Smart Wishlist vs. Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Navigating the Shopify App Store to find the perfect tools for a growing ecommerce business can be a complex endeavor. Merchants often face a myriad of choices, each promising to enhance customer experience and boost sales. The wishlist functionality, in particular, has evolved from a simple bookmarking tool into a powerful strategy for driving repeat purchases, reducing abandoned carts, and gathering valuable customer intent data. Selecting the right wishlist app requires careful consideration of features, scalability, and how well it integrates with the existing tech stack.

Short answer: Smart Wishlist generally caters to merchants seeking a straightforward, guest-friendly wishlist with basic sharing capabilities and a simple pricing model. Fish Wishlist & Quote Request, conversely, offers a broader feature set, including specialized B2B functions like quote requests and deep integration with Shopify POS, making it suitable for more complex operational needs. Both provide distinct value, but merchants should also consider how single-function apps contribute to tool sprawl and data fragmentation, potentially increasing operational overhead.

This comprehensive guide aims to provide a detailed, objective comparison between two prominent Shopify wishlist applications: Smart Wishlist by Webmarked and Fish Wishlist & Quote Request by Native App Co. By examining their core features, customization options, pricing structures, and integration capabilities, merchants can make an informed decision that aligns with their specific business objectives and growth trajectory.

Smart Wishlist vs. Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

Core Features and Workflows

Smart Wishlist: Simplicity for Seamless Customer Experience

Smart Wishlist focuses on delivering a user-friendly and highly accessible wishlist experience. Its primary strength lies in enabling customers to create wishlists with a single click, even without logging into their accounts. This "guest wishlist" functionality significantly lowers the barrier to entry, encouraging more casual browsers to save items they like. The app positions itself as a tool to turn "window shoppers into loyal customers" by making the initial step of engagement effortless.

Key features include:

• One-click saving: Customers can add products to a wishlist directly from product, collection, search result, and even cart pages, promoting spontaneous saving.
• Guest and logged-in user support: Flexibility for all types of shoppers to create and manage wishlists.
• Shareable lists: Wishlists can be shared, extending the reach of products through social channels or direct communication among friends and family. This organic sharing acts as a form of referral, potentially drawing new visitors to the store.
• Unlimited wishlists: The description highlights "Unlimited wishlists across all stores," which is a significant advantage for merchants with extensive product catalogs or multiple storefronts under one account.
• Lightweight payload: The developer emphasizes that the app is lightweight and "doesn't break your theme upon uninstall," suggesting a clean and non-intrusive integration.

The workflow prioritizes ease of use for both the merchant in setting up the app and the customer in interacting with it. For merchants aiming for a frictionless experience to capture customer interest early in the buying journey, Smart Wishlist offers a focused, efficient solution.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Advanced Functionality for Diverse Business Models

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request presents a more expansive feature set, moving beyond basic wishlisting to address specialized needs, particularly for B2B and omnichannel retail. While it also provides core wishlist functionality, its distinct offerings cater to more complex selling environments.

Core features include:

• Express Wishlist: Like Smart Wishlist, it promises fast setup and includes checkout and account widgets for seamless integration.
• B2B Capabilities: This is a significant differentiator. It offers a "Request a Quote" function, B2B pricing integration, and direct integration with Shopify Draft Orders. This allows businesses to manage wholesale inquiries and custom pricing directly through the wishlist, streamlining B2B sales cycles.
• Shopify POS Integration: A crucial feature for omnichannel retailers, allowing staff to manage wishlists, view purchase history, and even handle abandoned carts directly through Shopify POS. This creates a unified customer experience across online and physical touchpoints.
• Social Proof & Sharing: Enables customers to create shareable wishlist links and utilizes social proof widgets to boost sales, similar to Smart Wishlist but with potentially more advanced customization for social sharing.
• Multi-language & Multi-currency Support: Essential for international merchants, allowing the wishlist experience to be localized for a global customer base.

The workflows within Fish Wishlist & Quote Request extend beyond typical DTC interactions. For a business with wholesale operations or a strong physical retail presence, the ability to integrate wishlists with quote requests and POS systems offers a cohesive and powerful toolset. This integrated approach can significantly enhance efficiency in managing diverse customer segments and sales channels.

Customization and Control

Smart Wishlist: Ease of Setup and Basic Theming

Smart Wishlist emphasizes "No coding required" and "super-easy to setup." This suggests that merchants can implement the app quickly without needing developer intervention. The description "flexible to variety of requirements" implies a degree of customization, likely through settings panels within the app's dashboard that allow for visual adjustments to the wishlist button and interface to match the store's theme.

Specific customization elements, though not detailed, would typically include:

• Visual placement: Options to determine where the wishlist button appears on product, collection, and search pages.
• Button styling: Basic controls for color, size, and icon to align with branding.
• Wishlist page layout: Simple templates or toggles for displaying saved items.

For merchants who prioritize a quick, hassle-free setup and have minimal needs for deep aesthetic modifications, Smart Wishlist's approach to customization is likely sufficient. The presence of "Javascript and REST APIs to meet advanced requirements" suggests that developers can extend its functionality, but the core promise is a no-code solution for the average user.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Extensive Options for Omnichannel Branding

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request highlights "Extensive options to create an omnichannel custom wishlist shopping experience." This implies a higher degree of control over the look, feel, and functionality of the wishlist across various touchpoints. The mention of "White Glove Installation available by our team" also indicates that for more complex setups or specific branding needs, professional assistance is an option, suggesting deeper customization possibilities than a simple settings panel.

Customization options likely include:

• Branding consistency: Granular control over the wishlist interface to ensure it seamlessly matches the store's theme and branding across online, mobile, and POS channels.
• Widget placement and design: More advanced controls over where and how wishlist elements, social proof widgets, and "Request a Quote" buttons appear.
• Customer account page extension: Deeper integration into the customer's account page for a more personalized experience.
• Multi-language and multi-currency adaptation: Customization options to ensure the app's text and pricing display correctly for international customers, which is a critical aspect for global brands.

Merchants with specific branding guidelines, complex omnichannel strategies, or international audiences will likely find the "extensive options" of Fish Wishlist & Quote Request more aligned with their needs, potentially offering a richer and more integrated custom experience.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

Smart Wishlist: Simple, Predictable Cost

Smart Wishlist offers a single, straightforward pricing plan:

• Standard Plan: $4.99 / month

This single-tier model is remarkably simple, removing the complexity of choosing between different feature sets or usage limits. For $4.99 per month, merchants receive the core features of the app, including guest wishlists, sharing, and unlimited wishlists.

Value for Money: The value here is in its affordability and predictability. For small to medium-sized businesses or those new to wishlist functionality, this price point offers a low-risk entry. It provides essential features without a significant financial commitment. Merchants seeking a clearer view of total retention-stack costs might find this simple pricing attractive, as it contributes a minimal and stable amount to their monthly overhead. The value proposition is clear: a reliable, basic wishlist solution at a very accessible price.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Tiered Pricing for Scaling Needs

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request utilizes a tiered pricing model, catering to different business sizes and feature requirements.

• Starter Wishlist: Free
  • Includes: 2 Minute Setup, Up to 100 customers, Shopify Flow Triggers, Klaviyo Integration.
  • Value for Money: This free plan is highly valuable for new stores, small businesses, or those wanting to test the waters with a wishlist app. The inclusion of Shopify Flow Triggers and Klaviyo integration, even at the free tier, is a significant advantage for basic automation and email marketing. The "Up to 100 customers" limit makes it ideal for initial growth stages.
• Lightning Plan: $40 / month
  • Includes: Unlimited wishlists, Free Migration from Other Apps, Checkout Upsell & Account Page Extension, Previously Purchased & Abandoned Cart.
  • Value for Money: This plan offers a substantial step up, eliminating customer limits and adding advanced features like checkout upsell and abandoned cart recovery directly tied to wishlist activity. The "Free Migration" service is a thoughtful addition for merchants switching from other apps, reducing friction. For $40/month, this plan targets growing businesses that want to leverage wishlists more aggressively for sales and customer engagement beyond basic saving.
• Trade Plan: $90 / month
  • Includes: Designed for B2B, Request a Quote function, Create Draft Orders from Wishlist, Auto Invoicing, Quantity Picker on Wishlist.
  • Value for Money: At $90/month, this plan is explicitly designed for B2B operations. The features – quote requests, draft order creation, auto invoicing, and quantity picker – directly address the complex needs of wholesale and trade businesses. This higher price point is justified by the specialized, revenue-generating B2B tools that can significantly streamline sales processes and improve client relationships. For businesses with a strong B2B component, this plan offers substantial operational value, aligning costs with specific, advanced business needs.

When comparing plan fit against retention goals, Fish Wishlist & Quote Request offers more flexibility for businesses that scale or have specific B2B requirements, but at a higher price point for its advanced features. Merchants must evaluate whether the specialized capabilities of the Lightning or Trade plans justify the increased monthly expenditure compared to Smart Wishlist's more basic, budget-friendly offering.

Integrations and "Works With" Fit

Smart Wishlist: Focused Integrations

Smart Wishlist lists "Sendgrid" and "Sharethis" under its "Works With" section. This indicates a focus on specific functionalities:

• Sendgrid: Suggests integration for email marketing, allowing merchants to send automated emails related to wishlists (e.g., price drop alerts, low stock notifications, reminders about saved items). This is a crucial element for converting wishlist saves into purchases.
• Sharethis: Points to robust social sharing capabilities, making it easier for customers to disseminate their wishlists across various social media platforms, potentially expanding the store's reach.

While the listed integrations are specific, they are fundamental to leveraging wishlists for marketing and virality. The "Javascript and REST APIs to meet advanced requirements" also implies that custom integrations are possible for merchants with development resources. For many DTC brands, these core integrations provide sufficient functionality to make wishlists an active part of their retention strategy.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Broad Ecosystem Integration

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request boasts a broader and more diverse set of integrations, reflecting its ambition to be an omnichannel and B2B-friendly solution:

• Checkout, Shopify POS, Customer accounts, Shopify Flow, Flow Checkout Extensibility: These native Shopify integrations highlight a deep embedment within the Shopify ecosystem. The POS integration is particularly noteworthy for omnichannel retail, and Shopify Flow compatibility enables sophisticated automation based on wishlist activity. Checkout and Customer accounts ensure a seamless user experience.
• Klaviyo: A leading email marketing platform, its integration allows for highly targeted email campaigns based on wishlist data, similar to what Sendgrid offers, but potentially with more advanced segmentation and automation possibilities through Klaviyo's powerful engine.
• Draft Orders: This integration is critical for its B2B "Request a Quote" functionality, allowing merchants to convert customer inquiries directly into Shopify draft orders, streamlining the wholesale purchasing process.

The extensive "Works With" list for Fish Wishlist & Quote Request demonstrates its commitment to connecting with a wider array of merchant tools and Shopify's core functionalities. This makes it a stronger contender for businesses that rely heavily on automation (Shopify Flow), sophisticated email marketing (Klaviyo), and integrated sales channels (POS, Draft Orders). Verifying compatibility details in the official app listing can help merchants understand how these integrations will fit into their existing operational flow.

Analytics and Reporting

Smart Wishlist: Not Explicitly Specified

The provided description for Smart Wishlist does not explicitly mention analytics or reporting features. While it's common for wishlist apps to track metrics like "items added to wishlist," "wishlist conversions," or "most popular wishlisted products," this information is not specified in the provided data. Merchants would need to investigate further or assume that basic data might be available within the app's dashboard, or accessible through its APIs for custom reporting.

Without explicit reporting features, merchants would likely rely on their general analytics tools (like Google Analytics or Shopify Analytics) to track referrals from shared wishlists or conversions from wishlist-driven email campaigns.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Implied Through Integrations

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request also does not explicitly detail a dedicated analytics dashboard. However, its strong integrations with "Shopify Flow Triggers" and "Klaviyo Integration" (even in the free plan) strongly imply that rich data on wishlist activity can be captured and leveraged.

• Shopify Flow: Allows merchants to create custom workflows and trigger actions based on wishlist events (e.g., "product added to wishlist," "wishlist shared"). This data can then be pushed to other systems for reporting.
• Klaviyo: When integrated, customer actions on wishlists can feed into Klaviyo profiles, enabling highly segmented campaigns and reporting on the effectiveness of wishlist-driven emails.

While a built-in reporting dashboard isn't specified, the app's deep integration into the Shopify ecosystem and key marketing platforms means that sophisticated merchants can likely build their own reporting by combining data from these sources. For those who prioritize comprehensive data mapping costs to retention outcomes over time, leveraging these integrations will be key.

Customer Support Expectations and Reliability Cues

Smart Wishlist: Mixed Signals from Reviews

With 81 reviews and an average rating of 3.6, Smart Wishlist presents a mixed picture regarding customer satisfaction and support. A higher volume of reviews (81) provides a larger sample size for assessing reliability. While a 3.6 rating is not critically low, it suggests that a segment of users may have encountered issues with functionality, theme compatibility, or support responsiveness.

• Positive Cues: The description emphasizes "simple, fast, reliable" and "super-easy to setup with no coding required," which could point to a positive experience for merchants with basic needs.
• Potential Concerns: The rating suggests that some merchants might have experienced challenges that required support, and those issues were not always resolved to their satisfaction. Scanning reviews to understand real-world adoption patterns and common pain points would be crucial for a prospective user. A common theme in lower-rated apps can often be related to support speed or the depth of solutions offered when custom theme conflicts arise.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: High Rating, Limited Data

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request has a perfect 5-star rating, but based on only 7 reviews. While a perfect rating is excellent, the low review count makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about long-term reliability and support consistency for a broad user base.

• Positive Cues: The 5-star rating indicates that the limited number of customers who have reviewed the app have had excellent experiences, potentially with its features, setup, and support. The "White Glove Installation available by our team" service hints at dedicated support for complex setups, which can be a strong positive for enterprise-level clients or those with specific needs.
• Potential Concerns: A small review sample doesn't fully represent the diverse challenges that could arise across different Shopify stores and themes. As the app gains more users, its ability to maintain this high rating will be a more robust indicator of its overall reliability and support quality. Checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals over time would be important.

Performance, Compatibility, and Operational Overhead

Smart Wishlist: Designed for Lightweight Operation

Smart Wishlist explicitly states it has a "Lightweight Payload" and "Doesn't break your theme upon uninstall." This indicates a conscious effort by the developer to ensure the app is efficient and minimizes its impact on store loading speeds. A lightweight app reduces potential conflicts with other apps and themes, which is a common source of operational overhead.

• Compatibility: Its promise of "No coding required" and "super-easy to setup" suggests broad compatibility with various Shopify themes. However, like any app, unique theme customizations might occasionally present challenges.
• Operational Overhead: The app’s simplicity and lightweight nature generally translate to lower operational overhead. Less code means fewer potential conflicts, easier troubleshooting, and less need for ongoing maintenance or developer intervention, especially if requirements remain basic.

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request: Feature-Rich with Potential for Complexity

Fish Wishlist & Quote Request's extensive feature set, including B2B, POS, and multi-language support, suggests a more complex application. While it promises "Lightning Fast Wishlist" and "2 Minute Setup" for its Starter plan, the deeper integrations and advanced functionalities could introduce more variables.

• Compatibility: Deep integrations with Shopify POS, Checkout, and Flow imply robust compatibility with Shopify's core infrastructure. However, the more features an app has, the higher the potential for edge cases or conflicts with highly customized themes or other complex apps. The "White Glove Installation" service could be a proactive measure to address potential compatibility issues for higher-tier users.
• Operational Overhead: While the app can be set up quickly for basic use, leveraging its advanced B2B or POS features might require more configuration and ongoing management. Managing quote requests, draft orders, and POS wishlists adds layers of operational tasks that, while beneficial, are still overhead. Merchants needing features aligned with enterprise retention requirements or an approach that fits high-growth operational complexity will find its comprehensive nature appealing, but should budget for potential configuration time.

Merchants need to weigh the benefits of specialized features against the potential for increased complexity in setup and ongoing management. Both apps aim for ease of use, but the scope of Fish Wishlist & Quote Request inherently introduces more elements to manage within the overall tech stack.

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

For many growing Shopify merchants, the journey to optimize retention often leads to an accumulation of single-function apps. Each app promises to solve a specific problem, from managing loyalty programs to collecting reviews or enabling wishlists. While effective in isolation, this approach can quickly lead to what is commonly known as "app fatigue."

App fatigue manifests in several critical ways:

• Tool Sprawl: Managing numerous individual apps, each with its own dashboard, settings, and billing cycle, becomes cumbersome.
• Fragmented Data: Customer data becomes siloed across different platforms, making it difficult to gain a holistic view of customer behavior or create cohesive retention strategies.
• Inconsistent Customer Experience: Different apps often mean varying user interfaces and experiences for the customer, leading to a disjointed brand interaction.
• Integration Overhead: Ensuring all apps communicate effectively requires ongoing maintenance, can lead to conflicts, and often necessitates custom coding or middleware.
• Stacked Costs: Individual subscription fees add up, potentially leading to a higher total cost of ownership compared to an integrated solution.

An alternative approach embraced by many successful brands is the adoption of an all-in-one customer retention platform. These platforms consolidate multiple essential functions into a single, cohesive suite, aiming for "More Growth, Less Stack." By centralizing key retention activities, merchants can streamline operations, gain deeper insights, and deliver a more consistent and engaging customer experience.

Growave, for instance, offers a comprehensive retention solution designed to address these challenges. Instead of separate apps for loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists, Growave combines these functionalities into a unified platform. This integrated approach allows merchants to build robust loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases alongside strong collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews, all from one dashboard.

Consider the advantages of such a platform:

• Unified Customer Profiles: All customer engagement data, from wishlist saves to loyalty points earned and reviews submitted, resides in one place. This allows for a richer understanding of each customer and enables more personalized marketing and service.
• Cohesive Customer Journey: A single platform ensures that the customer experience is consistent across all touchpoints, whether they are earning loyalty programs that keep customers coming back or interacting with UGC workflows that keep product pages credible.
• Simplified Management: Instead of juggling multiple apps, merchants manage their entire retention strategy from a single, intuitive interface. This reduces administrative burden and frees up time to focus on strategic growth initiatives.
• Reduced Conflicts and Improved Performance: A single, well-integrated platform is typically designed to work seamlessly, minimizing compatibility issues and ensuring optimal site performance, which is vital for any Shopify store.
• Optimized Costs: While the initial investment in an all-in-one platform might seem higher than a single cheap app, it often results in a lower total cost of ownership when considering the combined fees of multiple apps, along with reduced integration and maintenance costs. Merchants can explore a clearer view of total retention-stack costs to understand this long-term value.

For merchants with ambitious growth plans or those scaling on Shopify Plus, an integrated platform like Growave offers significant advantages. It provides capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs by offering a robust and flexible solution that can handle high volumes of orders and complex customer segments. This approach also aligns with an approach that fits high-growth operational complexity, ensuring that retention tools can evolve with the business without constant re-integration. By consolidating essential tools, merchants can benefit from streamlined workflows and a more effective strategy for customer lifetime value, rather than simply patching together disparate functionalities. Evaluating feature coverage across plans reveals how Growave supports various stages of business growth, from startup to enterprise. Merchants looking to understand how an integrated platform simplifies their tech stack and boosts customer loyalty should consider comparing plan fit against retention goals offered by comprehensive solutions.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Smart Wishlist and Fish Wishlist & Quote Request, the decision comes down to the specific scope of functionality required and the complexity of their business model. Smart Wishlist excels as a straightforward, cost-effective solution for DTC brands primarily focused on offering a simple, guest-friendly wishlist experience to drive basic retention and reduce cart abandonment. Its lightweight nature and ease of setup make it ideal for smaller businesses or those prioritizing simplicity and minimal operational overhead.

Conversely, Fish Wishlist & Quote Request is the more robust option, specifically tailored for businesses with B2B operations, omnichannel sales incorporating Shopify POS, or those requiring multi-language and multi-currency support. Its advanced features, such as quote requests and draft order integration, provide significant value for more complex selling environments, albeit at a higher price point for its premium tiers. Merchants must weigh the cost against the benefit of these specialized tools, assessing if the added functionality truly aligns with their operational needs and desired customer experience. Both apps serve their niche effectively, and the "best" choice is ultimately the one that aligns most closely with a merchant's current business requirements, budget, and future growth strategy.

However, as businesses scale, the cumulative effect of managing multiple single-function apps can become a barrier to efficient growth and a seamless customer experience. This is where an integrated platform offers a distinct advantage. By consolidating functionalities like loyalty programs, reviews, referrals, and wishlists into a single suite, merchants can unlock a more powerful and cohesive approach to retention. Platforms like Growave simplify the tech stack, reduce data fragmentation, and provide a unified view of the customer, enabling more strategic and impactful engagement. This "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy helps businesses foster deeper customer relationships and drive sustainable growth from a centralized hub. Merchants can gain a better understanding of integrated platforms by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from to see how such comprehensive solutions are perceived by the wider merchant community. To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

What are the main differences between a basic wishlist app and an advanced one?

A basic wishlist app, like Smart Wishlist, typically focuses on core functionality: allowing customers to save products, manage lists, and share them. It emphasizes simplicity and ease of use. Advanced apps, such as Fish Wishlist & Quote Request, build upon these fundamentals by adding specialized features like B2B quote requests, Shopify POS integration, multi-language support, and deeper marketing automation integrations. These advanced features cater to more complex business models and omnichannel strategies.

Which wishlist app is better for B2B stores?

For B2B (business-to-business) stores, Fish Wishlist & Quote Request is the better option. Its Trade plan is specifically "Designed for B2B" and includes critical features like a "Request a Quote function," the ability to "Create Draft Orders from Wishlist," "Auto Invoicing," and a "Quantity Picker on Wishlist." These tools are essential for streamlining wholesale purchasing and managing client relationships effectively.

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

An all-in-one platform, like Growave, integrates multiple customer retention functionalities (e.g., loyalty, reviews, referrals, wishlists) into a single solution, whereas specialized apps focus on one specific feature. All-in-one platforms aim to reduce "app fatigue" by offering a unified dashboard, consolidated data, a consistent customer experience, and typically lower total cost of ownership by avoiding stacked subscription fees and integration challenges. This approach provides a holistic view of the customer and streamlines retention efforts, leading to more cohesive real examples from brands improving retention and growth strategies.

Can both apps integrate with email marketing platforms?

Yes, both apps indicate integration capabilities with email marketing. Smart Wishlist specifically mentions "Sendgrid," suggesting direct email marketing functionalities related to wishlists. Fish Wishlist & Quote Request explicitly lists "Klaviyo Integration" even on its free plan, allowing merchants to leverage a powerful email marketing platform for targeted campaigns based on wishlist activity. These integrations are crucial for sending price drop alerts, low stock notifications, or reminders about saved items, effectively converting saved interest into purchases.