Mst: Wishlist + Marketing Flow vs. Swish (formerly Wishlist King): In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right Shopify apps can significantly impact a store's operational efficiency and customer engagement. While specialized tools often promise deep functionality for a single purpose, merchants frequently face the challenge of integrating multiple apps, managing disparate data, and ensuring a cohesive customer experience. The selection of a wishlist app, a seemingly straightforward tool, highlights these complexities. A well-implemented wishlist can capture customer intent, reduce cart abandonment, and drive repeat purchases, but the nuances between different solutions can be substantial.

Short answer: For merchants prioritizing a budget-friendly option with essential wishlist and marketing automation, Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow offers a clear value proposition. Stores requiring extensive customization support, advanced analytics, and a tiered pricing model aligned with Shopify plans, Swish (formerly Wishlist King) presents a robust choice. Both aim to enhance customer engagement, but their approaches to features, support, and pricing cater to different merchant needs and operational scales. Understanding these differences helps in selecting a solution that integrates effectively into a broader retention strategy. This article provides a feature-by-feature comparison of Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and Swish (formerly Wishlist King), helping merchants make an informed decision aligned with their specific business goals.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow vs. Swish (formerly Wishlist King): At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

Core Features and Workflows

Both Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and Swish aim to provide robust wishlist functionality to Shopify merchants, but they approach the scope and depth of these features differently. A wishlist serves as a critical bridge between browsing and purchasing, helping customers save items for later and providing merchants with valuable intent data.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow focuses on a broad set of core wishlist capabilities combined with direct marketing triggers.

• Multiple Wishlists: Customers can create more than one personalized wishlist, allowing them to categorize desired products (e.g., "Birthday Gifts," "Home Decor Ideas"). This feature enhances organization for shoppers and can provide merchants with deeper insights into diverse customer interests.
• Guest Wishlist: Non-logged-in visitors can also create and save wishlists, which is crucial for capturing early-stage interest and encouraging account creation later. This reduces friction in the initial discovery phase.
• Unlimited Capacity: The app emphasizes no limits on the number of items in a wishlist or the number of customers using the feature, ensuring scalability for growing stores.
• Marketing Automation: A standout feature is its integrated marketing flow, offering Price Drop and Back in Stock alerts via email, SMS, and push notifications. This automates re-engagement, directly converting saved interest into potential sales when conditions are met. This direct revenue-driving capability is a significant draw for merchants looking to activate their wishlist data.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) positions itself as a feature-rich solution with a strong emphasis on integration, customization, and insights.

• Seamless Integration: The app highlights its ability to integrate with all themes, ensuring the wishlist functionality seamlessly matches the store's aesthetic without visual disruption. This focus on front-end polish is a key differentiator.
• Customer Journey Support: Swish emphasizes allowing customers to wishlist items throughout their entire shopping journey, acknowledging that purchase decisions are rarely linear. This suggests a user experience designed for flexibility and ease of use at any touchpoint.
• Personalized Notifications: Similar to Mst, Swish also provides highly personalized and automated wishlist notifications, though the specific channels (email, SMS, push) are not explicitly detailed in the description. The focus is on driving conversion at the optimal moment, implying sophisticated triggering capabilities.
• Advanced Analytics: Swish explicitly mentions gaining "meaningful insights with advanced analytics and wishlist curation." This suggests a more robust reporting suite than typically found in basic wishlist apps, allowing merchants to understand customer preferences, popular items, and conversion patterns from wishlists. This can inform inventory management, marketing campaigns, and product development.

The choice between these two largely depends on the merchant's priorities: direct, integrated marketing actions at a lower cost (Mst) versus deeper analytics, aesthetic perfection, and hands-on setup support (Swish).

Customization and Control

The ability to customize a wishlist app to match a store's brand identity and specific functional needs is paramount for a cohesive customer experience. Both apps offer customization, but with different approaches.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow provides extensive customization options, particularly for those comfortable with coding.

• Liquid Template, HTML, and CSS: The app allows full customization of the "My Wishlist" page using Liquid templates, HTML, and CSS. This empowers merchants or their developers to precisely tailor the appearance and layout of the wishlist page to perfectly align with their store's theme and branding guidelines. This level of control is appealing for stores with unique design requirements or those running custom themes.
• Multiple UI: The description mentions "multiple UI" options, which could imply pre-designed layouts or components that can be selected and modified, potentially reducing the need for extensive coding for basic changes. However, for deep integration, code-level access is the primary method.
• Responsive Design: The app ensures responsiveness across desktop and mobile devices, which is a fundamental requirement for any modern e-commerce tool.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) emphasizes ease of customization through a service-oriented approach.

• Free Setup & Customization Service: A significant differentiator for Swish is its offer of an "entirely free setup and customisation service across all plans." This means merchants do not need to delve into code or design themselves. The Swish team handles the integration and styling to ensure it looks and works perfectly with the store's aesthetic. This is highly beneficial for merchants who lack technical resources or prefer a "done-for-you" approach.
• Integrates with All Themes: This claim, coupled with the customization service, suggests a high degree of adaptability to various Shopify themes, from vintage to modern OS 2.0 themes.
• No Direct Code Access Mentioned: While customization is a strong point, the description does not explicitly state that merchants have direct access to liquid/HTML/CSS for self-service customization. This implies the customization is primarily handled by the Swish team.

For merchants who prefer granular, code-level control and have the technical expertise or resources, Mst offers direct access. For those who prioritize a hassle-free, professionally implemented, and perfectly matched aesthetic without needing to code, Swish's service-led approach is a distinct advantage.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

Pricing is a critical factor for merchants, ranging from startups to large enterprises. Understanding the cost structure and what is included in each plan helps in evaluating the true value for money.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow offers a strikingly simple and affordable pricing model.

• Monthly Plan: At $2 per month, it features a single fixed cost for all capabilities.
• Included Features: This plan includes all app features, with no limits on the number of items in a wishlist or the number of customers using the service. This "all-inclusive" approach at a very low price point makes it exceptionally attractive for budget-conscious merchants or those just starting out.
• Value Proposition: For stores seeking core wishlist functionality with integrated marketing flows without a tiered cost structure, Mst provides excellent value, particularly given its support for guest wishlists, multiple wishlists, and multi-language/currency capabilities. The low price significantly reduces the total cost of ownership for a foundational customer retention tool.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) employs a tiered pricing model that aligns with Shopify's own plans, indicating a strategy to scale with merchants as their stores grow.

• Basic Shopify Plan: $19 per month, includes all features, free setup/onboarding, unlimited wishlists/saved items, and unlimited sessions.
• Shopify Plan: $29 per month, same inclusions as Basic Shopify but priced for stores on the standard Shopify plan.
• Advanced Shopify Plan: $49 per month, same inclusions as above, tailored for Advanced Shopify users.
• Shopify Plus Plan: $99 per month, offering Shopify Plus exclusives like free white glove onboarding, priority support, a dedicated account manager, and support for Hydrogen & headless stacks.
• Value Proposition: While significantly higher priced than Mst, Swish justifies its cost through its free setup and customization service, advanced analytics, and out-of-the-box integrations, especially for Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta. The Shopify Plus plan, in particular, caters to high-volume merchants needing enterprise-grade support and specialized technology stack compatibility. The value here lies in a premium service and deeper integration capabilities, along with a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows. Merchants comparing plan fit against retention goals would note Swish’s alignment with Shopify’s own ecosystem.

When considering value, merchants must weigh the upfront cost against the included services and advanced capabilities. Mst is unbeatable on price for core functionality, while Swish offers a premium, service-inclusive experience designed for more mature or rapidly scaling stores that can leverage its advanced integrations and support. Choosing a plan built for long-term value involves more than just the monthly fee; it includes the operational overhead and the strategic benefits derived.

Integrations and "Works With" Fit

The ability of a wishlist app to integrate seamlessly with other tools in a merchant's tech stack is crucial for a unified customer experience and efficient operations. Data silos and incompatible tools can lead to fragmented customer data and missed opportunities for personalization.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow shows a solid set of integrations, particularly for marketing and platform infrastructure.

• Customer Accounts: This ensures that wishlists are tied to customer profiles, allowing for personalized experiences and data tracking.
• Shopify Flow: Integration with Shopify Flow enables merchants to automate workflows based on wishlist activities (e.g., sending a discount code when an item is wishlisted for a certain period, or triggering a follow-up email after a product goes on sale).
• Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS: Direct integration with Klaviyo is a significant advantage, allowing merchants to leverage their wishlist data for highly targeted email and SMS marketing campaigns, such as abandoned wishlist reminders or personalized product recommendations.
• PushOwl/Brevo: Email, Push, SMS: Support for these marketing automation platforms further extends its reach for multi-channel re-engagement.
• Apploy - Mobile App Builder: This integration suggests compatibility for stores that also operate through a dedicated mobile app, ensuring a consistent wishlist experience across platforms.
• API and Headless Theme Support: This is a strong technical capability, indicating the app can work with more complex, custom storefronts or headless commerce setups, providing flexibility for advanced development needs.
• Multi-language & Multiple Currencies: This support is vital for international sellers, ensuring the wishlist experience is localized for diverse customer bases.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) highlights key integrations, particularly those focused on analytics and advanced Shopify environments.

• Checkout: Integration with the checkout process ensures a smooth transition from wishlisted items to purchase.
• Hydrogen & Headless Stacks: Explicit support for Hydrogen and headless commerce (especially in its Shopify Plus plan) positions Swish as a solution for high-growth, technically advanced stores seeking maximum performance and customization capabilities beyond standard Shopify themes.
• Markets: Integration with Shopify Markets indicates support for international selling, similar to Mst’s multi-currency/language feature.
• Klaviyo: Out-of-the-box integration with Klaviyo enables targeted email marketing based on wishlist data, a shared strength with Mst.
• GA4 and Meta Integrations: These are critical for advanced analytics and advertising. GA4 integration allows for detailed tracking of wishlist events within broader customer behavior analytics, while Meta integration can power highly effective retargeting campaigns on Facebook and Instagram for wishlisted items.
• Customer Accounts & Search Recommendations: These integrations are foundational for personalized experiences and improving product discoverability.

Both apps offer valuable integrations for marketing automation. Mst provides a broader range of direct marketing app integrations, including push notifications. Swish, however, emphasizes deeper analytical integrations (GA4, Meta) and specialized support for modern headless commerce architectures, making it particularly attractive for Shopify Plus merchants and those with advanced analytics requirements. Merchants should verify compatibility details in the official app listing to ensure seamless operation with their existing tech stack.

Analytics and Reporting

Understanding how customers interact with wishlists can provide invaluable insights into product demand, popular items, and purchase intent. Strong analytics capabilities allow merchants to move beyond simply listing products to actively driving sales and optimizing inventory.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow's description explicitly highlights marketing flow triggers (Price Drop and Back in Stock alerts). While these actions are driven by data, the explicit mention of "analytics and reporting" as a standalone feature is not specified in the provided data. The focus appears to be on direct action rather than an in-depth dashboard for strategic analysis. Merchants would likely derive insights from the performance of their email/SMS/push campaigns triggered by wishlist events rather than a dedicated wishlist analytics dashboard within the app itself. The integration with platforms like Klaviyo and Shopify Flow suggests that data can be leveraged in external analytics tools if configured, but a native, advanced reporting suite is not detailed.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) explicitly prioritizes "meaningful insights with advanced analytics and wishlist curation."

• Advanced Analytics: This suggests that the app provides dedicated dashboards or reports that go beyond basic counts. Merchants could expect to see data on:
  • Most wishlisted products.
  • Conversion rates from wishlist to purchase.
  • Wishlist size trends.
  • Customer segments based on wishlist behavior.
  • Impact of notifications on purchase rates.
• Wishlist Curation: This term implies tools that allow merchants to actively manage or analyze wishlists, potentially identifying trends or even reaching out to specific customers based on their saved items.
• GA4 and Meta Integrations: These integrations are key for advanced reporting, allowing merchants to track wishlist events as part of their overall customer journey within Google Analytics and to build custom audiences for advertising on Meta platforms. This provides a holistic view of how wishlists contribute to the broader marketing and sales funnel.

For merchants who require deep data analysis to inform their merchandising, marketing, and inventory strategies, Swish's explicit focus on advanced analytics and integration with leading analytics platforms (GA4) positions it as a stronger contender. Those primarily focused on automated re-engagement from wishlist events, and who might use external tools for broader analytics, may find Mst sufficient.

Customer Support Expectations and Reliability Cues

The quality of customer support and the perceived reliability of an app are often reflected in its reviews and ratings. For merchants, timely assistance and a stable, performant app are critical for uninterrupted operations.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow has a rating of 4.7 based on 150 reviews. This is a solid rating, indicating that the majority of users have had positive experiences with the app's functionality and, presumably, its support.

• Review Volume: 150 reviews is a respectable number, providing a reasonable sample size for assessing general satisfaction.
• Rating Consistency: A 4.7 rating suggests a high level of feature delivery and customer service, with occasional issues being addressed effectively. Given its low price point, achieving such a rating often points to strong fundamental performance and responsive support for its core offering.
• Support Channels: Specific support channels (email, chat, phone) are not detailed in the provided description, but the overall rating implies effective communication and problem resolution when issues arise.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) boasts a perfect 5-star rating based on 272 reviews. This is an exceptional reliability cue.

• Review Volume & Rating: 272 reviews with a perfect 5-star rating is a powerful testament to customer satisfaction. It implies not just robust functionality but also outstanding customer service and a highly reliable product.
• Free Setup & Customization Service: The offer of free setup and customization inherently provides a strong support component, as the Swish team actively ensures the app is correctly implemented and styled for each merchant. This proactive support can significantly reduce initial setup frustrations.
• Priority Support & Dedicated Account Manager (Shopify Plus): For Shopify Plus merchants, Swish offers priority support and a dedicated account manager. These are enterprise-grade support features that ensure quick resolution of critical issues and strategic guidance, reflecting a strong commitment to high-value customers.
• Consistency: A perfect 5-star rating over a substantial number of reviews suggests consistent delivery of value and responsive, effective support for a wide range of merchant needs.

When assessing reliability, both apps appear to be well-regarded. Swish's perfect 5-star rating and explicit mention of premium support for Plus merchants positions it as having a higher, more consistent level of customer satisfaction and dedicated assistance. Mst's strong 4.7 rating at a significantly lower price point indicates a reliable solution that delivers on its promises for its target audience. Merchants should consider their need for hands-on assistance versus independent management when weighing these factors.

Performance, Compatibility, and Operational Overhead

The performance of an app, its compatibility with different Shopify environments, and the overall operational overhead it adds to a merchant's tech stack are critical considerations for long-term sustainable growth. An app that slows down a store, conflicts with other tools, or requires constant maintenance can negate its benefits.

Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow is designed with broad compatibility and aims for low operational overhead at its price point.

• Responsive Design: The app is explicitly stated to work on desktop and mobile devices, ensuring a consistent user experience across different screen sizes, which is fundamental for modern e-commerce.
• API and Headless Theme Support: This feature is significant for performance and compatibility. It indicates that the app can integrate with custom-built storefronts and headless architectures, which often aim for faster load times and greater flexibility than traditional theme-based stores. This suggests Mst is built with an understanding of diverse and potentially high-performance environments.
• Liquid Template, HTML, and CSS Customization: While this offers control, it also means that modifications require developer intervention, potentially adding a small amount of overhead for non-technical teams for updates or changes. However, once implemented, the system is designed to be self-sufficient for its marketing flows.
• Low Cost: The single, low monthly fee means predictable costs without the complexity of tiered feature sets, contributing to lower financial overhead.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) emphasizes seamless integration and high-performance readiness, particularly for advanced Shopify merchants.

• Integrates with All Themes: This suggests robust compatibility across the entire spectrum of Shopify themes, minimizing conflicts and ensuring a smooth visual integration without significant performance impacts.
• Free Setup & Customization Service: This service directly addresses operational overhead related to setup and maintenance. By having the Swish team handle the technical integration, merchants reduce their internal workload and risk of errors. This translates to less troubleshooting and better performance from day one.
• Hydrogen & Headless Stacks Support: For Shopify Plus stores utilizing Hydrogen or other headless solutions, this is a crucial compatibility point. Headless commerce demands apps that can interact via APIs rather than relying on theme-level modifications, ensuring optimal performance and flexibility. Swish's explicit support means it's engineered for these demanding environments.
• Shopify Plan Alignment: The tiered pricing aligned with Shopify plans (Basic, Shopify, Advanced, Plus) also indicates a focus on scaling with the merchant's platform capabilities, suggesting the app is designed to handle increasing loads as a store grows.
• Integration with Checkout: This is important for smooth transaction flows, minimizing friction points that could impact conversion or perceived performance.

Both applications appear to be robust in terms of performance and compatibility. Mst offers direct technical access for headless environments, which savvy developers can leverage for maximum optimization. Swish, through its managed service and explicit support for Hydrogen/headless, provides a strong assurance of compatibility and performance, particularly for larger, more complex Shopify Plus operations. The overall operational overhead for Mst might involve managing the code customizations, while Swish's overhead is minimized through its "done-for-you" setup and robust support.

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

Merchants leveraging Shopify for growth often find themselves in a complex ecosystem of specialized applications. While each app promises to solve a specific pain point, the cumulative effect can be "app fatigue." This phenomenon manifests as tool sprawl, where a merchant's dashboard becomes cluttered with numerous single-function apps, each with its own interface, data silo, and subscription cost. This fragmentation leads to inconsistent customer experiences, increased integration overhead, difficulties in data analysis, and ultimately, a higher total cost of ownership as features stack up across different vendors. It becomes challenging to get a clearer view of total retention-stack costs when managing many subscriptions.

Addressing this challenge, platforms like Growave adopt a "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy. This approach consolidates multiple essential e-commerce functionalities into a single, integrated suite, designed to streamline operations and enhance the overall customer journey from one unified dashboard. Rather than installing separate apps for loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists, merchants can manage these critical retention drivers from a single source. This reduces data silos, ensuring that customer information (like wishlist activity, review submissions, and loyalty points) is connected, allowing for more holistic personalization and automated workflows.

An integrated platform like Growave helps merchants focus on core outcomes: retaining customers, increasing customer lifetime value (LTV), improving repeat purchase rates, and reducing churn, all while simplifying their technology stack. For instance, a customer’s wishlist activity can directly influence their loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases, or trigger a personalized email that encourages them to leave a review after purchase. This synergy is difficult to achieve efficiently with disparate apps.

Growave's modules are designed to work in concert, offering a powerful combination of tools:

• Loyalty & Rewards: Moving beyond simple points, these programs incentivize repeat purchases and build community. Merchants can create VIP tiers and offer retention programs that reduce reliance on discounts, focusing on sustained customer engagement.
• Reviews & UGC: Automating the process of collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews helps build trust and improve conversion rates. This social proof is essential for new buyers and can significantly lift average order value.
• Wishlist: While Mst and Swish focus exclusively on wishlists, Growave integrates this functionality within a broader retention strategy. A wishlisted item can trigger a loyalty reward or a reminder, tying into the larger customer journey.
• Referrals: Turning existing customers into brand advocates through easy-to-use referral programs.
• VIP Tiers: Rewarding the most valuable customers with exclusive benefits, fostering stronger loyalty and deeper engagement.

By offering these capabilities within a single platform, Growave mitigates the issues of app fatigue, offering a unified customer experience that is easier to manage and scale. This integrated approach also helps in comparing plan fit against retention goals by offering a clearer view of overall costs and benefits for multiple retention strategies under one roof. Merchants can centralize their efforts, simplify their tech stack, and create more impactful campaigns by connecting the dots between various customer touchpoints. The platform is also built for scale, including capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs, ensuring that high-growth stores have the support and features required for advanced operations. Moreover, merchants can gain insights into how other brands connect loyalty and reviews by exploring customer stories that show how teams reduce app sprawl. This means less time spent managing integrations and more time focused on strategy and growth.

For merchants keen on understanding how a comprehensive platform can address their specific growth challenges, exploring a a tailored walkthrough based on store goals and constraints can provide clarity on implementation and strategic fit. This allows for a deeper understanding of how these integrated tools can contribute to a robust retention strategy.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow and Swish (formerly Wishlist King), the decision comes down to budget, required customization depth, and specific feature priorities. Mst offers an exceptionally budget-friendly solution with essential wishlist features and integrated email/SMS/push notifications for price drops and back-in-stock alerts. It's ideal for startups or stores needing a cost-effective, straightforward tool with broad compatibility, including API and headless support. Swish, on the other hand, provides a more premium experience with a higher price point, justified by its free setup and customization service, advanced analytics, and out-of-the-box integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta. It caters well to growing brands and Shopify Plus merchants who prioritize a perfectly integrated aesthetic, deeper insights, and white-glove support, aligning with features aligned with enterprise retention requirements.

While both apps excel in their niche, merchants often face the broader challenge of managing a burgeoning app stack. Each specialized app, including those for wishlists, can contribute to complexity, data fragmentation, and an inconsistent customer journey. An integrated platform like Growave offers an alternative by combining loyalty programs, reviews, referrals, and wishlists into a single, cohesive solution. This approach helps merchants achieve better retention outcomes, simplify their operations, and gain a more unified view of their customer data. Evaluating feature coverage across plans, particularly for all-in-one solutions, can highlight the efficiencies of consolidating tools. This strategic shift allows businesses to centralize their customer engagement efforts, enabling more effective campaigns and a streamlined customer experience, especially when implementing social proof that supports conversion and AOV.

To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

How do wishlist apps help reduce cart abandonment?

Wishlist apps help reduce cart abandonment by allowing customers to save items they are interested in but not ready to purchase immediately. This captures intent that might otherwise be lost. By saving items, customers can easily return to them later, and merchants can send targeted reminders (e.g., price drop alerts, low stock warnings) to encourage conversion, effectively re-engaging customers who might have otherwise forgotten about products.

Can wishlist data be used for marketing?

Yes, wishlist data is highly valuable for marketing. It indicates strong customer interest and purchase intent. Merchants can leverage this data to segment customers, send personalized email or SMS campaigns for wishlisted items, create retargeting ads, and even inform inventory decisions. Knowing which products are frequently wishlisted helps in understanding demand and tailoring promotions.

What is the advantage of guest wishlists?

Guest wishlists allow non-logged-in visitors to save products without the immediate commitment of creating an account. This reduces friction in the early stages of the customer journey, making it easier for new visitors to interact with the store. It also provides an opportunity to encourage account creation later by prompting guests to save their wishlist, turning casual browsing into potential future sales and customer relationships.

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

An all-in-one platform, such as Growave, consolidates multiple e-commerce functionalities like wishlists, loyalty programs, reviews, and referrals into a single solution. This contrasts with specialized apps, which focus on one specific feature. The main advantages of an all-in-one platform include reducing app sprawl, preventing data silos, providing a more consistent customer experience across different touchpoints, and often leading to a lower total cost of ownership by avoiding stacked subscription fees. It also simplifies management, as merchants operate from a single dashboard, fostering more integrated and impactful retention strategies.