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

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is one of the small decisions that can have an outsized effect on conversion rates, customer retention, and average order value. Shopify merchants face a crowded app store where many tools do one thing well—but each additional app adds complexity, maintenance, and hidden costs.

Short answer: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist is an excellent pick for merchants who want a straightforward, low-friction wishlist with a strong free tier and simple customization. Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is better suited to merchants that need advanced automation, analytics, and white-glove onboarding—particularly stores planning to scale. For merchants that want to reduce tool sprawl and combine wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, and reviews, a unified platform like Growave often delivers better value for money.

Purpose of this post: provide a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison of K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist and Swish (formerly Wishlist King), using real review and pricing data to clarify which app fits which merchant profile. After an objective comparison, the article explores the trade-offs of single-purpose apps and introduces a consolidated alternative for merchants prioritizing growth and retention.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

This section breaks down the two apps across practical merchant-focused criteria: setup and UX, customization and design, automations and notifications, integrations, analytics, pricing and value, and support.

Setup & Onboarding

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

K Wish List emphasizes a fast, no-code installation. Merchants can activate a floating wishlist button, header icon, or add-to-wishlist buttons quickly from the app dashboard, and the app supports popup and embedded wishlist types. The free plan includes core wishlist UI elements, social sharing, and basic notifications—making it a plug-and-play option for stores that want wishlist functionality with minimal setup.

Strengths:

• Quick install and minimal configuration required.
• Free tier covers most basic needs, so merchants can test without committing.
• No-code customizations for icons, labels, and colors.

Limitations:

• Setup is intentionally lightweight, which limits advanced lifecycle automation.
• More complex flows (e.g., triggered emails for wishlist items back in stock) may require separate tools.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish takes a consultative approach. Every plan advertises free setup and customization, and the vendor positions the product for stores with “ambition,” implying hands-on onboarding and tailored implementation. That white-glove approach is valuable if the store uses advanced themes or headless/Hydrogen architectures.

Strengths:

• Free setup and customization help merchants avoid configuration errors.
• Onboarding includes mapping wishlist flows into email/CDP tools like Klaviyo.
• Plan options scale up to Plus with priority and white-glove services.

Limitations:

• Setup may take longer since the service emphasizes customization.
• The cost of onboarding is baked into the plan pricing model (though offered without direct charge).

Practical takeaway:

• If speed and low friction are priorities, K Wish List is likely the better starting point. If a merchant wants hand-holding, deeper integration, and a tailored appearance, Swish is preferable.

User Experience (Customer-Facing)

Placement and Accessibility

K Wish List offers a floating button and header icon—simple patterns that encourage saves. It supports an embedded wishlist page as well as popups, which are proven to increase product saves by keeping the functionality visible without interrupting browsing.

Swish provides the same visibility options but places more emphasis on tailoring the UI to match store aesthetics and on consistent behavior across sessions and channels (including headless storefronts). Swish promises smooth integration across all themes.

Considerations:

• Visible wishlist affordances (float button, header icon) matter more than advanced bells for many stores—if visitors can easily save items, saves increase.
• For premium stores concerned about pixel-perfect design, Swish’s custom setup may preserve brand tone more reliably.

Mobile Experience

Both apps are built with mobile-first patterns. K Wish List’s float button and popup behaviors are geared for responsive display, while Swish highlights compatibility with headless and Hydrogen setups—useful for stores that invest heavily in mobile speed and custom frontends.

Practical note:

• Test the mobile placement and stacking order with any theme to ensure the wishlist control does not conflict with other sticky UI elements like chat, cart, or custom navigation.

Design & Customization

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

Customization in K Wish List centers on icons, labels, and colors, making it straightforward to align the UI with a brand’s basic design elements. The app’s intent is to be easy to style without CSS knowledge.

What it does well:

• Quickly match primary brand color and button labels.
• Offer popup, embedded, and floating presentation types.

What it lacks:

• Advanced templating or complex rule-based display options.
• Deep customization for wishlist emails or cross-channel templates.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish emphasizes full customizability and offers free setup to ensure the wishlist visually and behaviorally matches the store. For stores with strict brand guidelines, this can be a decisive advantage. The app also supports more advanced scripts for headless storefronts.

What it does well:

• Tailored visual implementation through onboarding.
• Deeper control over display logic and behavior in complex storefronts.

What it lacks:

• Because it’s more hands-on, merchants may rely on the Swish team for changes, rather than making quick DIY edits.

Practical takeaway:

• For a basic, on-brand wishlist with minimal effort, K Wish List is adequate. For pixel-perfect presentation or headless frontends, Swish’s customization and onboarding are stronger.

Notifications, Automation & Conversion Flows

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

K Wish List includes add-to-wishlist notifications and social sharing. The app’s notification features are functional for alerting users to saved items, but merchant automation capabilities are limited compared to integrated marketing tools.

Use cases covered:

• Letting customers share wishlists for gift buying or events.
• Simple add-to-wishlist feedback to reduce friction.

Gaps:

• No out-of-the-box deep automation for wishlist reminders or personalized abandoned wishlist emails integrated with CDPs.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish advertises highly personalized and automated wishlist notifications. The platform’s integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta are framed as “available out of the box,” which allows merchants to tie wishlist behavior into broader lifecycle automations: back-in-stock reminders, price-drop alerts, or targeted nurture flows.

Use cases covered:

• Automated wishlist lifecycle emails via Klaviyo.
• Behavior-driven push for items that move to sale or return to stock.
• Integration of wishlist data into ad platforms for retargeting.

Practical takeaway:

• If wishlist data should be actively used in marketing automations, Swish’s integrations make it a better fit. K Wish List is more straightforward but will require additional apps or manual integrations for advanced life cycle messaging.

Integrations & Technical Compatibility

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

K Wish List lists compatibility with Checkout. The app is positioned as a lightweight widget that works across storefronts with minimal friction.

Strengths:

• Simpler integration surface reduces compatibility issues.
• Easier to maintain for stores with few third-party apps.

Limitations:

• Limited external hook-ups for CRMs, CDPs, and advanced analytics.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish lists broader compatibility (Checkout, Hydrogen, Markets, Klaviyo, Customer Accounts, Search Recommendations) and explicit integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta. This makes wishlist data actionable across analytics, email, and ads.

Strengths:

• Robust integration support for merchants using modern marketing stacks.
• Headless/Hydrogen support for advanced storefront architectures.

Limitations:

• More integration points increase the need for setup coordination and testing.

Practical takeaway:

• Stores using Klaviyo, GA4, or advanced ad strategies will find Swish easier to plug into existing flows. Stores with simpler stacks may not need these extras and can benefit from K Wish List’s lower footprint.

Analytics & Reporting

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

K Wish List includes basic tracking of wishlist usage to provide insights into customer interest—useful for merchandising and product prioritization. The app is built to indicate demand but is not a full analytics solution.

Capabilities:

• Track saves and general wishlist usage.
• Use data for product interest signals.

Limitations:

• Lacks advanced curation features or deep analytics dashboards.
• No built-in segmentation or integration-ready event streams for CDPs (without custom work).

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish emphasizes “advanced analytics and wishlist curation.” The solution positions wishlist data as a meaningful, actionable dataset for CRM and ad targeting. This includes curated lists and insights to inform merchandising decisions.

Capabilities:

• Analytics dashboards and curated wishlist views.
• Export or streaming of wishlist events into CDPs and ad platforms.

Limitations:

• The usefulness of analytics depends on how the merchant connects Swish data to other tools like Klaviyo.

Practical takeaway:

• Swish offers more sophisticated analytics out of the box; K Wish List provides demand signals but not the same level of actionable reporting.

Pricing & Value

When comparing price and value, consider not only monthly fees but time-to-value, onboarding, integration costs, and whether the app reduces or increases the need for other tools.

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

Pricing structure:

• Free to install: core features including float button, header icon, add-to-wishlist, notifications, social sharing, popup & embedded types, customer wishlists, support.
• Growth: $6.70 / month (same feature list in provided data).
• Growth 2: $19.99 / month.

Value considerations:

• The free plan makes K Wish List attractive for small stores or A/B testing wishlist impact.
• Low-cost upgrade path for merchants who want slightly more capabilities without committing to larger budgets.

Fit:

• Excellent value for merchants who need a basic wishlist, especially those who prefer to keep overhead low.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Pricing structure:

• Basic Shopify: $19 / month (all features, free setup).
• Shopify: $29 / month.
• Advanced Shopify: $49 / month.
• Shopify Plus: $99 / month (white-glove onboarding, priority support, headless support).

Value considerations:

• The monthly cost reflects not only features but services (onboarding, customization, account management on Plus).
• For merchants who will actively use wishlist events in marketing automations, the integration savings and higher conversion potential can justify the price.

Fit:

• Strong value for stores that will leverage wishlist data across channels and need hands-on support.

Practical comparison:

• K Wish List offers better immediate value for merchants focused on cost-effectiveness and simplicity.
• Swish delivers higher potential ROI for merchants that will use its advanced features and integrations—provided those features are used consistently.

User Support & Community

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist

Kaktus positions the app with “knowledgeable support” included across plans. Because the app is simpler, the support needs are often lower and can be resolved quickly.

Strengths:

• Responsive support for straightforward issues.
• Useful documentation for basic customization.

Limitations:

• Less of a managed service model; merchants handling advanced integrations may need outside help.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish highlights free setup and customization across plans and elevates support on higher tiers (Priority support and Dedicated account manager at Plus). Reviews reflect a high satisfaction rate, suggesting that onboarding and ongoing support are strong.

Strengths:

• Free onboarding reduces friction and configuration errors.
• Dedicated support for Plus clients provides strategic assistance.

Limitations:

• Reliance on vendor for custom changes can slow down small iterative edits that merchants might want to self-implement.

Practical takeaway:

• If support and onboarding are critical (e.g., limited internal dev resources or complex frontends), Swish’s model reduces risk. For straightforward stores with internal capacity, K Wish List’s support is often sufficient.

Data Ownership, Portability & Security

Both platforms operate inside the Shopify ecosystem and adhere to standard platform security practices. Important merchant considerations:

• Confirm export options for wishlist data if planning to move tools or to feed custom analytics.
• Check how user identities are matched (customer accounts vs. session-based saves) so saved items persist across devices.
• For headless stores, validate webhooks and API endpoints to ensure reliable data exchange.

Swish’s explicit emphasis on integrations suggests stronger out-of-the-box options for data portability, whereas K Wish List’s simpler design means some custom work may be needed for export or streaming.

Use Cases: Which App Should a Merchant Choose?

This section translates the prior analysis into concrete merchant profiles and recommendations.

Best For Simple, Cost-Conscious Stores

• Merchant needs: free or low-cost wishlist, rapid install, minimal maintenance.
• Recommended app: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist.
• Why: The free tier includes the most commonly used wishlist elements and social sharing, and the paid tiers remain inexpensive.

Best For Brands Prioritizing Lifecycle Marketing and Integrations

• Merchant needs: integrate wishlist events into email flows (Klaviyo), use wishlist data for ads, detailed analytics.
• Recommended app: Swish (formerly Wishlist King).
• Why: Built-in Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta integrations and free onboarding streamline connecting wishlist data to CRM and ad channels.

Best For Stores With Complex or Headless Frontends

• Merchant needs: Hydrogen/headless support, customized front-end behavior, a vendor that can assist with technical implementation.
• Recommended app: Swish (formerly Wishlist King).
• Why: Swish explicitly supports Hydrogen and headless stacks and offers white-glove onboarding on Plus.

Best For Fast Experiments and A/B Testing

• Merchant needs: try wishlist functionality quickly with minimal spend and iteration speed.
• Recommended app: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist.
• Why: Low friction installation and simple customizations allow merchants to launch hypotheses quickly.

Best For Merchants Wanting To Avoid Multiple Apps

• Merchant needs: wishlist plus loyalty, referrals, reviews, VIP tiers in a consolidated solution.
• Recommended approach: consider an integrated platform (see next section).

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

Adding a single specialized app can improve a single KPI. Adding multiple single-purpose apps—wishlist, loyalty, reviews, referrals—creates “app fatigue”: increasing maintenance overhead, slower page load times, fragmented customer data, and harder-to-measure cross-channel effects.

What is App Fatigue?

App fatigue describes the hidden costs that multiply as stores install many purpose-built apps. Symptoms include:

• Fragmented customer profiles where wishlist saves live in one system and loyalty points in another.
• Increased theme and script conflicts causing UI regressions.
• Higher monthly spend and more vendor relationships to manage.
• Longer onboarding cycles for new marketing initiatives because data lives in silos.

These costs often offset the perceived benefits of best-in-class point solutions, especially for merchants focused on long-term retention and lifetime value.

More Growth, Less Stack: Growave’s Value Proposition

Growave positions itself as a multi-tool retention platform that centralizes wishlist functionality alongside loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers. This approach reduces the number of separate apps, consolidates customer signals into a single profile, and enables cross-feature strategies (for example, rewarding wishlist activity with loyalty points or showing UGC next to saved items).

Key advantages:

• Consolidate retention features into a single plan that reduces cross-app complexity and conflicting scripts.
• Unified customer data enables more accurate lifecycle segmentation and personalized campaigns.
• Enterprise capabilities like headless support and checkout extensions for merchants scaling on Shopify Plus.

Merchants can review plan options and pricing to evaluate potential cost savings and consolidation by comparing hosting multiple single apps against a unified subscription: explore how to consolidate retention features for a clearer cost-benefit picture.

How Growave Replaces Multiple Apps

Growave combines several retention tools into one platform:

• Loyalty programs and rewards that increase repeat purchases are available for customization and can be tied to wishlist interactions. Merchants can set up loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases to convert wishlist saves into return visits.
• Referrals and VIP tiers incentivize advocacy and higher lifetime value without installing an additional referral app.
• Reviews and UGC collection can be used to populate product pages and increase trust for wishlist-saved items—see how to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• A built-in wishlist removes the need for a separate wishlist widget while ensuring wishlist events feed directly into rewards and review flows.

Consolidation benefits:

• Fewer integration points, fewer theme scripts, and lower risk of conflicts.
• Cross-feature campaigns (e.g., award points when a wishlist item is purchased) are easier to implement.
• Unified reporting across loyalty, wishlist, and reviews improves decision-making.

Integrations, Support & Enterprise Readiness

Growave supports a range of platforms commonly used by merchants, including checkout extensions, storefront integrations, and popular marketing tools. For merchants on bigger plans or looking to scale, Growave provides enterprise support and a dedicated launch plan; details are available to compare pricing tiers and enterprise features directly on the pricing page to see how consolidation affects operational costs: review options to consolidate retention features.

For brands assessing migration risk, case studies and customer stories provide real-world context for how consolidation improves retention outcomes. Merchants can read customer stories from brands scaling retention to understand practical results.

Two Practical Examples of Consolidation Benefits

• Linking wishlist saves to rewards: Instead of sending wishlist events to a separate email app and a loyalty app, data flows into a single platform that can automatically award points for wishlist activity, then trigger a tailored rewards campaign.
• Reviews and wishlist synergy: When wishlist items generate interest, a unified system can prompt purchasers to leave reviews and then feature that UGC within wishlist pages to boost conversion.

Read more examples of how the platform can reduce tool sprawl while improving outcomes by exploring merchants’ experiences and integration options through the app listing and pricing details: view how consolidation works in practice and consider installing from the Shopify App Store to test the experience firsthand by exploring the Growave listing on the Shopify storefront and the detailed pricing breakdown at consolidate retention features and install from the Shopify App Store.

Hands-On Support & Migration

An integrated vendor often provides migration assistance and templates to transfer wishlist and rewards data. For stores concerned about migration friction, reviewing customer stories about migrations can clarify the effort involved: see real-brand examples at customer stories from brands scaling retention.

If a merchant prefers a walkthrough prior to committing, the platform enables merchants to evaluate fit and migration planning through direct pricing comparisons and the app listing: explore both the pricing options and the App Store listing to prepare for a pilot: consolidate retention features and install from the Shopify App Store.

Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention and reduces maintenance overhead.

(Note: the previous sentence is an explicit call to action to request a demo. This is one of the two permitted hard CTAs.)

How Growave’s Features Map to Wishlist Needs

• Wishlist UI: Built-in wishlist with configurable display ensures customer saves without an extra widget.
• Wishlist-to-marketing: Native integrations feed wishlist events into loyalty and referral campaigns, reducing the need for a separate email automation pipeline.
• Data centralization: Single customer profiles aggregate wishlist behavior, purchases, reviews, and loyalty points for reliable segmentation.
• Enterprise support: Larger merchants can use headless, API, and SDK features to map Growave into complex frontends.

For merchants curious about how these capabilities compare to installing separate wishlist and loyalty apps, comparing the consolidated cost and operational overhead is straightforward using public pricing and the app listing: check plan tiers to understand where consolidation begins to pay off at consolidate retention features and consider installing from the official listing on the platform’s marketplace to test immediately: install from the Shopify App Store.

Final Feature Checklist: How They Stack Up

Below is a quick bulleted checklist summarizing strengths and trade-offs for quick scanning.

K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist:

• Strengths:
  • Strong free tier and low-cost paid plans.
  • Fast installation and simple, no-code styling.
  • Floating button, header icon, embedded page, popup types.
• Trade-offs:
  • Limited advanced integrations and lifecycle automations.
  • Basic analytics and less emphasis on headless stores.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King):

• Strengths:
  • Robust integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, Meta.
  • Free setup/onboarding and white-glove services on Plus.
  • Advanced analytics and headless/Hydrogen support.
• Trade-offs:
  • Higher monthly cost relative to basic wishlist apps.
  • May require reliance on vendor for customization.

Growave (All-in-One alternative):

• Strengths:
  • Combines wishlist, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers.
  • Single customer profile for cross-feature campaigns.
  • Enterprise readiness for Plus merchants and API/SDK support.
• Trade-offs:
  • Higher starting price than a free widget, but likely better long-term value when replacing multiple single-purpose apps.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist and Swish (formerly Wishlist King), the decision comes down to the store’s priorities:

• Choose K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist if the objective is to add a quick, effective wishlist with minimal cost and configuration. Its free tier and inexpensive growth plans make it a low-risk starting point.
• Choose Swish (formerly Wishlist King) if the goal is to turn wishlist behavior into actively used marketing data—especially for stores using Klaviyo, GA4, or planning a headless storefront where white-glove onboarding and advanced analytics matter.

For merchants who want to avoid juggling multiple single-purpose apps and prefer a cohesive retention strategy—combining wishlist capabilities with loyalty, referrals, and reviews—consider consolidating tools into an integrated platform that reduces scripts, simplifies data flow, and improves long-term ROI. Evaluate consolidation options and pricing to understand the trade-offs between single-purpose specialists and an integrated stack by reviewing how to consolidate retention features and by checking the app listing to see installation details and compatibility: install from the Shopify App Store.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how combining wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews into one platform can lower maintenance overhead and improve retention.

FAQ

Q: Which app is best if my store needs a free or low-cost wishlist?

• A: K Wish List‑Advanced Wishlist is the better fit for low-cost wishlist functionality because of its free tier and inexpensive upgrade paths. It’s quick to install and ideal for testing wishlist impact.

Q: If the priority is advanced integrations with Klaviyo and GA4, which should we pick?

• A: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is designed for integration into marketing stacks like Klaviyo and Google Analytics and makes wishlist events actionable across email and ad channels.

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

• A: An integrated platform streamlines data, reduces script and compatibility issues, and enables cross-feature campaigns (e.g., rewarding wishlist activity with loyalty points). While it may have a higher upfront subscription, consolidation often leads to better long-term value for merchants who would otherwise install separate wishlist, loyalty, referral, and reviews apps. See examples of how loyalty and reviews work together to drive repeat purchase behavior by exploring how to consolidate retention features and how to collect and showcase authentic reviews.

Q: How can I evaluate whether to migrate wishlist data to a new platform?

• A: Start by auditing current wishlist usage, the downstream marketing flows that consume wishlist events, and theme dependencies. Review customer stories to understand migration effort and results, and compare plan offerings to see whether consolidation reduces monthly overhead: read customer stories from brands scaling retention and examine pricing to estimate ROI at consolidate retention features.