K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist vs. Swish: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is a common challenge for Shopify merchants. With dozens of single-purpose tools available, the decision often comes down to trade-offs between simplicity, customization, analytics, and long-term value. A wishlist can be a modest conversion booster for gift shopping and product comparison, or a central retention touchpoint that triggers email flows and data-driven personalization. Selecting the wrong one can lead to app sprawl, duplicated effort, and missed revenue.

Short answer: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist is an excellent choice for merchants who want a lightweight, fast-to-install wishlist with basic customization and social sharing. Swish (formerly Wishlist King) suits brands that want enterprise-grade wishlist behavior, advanced analytics, and integrations for automated remarketing. For merchants seeking better value and fewer one-off apps, a unified retention platform that combines wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals often delivers stronger lifetime value — consider a consolidated alternative.

This article provides a feature-by-feature comparison of K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist and Swish (formerly Wishlist King) to help merchants decide which app fits their use case. The comparison includes functionality, pricing and value, integrations, customization and design, analytics, performance and privacy, support, and practical recommendations by store type. After the direct comparison, the post explains the costs of stacking single-function tools and outlines how an integrated retention platform addresses those limits.

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist vs. Swish (formerly Wishlist King): At a Glance

Feature Comparison

What each app does best

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist focuses on delivering a fast, approachable wishlist experience that can be set up in minutes. It emphasizes:

• Visible wishlist entry points: float button, header icon, and add-to-wishlist buttons.
• Simplicity: a clear feature set for saving, sharing, and revisiting favorites.
• Low barrier to entry: a functional free tier and inexpensive growth tiers.

Swish centers on wishlist as a revenue and retention channel. It emphasizes:

• Automation and personalized notifications tied to saved items.
• Data and integrations (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta) for remarketing and analytics.
• Services for higher-tier merchants, including dedicated onboarding, Hydrogen/headless support, and account management.

Both apps are purpose-built for wishlist functionality, but their priorities differ: K Wish List favors rapid deployment and low cost; Swish prioritizes integration, automation, and support.

Core wishlist functionality

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist delivers the expected end-user behaviors: adding items to a wishlist, saving lists across sessions (customer accounts support), sharing lists on social platforms, and offering popup or embedded wishlist displays. The UI options make it straightforward to add wishlist entry points without theme development.

Swish offers similar base behaviors and expands them with deeper session management, unlimited wishlists and sessions, and wishlist curation tools. Swish explicitly stresses the ability to “allow customers to wishlist items throughout their entire shopping journey,” which maps to richer placement across product pages, collection pages, and search results, plus integration with other journey touchpoints.

Practical takeaway: If the requirement is basic "add-to-favorites" and occasional social sharing, K Wish List covers core needs. If the wishlist must trigger automated flows, be part of a curated marketing mix, or be tracked across complex customer journeys, Swish provides more depth.

Customization & Design

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist offers:

• Customizable icons, labels, colors.
• Multiple display types (floating button, header, popup, embedded page).
• Quick, no-code setup for common themes.

Swish offers:

• Full visual customization to match brand aesthetics and integrations with any theme.
• Free setup & customization service across plans to ensure style consistency.
• Headless/Hydrogen stack compatibility for advanced storefronts.

Practical takeaway: K Wish List is fast and flexible enough for most themes. Swish has an advantage for stores that require pixel-perfect brand integration or use headless/Hydrogen architectures.

Integrations & automation

K Wish List lists compatibility with Checkout. The feature set is lightweight and doesn’t advertise native integrations with major email/analytics platforms.

Swish explicitly supports Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta out of the box, plus works with Checkout, Hydrogen, Markets, Customer Accounts, Search, and Recommendations. Those integrations make it straightforward to:

• Trigger personalized emails/SMS when wishlist items change price or come back in stock.
• Record wishlist events in analytics to measure impact on conversions and LTV.
• Use wishlist data in segmentation and predictive models.

Practical takeaway: For merchants that rely heavily on automated email flows, a tool like Swish reduces engineering lift by connecting wishlist events to marketing stacks. K Wish List can still be useful, but merchants may need to export or build custom events to feed external platforms.

Analytics & reporting

K Wish List offers "track wishlist usage to gain insights into customer interest." Details appear basic — likely dashboards covering saved items counts and top-saved products.

Swish advertises "advanced analytics and wishlist curation," which implies dashboards and curation tools that help merchandisers act on wishlist data (e.g., increasing stock for highly saved items, personalizing campaigns).

Practical takeaway: Merchants who want actionable wishlist analytics for merchandising and remarketing should expect richer reporting from Swish. K Wish List gives lightweight insight sufficient for smaller stores.

Notification & remarketing capabilities

K Wish List supports "Add to Wishlist Notification" and social sharing. It handles user touchpoints within the UI but stops short of built-in lifecycle automation.

Swish includes "highly personalised + automated Wishlist notifications" and free setup to connect those notifications to channels like Klaviyo and Meta. This capability turns saved items into timed remarketing plays that can recapture intent.

Practical takeaway: If recovering wishlist intent via automated notifications is a priority, Swish is built for it. K Wish List focuses on the core UI/UX and leaves advanced automation to the merchant’s broader stack.

Performance & storefront impact

K Wish List’s lightweight scope and simple features typically mean less code on the storefront, faster install, and potentially less performance overhead. Smaller apps with focused features can be safer for page speed when implemented cleanly.

Swish offers more features and integrations, which could add complexity to implementation. However, Swish’s emphasis on onboarding and customization suggests that the team assists with efficient implementation to minimize performance impact, especially for Plus clients on hydrogen or headless builds.

Practical takeaway: For stores where page speed is critical and tool complexity must be minimal, K Wish List may be preferable. For stores prepared to invest in integration work for richer capabilities, Swish can be implemented with a focus on performance.

Pricing & Value

Both apps offer several pricing tiers. Price is not just a monthly number — it’s about what features, onboarding, and support are included.

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist pricing snapshot

• Free plan: Free to install; includes float button, header icon, add-to-wishlist button, notifications, social sharing, popup & embedded types, customer wishlists, support.
• Growth: $6.70 / month — same core features with support.
• Growth 2: $19.99 / month — same core features with support.

Value assessment: K Wish List provides strong entry-level value. The free tier covers fundamental wishlist behavior, which is attractive for small stores or testing wishlist impact. Paid tiers remain inexpensive but do not advertise advanced integrations or automation, so the value calculus depends on whether the merchant needs only UI-level wishlist functionality.

Swish pricing snapshot

• Basic Shopify: $19 / month — all features, free setup & onboarding, unlimited wishlists & saved items.
• Shopify: $29 / month — same features adjusted for plan.
• Advanced Shopify: $49 / month.
• Shopify Plus: $99 / month — includes white-glove onboarding, priority support, dedicated account manager, Hydrogen/headless support.

Value assessment: Swish’s pricing starts higher than K’s free and low-cost tiers, but it bundles free setup, unlimited sessions, and richer integrations. For merchants who will use wishlist data in marketing automation and analytics, Swish often represents better value for money because it reduces time-to-value and supports more advanced workflows.

Cost of ownership considerations

• Implementation overhead: K Wish List’s simplicity reduces implementation time. Swish’s free setup may offset higher monthly bills for merchants that need custom configuration.
• Support and upgrades: Swish’s higher-tier plans include dedicated support and onboarding that can be essential for complex storefronts. K Wish List’s lower price points limit those services.
• Opportunity costs: A wishlist that doesn’t integrate with marketing automation may miss conversion opportunities. Swish reduces this risk by designing integrations into the product.
• App sprawl: Buying a wishlist app plus separate loyalty, reviews, and referral tools increases monthly spend and adds integration complexity. An integrated platform can reduce those hidden costs.

Practical takeaway: For merchants needing a simple wishlist and keeping budget minimal, K Wish List is cost-effective. For merchants that value integrated automation and onboarding, Swish may deliver better value despite higher monthly fees.

Integrations & Ecosystem

K Wish List integrations

• Works with: Checkout.
• No explicit out-of-the-box Klaviyo, GA4, or Meta integrations listed.

K Wish List’s integration story is minimal; merchants planning to feed wishlist events into analytics or email platforms will likely need to build custom events or request assistance.

Swish integrations

• Works with: Checkout, Hydrogen, Markets, Klaviyo, Customer Accounts, Search, Recommendations.
• GA4 and Meta integrations available out of the box.

Swish’s integrations enable direct event flows from wishlist actions to marketing automation and analytics. This removes technical barriers and lowers the cost of tying wishlist intent to remarketing and lifecycle campaigns.

Practical takeaway: If the merchant relies on Klaviyo or GA4 and wants wishlist events to populate segmentation and triggered campaigns, Swish reduces engineering work and improves time-to-value.

Onboarding, Support & Service

K Wish List

• Emphasizes “set up in minutes with no coding required.”
• Knowledgeable support listed on plans, implying standard app-support channels.

K Wish List is designed for self-service merchants who prefer a DIY approach with available support when needed.

Swish

• Offers entirely free setup and customization service across all plans.
• Higher tiers include white-glove onboarding, priority support, and dedicated account managers.

Swish is positioned to support stores that require hands-on setup or ongoing account service — a material advantage for merchants without in-house development or marketing operations.

Practical takeaway: Brands with limited technical resources but a desire for a polished wishlist experience should value Swish’s white-glove setup. Smaller merchants with some technical comfort may prefer K Wish List’s simplicity.

Security, Data Ownership & Privacy

Both apps operate within Shopify’s app ecosystem and must follow Shopify’s data access rules. Key considerations:

• Data capture: Swish’s integrations mean more data flows to third-party services (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta). Merchants must ensure those flows comply with privacy policies, especially in regulated markets.
• Data ownership: Merchants should confirm whether wishlists are stored in merchant-owned customer accounts or retained by app vendors. Both apps indicate customer wishlist support, but specific export controls should be validated pre-install.
• Performance vs. tracking trade-offs: More tracking events can increase complexity but provide richer insight when used responsibly.

Practical takeaway: Before finalizing selection, merchants should request documentation on data retention, export, and event schemas. For merchants in strict privacy jurisdictions, documentation and vendor responsiveness are essential.

Real-World Use Cases and Recommendations

Best choices by merchant type

• Small stores and early-stage merchants:
  • Likely best fit: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist.
  • Why: Low-cost/free tier, quick setup, core wishlist features.
  • Use case: Testing whether wishlists increase conversion lift during seasonal campaigns without significant monthly cost.
• Mid-size stores with active marketing stacks:
  • Likely best fit: Swish.
  • Why: Integrations with Klaviyo and GA4 allow direct use of wishlist events in lifecycle email and analytics.
  • Use case: Implementing automated price-drop or back-in-stock notifications to wishlist savers.
• Enterprise and headless storefronts (Shopify Plus/Hydrogen):
  • Likely best fit: Swish Plus tier.
  • Why: White-glove onboarding, headless support, dedicated account manager.
  • Use case: Centralizing wishlist as a strategic retention channel across global storefronts and complex architectures.
• Merchants focused on minimizing tool sprawl:
  • Likely best fit: Consider a unified platform that combines wishlist with loyalty, reviews, and referrals (see Alternative section).

Sample strategies each app supports

K Wish List strategies:

• Add visible wishlist CTA to product pages and floating icon to maximize saves.
• Use social sharing to drive gift-list traffic during holidays.
• Track top-saved SKUs for merchandising decisions.

Swish strategies:

• Trigger Klaviyo flows when wishlist items are discounted or restocked.
• Use wishlist analytics to curate back-in-stock campaigns and personalized home page recommendations.
• Implement cross-channel remarketing (Meta audiences built from wishlist events).

Migration & Implementation Notes

• Installing K Wish List is typically low-friction. Merchants can test the free plan and upgrade as needed.
• Migrating wishlist data between apps can be non-trivial. Merchants should:
  • Export customer wishlist data when switching apps (confirm export formats).
  • Communicate changes to customers if wishlist URLs or account behaviors change.
  • Coordinate with onboarding teams (Swish offers free setup) for data migration assistance.
• Consider impact on SEO and customer bookmarks if wishlist pages use unique URLs.

Practical takeaway: Confirm export capabilities before committing. If migration support is required, Swish’s onboarding can be an operational advantage.

UX & Conversion Considerations

• Placement: Floating buttons and header icons increase visibility; use A/B tests to balance visibility with distraction.
• Messaging: Clear CTAs (e.g., "Save for later" vs. "Add to wishlist") can affect conversion; stores should test language.
• Social sharing: Effective for giftable categories; integrate social icons on wishlist pages.
• Guest vs. account-based saving: Account-based wishlists persist across devices and are more valuable for long-term retention. Confirm whether the app supports customer-account-linked wishlists and single sign-on behaviors.

Practical takeaway: Use wishlist placement tests and follow-up automation (if available) to translate saves into purchases.

Pros & Cons Summary

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist — Pros:

• Low-cost/free entry tier.
• Fast, no-code setup for common themes.
• Clear UI options: float button, header icon, popup/page views.
• Social sharing and customer wishlists.

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist — Cons:

• Limited native integrations to marketing/analytics platforms.
• Basic analytics and automation capabilities.
• Less tailored onboarding and no white-glove options.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) — Pros:

• Rich integrations (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta) and advanced analytics.
• Free setup and customization across plans.
• Unlimited wishlists/sessions, plus Plus-tier white-glove service and headless support.
• Strong rating (5.0) and a larger review base (272 reviews), suggesting broad user satisfaction.

Swish — Cons:

• Higher starting price compared to free tiers of simple wishlist apps.
• Potential complexity in implementation for merchants who do not need advanced integrations.
• More features can mean greater maintenance or a steeper learning curve.

Measuring ROI

Both apps can be measured against consistent KPIs:

• Wishlist saves per visitor and save rate by channel.
• Conversion rate of wishlist items (percentage that later convert to orders).
• Average order value (AOV) uplift for customers who engage with wishlists.
• Email/SMS revenue from wishlist-triggered flows (if supported).
• Retention/LTV improvements for customers who use wishlists.

Swish’s integrated analytics and direct marketing connections make it easier to attribute wishlist-driven revenue. K Wish List provides core metrics useful for small stores, but attribution to marketing channels may require manual instrumentation.

Support & Community Signals

• K Wish List: 81 reviews with a 4.7 rating. The score suggests satisfied users but a smaller review sample.
• Swish: 272 reviews and a 5.0 rating. A larger review base with perfect rating indicates high satisfaction and mature product-market fit.

Practical takeaway: Higher review counts and ratings can signal more polished product and stronger vendor processes, especially around onboarding and support.

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

App fatigue is real. Many merchants accumulate single-purpose apps: one for wishlist, another for loyalty, a separate one for reviews, and yet another for referrals. Each app adds monthly cost, requires separate integrations, and creates more places to manage customers and data. The result can be fragmented customer experiences, duplicated incentives, and difficulty measuring lifetime value across programs.

An alternative is a unified retention platform that consolidates wishlist, loyalty and rewards, referrals, reviews & UGC, and VIP tiers into a single system. This approach reduces integration overhead, centralizes customer data, and makes it simpler to design coordinated campaigns that increase retention and lifetime value.

Growave’s approach follows a "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy: consolidate core retention functions into a single platform to reduce tool sprawl and unlock cross-functional strategies more quickly. For merchants evaluating whether to add another standalone wishlist or to move toward consolidation, the decision should factor in long-term cost, operational complexity, and the value of combined data.

What a consolidated platform changes

• Unified customer profiles: Wishlist behavior, loyalty points, referrals, and review history live in one profile, enabling more precise segmentation.
• Coordinated campaigns: Trigger loyalty incentives when a wishlist item is purchased, or offer referral rewards tied to verified reviews.
• Fewer monthly fees and fewer integrations to maintain: Consolidation reduces the cumulative cost of multiple single-purpose subscriptions and the engineering time to maintain event flows.

For merchants ready to consider consolidation, Growave offers a multi-tool suite built for Shopify merchants:

• Merchants can build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases while keeping wishlist data tied to customer behavior.
• Stores can collect and showcase authentic reviews alongside wishlist signals to influence buyers and increase social proof.
• For merchants evaluating fit for enterprise architectures, Growave offers solutions for high-growth Plus brands including headless support.
• To see real examples, explore customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Practical examples of combined flows:

• Automatically award loyalty points when a customer purchases an item from their wishlist, increasing perceived value and likelihood of repeat purchase.
• Trigger a review request from customers who purchased via a wishlist flow to capture post-purchase feedback and UGC.
• Use wishlist-saved items to create targeted push or email campaigns that tie into referrals for social sharing.

Why consolidation can be better value for money

• Single platform license replaces multiple app fees; even when the consolidated platform is more expensive than a single lightweight app, the combined functionality often yields better return on ad spend and retention.
• Reduced integration maintenance: fewer events to map, fewer API endpoints to monitor.
• Centralized support and onboarding reduce time-to-value and ongoing friction.

Merchants curious about pricing and plan fit can review options to consolidate retention features. For merchants who prefer evaluating the app in the Shopify ecosystem, Growave is also available through the platform’s storefront where it can be installed and trialed: install from the Shopify App Store.

If the decision hinges on seeing a tailored implementation, a one-on-one exploration can help. Book a personalized walkthrough to assess how a consolidated stack might replace multiple single-purpose subscriptions. Book a demo to discuss integration and use cases.

How Growave addresses common wishlist limitations

• Event attribution: Because wishlist events sit alongside purchases, loyalty actions, and referrals, merchants can measure the full funnel impact from save to repeat purchase.
• Cross-program incentives: Points, discounts, or referral bonuses can be applied directly to wishlist-driven behaviors, making wishlist interactions part of a broader retention strategy.
• Reduced tech debt: Instead of mapping wishlist events into multiple external systems, Growave can push consolidated events to key partners, simplifying analytics and automation, and reducing the number of third-party apps to manage.

For merchants considering consolidation, review Growave’s plans and features to determine whether combining programs into one platform improves operational efficiency and strategic clarity. Merchants can also compare the app listing to confirm feature parity and see how integrated tools reduce the total number of apps required: view app listing to install and trial.

Evidence and social proof

Growave has a large review footprint (1,197 reviews) and a 4.8 rating, suggesting a broad adoption among merchants looking for integrated retention solutions. The platform supports multiple integrations and extensions commonly used by merchants, such as Klaviyo and Recharge, making it interoperable with many marketing stacks.

Merchants who want to learn from peers can browse curated case studies and inspiration to see how combined wishlist + loyalty + reviews programs drive measurable results: customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Decision Framework: How to Choose

Use this framework to decide between K Wish List, Swish, or a consolidated platform:

• If the goal is immediate, low-cost wishlist capability for simple saves and social sharing:
  • Choose K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist.
• If the goal is a wishlist that feeds automated remarketing, deep analytics, and enterprise support:
  • Choose Swish.
• If the goal is long-term retention growth, fewer apps, and coordinated lifecycle campaigns:
  • Consider a consolidated platform that combines wishlist with loyalty, reviews, referrals, and VIP tiers.

When in doubt, merchants should evaluate:

• Monthly total cost of ownership (including related apps).
• Time-to-value (how long until wishlist events feed into revenue-driving campaigns).
• Support needs (do extra onboarding and customization matter?).
• Technical constraints (headless store or advanced search/recommendations).

For a practical next step, merchants can review consolidation options and pricing to understand how combining tools impacts budget and timelines: consolidate retention features.

Implementation Checklist Before Install

• Confirm objective: Define what success looks like (e.g., X% of wishlist items convert within 90 days).
• Identify required integrations: Does wishlist need to trigger flows in Klaviyo, GA4, or Meta?
• Data and privacy review: Ask for export options, retention policies, and event schemas.
• Migration plan: If replacing another wishlist, confirm data export and user communication steps.
• Performance test: Run performance checks post-install to confirm page load impacts.
• Measure: Define tracking and reports to monitor wishlist ROI.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist and Swish (formerly Wishlist King), the decision comes down to scope and strategy. K Wish List is a sensible pick for merchants wanting a low-cost, easy-to-install wishlist that covers the core experience: saves, sharing, and a variety of display options. Swish is better suited to brands that want wishlist events tightly integrated with marketing automation, advanced analytics, and support for headless/Plus architectures.

Beyond the choice between single-purpose wishlist apps, merchants face a larger strategic decision: continue adding specialized apps, or consolidate retention tools into a unified platform to reduce tool sprawl and operational friction. A single integrated suite delivers coordinated campaigns across wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews, which often produces stronger retention and LTV with fewer vendors to manage. Merchants interested in reducing app overhead and unlocking coordinated retention strategies can start a trial to evaluate whether consolidation reduces complexity and increases lifetime value — explore plan options and start a 14-day free trial to see how a unified retention stack performs for the store’s specific needs: consolidate retention features.

If the merchant prefers a personalized walkthrough before committing, schedule a conversation to map current tools to an integrated approach and see recommended migration steps: Book a demo to discuss integration and use cases.

FAQ

How do K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist and Swish differ in setup and onboarding?

K Wish List emphasizes quick, no-code setup that merchants can complete in minutes. Swish provides free setup and customization across plans, with more hands-on onboarding for merchants that need integration with email and analytics platforms. Swish’s onboarding is particularly valuable for stores that require custom theme matching or headless implementations.

Which app offers better integration with Klaviyo and analytics tools?

Swish offers out-of-the-box integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta, making it easier to use wishlist events in marketing automation and analytics. K Wish List’s integration story is more limited, meaning merchants may need to build custom event flows to feed wishlist actions into third-party tools.

Which app is better for small stores on a tight budget?

For small merchants prioritizing a low monthly cost and core wishlist functionality, K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist offers better short-term value with a free tier and inexpensive growth plans. It provides the UI and sharing tools needed for many small stores without additional overhead.

How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps like K Wish List or Swish?

An all-in-one retention platform centralizes wishlist, loyalty, reviews, referrals, and VIP tiers. This reduces the number of apps to manage, consolidates customer data, and enables coordinated campaigns that drive retention and lifetime value. While single-purpose apps can be less expensive initially, consolidation often delivers better operational efficiency and greater long-term value. Merchants evaluating consolidation can compare plans and features to determine whether the unified approach fits their growth roadmap: consolidate retention features.