Stensiled Wishlist vs. Simple Wishlist: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is one of those small decisions that can have an outsized impact on conversion, retention, and checkout flow. Shopify merchants often weigh simplicity, customization, analytics, and long-term maintainability when evaluating single-purpose apps. With dozens of wishlist options available, the goal is to pick a solution that fits the current stage of the business while avoiding technical debt and a heavy app stack.

Short answer: Stensiled Wishlist and Simple Wishlist both solve the same basic merchant need—letting shoppers save products for later—but they target different priorities. Stensiled leans toward analytics and activity tracking with a free tier and an inexpensive paid plan, while Simple Wishlist emphasizes minimal code changes and a straightforward, design-focused experience. For merchants who need wishlist capability alone and want a light-weight install, either app can work; for brands that want to scale retention without adding multiple single-purpose tools, a consolidated platform can deliver better value for money and long-term outcomes.

This article provides a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison of Stensiled Wishlist and Simple Wishlist. The goal is to give merchants a clear sense of each app’s strengths, weaknesses, and the situations where one makes more sense than the other. After the direct comparison, the article also explores a practical alternative for merchants facing app fatigue.

Stensiled Wishlist vs. Simple Wishlist: At a Glance

Note: Ratings and review counts are taken from public app listing data provided for this comparison. Low review counts make it harder to draw strong conclusions about real-world support and reliability.

Deep Dive Comparison

Features

Core Wishlist Functionality

• Stensiled Wishlist: Offers the core “add to wishlist” functionality plus a dedicated Save For Later feature. The app advertises code-free setup and multiple wishlist button icons. The emphasis appears to be on giving merchants the basics plus tracking.
• Simple Wishlist: Focuses on a truly simple flow—single-click wishlist actions and a display page for saved items. The app emphasizes not adding custom code to the store and providing a few design options for the wishlist button and page.

Both apps claim an easy setup and a no-code experience. That’s valuable for merchants who lack development resources and prefer changeable settings through the app UI. The core difference is that Stensiled explicitly promotes analytics and activity-tracking as part of the wishlist feature set, while Simple Wishlist highlights simplicity and design control.

Design & Customization

• Stensiled Wishlist:
  • Custom icon selection for the wishlist button.
  • Options to modify the wishlist page look (based on app description).
  • The level of CSS/HTML customization is not documented in the provided data; merchants should assume basic visual options rather than full theme control.
• Simple Wishlist:
  • Button design options and a wishlisted product display page.
  • No custom code required, which means merchants who rely on theme settings and the app’s UI can control look-and-feel.
  • The focus on code-free setup reduces risk of theme conflicts but may limit advanced styling without developer intervention.

Takeaway: Both apps are geared toward non-technical merchants, but if visual control is a priority, Simple Wishlist promises button and page design tweaks with minimal friction. If the seller wants icon choices plus a dashboard for analytics without hiring a developer, Stensiled may better match that need.

Analytics & Reporting

• Stensiled Wishlist:
  • Explicitly lists “Detailed Wishlist Analytics” and “Track products, customers activities, with time range filtering” as features.
  • This implies some level of reporting on how often items are wishlisted, customer activity over time, and possibly trending items.
• Simple Wishlist:
  • Does not advertise analytics in the provided description. The app’s stated strengths are design and single-click saves, not reporting.

Takeaway: Sellers who want insight into what customers save—and want to use that data for merchandising, email campaigns, or retargeting—will likely find Stensiled’s advertised tracking useful. Simple Wishlist appears focused on UX rather than data.

Save For Later & Purchase Flow

• Both apps include Save For Later or wishlisted product display functionality, which can help reduce friction between browsing and purchase completion.
• The real difference is whether that save action is tied to a customer account or stored only in the browser (cookie-based). The app descriptions do not specify persistent account-based saving vs. session-based saving. Merchants should confirm account persistence if shoppers frequently switch devices or clear cookies.

Performance Impact & Code Practices

• Both apps claim code-free setup. “Code-free” usually means the merchant won’t need to edit theme files, but the app still injects scripts into the storefront. The key questions a merchant should ask before installing:
  • How large are the storefront scripts and do they load synchronously or asynchronously?
  • Are front-end resources cached and served via a CDN?
  • Does the app add additional network requests on product pages?

Because neither app publishes technical metrics publicly in the provided data, merchants concerned about page speed should test each app in a staging environment or review the theme code after install.

Installation & Setup

Ease of Installation

• Stensiled Wishlist: Promises a code-free setup. That suggests easier installation for non-technical merchants. The app’s free tier increases accessibility for trialing functionality.
• Simple Wishlist: Also advertises no custom code and a simple install. The smaller review sample and lack of listed pricing might mean merchants need to contact the developer to confirm features and setup details.

Merchants should check whether each app requires theme access to complete an installation. “Code-free” generally minimizes direct theme edits, but most apps still require permission to inject scripts. Confirm support for popular themes and page builders before installing.

Time to Launch

• Both apps appear designed for quick launch—likely within an hour for standard themes. If a merchant requires custom placement, integrations with loyalty or email, or unique visual treatments, setup time will increase and may require developer help.

Integrations

• Neither app lists integrations in the provided data. That’s important because wishlist data is only valuable when it can be used by other tools:
  • Email automation platforms (e.g., Klaviyo) for abandoned-wishlist flows.
  • CRM systems or customer apps to personalize messaging.
  • On-site merchandising or product recommendation engines.

If integration with email, CRM, or analytics is a priority, merchants should verify whether the app offers:

• Native integrations with major ESPs.
• Webhooks or API access for custom flows.
• Exportable reports for manual uploads.

Without clear integration details, merchants should assume limited out-of-the-box interoperability and plan for workarounds if cross-tool flows are important.

Pricing & Value

Stensiled Wishlist Pricing

• Basic Plan — Free
  • Code-free setup
  • Wishlist Analytics
  • Custom Icons
  • Save For Later
  • Track activities with time range option
• Advance Plan — $9.99/month
  • Same feature list documented for free plan; likely includes higher limits or extended support (the app description duplicates features across plans, so merchants should ask which limits or premium services justify the paid tier).

Strengths of Stensiled pricing:

• Provides a free tier that lets merchants test core functionality and analytics without financial commitment.
• Low-cost $9.99 option offers a budget-friendly upgrade path.

Weaknesses:

• Duplicate descriptions across plans make it unclear what the paid upgrade provides in practice (e.g., higher event volumes, priority support, white-labeling). Clear plan differentiation matters for scaling stores.

Simple Wishlist Pricing

• No pricing information provided in the data. That can mean:
  • Pricing is custom or communicated after installation.
  • The developer prefers merchants to contact them, which may add friction to evaluation.

Implications for value:

• Stensiled provides transparency with a free option and a defined paid plan. For merchants evaluating cost vs. benefit, Stensiled’s visible pricing is an advantage.
• Simple Wishlist’s lack of published pricing requires direct outreach and may slow decision-making. It could still offer competitive pricing, but public price visibility is a useful baseline.

Overall value-for-money assessment:

• For merchants whose primary requirement is a simple wishlist with minimal cost and basic analytics, Stensiled delivers clear, low-cost options.
• For merchants who need a polished, minimal-impact wishlist and prefer a bespoke sales conversation, Simple Wishlist might provide tailored options but with less immediate pricing transparency.

Integrations & Ecosystem

Why Integrations Matter

Wishlist data is most valuable when it feeds other retention and conversion tools. For example:

• Email flows triggered by wishlisting (remind shoppers, suggest similar items).
• Cross-channel retargeting using saved item lists.
• Loyalty and VIP experiences that reward wishlists or conversions from wishlists.

If an app doesn’t support integrations, wishlist data risks becoming siloed, limiting its marketing value.

What the Two Apps Offer

• Stensiled Wishlist:
  • Advertises analytics, which could be exported or used within the app. Integration specifics are not listed in the provided data—merchants should confirm available exports, API access, and native integrations.
• Simple Wishlist:
  • Emphasizes no custom code and design control. Integration details are not provided; merchants should confirm if webhooks, CSV export, or API endpoints exist for automation.

Merchants who rely on email automation, headless storefronts, or multiple marketing tools should prioritize apps with clear integration capabilities or choose a platform that consolidates wishlist, reviews, referral, and loyalty features into a single product.

Support & Reviews

Stensiled Wishlist

• Number of Reviews: 0
• Rating: 0

Interpretation:

• No public reviews means limited available social proof. That can be due to a new app listing, a private beta, or low install volume. Lack of reviews makes it harder to evaluate real-world support responsiveness, bug resolution, and long-term stability.

Simple Wishlist

• Number of Reviews: 2
• Rating: 4.4

Interpretation:

• Small positive sample suggests customers had a good experience in isolated cases, but two reviews don’t provide robust evidence. Support quality may be fine, but merchants should seek direct confirmation of SLAs, response times, and support channels (email, live chat, phone).

Best practice:

• Before committing, merchants should contact support with pre-sales questions and measure responsiveness.
• Review update frequency, changelog transparency, and developer activity to estimate long-term maintenance.

Data Privacy & Compliance

• Wishlists often hold user-identifiable data when tied to customer accounts. Key privacy considerations:
  • Where is wishlist data stored?
  • Does the app comply with data protection regulations (GDPR, CCPA)?
  • Does the app provide export and deletion options for customer data?

Neither app provides public privacy or compliance details in the provided summary. Merchants operating in regulated regions or handling EU/California customers should request explicit documentation from app developers before installing.

Use Cases & Merchant Recommendations

When Stensiled Wishlist Makes Sense

• Small to mid-size merchants who want:
  • A free or low-cost wishlist option with analytics.
  • Basic tracking to learn what products customers are saving and when.
  • A low-friction install with basic visual customization.
• Merchants who want to test wishlist impact on conversion before investing in a broader retention platform.

When Simple Wishlist Makes Sense

• Merchants who:
  • Want a minimal, design-focused wishlist that installs without touching theme code.
  • Prioritize simplicity and a clean UX over analytics and integrations.
  • Need a quick wishlist solution and prefer to evaluate pricing with the developer.

When Neither May Be Ideal

• Growing stores that plan to build multi-channel retention programs (loyalty, referrals, review collection) and want wishlist data to feed those programs. In those cases, using multiple single-purpose apps creates friction, increases app maintenance, and fragments customer data.

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

What Is App Fatigue?

App fatigue describes the cumulative cost—technical, financial, and operational—of managing many single-purpose apps. Symptoms include:

• Slower page speeds due to multiple scripts.
• Fragmented customer data across several vendor dashboards.
• Increased monthly spend and overlapping or missing features.
• Higher maintenance when themes or Shopify changes require updates to many apps.

For many merchants, adding a wishlist app is just one step toward a broader retention strategy. Over time, separate wishlist, review, loyalty, and referral apps can add complexity that undermines long-term growth goals.

The "More Growth, Less Stack" Approach

An alternative approach is to consolidate key retention features into a single platform that covers wishlist, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers. This reduces tool sprawl, centralizes customer data, and often provides better integration out-of-the-box for triggers and rewards.

Growave positions itself around that philosophy—helping merchants consolidate retention features so they can focus on increasing customer lifetime value rather than managing integrations and multiple billing relationships. Merchants can evaluate pricing and plan options to understand whether consolidation improves ROI by reducing app count and increasing the effectiveness of retention tactics. Explore how to consolidate retention features.

How an Integrated Platform Changes Outcomes

• Centralized Data: Wishlist saves, referral activity, review submissions, and loyalty points live in the same system, which makes it easier to build cross-channel automations and analytics.
• Shared Rewards Logic: Instead of separate point engines, a unified loyalty program can reward actions across reviews, referrals, and wishlists.
• Fewer Scripts: A single, well-built platform can replace multiple storefront scripts and reduce front-end load.
• Faster Execution: New campaigns, tests, and reward mechanics can be deployed from one console rather than coordinating between vendors.

If the key measurement is retention and lifetime value, consolidation often leads to faster results with less technical overhead. Merchants looking to move beyond single-purpose tools should consider platforms that bundle wishlist with loyalty, referrals, and reviews so saved-product behavior can become a trigger for marketing and rewards.

Growave: A Consolidated Retention Platform

Growave is a flexible platform that combines loyalty, referrals, reviews, wishlist, and VIP tiers into one suite designed for Shopify merchants. The platform supports enterprise features while also offering entry-level plans for smaller stores. For merchants evaluating the consolidated approach, the following elements are relevant:

• Loyalty & Rewards: Build points programs, custom reward actions, and tiered experiences that incentivize repeat purchases and higher lifetime value. Merchants can create loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases and connect those incentives to wishlist activity and other behaviors.
• Reviews & UGC: Automate review requests, collect social proof, and display authentic content across product pages. This helps brands collect and showcase authentic reviews without adding a separate reviews app.
• Wishlist Functionality: Native wishlist features integrate with loyalty rules and email automations so saved products can be used in personalized flows and rewards.
• Referrals & VIP Tiers: Encourage word-of-mouth growth and reward top customers from within the same platform.

Growave’s presence in the Shopify ecosystem is also visible on the Shopify App Store, where merchants can install Growave from the Shopify App Store and review features and ratings alongside other apps.

Practical Examples of Consolidation Benefits

• Triggered Campaigns: When a shopper saves a product, the platform can automatically add them to a targeted email series, include a small loyalty incentive for converting from wishlist to purchase, or invite them to a referral program for earning extra rewards.
• Unified Customer Profiles: A merchant can see wishlists, points balance, referral status, and review history in a single customer view—making it easier to personalize outreach and measure LTV impact.
• Reduced Monthly Overhead: While the monthly cost of a consolidated platform can be higher than a single-purpose app, the net cost is often better value for money when it replaces multiple subscriptions.

Merchants considering consolidation can compare plan details to determine when the combined feature set justifies the switch. See current plan options and to evaluate fit, merchants can review pricing to consolidate retention features.

Integrations and Enterprise Readiness

Growave supports a wide range of integrations that matter for scaling brands:

• Email & CRM (Klaviyo, Omnisend) so wishlist and loyalty events can trigger segmentation and flows.
• Helpdesk and support integrations (Gorgias) that surface loyalty and order history to support agents.
• Checkout and recurring billing integrations (Recharge) to connect loyalty events to subscriptions.
• Page builders and mobile app platforms to ensure consistent storefront experiences.

For larger merchants or stores on Shopify Plus, Growave offers advanced customization options, checkout extensions, API access, and dedicated support. Brands can see examples of customer outcomes and inspiration to understand implementation patterns by reviewing customer stories from brands scaling retention.

How to Evaluate Whether to Consolidate

Consider these decision criteria:

• Current App Count: If wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals are handled by 3+ providers, consolidation can reduce complexity.
• Data Needs: If wishlist data must feed email flows or loyalty logic, an integrated solution simplifies implementation.
• Growth Stage: Fast-growing or enterprise stores often benefit more from consolidated platforms because they scale integrations, automation, and support more easily.
• Budget & ROI: Compare the combined monthly spend of current apps to consolidated platform pricing and estimate incremental revenue from unified features.

Merchants serious about a consolidated retention strategy can check plans and start a trial to compare outcomes and migration effort. Review pricing and plan tiers to consolidate retention features and confirm the technical fit on the Shopify App Store by choosing to install Growave from the Shopify App Store.

Where Growave Fits Compared to Single-Purpose Wishlist Apps

• Feature Breadth: Growave offers wishlist as one part of a wider retention toolkit. That makes wishlist activity more useful because it becomes a signal for loyalty and review campaigns.
• Scale: For merchants expecting to scale marketing automation, a single platform reduces the number of touchpoints that need maintenance.
• Cost Efficiency: While a full retention suite costs more upfront than a free wishlist, the combined value—and the reduced need for multiple subscriptions—often delivers better value for money as the merchant grows.
• Implementation: Growave supports integrations and developer tools for advanced stores, including Shopify Plus and headless setups.

Merchants that need only a simple wishlist for a short-term promotional push may still prefer a single-purpose app. However, for a sustainable retention program that drives long-term LTV, consolidation is worth evaluating.

Choosing Between Stensiled Wishlist, Simple Wishlist, and an Integrated Option

Quick Decision Guide (No Winner Declared)

• Choose Stensiled Wishlist if:
  • The merchant wants a free entry point and low-cost upgrade path.
  • Wishlist analytics and activity tracking are important from day one.
  • The store must gather basic insights into saved items to inform merchandising.
• Choose Simple Wishlist if:
  • The priority is a minimal, clean wishlist experience with a fast, code-free install.
  • The merchant values simple design controls and low friction for shoppers.
  • Pricing transparency or in-depth analytics is not a top priority.
• Choose Growave (Integrated Option) if:
  • The merchant plans to scale retention through loyalty, reviews, and referrals.
  • Wishlist behavior must trigger rewards, emails, and loyalty actions.
  • Reducing the total number of apps and centralizing customer data is a priority.

For merchants that aim to grow customer lifetime value and reduce technical complexity, consolidation into a single retention platform is often the most strategic choice. To understand plan options and whether consolidation reduces operational overhead for a given store, evaluate the platform pricing and available features to determine ROI. Compare plans and pricing to determine fit by reviewing how to consolidate retention features.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Stensiled Wishlist and Simple Wishlist, the decision comes down to priorities and context. Stensiled offers analytics and a transparent free/low-cost plan that makes it easy to test wishlist behavior with an emphasis on tracking. Simple Wishlist favors a minimal, design-first, code-free experience with a small number of public reviews that suggest positive experiences for some users. Neither option is a universal winner; each fits different merchant needs.

If the goal is to build a sustained retention program—where wishlist activity feeds loyalty rewards, review flows, and referral campaigns—consolidating these capabilities into a single platform reduces friction and often delivers better value for money. Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” approach ties wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals together so saved-product signals become actionable marketing triggers. Merchants can explore how Growave bundles retention features and pricing to compare the cost and impact versus multiple single-purpose apps by choosing to consolidate retention features or to install Growave from the Shopify App Store.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how a unified retention stack replaces multiple single-purpose apps and increases lifetime value. Start a free trial and compare plans

FAQ

How do Stensiled Wishlist and Simple Wishlist differ in analytics capability?

Stensiled explicitly advertises detailed wishlist analytics and activity tracking with time-range filters, which suggests merchants can glean trends and customer behavior from within the app. Simple Wishlist’s description focuses on UX and design options; analytics are not highlighted, so merchants should assume limited reporting or request data-export options before installing.

If a merchant needs wishlist plus automated emails and loyalty, which option is better?

A consolidated platform is typically better. Both Stensiled and Simple Wishlist appear to be single-purpose tools with limited documented integrations. For cross-feature automation—triggered emails when someone saves an item and points awarded when they convert—an integrated suite reduces development complexity and centralizes the logic. Merchants can compare plans to consolidate retention features and evaluate how wishlist events can feed loyalty programs.

Are either of these apps a good fit for Shopify Plus merchants?

Potentially, but app capability and support expectations scale with business size. The Stensiled and Simple Wishlist descriptions do not list enterprise-grade features or Plus-specific support in the provided data. Shopify Plus merchants who need advanced customization, checkout extensions, or dedicated success resources will likely find better options with platforms that explicitly support enterprise needs and offer advanced integrations—explore enterprise-ready solutions and check solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

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

An all-in-one platform trades single-app simplicity for centralized control and tighter integrations. The main benefits are reduced app count, unified customer data, and the ability to create cross-feature campaigns (e.g., using wishlist saves to trigger loyalty rewards). The trade-offs include higher upfront cost and a need to ensure the platform’s feature depth meets the merchant’s unique requirements. Merchants concerned about tool sprawl can compare consolidated pricing and feature sets to determine whether switching improves ROI; start by reviewing options to consolidate retention features.

Additional resources: merchants seeking examples of how other brands use integrated retention systems can review relevant customer case studies and inspiration to see practical implementations and measured outcomes by visiting customer stories from brands scaling retention.