Introduction
Choosing the right wishlist app is a small decision that can have outsized effects on conversion rates, average order value, and customer retention. Shopify merchants face hundreds of single-purpose apps for similar tasks. That choice usually comes down to trade-offs: speed of setup, design control, analytics depth, and how much an app plays well with the rest of a store’s marketing stack.
Short answer: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist is an excellent choice for merchants who want a lightweight, easy-to-install wishlist with clear visual placement and basic sharing features, while SWishlist: Simple Wishlist is better suited to stores that need higher usage limits, multi-language storefront support, and more granular usage tiers. For merchants who want to reduce tool sprawl and consolidate retention features—wishlists, loyalty, reviews, and referrals—Growave offers stronger long-term value as an integrated alternative.
This post provides an in-depth, feature-by-feature comparison of K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist (Kaktus) and SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce) to help merchants decide which single-purpose wishlist app fits their needs. It also explains when a merchant should consider moving to an all-in-one retention platform to reduce overhead and increase lifetime value.
K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist vs. SWishlist: Simple Wishlist: At a Glance
| Aspect | K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist (Kaktus) | SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Visual, floating wishlist with social sharing and embedded wishlist page | High‑usage wishlist with multi-language support and usage tiers |
| Best For | Merchants who want a fast, branded wishlist element with shareable lists | Merchants who need higher addition limits, multi-language storefronts, and statistics |
| Rating (App Store) | 4.7 (81 reviews) | 4.9 (106 reviews) |
| Pricing (entry) | Free; Growth $6.70/mo; Growth 2 $19.99/mo | Free; Basic $5/mo; Premium $12/mo |
| Distinctive Strength | Quick setup, floating button + header icon, shareable lists | Scaled usage caps, storefront translations, priority support options |
| Integrations | Works with Checkout | Works with API |
| Notable Limits | Feature depth limited—focus on wishlist UX | Lower free-tier addition limits; features gated by pricing tiers |
Deep Dive Comparison
Product Positioning and Developer Background
K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist (Kaktus)
K Wish List is positioned as a fast, user-friendly wishlist that surfaces as a floating button, header icon, or dedicated page. It emphasizes easy setup with visual controls (labels, icons, colors) to match a store’s brand. The app is clearly designed for merchants that want shoppers to save items for later, create gift lists, and share those lists via social media without heavy configuration.
Strength indicators:
- 81 user reviews with a 4.7 average rating, suggesting consistent satisfaction among a modest user base.
- Clear emphasis on visual placement and immediate customer-facing functionality.
SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce)
SWishlist positions itself as a wishlist that “revolutionizes the shopping journey” by allowing customers to create and manage personalized wishlists. It highlights boosting engagement, reducing cart abandonment, and multi-language customization as key differentiators. The developer offers multiple usage tiers that scale wishlist additions and language support.
Strength indicators:
- 106 user reviews with a 4.9 average rating, indicating strong approval and trust among more reviewers than K Wish List.
- Tiered limits and language support make it attractive for multi-region stores.
Core Features and On-Page Experience
Item Saving and UI Elements
K Wish List:
- Offers a floating wishlist button and header icon, which increases visibility across the store.
- Provides embedded wishlist types and popup options to surface saved items without directing users away from product pages.
- Customizable labels and icons allow for brand consistency.
SWishlist:
- Focuses on the core wishlist button and storefront integration; the product text highlights seamless adding of favorites.
- Emphasizes full customization to match the store’s design.
- Functionality is similar at a basic level, though the specifics of popup or floating UI are less emphasized in the app description.
Practical takeaway: For stores that rely on persistent visual cues to encourage saves (e.g., a floating button that stays visible during browsing), K Wish List has a clear edge in UI placement options. SWishlist remains competitive on a base-feature level but puts more emphasis on usage limits and internationalization.
Sharing and Social Features
K Wish List:
- Explicitly supports wishlist social media sharing and list sharing for gift buying—useful for seasonal campaigns and influencer-driven gift guides.
- Sharing is promoted as a native capability of the product page and dedicated wishlist page.
SWishlist:
- Also supports sharing wishlists with friends, with an emphasis on the feature as a driver of engagement and reduced cart abandonment.
- Sharing appears to be a core feature but is not highlighted with the same UI-forward language as K Wish List.
Practical takeaway: Both apps support sharing; K Wish List frames sharing as a prominent, user-facing function tied to its visible UI elements.
Customer Accounts and Wishlist Persistence
K Wish List:
- Offers “Customers Wishlists,” suggesting saved lists can be associated with user accounts and revisited later.
- Works with Checkout, which can be relevant for persistence across sessions.
SWishlist:
- Uses API-based integrations to manage wishlist data. The app’s tiered plans include different limits on wishlist additions rather than explicit mention of account tie-ins.
- For stores with external user-account systems or custom account flows, API integration can be a plus.
Practical takeaway: K Wish List’s account-focused language may make it easier for merchants who want an out-of-the-box, account-persistent wishlist. SWishlist’s API-friendly approach suits stores that plan to integrate wishlist actions with custom systems or external CRMs.
Pricing and Value For Money
Pricing decisions often come down to real store usage patterns—how many saves per month, how many storefront languages, and whether priority support or analytics are needed.
K Wish List Pricing Snapshot:
- Free plan: Free to install; includes float button, header icon, add-to-wishlist button, notifications, social sharing, popup & embedded wishlist types, customer wishlists, and support.
- Growth: $6.70/month — appears to mirror the free plan features at a low monthly cost.
- Growth 2: $19.99/month — lists the same capabilities at a higher cost (likely implying higher usage limits or premium support, though descriptions are identical in the provided data).
SWishlist Pricing Snapshot:
- Free: Free; up to 300 wishlist additions per month, 2 storefront languages, free setup for up to 2 themes, support within 24-48 hours.
- Basic: $5/month; 7,000 wishlist additions/month, 7 storefront languages, faster support (12–24 hours).
- Premium: $12/month; unlimited wishlist additions, 20 storefront languages, unlimited stats access, top-priority support.
Value analysis:
- K Wish List’s free tier appears generous in feature parity with paid tiers; however, the provided data does not specify per-month usage caps. For small stores that prioritize a branded, visible wishlist and occasional sharing, the free K Wish List plan may be sufficient and is likely good value for money.
- SWishlist’s tiered usage caps are explicit. The free tier is functionally limited by 300 additions per month, which can be restrictive for mid-sized stores. The Basic and Premium plans provide clear pathways to scale usage affordably: $5/month for 7,000 additions and $12/month for unlimited additions deliver predictable scaling.
Practical takeaway: For predictable usage growth and multi-language stores, SWishlist offers clearer value-per-dollar via explicit limits. For merchants focused on UI placement and a free feature-rich install, K Wish List can represent better value for money at small scale.
Integrations and Extensibility
K Wish List:
- Listed as “Works With: Checkout,” which implies compatibility with the Shopify checkout flow and possible integration with checkout-level events or persisted wishlist items during purchase flows.
- App appears designed for quick install and minimal technical setup.
SWishlist:
- Works with API, which suggests flexibility for custom integrations, third-party analytics, headless storefronts, and custom event tracking.
- API access can mean more control over data exports and custom triggers, but it increases the implementation complexity.
Integration implications:
- Non-technical merchants who want a set-and-forget wishlist that integrates cleanly with checkout will prefer the Shopify-checkout-friendly approach from K Wish List.
- Tech-forward merchants, headless implementations, and stores that need to sync wishlist activity with CRM or marketing automation will appreciate SWishlist’s API-first approach.
Analytics, Reporting, and Behavioral Data
K Wish List:
- Mentions “Track wishlist usage to gain insights into customer interest” in product messaging. The depth of analytics—funnels, item-level heatmaps, or export capabilities—is not described in the provided data.
- Likely provides summary metrics and internal reporting on saved items.
SWishlist:
- Premium plan includes “Unlimited access to all statistics,” indicating a more explicit analytics tier tied to subscription level.
- The Basic and Free plans may have limited access to stats, which is typical of a usage-limited, tiered SaaS model.
Practical takeaway: Merchants that depend on wishlist analytics to fuel merchandising decisions or to feed into email flows should factor the analytics gate into SWishlist’s pricing. K Wish List may suffice for surface-level insights but could fall short for stores that want advanced metrics.
Support, Setup, and Onboarding
K Wish List:
- Lists “Knowledgeable Support” and “Set up in minutes with no coding required” in messaging. This implies an emphasis on fast onboarding and easy installation for merchants without developer resources.
SWishlist:
- Free plan includes setup for up to 2 themes per store and support in 24–48 hours. Paid tiers reduce support response times (12–24 hours, top priority).
- The product’s support windows suggest a scalable, prioritized support model that rewards paid customers with faster responses.
Practical takeaway: For merchants who require fast, human support and possible custom installs across multiple themes, SWishlist’s explicit setup support may be valuable. For straightforward installs where immediate self-serve setup is preferred, K Wish List’s promise of instant setup without coding is attractive.
Performance, Accessibility, and Theme Compatibility
Performance:
- Lightweight wishlist widgets are generally low-friction, but any floating button or popup increases the number of DOM elements and scripts. K Wish List’s focus on minimal configuration suggests a lightweight implementation.
- SWishlist’s API-driven model might add network calls or deferred loading depending on how it’s implemented; however, tiered usage implies an emphasis on scaling and stability.
Theme compatibility:
- Both apps claim theme compatibility without heavy developer work—K Wish List emphasizes no-code setup; SWishlist provides theme setup in its free plan (up to 2 themes) which suggests active theme-level customization is supported.
Practical takeaway: Both apps cater to theme compatibility, but merchants should test both in staging to validate load speed and mobile performance, especially if the store relies heavily on interactive landing pages.
Security, Data Ownership, and Privacy
Data ownership:
- SWishlist’s API approach may make it easier to export wishlist data and store it in external systems for long-term analytics or CRM enrichment.
- K Wish List’s “Works With: Checkout” implies data is stored in a way that can be tied to the Shopify checkout flow, but merchants should confirm export capabilities.
Privacy:
- Merchants should confirm how long wishlist data persists, whether anonymous saves are linked to cookies or account IDs, and how both apps handle GDPR/CCPA compliance. The app descriptions do not detail data retention policies.
Practical takeaway: Merchants with strict data governance requirements should confirm export and deletion policies with both vendors before committing.
Use Cases and Merchant Recommendations
K Wish List is best for:
- Small to mid-sized stores that want a visible, branded wishlist (floating button and header icon) that shoppers can use and share quickly.
- Merchants running seasonal gift campaigns who want easy social sharing and a no-code install.
- Stores that prioritize immediate UX improvements with minimal development overhead.
SWishlist is best for:
- Stores that require predictable, scalable usage limits for high-volume wishlisting activity.
- Multi-language or international stores that need storefront translations.
- Merchants who want API access to pipeline wishlist events to analytics, email flows, or custom CRMs.
Real-World Considerations Before Installing
- Measurement: Run a short A/B test with and without a wishlist to measure incremental product saves’ impact on add-to-cart and conversion rates. Wishlist apps are designed to increase engagement, but the exact uplift varies by category.
- Theme testing: Install in a staging environment and check the floating button/popup behavior on mobile and tablet.
- Support SLAs: Validate response times for critical growth seasons (e.g., Black Friday) if uptime and troubleshooting time matter.
- Growth path: If the store anticipates rapid expansion into multiple languages or expects high wishlist volume, choosing an app with predictable scaling (SWishlist) or an all-in-one platform may reduce future migration costs.
Migration, Customization, and Exit Strategy
Export and Reuse of Wishlist Data
- K Wish List: Merchants should ask the vendor about direct exports and how wishlist items link to customer accounts. If exports are limited, migration to another tool may require custom scripts.
- SWishlist: With API access, data extraction is generally more straightforward. Merchants can set up continuous exports or webhooks to mirror wishlist events into a data warehouse.
Customization and Theming
- K Wish List: Designed for brand-matched icons, labels, and design. Good for merchants who want visual cohesion without extensive coding.
- SWishlist: Customization is possible but may require more hands-on configuration, especially for multi-language sites.
Exit Strategy
- Always verify how easily lists and user data can be exported before committing. If the app stores wishlists in a proprietary format or lacks export endpoints, migration costs can be significant.
The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform
Single-purpose apps solve discrete problems quickly, but they also introduce maintenance overhead: multiple billing lines, separate support queues, and the risk that feature sets overlap or conflict. This common situation is often called "app fatigue"—the cumulative friction of managing many small tools that each solve only one piece of the retention puzzle.
Growave’s philosophy, "More Growth, Less Stack," addresses app fatigue by consolidating loyalty, referrals, reviews, wishlist, and VIP tiers into one retention platform. The consolidated approach reduces the number of apps installed and centralizes customer activity into a single data model, enabling more coherent loyalty programs and cross-channel automation.
Merchants considering consolidation should evaluate the following benefits:
- Unified customer profiles that combine wishlist activity, referral actions, and review contributions—useful for personalized rewards and targeted re-engagement.
- Fewer integrations to maintain with email providers, customer service tools, and analytics platforms.
- Centralized reporting that ties wishlist saves directly to loyalty redemptions and referral conversions.
For merchants evaluating Growave’s offerings, there are multiple ways to review pricing and sign up:
- Compare plan differences and trial options on the Growave pricing page to match plan limits and integrations against expected order volumes and feature needs: consolidate retention features.
- Install the app directly from the Shopify App Store to test it in a storefront environment: try the all-in-one app on Shopify.
For merchants who want a hands-on walkthrough and tailored recommendations, Growave provides demos. This is useful when deciding whether to replace multiple point solutions with an integrated platform. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention.
How Growave Matches Up to Wishlist-Only Apps
Wishlist Functionality
- Growave includes a native wishlist module that covers adding favorites, sharing lists, and persistent customer wishlists.
- Because wishlist activity sits alongside loyalty and referral events, merchants can incentivize wishlist actions (e.g., reward points for adding items to a wishlist) to create measurable upstream funnel effects.
Contextual links to deeper Growave features:
- Merchants can combine wishlist engagement with loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases to increase lifetime value.
- Wishlist saves can trigger review requests or social proof strategies to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
Loyalty and Referrals
- Growave’s loyalty programs allow for custom reward actions and VIP tiers that can be configured to reward wishlist behavior and referrals, which single-purpose wishlist apps cannot do on their own.
- The platform integrates outbound actions with common email and SMS providers to automate re-engagement based on wishlist data.
Reviews and UGC
- Growave includes review collection and display tools that help convert wishlist interest into verified purchases and post-purchase reviews—bridging the gap between discovery and social proof.
Integrations and Enterprise Support
- Growave lists compatibility with checkout extensions, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Recharge, and more—making it viable for stores using modern marketing stacks and subscription models.
- For larger merchants, Growave positions itself with dedicated Plus features and dedicated success support; merchants can learn more about solutions tailored to high-growth businesses by exploring solutions for high-growth Plus brands.
Costs and When an All-in-One Makes Sense
Growave’s pricing tiers start higher than single-purpose wishlist apps because it bundles multiple retention features:
- Entry Plan – $49/month: Suitable for stores that want foundational loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlist functionality with basic integrations.
- Growth Plan – $199/month: Adds advanced customization and increased order limits.
- Plus Plan – $499/month: Best for high-volume stores and Shopify Plus merchants requiring advanced support and launch services.
Compare these prices with the combined cost of multiple single-purpose apps: a wishlist app, a loyalty app, a review app, and a referral tool can easily exceed the cost of a single integrated platform once scaling and premium features are needed. For merchants who anticipate growing beyond a single storefront or who want deeper data unification, the platform can represent better value for money.
To evaluate the financial trade-offs, merchants can:
- Add the monthly subscriptions and implementation effort of the current stack.
- Compare those totals against the price of an integrated plan on the Growave pricing page: consolidate retention features.
- Review customer case studies for context on migration outcomes and ROI: customer stories from brands scaling retention.
Implementation Risk and ROI
Moving from single-purpose apps to an integrated platform involves migration risk: data mapping, theme changes, and training. Growave’s Plus tier includes customer success support and a dedicated launch plan to mitigate these risks for larger merchants. Smaller merchants can start on the Entry plan or test via the Shopify app install to measure ROI before upgrading: try Growave on Shopify.
Two Quick Decision Rules
- If the immediate goal is to add a visible wishlist with social sharing and minimal setup, K Wish List is a fast, lightweight choice.
- If the goal is to scale wishlist usage across languages and integrate wishlist behavior into marketing automation and analytics, choose SWishlist or consider moving to an integrated tool like Growave to avoid stacking multiple dedicated apps.
Conclusion
For merchants choosing between K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist and SWishlist: Simple Wishlist, the decision comes down to priorities and scale. K Wish List is ideal for merchants who want an easy-to-install, visually prominent wishlist that supports sharing and simple account persistence. SWishlist is better for stores that need predictable usage limits, multi-language support, and API flexibility—especially as wishlist volume grows.
Both apps are solid, well-rated options—K Wish List has a 4.7 rating from 81 reviews and SWishlist holds a 4.9 rating from 106 reviews. However, merchants should also consider the longer-term cost and complexity of managing multiple single-purpose apps. For stores that want to reduce tool sprawl and unify retention tactics—wishlist, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers—an integrated solution can deliver better value for money and fewer maintenance headaches.
Growave offers an all-in-one retention platform built around the philosophy of "More Growth, Less Stack," consolidating wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, and reviews. Review plan options and trial details on the pricing page to see if consolidation makes financial and operational sense: consolidate retention features. Merchants can also test the app directly from the Shopify App Store: try the all‑in‑one app on Shopify.
Start a 14-day free trial to evaluate how an integrated retention suite can replace multiple single‑purpose apps and drive higher lifetime value: start a free trial to consolidate wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals.
Hard CTA (earlier in the article): Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention.
FAQ
Which app is easier to install and get running quickly?
K Wish List emphasizes no-code setup and quick installation with visible UI elements (floating button and header icon), making it easier for merchants who prefer a plug-and-play solution. SWishlist supports setup too but adds configuration around usage limits and languages which may take more time.
Which app is better for multi-language stores or international expansion?
SWishlist offers multi-language support baked into its pricing tiers (Free: 2 languages, Basic: 7, Premium: 20), making it a better fit for stores operating in multiple regions. K Wish List’s description does not emphasize multi-language support.
How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized wishlist apps?
An all-in-one platform like Growave consolidates wishlist data with loyalty, referrals, and reviews, enabling more cohesive retention strategies and fewer integrations to manage. This reduces app fatigue, centralizes customer insight, and often provides better long-term value for merchants planning to scale.
If a merchant starts with a wishlist-only app, when should they consider switching to an integrated platform?
Consider switching when the combined cost and maintenance of multiple single-purpose apps exceed the price of a unified platform, when cross-feature automation (e.g., rewarding wishlist saves) becomes important, or when the store requires enterprise features like headless APIs, advanced checkout integrations, or dedicated launch support. Merchants can compare integration and pricing options to decide whether consolidation improves ROI and reduces operational complexity.








