Mst: Wishlist + Marketing Flow vs. SE Wishlist Engine: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Navigating the Shopify app ecosystem to find the right tools for specific business needs can be a complex endeavor. With thousands of applications available, merchants often face the challenge of selecting single-purpose solutions that genuinely enhance customer experience and drive growth, rather than adding to operational overhead. Understanding the nuances of each app, from its feature set to its pricing model, is crucial for making informed decisions that contribute to long-term success.

Short answer: For merchants prioritizing a straightforward, all-inclusive wishlist experience with robust marketing alerts and headless support, Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow offers a compelling flat-rate option. Conversely, SE Wishlist Engine provides a tiered pricing structure, including a free plan, and focuses heavily on built-in email alerts and analytics for converting wishlist items into sales. The optimal choice depends on budget, technical requirements, and specific marketing automation needs.

This article provides a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison of two prominent Shopify wishlist apps: Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and SE Wishlist Engine. The goal is to equip merchants with the insights needed to determine which application aligns best with their store’s requirements, growth stage, and customer retention strategies.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow vs. SE Wishlist Engine: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

Wishlists serve as a crucial touchpoint in the customer journey, allowing shoppers to save products of interest for future consideration. This functionality not only enhances user experience but also provides valuable data for merchants to re-engage potential buyers and drive conversions. The effectiveness of a wishlist app, however, extends beyond mere product saving, encompassing marketing automation, customization capabilities, and integration with the broader e-commerce ecosystem.

Core Features and Workflows

Wishlist Creation and Management

Both Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and SE Wishlist Engine provide fundamental wishlist functionality, enabling customers to save products. The distinction lies in the depth and flexibility offered.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow emphasizes extensive personalization and utility. It allows customers to create multiple wishlists, categorizing items for different purposes or events. This feature can be particularly beneficial for stores with diverse product catalogs, such as home goods, gifts, or fashion, where customers might want separate lists for "kitchen renovation" versus "birthday gifts." The app also fully supports guest wishlists, ensuring that even non-logged-in visitors can save items, thereby reducing friction for first-time buyers and potentially capturing their interest before a full account registration. There are no specified limits on the number of items in a wishlist or the number of customers who can use the feature, ensuring scalability.

SE Wishlist Engine also offers the core ability for customers to save multiple items. Its guest wishlist functionality is also present, catering to a broad user base. While it permits customers to save multiple items at a time, the description does not explicitly state the ability for customers to create multiple, distinct wishlists like Mst. Instead, the focus appears to be on a single, comprehensive wishlist for each customer. The free plan has a limit of up to 100 wishlist items, which then becomes unlimited in the paid plans. This tiered approach means smaller stores can start without cost, but larger inventories or more active wishlisters will quickly necessitate a paid upgrade.

Marketing Alerts and Re-engagement

This is a critical area where both apps converge yet offer different approaches. Re-engaging customers who have expressed interest via a wishlist is a powerful retention strategy.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow focuses on integrating with existing marketing platforms to deliver alerts. It offers price drop and back-in-stock alerts, which can be sent via email, SMS, and push notifications. The key here is its "Works With" section, indicating direct integrations with Klaviyo, PushOwl/Brevo, and Apploy - Mobile App Builder. This means that the alert functionality is robust and leverages the sophisticated segmentation and delivery capabilities of these dedicated marketing tools. Merchants already invested in these platforms might find Mst's integration-first approach more seamless for their existing marketing flows.

SE Wishlist Engine, conversely, offers more built-in marketing automation directly within the app. Its Advanced and Premium plans include features like wishlist reminders, low stock alerts, price drop alerts, and restock alerts. The app also features "auto email alerts to convert wishlist products into sales," implying a more self-contained system for these communications. This can be advantageous for merchants who prefer to manage their wishlist-driven marketing campaigns directly within the wishlist app, or who are not yet heavily invested in separate email/SMS platforms. The Premium plan even extends to multi-language email templates, vital for international sales.

API, Headless, and Multi-language/Currency Support

For modern e-commerce operations, especially those scaling or operating globally, advanced technical capabilities are essential.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow explicitly highlights its API and headless theme support. This is a significant advantage for merchants running custom storefronts, progressive web apps (PWAs), or those on Shopify Plus leveraging a headless architecture. It allows for greater flexibility in design and integration with complex tech stacks. Furthermore, it supports multi-language and multiple currencies, making it suitable for international brands seeking a unified customer experience across different regions.

SE Wishlist Engine offers multi-language and multi-currency support, but this is exclusively available in its Premium plan. The description does not explicitly mention API or headless theme support, suggesting its primary design is for standard Shopify theme implementations. Merchants with advanced development needs or a headless setup would need to investigate compatibility carefully. However, for most standard Shopify stores, its tiered multi-language and multi-currency offering can be sufficient.

Customization and Control

The ability to customize a wishlist app's appearance and functionality to match a store's brand identity is crucial for maintaining a consistent user experience.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow prides itself on being "fully customizable." It allows merchants to customize the "My Wishlist" page using Liquid templates, HTML, and CSS. This level of granular control is highly appealing to brands that prioritize a perfectly branded experience and have the development resources (or desire to invest in them) to fine-tune every visual element. The app is also designed to be responsive, ensuring it works seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices.

SE Wishlist Engine also offers customization, focusing on the button and icon in its Free and Basic plans. In higher tiers, it enables customization and unlimited emails, suggesting control over the content of alert emails. While it aims to help customers save favorites, the description doesn't specify the same deep level of UI customization via Liquid, HTML, and CSS as Mst. Merchants looking for more straightforward visual adjustments without needing to delve into code might find SE's approach sufficient, but those with strict brand guidelines and advanced design needs may find Mst more accommodating.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

The cost of an app is always a significant consideration, and the two apps present very different models.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow adopts a simple, flat-rate pricing model: $2 per month. This single plan includes all features, with no limits on the number of items in a wishlist or the number of customers. For merchants who anticipate growing their store and leveraging all features from the outset, this can represent excellent value, as the cost does not scale with usage. It provides predictability in spending and ensures access to advanced features like API/headless support and extensive customization from day one. Businesses looking for a clearer view of total retention-stack costs might appreciate this straightforward approach.

SE Wishlist Engine offers a tiered pricing structure designed to cater to various store sizes and budgets:

• Free Plan: Offers basic wishlist functionality for up to 100 wishlist items, button/icon customization, wishlist page/popup, social sharing, language support, and basic insights. This is an attractive entry point for new or very small stores.
• Basic Plan ($7.99/month): Removes the 100-item limit, adds branding removal, and retains other basic features. This is suitable for growing stores that need unlimited wishlists without advanced marketing features.
• Advanced Plan ($14.99/month): Introduces key marketing automation features like low stock, price drop, and restock alerts, wishlist reminders, product recommendations, import/export functionality, customizable and unlimited emails, Facebook pixel, and Klaviyo integration, alongside advanced insights. This tier is designed for merchants actively looking to convert wishlists into sales.
• Premium Plan ($21.99/month): Builds upon the Advanced plan by adding multi-language and multi-currency support, including multi-language email templates. This tier targets international stores with more sophisticated requirements.

For merchants comparing plan fit against retention goals, SE Wishlist Engine's tiered model offers flexibility. A brand new store can start free, scale up to Basic, and then adopt Advanced or Premium as their marketing needs and international reach grow. This "pay-as-you-grow" model can be more budget-friendly for smaller operations, even if the total cost for full feature parity with Mst's comprehensive offerings might eventually surpass Mst's flat fee. Merchants evaluating feature coverage across plans will find SE's tiers clearly delineate the value proposition at each price point.

Integrations and "Works With" Fit

App integrations are vital for creating a cohesive and efficient e-commerce ecosystem, avoiding data silos and ensuring smooth customer journeys.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow explicitly integrates with:

• Customer accounts: Standard for managing user wishlists.
• Shopify Flow: Allows for automation of tasks and workflows based on wishlist activity, a powerful tool for complex operations.
• Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS: A leading platform for email and SMS marketing, enabling sophisticated segmentation and personalized campaigns driven by wishlist data.
• PushOwl/Brevo: Email, Push, SMS: Provides alternative channels for delivering alerts and re-engagement messages.
• Apploy - Mobile App Builder: Suggests compatibility with mobile app experiences, aligning with its headless capabilities.

Mst's integrations highlight a focus on leveraging external, best-in-class marketing and automation platforms. Merchants who already use or plan to use these specific tools may find Mst a natural fit, allowing them to extend their existing marketing workflows with rich wishlist data.

SE Wishlist Engine lists its integrations as:

• Customer accounts: Standard functionality.
• Klaviyo: An important integration for advanced email marketing segmentation and automation, available in the Advanced and Premium plans.
• PageFly: A popular drag-and-drop page builder, suggesting compatibility for designing wishlist pages within a visual editor.

SE's integration list is somewhat shorter and more focused, with Klaviyo being a key marketing integration primarily in its higher tiers. The inclusion of PageFly, however, points to its ease of use for visual page building, which can be appealing for merchants without deep coding expertise. Merchants selecting plans that reduce stacked tooling costs often consider whether an app provides integrated solutions or relies heavily on external connections. While SE offers some built-in email features, its Klaviyo integration in higher tiers helps bridge the gap for more advanced email marketers.

Analytics and Reporting

Understanding how customers interact with wishlists provides invaluable insights into product demand and purchase intent.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow's description implies marketing flow capabilities, but it does not explicitly detail built-in analytics or reporting features related to wishlist usage. Its strength here might lie in the data it pushes to integrated marketing platforms like Klaviyo, which then provide their own robust analytics dashboards. Merchants would need to rely on their connected marketing tools to extract insights from wishlist actions.

SE Wishlist Engine places a strong emphasis on analytics and reporting. Even its Free and Basic plans include "Basic insights," while the Advanced and Premium plans offer "Advanced Insight." The app's description explicitly states that it offers "Reports that show which product is most on the wishlist and who saved it." This direct feedback loop helps merchants identify popular products, understand customer preferences, and inform inventory decisions or targeted marketing campaigns. This direct visibility into wishlist data can be a significant advantage for merchants focused on data-driven sales strategies.

Customer Support Expectations and Reliability Cues

The reliability of an app and the quality of its support are critical for smooth operation. Review volume and ratings offer a strong indication of user satisfaction.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow has a rating of 4.7 stars based on 150 reviews. This indicates a generally positive user experience, with a solid base of satisfied customers. A rating in this range suggests that the app is reliable and that the developer, Mascot Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd, provides adequate support.

SE Wishlist Engine boasts an impressive 4.9-star rating from 249 reviews. A higher review count and a near-perfect rating often correlate with exceptional customer satisfaction and responsive support. This suggests that Script Engine, the developer, is highly effective in addressing user needs and maintaining app performance. Merchants scanning reviews to understand real-world adoption might see SE's higher review count and rating as a strong trust signal.

Performance, Compatibility, and Operational Overhead

An app's technical footprint and its ability to seamlessly integrate without slowing down a store or creating maintenance headaches are important considerations.

Both apps are designed for Shopify, implying standard compatibility with the platform's architecture.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow's explicit mention of API and headless theme support suggests a robust, modern codebase capable of handling more complex integration scenarios and potentially higher traffic volumes without performance degradation, assuming proper implementation. The full customizability via Liquid, HTML, and CSS means that while setup might require more technical expertise, the end result can be perfectly optimized for a specific store's performance goals and unique design. Its works-with list also implies compatibility with mobile app builders, expanding its reach.

SE Wishlist Engine, while not explicitly detailing API/headless support, does mention PageFly integration, which suggests ease of use within visual page builders. Its tiered structure with a free plan implies it's well-optimized for a range of store sizes. The focus on built-in email marketing and analytics means that some operational overhead related to connecting multiple apps for these functions might be reduced. However, merchants should consider how its built-in email features coexist with other email marketing tools they might be using to avoid messaging inconsistencies.

For merchants considering the broader impact of their app stack, choosing an app that minimizes additional overhead is key. While both apps are specialized, their approach to integration and customization influences the total maintenance and performance burden on a store.

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

While specialized apps like Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and SE Wishlist Engine excel at their core function, relying on multiple single-purpose tools can lead to a common challenge known as "app fatigue." This phenomenon is characterized by:

• Tool Sprawl: Managing numerous individual apps, each with its own interface, login, and updates.
• Fragmented Data: Customer data scattered across different systems, making it difficult to get a holistic view of buyer behavior, loyalty, and purchase intent.
• Inconsistent Customer Experience: Disparate interfaces and processes across various apps can lead to a disjointed and less polished experience for the end-user.
• Integration Overhead: The constant need to ensure compatibility and smooth data flow between different apps, often requiring custom development or ongoing maintenance.
• Stacked Costs: Individual app subscriptions can quickly accumulate, leading to higher total operational expenses than anticipated.

Many growing e-commerce businesses eventually seek a more streamlined approach. This is where an all-in-one platform like Growave offers a compelling alternative, embracing a "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy. Growave integrates several critical customer retention and engagement features into a single, cohesive solution. This approach allows merchants to manage loyalty programs, customer reviews, referrals, wishlists, and VIP tiers from one centralized dashboard, addressing the root causes of app fatigue.

By consolidating these functions, Growave helps brands nurture customer relationships, increase repeat purchases, and boost customer lifetime value without the complexities of managing multiple vendors and integrations. For example, a wishlist created in Growave can seamlessly feed into loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases, or trigger personalized email campaigns within the same ecosystem. This integration extends to crucial aspects like collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews, which further builds trust and complements the desire expressed through a wishlist.

Growave provides a holistic view of customer interactions, allowing for a more data-driven approach to retention. Businesses looking for a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows can explore Growave’s various plans, which offer comprehensive feature sets tailored for different stages of growth. This includes capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs, supporting advanced storefronts and high-growth operational complexity. For those aiming to understand how an integrated platform can streamline operations, a tailored walkthrough based on store goals and constraints can be highly beneficial. Merchants can also gain insights from real examples from brands improving retention by consolidating their tools.

If consolidating tools is a priority, start by comparing plan fit against retention goals.

The aim is to foster long-term customer relationships through integrated experiences rather than siloed app functions. This unified approach can simplify operations, improve data integrity, and lead to more effective and efficient growth strategies.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and SE Wishlist Engine, the decision comes down to a balance of technical requirements, budget flexibility, and preferred marketing automation style. Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow stands out for its flat-rate pricing, deep UI customization capabilities using Liquid and CSS, API/headless support, and its integration-centric approach for marketing alerts via platforms like Klaviyo. It is an excellent choice for businesses with specific design needs, headless storefronts, or those heavily invested in external marketing automation tools.

SE Wishlist Engine, on the other hand, offers a flexible tiered pricing model, including a free entry point, and distinguishes itself with robust built-in email alerts (reminders, low stock, price drop, restock) and detailed wishlist analytics that directly inform sales strategies. It is well-suited for smaller businesses seeking to grow their capabilities incrementally, or for those who prefer more self-contained marketing features within their wishlist app, and who value direct insights into which products are most wished for.

Ultimately, both apps competently address the core need for wishlist functionality. However, as businesses mature, the cumulative effect of managing multiple single-purpose apps can lead to inefficiencies, data fragmentation, and higher total costs. An integrated retention platform, like Growave, offers a strategic alternative by combining essential customer engagement features—loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists—into a single solution. This approach provides a clearer view of total retention-stack costs, streamlining operations and ensuring a more consistent customer journey. To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

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

An all-in-one platform integrates multiple customer engagement functions (like loyalty, reviews, wishlists, and referrals) into a single system. This contrasts with specialized apps, which focus on one specific function. Integrated platforms offer unified data, consistent customer experiences, reduced management overhead, and often a lower total cost of ownership by avoiding stacked subscription fees. Specialized apps, however, can sometimes offer deeper customization or niche features for their specific function.

Can guests create wishlists with these apps?

Yes, both Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and SE Wishlist Engine support guest wishlists. This feature allows customers to save items without needing to log in or create an account, reducing friction for new visitors and potential buyers.

What kind of marketing alerts are offered by these wishlist apps?

Both apps offer various marketing alerts designed to re-engage customers. Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow provides price drop and back-in-stock alerts via integration with external platforms like Klaviyo, PushOwl, and Brevo. SE Wishlist Engine offers built-in auto email alerts for price drops, restocks, low stock, and general wishlist reminders, with advanced features in its higher-tier plans.

Are these apps compatible with multi-language and multi-currency stores?

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow supports multi-language and multiple currencies as a standard feature. SE Wishlist Engine offers multi-language and multi-currency support, including multi-language email templates, in its Premium plan. Merchants operating internationally should consider these capabilities when making their selection.