small UI/UX refinements.

For merchants who want an in-depth evaluation, testing Growave’s features through the app listing or pricing page helps quantify differences. Install from the Shopify App Store and review plan details to match the store’s monthly order volume and feature needs. Consolidate retention features

Transparent Comparison Summary

• ESC Wishlist + Save For Later is a focused, under-cart save-for-later widget that can improve checkout conversions with minimal setup. It is simple and inexpensive, but limited in analytics, guest flows, and integration scope. The very small review count and low rating (1.0 from 2 reviews) suggests merchants should test on a non-critical store or evaluate support responsiveness before relying on it.
• Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App offers richer wishlist features at an affordable price—guest wishlist support, multiple categories, CSS customization, and basic analytics make it a more robust single-purpose wishlist solution. Squadkin’s higher rating (4.9 from 5 reviews) and affordable price point position it well for stores that depend on wishlist insights.
• For stores that prioritize a single, low-cost wishlist feature and do not plan to expand retention capabilities, ESC or Squadkin can be appropriate depending on required features. For stores that anticipate needing loyalty, referrals, and reviews tied to wishlist behavior—or that want to reduce app sprawl—an integrated retention platform becomes the better long-term investment.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between ESC Wishlist + Save For Later and Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App, the decision comes down to scope and strategic priorities: ESC is a minimal, checkout-focused widget for those who want a simple save-for-later solution, while Squadkin brings richer wishlist management, guest support, and analytics at a similar monthly cost. Neither app replaces the strategic value of combining wishlist signals with loyalty, referrals, and reviews.

Consolidating wishlist with broader retention functions avoids data silos and reduces maintenance overhead. Merchants who want to move beyond single-purpose widgets should evaluate integrated platforms that connect wishlist behavior to rewards, referral incentives, and review collection. Growave’s approach—"More Growth, Less Stack"—is built to do exactly that, connecting wishlist signals to loyalty programs, referrals, and UGC so the store acts on intent instead of letting it sit in isolated widgets. Learn how to consolidate retention features and compare plan options on the pricing page. Consolidate retention features

Start a 14-day free trial to see how Growave brings wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews together and reduces the number of apps needed to grow customer lifetime value. Start a 14-day free trial to see how Growave consolidates wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main functional differences between ESC Wishlist + Save For Later and Squadkin ‑ Multi Wishlist App?

• ESC focuses on a save-for-later widget displayed under the cart, aiming to recover intent at checkout. Squadkin focuses on multi-category wishlists, guest wishlist support, shareable links, and basic analytics. Squadkin has more features for browsing, social sharing, and data-driven merchandising, while ESC is more narrowly focused on checkout recovery.

How do ratings and reviews affect the choice?

• Ratings and review counts are an indicator of merchant satisfaction and real-world reliability. Squadkin’s 4.9 rating across 5 reviews suggests higher satisfaction, whereas ESC’s 1.0 rating from 2 reviews is a cautionary signal. Merchants should validate support responsiveness and test in a staging environment before deploying store-wide.

Which app is better for stores that rely on guest checkout and social traffic?

• Squadkin is better suited for guest checkout scenarios because it explicitly supports guest wishlists and shareable links that do not require account creation.

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

• An all-in-one retention platform combines wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers. This reduces tool sprawl and enables workflows where wishlist actions trigger rewards or referral incentives. Consolidation simplifies administration, improves data cohesion, and often delivers stronger long-term ROI compared to maintaining multiple specialized apps.

Additional help deciding?

• Evaluate the store’s priorities: immediate checkout uplift vs. strategic retention. For short-term experiments, a low-cost wishlist widget might be sufficient. For long-term growth and fewer integrations to manage, consider a single integrated platform that ties wishlist behavior to loyalty and retention outcomes. Review features and plan details to match order volume and integration requirements. Consolidate retention features