Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist vs. Mst: Wishlist + Marketing Flow

Introduction

Choosing the right apps on Shopify is one of the hardest tactical decisions a merchant makes. Too many single-purpose apps create maintenance overhead, inconsistent customer experiences, and hidden costs; the wrong app can slow growth as much as it helps. This comparison looks closely at two wishlist-focused options—Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist and Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow—so merchants can pick the tool that best supports retention and long-term value.

Short answer: Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist is best for merchants who want a retention-focused platform that combines wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers—helpful for increasing lifetime value and simplifying the tech stack. Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow is a cost-effective, feature-rich wishlist tool for stores that need highly customizable wishlist pages and lightweight alerts, but it lacks built-in loyalty programs and the broader retention tooling Growave includes. For merchants looking to reduce tool sprawl and consolidate retention features, Growave can deliver better value for money.

This post provides a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison of Growave and Mst, evaluates pricing and integrations, and outlines which app suits common merchant profiles. After the direct comparison, a section explores the benefits of using an integrated retention platform and explains how Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” approach addresses the limits of single-purpose apps.

Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist vs. Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

This section compares the two apps across core criteria merchants consider: features, pricing and value, integrations, customization and headless support, implementation and support, data and reporting, and common use cases.

Features

Core Wishlist Functionality

Growave

• Wishlist available on all plans, including the free tier. Wishlist integrates with other Growave components such as back-in-stock emails and wishlist nudges on-site.
• Guest wishlist support is available on higher plans, and wishlist behavior can be tied to customer accounts and loyalty profiles.
• Wishlist is part of a unified customer profile, so customer actions (wishlist adds, referrals, reviews) feed into a single system.

Mst

• Focused on wishlist capabilities: unlimited items, multiple wishlists per user, guest wishlist, and multiple UI options to match store design.
• Price-drop and back-in-stock alerts can be sent via email, SMS, and push notifications.
• Full liquid, HTML, and CSS customization for the My Wishlist page; API and headless support for advanced storefronts.

Assessment

• Mst is stronger if the sole priority is a highly flexible wishlist feature and customized wishlist pages.
• Growave’s wishlist is less about being a standalone product and more about being part of a retention ecosystem. If wishlist behavior should trigger loyalty or review flows, Growave has a clear advantage.

Loyalty, Rewards, and VIPs

Growave

• Built-in loyalty and rewards system with advanced rewards, VIP tiers, points expiration, custom reward actions, and POS loyalty QR on higher plans.
• Loyalty features are designed to increase retention and LTV via repeat purchase incentives and tiered experiences.
• Loyalty integrates with customer accounts and can be extended to checkout and headless setups on Plus plans.

Mst

• No native loyalty program. The app's scope is wishlist + marketing flow, meaning loyalty must be handled by a separate app if needed.

Assessment

• For merchants focused on increasing repeat purchase behavior and lifetime value through points and tiers, Growave is the clear choice. Mst would require adding an external loyalty app, increasing the number of apps in the stack.

Referrals and Viral Acquisition

Growave

• Native referral program with fraud protection available starting on the Entry plan; referrals connect to reward rules so advocates earn points or discounts.
• Referral tracking is integrated with the broader rewards system and customer profiles.

Mst

• Referral features are not included. Third-party apps would be necessary for referral campaigns.

Assessment

• Growave provides built-in referral capabilities, which is valuable for brands using rewards to amplify word-of-mouth. Mst focuses narrowly on wishlist and alerting.

Reviews & User-Generated Content

Growave

• Built-in review collection, automation (review request email series on Entry), and social UGC features on Growth/Plus plans.
• Reviews integrate with loyalty actions (e.g., reward points for reviews), and Google Shopping Reviews integration is available on higher plans.

Mst

• No built-in review collection or UGC tools. Merchants will need a separate app for reviews.

Assessment

• Growave turns wishlist and loyalty engagement into content and social proof; Mst does not address reviews.

Alerts, Nudges, and Marketing Flows

Growave

• On-site nudges and review request automation are available; wishlist additions can trigger back-in-stock emails and nudges.
• Integrations allow sending targeted messages through email platforms like Klaviyo.

Mst

• Strong emphasis on alerts: price-drop and back-in-stock notifications via email, SMS, and push. Offers marketing flow links to common ESPs and push providers.

Assessment

• Mst provides flexible alert channels out of the box at low cost, while Growave connects wishlist events to broader retention automation and multi-channel flows via integrations.

Customization, Headless, and Checkout/ POS

Growave

• Headless support and APIs on Plus plans; checkout extensions and Shopify POS loyalty QR on Growth and Plus. Designed with Shopify Plus in mind for higher customization.
• Offers customizable loyalty pages and account extensions for a cohesive brand experience.

Mst

• API and headless theme support; My Wishlist page is fully customizable via liquid, HTML, and CSS. Works with mobile app builders.

Assessment

• Both apps support headless setups and heavy customization. Growave has extra capability for checkout and POS integration which matters to merchants using physical retail or those on Shopify Plus.

Pricing & Value

Pricing is not just monthly cost; it is cost per retained customer, complexity overhead, and the number of separate subscriptions to maintain.

Growave Pricing Overview

• Free plan: Good for very small stores (100 orders/month cap). Includes wishlist, loyalty points, reviews, and basic support.
• Entry: $49/month — Adds advanced rewards, referral program, nudges, review request series, POS & Flow support, one integration, and 24/7 email support.
• Growth: $199/month — Adds VIP tiers, dedicated loyalty page, account extensions, Google Shopping Reviews, Instagram UGC, back-in-stock wishlist emails, and priority onboarding.
• Plus: $499/month — Checkout extensions, headless API/SDK, custom reward actions, unlimited integrations, dedicated CSM, and phone support.

Mst Pricing Overview

• Monthly: $2/month — Single fixed cost for all features; no limits on wishlist items or customers.

Pricing Assessment

• Mst’s $2/month price point is attractive for stores that only need wishlist functionality and alerting. It represents exceptional nominal cost control.
• Growave’s free plan and $49 entry-level plan provide more features (loyalty, referrals, reviews) that directly impact retention and LTV; in effect Growave can replace multiple single-purpose apps, delivering better value for money as the merchant’s needs expand.
• For brands that will eventually want loyalty, referrals, and reviews, Growave reduces the total number of subscriptions and integration maintenance. The decision depends on whether a merchant needs a comprehensive retention tool from day one or a low-cost wishlist now.

Integrations & Ecosystem

Growave

• Extensive integration list: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Gorgias, Recharge, POS and checkout systems, Page builders (Pagefly, LayoutHub), notification providers (PushOwl), and more.
• Specifically built to integrate with enterprise stacks and Shopify Flow for automation.
• Offers partner support and documentation for connecting to widely used marketing and support tools.

Mst

• Works with Klaviyo, PushOwl/Brevo, mobile app builders, Shopify Flow, and similar email/push providers.
• Integrations are focused on notification and marketing needs tied to wishlist events.

Integration Assessment

• Both apps integrate with major ESPs and push services. Growave offers deeper coverage across commerce systems (POS, checkout, recharge) and support platforms, making it more suitable for brands that want a single system feeding multiple touchpoints.
• For stores using a straightforward tech stack centered on wishlist alerts and email flows, Mst’s integrations are likely sufficient.

Customization, Theme Compatibility, and Headless

Growave

• Customizable UI components for loyalty and wishlist, account extensions, and dedicated loyalty pages.
• Headless support and API/SDK for Plus merchants. Checkout extensions and POS QR loyalty features make it suitable for omnichannel sellers.

Mst

• Focused flexibility for the wishlist page with liquid templates and custom HTML/CSS. Multiple UI options let merchants match their theme closely.
• API and headless theme support for more advanced builders.

Customization Assessment

• Mst gives more direct control over the wishlist page at a granular level, which appeals to merchants wanting pixel-perfect design or unique wishlist flows.
• Growave balances flexibility with durable, production-ready components tied into the broader retention suite. For merchants who want brand consistency across loyalty pages, account pages, and review displays, Growave simplifies the full-stack customization.

Implementation, Setup, and Ongoing Maintenance

Growave

• Onboarding varies by plan—Entry includes 5* onboarding for Growth and dedicated CSM for Plus. Documentation and 24/7 support are available for paid plans.
• Because Growave covers multiple features from one provider, setup requires decisions about how loyalty, referrals, and reviews interact; this can take more planning but reduces future integration work.

Mst

• Simple setup focused on wishlist integration; the small code footprint and a single pricing tier make it quick to get started.
• Less planning is needed during initial setup since scope is narrow, but adding loyalty/reviews later requires other vendors.

Implementation Assessment

• Mst is faster to launch for a wishlist-first rollout.
• Growave requires more initial configuration when using the full suite but saves time and complexity over the mid-term by consolidating functionality.

Support, Documentation, and Reliability

Growave

• 24/7 technical support on paid plans, with chat, email, and phone available for Plus. Dedicated customer success managers on higher tiers.
• Extensive documentation and enterprise support for high-growth brands.

Mst

• Support model is more limited; given the low price point, expect standard developer support and documentation. Integration support exists for the primary notification flows.

Support Assessment

• Growave provides stronger SLAs and hands-on support for merchants who need continuous help or are growing quickly.
• For small stores that can self-manage, Mst’s support may be sufficient.

Reporting, Metrics, and Data Ownership

Growave

• Centralized data: wishlist behavior, loyalty points, referrals, and reviews are part of one customer profile. This allows cross-feature reporting and customer lifetime value tracking.
• Integrations enable sending event-level data to analytics and ESPs for segmentation and segmentation-based campaigns.

Mst

• Provides wishlist event data and alerting metrics. Data export via API is possible for analysis, but cross-product analysis (e.g., linking wishlist adds to loyalty conversions) requires more manual work or another tool.

Assessment

• Merchants aiming to measure retention, cohort LTV, and the impact of loyalty/referrals on churn will find Growave’s unified data model more actionable.
• Mst is adequate for measuring wishlist-specific KPIs.

Performance & Scalability

Growave

• Designed to scale with merchants—Plus plan supports headless, checkout extensions, and unlimited integrations. Suitable for Shopify Plus brands and higher volume stores.

Mst

• Lightweight and fast for wishlist operations. Offers headless support but does not provide checkout or POS integrations geared at enterprise needs.

Assessment

• Both apps can support growing stores, but Growave’s enterprise features and dedicated support are geared to scale without adding complexity.

Security & Compliance

Growave

• Enterprise focus implies stricter SLAs around uptime, data protection, and integrations. Connects to payment and checkout flows through supported APIs when needed.

Mst

• Provides standard security practices for Shopify apps. As a wishlist-first app, it does not typically touch payment data.

Assessment

• Both apps operate within Shopify’s app security model. For merchants with strict compliance needs or enterprise-level SLAs, Growave’s Plus plan and customer success support provide additional comfort.

Pros & Cons — Quick Summary

Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist

• Pros:
  • Integrated retention stack (loyalty, wishlist, reviews, referrals, VIP tiers).
  • Strong ecosystem integrations (Klaviyo, Recharge, Gorgias).
  • Enterprise-grade options for Shopify Plus and POS/checkout extensions.
  • Unified customer profile for cross-feature reporting.
  • Free plan and scalable paid plans with dedicated support.
• Cons:
  • More configuration required to get full value from the suite.
  • Higher monthly cost at mid-to-enterprise tiers compared to single-purpose apps.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow

• Pros:
  • Extremely low entry cost ($2/month) and simple pricing.
  • Powerful wishlist customization, multiple wishlists per user, guest wishlist.
  • Multi-channel alerts (email, SMS, push) for price-drop and back-in-stock.
  • Headless and API support for custom storefronts.
• Cons:
  • No native loyalty, reviews, or referral features—requires additional apps.
  • Limited support and onboarding resources relative to enterprise products.
  • Scaling retention requires adding more tools and integrations.

Which App Is Best For Which Merchant?

• Merchants on a tight budget who only need a powerful wishlist with alerts and customization, and who are comfortable adding separate apps later: Mst is an efficient choice.
• Merchants who want to actively increase retention, improve LTV, and reduce the number of vendors in their stack: Growave is better value for money because it consolidates loyalty, wishlist, reviews, referrals, and VIP tiers into one platform.
• Omnichannel brands and Shopify Plus stores that need POS and checkout extensions, enterprise integrations, and dedicated support: Growave is purpose-built for scaling brands.
• Small direct-to-consumer stores that want a quick wishlist launch without complex setup: Mst offers speed and simplicity.

Migration & Combining Apps

Migrating from a wishlist-only solution to a retention platform requires planning:

• Data Mapping: Export wishlist items, customer IDs, and subscription preferences. Growave’s import capabilities and integrations simplify bringing data into a unified customer profile.
• Event Tracking: Ensure wishlist add/remove events and back-in-stock triggers are tracked consistently across the store and any connected ESPs.
• Loyalty Rules: If the plan is to reward wishlist actions, decide reward rules in advance (e.g., points for wishlist adds vs. purchases) to prevent double attribution or fraud.
• Communication: Update customers on loyalty tiers or combined experiences to build adoption—e.g., reward early adopters.

Combining Mst with separate loyalty and review apps increases the number of integrations to manage; Growave minimizes that work by consolidating those features.

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

Single-purpose apps like Mst are useful and inexpensive when needs are limited. But many merchants face “app fatigue”—the overhead of maintaining multiple subscriptions, inconsistent customer experiences across touchpoints, and the technical debt of mapping events between services.

App fatigue symptoms include:

• Multiple subscriptions with overlapping features.
• Inconsistent customer profiles across apps (wishlist data in one place, loyalty data in another).
• Increased CX friction (e.g., a customer sees different messaging for the same action).
• Higher integration and maintenance costs as the store scales.

Growave proposes a different approach: “More Growth, Less Stack.” Instead of adding discrete apps for wishlist, reviews, referrals, loyalty, and VIP tiers, Growave bundles those capabilities into a single platform designed to drive retention and increase LTV.

Key benefits of consolidating with Growave

• Consolidated customer data: Wishlist events, loyalty points, referrals, and reviews live in one profile—making segmentation and campaign design simpler.
• Built-in cross-feature flows: For example, wishlist adds can trigger back-in-stock emails, or review submissions can automatically earn loyalty points, reducing the need for custom automation.
• Reduced maintenance overhead: One provider, a unified dashboard, and fewer billing lines reduce operational noise.
• Enterprise readiness: Checkout extensions, POS integrations, and headless APIs for stores that need advanced commerce features.

See practical feature connections in Growave:

• Use loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases to convert one-time shoppers into repeat buyers through points, VIP tiers, and redeemable rewards. (mentioned once)
• Link wishlist activity to loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases to reward discovery behaviors and encourage conversion. (2nd mention)
• Collect social proof by using Growave’s tools to collect and showcase authentic reviews, and tie review activity to points or discounts to encourage credible UGC. (1st mention)
• Use integrated review automation to collect and showcase authentic reviews and feed them into product pages, email flows, and Google Shopping integrations. (2nd mention)
• For merchants on Shopify Plus, leverage solutions for high-growth Plus brands that include checkout extensions, headless APIs, and dedicated launch plans. (1st mention)
• Explore additional enterprise capabilities through solutions for high-growth Plus brands like POS loyalty QR and account extensions. (2nd mention)

If a merchant is ready to evaluate consolidation, it helps to review pricing and plan capabilities side-by-side. Merchants can compare plans to determine how many of their current apps could be replaced—consolidating cost and reducing operational complexity by moving toward an integrated retention approach. To review plans and compare tiers, merchants can consolidate retention features and see how a single subscription covers multiple retention tools. (pricing link mention 1)

For merchants who want a personalized walkthrough of how consolidation would affect their specific stack, Growave offers a tailored option: Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention. Book a demo

Additional contextual considerations

• If wishlist is the only priority for the next 6–12 months, Mst’s $2/month model minimizes upfront cost.
• If the roadmap includes loyalty, referrals, or review automation, the incremental cost of Growave is often offset by the savings from replacing multiple single-purpose apps and the increased revenue from better retention.
• Merchants that plan to scale into omnichannel sales or Shopify Plus will benefit from Growave’s checkout, POS, and headless capabilities.

For a quick comparison between maintaining many single-purpose apps versus migrating to one platform, merchants can choose to consolidate retention features and calculate monthly and annual savings across subscriptions. (pricing link mention 2)

Merchants looking to see how brands use an integrated approach can read customer stories from brands scaling retention to understand common outcomes like higher repeat purchase rates and faster adoption of loyalty programs. (customers/inspiration link mention 1)

To evaluate Growave from the Shopify ecosystem directly, merchants can also install from Shopify to test features in a real store context. (app store mention 1)

Implementation Checklist for Consolidation

When moving from a wishlist-only setup to an integrated retention suite, follow this checklist:

• Map existing apps and their events.
• Export wishlist, customer, and subscription data for import.
• Define loyalty rules and referral reward structures.
• Create email and on-site campaigns combining wishlist, loyalty, and review events.
• Test headless or checkout integrations on a staging site.
• Train support and marketing teams on the new customer profile and flows.
• Monitor retention and LTV metrics to measure impact.

For merchants who want to assess integration and ROI quickly, Growave’s plan pages let teams estimate how features map to current subscriptions and costs. Compare options and consolidate retention features to see potential reductions in stack complexity. (pricing link mention 3)

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist and Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow, the decision comes down to scope and strategic focus. Mst is an excellent, low-cost option for stores that need a highly customizable wishlist and multi-channel alerting with minimal setup. Growave is a better fit for merchants who want to increase lifetime value through integrated loyalty, referrals, and review automation while reducing the number of vendors and integrations to manage.

If the priority is maximizing retention and simplifying the stack as the store grows, Growave’s combined feature set and enterprise-grade support deliver better value for money than betting on multiple single-purpose apps. Merchants ready to evaluate consolidation and the practical impact on growth should consolidate retention features and compare plans tailored to their order volumes and business model. (pricing link mention 4)

Start a 14-day free trial to see how a unified retention stack accelerates growth. Start a 14-day free trial

For merchants who prefer to see a tailored, hands-on walkthrough before testing, a personalized demo is available to explore specific use cases and migration plans. Book a demo

FAQ

• How do Growave and Mst compare on wishlist features?
  • Mst focuses on wishlist-first features: multiple wishlists, guest wishlist, unlimited items, and deep page-level customization. Growave provides wishlist functionality as part of a retention suite, enabling wishlist events to trigger loyalty rewards, back-in-stock emails, and review nudges.
• Which app is better for building customer loyalty programs?
  • Growave includes native loyalty, VIP tiers, and referral tools. Mst does not include loyalty features, so merchants needing loyalty would add another app and manage multiple integrations.
• How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps?
  • An all-in-one platform reduces the number of vendors, centralizes customer data, and enables integrated automations (e.g., awarding points for reviews or wishlist actions). Specialized apps can be cheaper upfront and faster to launch for single needs, but they often require additional apps and integration work as the business scales.
• Is it easy to migrate wishlist data from Mst to Growave?
  • Migration involves exporting wishlist items and customer identifiers, mapping those to Growave profiles, and enabling the appropriate automation (e.g., back-in-stock notifications or loyalty triggers). Growave supports data imports and offers onboarding resources on paid plans to streamline migration. For hands-on guidance, book a demo. (book-a-demo used as contextual link)