Stensiled Wishlist vs. Swish (formerly Wishlist King): An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Shopify merchants often face a difficult choice: pick a simple, single-purpose app that does one job well, or adopt a richer, more expensive solution that covers more ground. Add to that the risk of slower site speed, overlapping features, and rising monthly bills, and the decision becomes strategic rather than technical.

Short answer: Stensiled Wishlist is an entry-level wishlist tool suited to merchants who want a low-friction, code-free wishlist with basic analytics and "save for later" functionality. Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a mature, feature-rich wishlist platform built for merchants that require deep customization, advanced analytics, and integrations like Klaviyo and GA4. For merchants who want to reduce tool sprawl and combine retention features—wishlists, loyalty, referrals, and reviews—into a single, integrated suite, Growave offers stronger long-term value.

This article's purpose is to provide an in-depth, feature-by-feature comparison of Stensiled Wishlist and Swish (formerly Wishlist King) so merchants can choose the best fit for their goals, budgets, and technical resources. After the direct comparison, the article will explain how an all-in-one retention platform can resolve app fatigue and present Growave as an alternative that consolidates core retention tools.

Stensiled Wishlist vs. Swish (formerly Wishlist King): At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

The following sections compare the two apps by feature sets, pricing & value, integrations, analytics, customization, onboarding & support, and operational considerations such as performance and maintenance.

Feature Set

Core Wishlist Functionality

Stensiled Wishlist

• Provides a standard wishlist and save-for-later experience.
• Includes "Wishlist button icons selection" for basic visual customization.
• Designed to be code-free to implement, making it accessible to merchants without developer resources.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Focuses on a full wishlist lifecycle: saving items, curation, and push/pull back into the shopping journey.
• Allows wishlisting across the entire shopping journey (product pages, collections, quick view, etc.).
• Emphasizes personalization and automation to trigger notifications at purchase-optimal moments.

Assessment:

• Both apps cover the basic need: allow visitors to save items and return later. Swish expands that function with broader placement across the store and a stronger focus on conversion-driving automation.

Analytics and Behavioral Insights

Stensiled Wishlist

• Offers "Detailed Wishlist Analytics" and the ability to "Track products, customers activities, with time range filtering."
• Useful for reporting which products are frequently wishlisted and identifying peaks in wishlist activity.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Provides advanced analytics and wishlist curation tools designed to segment wishlists and prioritize outreach.
• Out-of-the-box integrations with analytics platforms like GA4 add more context to wishlist behavior (sessions, source, and conversion funnels).

Assessment:

• Stensiled gives useful metrics for basic inventory and interest tracking. Swish aims to turn that data into actionable campaigns and refined insights, which is more valuable for scale and for merchants who run targeted marketing.

Personalization & Notifications

Stensiled Wishlist

• Basic functionality likely includes notifications tied to wishlist actions, but there’s no explicit mention of advanced personalization or automated flows.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Explicitly positions personalized and automated wishlist notifications as a central feature.
• Integrations with Klaviyo and other marketing platforms make it feasible to build highly targeted, segmented flows triggered by wishlist behavior.

Assessment:

• For merchants who need to turn wishlist signals into email/SMS campaigns, Swish is the stronger choice thanks to built-in integrations and automation focus.

Design & Theming

Stensiled Wishlist

• Offers icon selection for wishlist buttons and a code-free installation intended to match common themes quickly.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Promotes seamless theme integration across all themes and provides a free setup and customization service to ensure pixel-perfect design alignment.

Assessment:

• Both apps focus on on-brand appearance, but Swish invests more in bespoke implementation support for matching a store's aesthetic.

Session & Data Limits

Stensiled Wishlist

• No explicit limits provided in the supplied data. Basic and Advance plans list typical wishlist features.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Advertises unlimited wishlists, saved items, and sessions across plans, which removes friction for high-traffic stores.

Assessment:

• Swish removes scale concerns by providing unlimited sessions and wishlists, which benefits stores with higher traffic or complex customer behavior.

Pricing & Value

Pricing is often decisive. The numbers supplied are straightforward—compare the price and what merchants get for that price.

Stensiled Wishlist Pricing Overview

• Basic Plan: Free
  • Code-free setup
  • Wishlist analytics
  • Custom icons
  • Save for later
  • Activity tracking with time range filtering
• Advance Plan: $9.99 / month
  • Same feature list as Basic (per supplied data), likely adds support or removes limits.

Value assessment:

• Stensiled’s free tier is attractive for merchants prioritizing minimal cost and immediate enablement.
• The low-cost upgrade suggests good value for merchants who want a small step up without a larger monthly commitment.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) Pricing Overview

• Basic Shopify: $19 / month (for Basic Shopify stores)
  • All features included, free setup, unlimited wishlists & sessions.
• Shopify: $29 / month
  • Same as above for Shopify plan stores.
• Advanced Shopify: $49 / month
  • All features, intended for higher-tier Shopify plans.
• Shopify Plus: $99 / month
  • White-glove onboarding, priority support, dedicated account manager, Hydrogen & headless stack support.

Value assessment:

• Swish is positioned as a premium wishlist solution, with price increasing based on the merchant’s Shopify plan.
• Budget-conscious merchants can still access all features, but the minimum price is higher than Stensiled’s paid tier.
• The Plus tier adds strategic value for enterprise stores through dedicated resources and priority service.

Pricing Comparison — What Merchants Should Consider

• Monthly cost vs. return: Stensiled is very cost-efficient for basic wishlist needs; Swish charges more but bundles analytics, integrations, and onboarding that can materially increase conversion from wishlists.
• Hidden costs: Single-purpose apps often require supplementary apps (email automation, reporting, loyalty). Over time, multiple subscriptions can exceed the higher single-app price of a richer platform.
• Scale: Swish’s unlimited sessions and white-glove Plus experience can be more cost-effective for large merchants who would otherwise need custom dev work or multiple apps.

Integrations & Technical Ecosystem

Integrations influence what a wishlist can trigger in marketing stacks and customer journeys.

Stensiled Wishlist

• The supplied data doesn’t list integrations such as Klaviyo or GA4 explicitly. If a merchant relies on marketing automation or advanced analytics, confirm integration availability before committing.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Supports Checkout, Hydrogen, Klaviyo, GA4, Meta integrations, customer accounts, and headless stacks.
• Integrations enable wishlist signals to feed directly into marketing automation, ad platforms, and analytics reporting.

Assessment:

• Swish is the clear leader for merchants who depend on integrations to build personalized lifecycle marketing. Stensiled may be enough for merchants who do not require tight integration with email platforms or analytics.

Onboarding & Support

Stensiled Wishlist

• Promotes code-free setup; likely self-serve onboarding suitable for merchants with standard themes.
• Support level is not detailed in the supplied data. Merchants should verify response times and support channels.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Offers free setup and customization across all plans, with Plus plan providing white-glove onboarding and a dedicated account manager.
• The presence of onboarding services reduces friction and helps realize value quickly.

Assessment:

• For merchants that need support beyond installing an app—especially stores with custom themes or headless setups—Swish’s onboarding and dedicated support options are valuable.
• If a merchant wants immediate setup without tailored customization, Stensiled’s code-free approach can be quicker and cheaper.

Customization & Developer Overhead

Stensiled Wishlist

• Code-free features and icons selection keep customization simple without developer time.
• Best for merchants who want a "plug-and-play" wishlist.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Extensive customization, theme integration, and headless support suggest more advanced developer involvement when needed—but Swish’s team handles setup for merchants who prefer not to manage it themselves.

Assessment:

• Stensiled minimizes developer overhead; Swish gives more control and support for complex implementations but can eliminate developer work through its onboarding services.

Performance & Site Speed

• Any add-on app can affect page load time. Lightweight, code-free widgets tend to be less intrusive, but poorly optimized scripts or third-party libraries can still slow pages.
• Swish advertises theme-native integration and headless compatibility, which can be implemented in a way that balances functionality and performance. Merchants should request performance benchmarks or a Lighthouse report from both vendors during evaluation.

Assessment:

• Because Stensiled aims for a simple footprint, it may be lighter by default. Swish can be equally performant if implemented well, but the additional features and integrations carry potential overhead—mitigated by professional onboarding.

Data Ownership & Privacy

• For both apps, merchants should confirm terms for data retention, exportability of wishlist data, and GDPR/CCPA compliance where relevant.
• Swish's integrations with analytics and marketing platforms increase the number of touchpoints for customer data; merchants must map data flows and consent processes accordingly.

Assessment:

• Neither product’s supplied data lists explicit privacy controls. Merchants handling regulated customer data or operating in strict privacy jurisdictions should request vendor documentation.

Reporting & ROI Measurement

Stensiled Wishlist

• Time-range filtering and product/customer activity tracking allow measuring interest and some impact on sales if merchants correlate wishlists with conversions.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

• Advanced analytics and integration with GA4 and Klaviyo make tracking the full funnel from wishlist signal to conversion more direct and reliable.
• Better attribution and tailored notifications help quantify incremental revenue attributable to wishlist campaigns.

Assessment:

• Both apps provide analytics, but Swish’s ecosystem connectivity enables clearer ROI measurement. If proving incremental revenue from wishlists is a priority, Swish is better positioned.

Pros and Cons Summary

Stensiled Wishlist — Pros

• Free tier available for immediate testing.
• Code-free setup and simple UI reduce time to launch.
• Basic analytics and save-for-later features meet basic requirements.
• Low monthly cost for the paid tier.

Stensiled Wishlist — Cons

• No public review history or ratings listed in supplied data.
• Limited integration detail; may need additional apps for marketing automation.
• Feature set may be too basic for growth-focused merchants.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) — Pros

• Well-reviewed (272 reviews, 5-star rating) indicating strong market validation.
• Advanced analytics, wishlist curation, and personalization.
• Integrates with Klaviyo, GA4, Meta, and headless setups.
• Free setup and robust support even on standard plans; enterprise support on Plus tier.

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) — Cons

• Higher monthly cost compared to simple wishlist utilities.
• May introduce additional technical complexity if integrating with many systems.
• Long-term costs can add up if combined with multiple single-purpose apps.

Use-Case Recommendations

• For merchants launching a wishlist for the first time who need zero-cost testing and minimal setup: Stensiled Wishlist is a sensible starting point.
• For merchants that want to actively convert wishlist interest into purchases with targeted flows, deeper analytics, and enterprise support: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a better fit.
• For merchants trying to avoid multiple subscriptions and seeking an integrated retention stack that includes wishlist plus loyalty, referrals, and reviews, consider a platform that consolidates these capabilities.

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

Single-purpose apps solve immediate needs quickly. However, over time, adding multiple one-off solutions creates complexity and inefficiency—commonly called app fatigue.

What Is App Fatigue?

App fatigue occurs when a merchant accumulates many specialized tools to cover each function: wishlists, loyalty and rewards, referrals, reviews, and analytics. Symptoms include:

• Increased monthly subscription costs.
• Redundant features or overlapping notifications that confuse customers.
• Integration gaps, making attribution and lifecycle analysis harder.
• Slower site performance due to multiple scripts and widgets.
• Operational overhead for managing multiple vendor relationships, billing cycles, and support channels.

These issues are especially pronounced for merchants who want to scale retention efforts without hiring a growing technical team.

The Case for Consolidation

Consolidating core retention functions into a single platform reduces friction and improves outcomes across acquisition and retention channels. Benefits of consolidation include:

• Unified customer profiles and consistent opt-in/consent management.
• Single source for loyalty points, wishlist signals, referrals, and reviews—making it easier to orchestrate cross-channel campaigns.
• Reduced technical complexity and fewer third-party scripts, which can help maintain site performance.
• Lower operational overhead managing fewer vendors and one billing relationship.

Merchants looking to consolidate can evaluate platforms that combine wishlist functionality with loyalty and reviews so that wishlist signals fuel loyalty campaigns and review requests without manual integrations.

Growave’s Position: "More Growth, Less Stack"

Growave is built around the idea of reducing tool sprawl while expanding retention capabilities. The platform bundles Wishlist alongside Loyalty & Rewards, Referrals, Reviews & UGC, and VIP Tiers—so wishlist signals become part of the merchant’s retention loop.

Key benefits to look for when assessing an all-in-one retention platform:

• Ability to turn wishlist signals into reward triggers or targeted referral campaigns.
• Integrated analytics that tie wishlist activity to repeat purchases and lifetime value.
• Native integrations with major marketing platforms to create end-to-end workflows.

Merchants can evaluate how to consolidate retention features to simplify operations and realize higher lifetime value.

Growave Feature Highlights (Contextual Links)

• Loyalty: Growing repeat purchases often depends on predictable incentives. Merchants can build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases while using wishlist data to trigger targeted reward offers.
• Reviews: Collecting social proof is easier when signals are unified. Merchants can collect and showcase authentic reviews and use wishlist activity to prompt review or UGC requests at the right time.
• Proof & Inspiration: For merchants deciding whether consolidation works, reviewing customer stories from brands scaling retention helps set realistic expectations.
• Enterprise Readiness: For merchants on Plus or scaling rapidly, Growave has solutions for high-growth Plus brands that handle headless architectures and dedicated success resources.

How Growave Reduces Common Wishlist Shortfalls

• Single profile: Wishlist items are linked to the same customer profile used in loyalty and referral flows, improving personalization and attribution.
• Fewer integrations: Fewer separate vendors means fewer integration failure points. Fixing a campaign is faster when everything flows through one platform.
• Unified analytics: Measuring incremental revenue from wishlist-driven campaigns is simpler when loyalty, reviews, and referrals share data schema and dashboards.
• Support & onboarding: Consolidation reduces the time needed to set up cross-feature campaigns because the platform is built to interoperate internally.

Example Benefits Without Extra Apps

• Use wishlist data to trigger a points bonus or a limited-time discount to drive conversions.
• Turn wishlisted items into dynamic review asks once purchased, increasing post-purchase UGC collection.
• Create VIP tiers that prioritize communications about wishlisted restocks and exclusive drops.

Getting Hands-On

Merchants evaluating consolidation should:

• Map current app costs and overlap.
• Identify the most common customer journeys that rely on wishlist signals.
• Compare the time required to launch an integrated campaign when using separate apps vs. an all-in-one platform.

Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention.

Why Consolidation Often Delivers Better Value

While single-purpose apps appear cheaper initially, the combined monthly costs and the integration time required to stitch together lifecycle campaigns typically exceed the price of a single, well-designed retention platform. Consolidation shifts costs from integration and maintenance to strategy and execution, which is where merchants extract the most value.

For merchants assessing total cost of ownership, compare:

• Combined monthly fees of wishlist + loyalty + review apps.
• Developer and implementation hours for integration and data mapping.
• Time to launch and iterate on lifecycle campaigns.

To experiment with consolidation risk-free, review pricing tiers and trial options that let merchants evaluate value before committing. Merchants can examine how to consolidate retention features and test the integrated workflows in a sandbox or trial environment.

Decision Checklist: Which App Is Best for Which Merchant

Use the checklist below to map store needs to the apps discussed.

• If the merchant wants a quick, cost-free wishlist to validate demand:
  • Stensiled Wishlist: low friction, free tier, minimal setup.
• If the merchant needs wishlist signals to tie directly into marketing automation:
  • Swish (formerly Wishlist King): strong Klaviyo and GA4 integration, advanced analytics.
• If the merchant wants to eliminate multiple subscriptions and orchestrate wishlist + loyalty + reviews from one place:
  • Consider an all-in-one retention platform that reduces operational overhead and centralizes analytics. Merchants can compare plans to consolidate retention features.
• If the merchant is on Shopify Plus or planning headless architecture:
  • Swish’s Plus tier and Growave’s Plus offerings support headless and Hydrogen use cases; review solutions for high-growth Plus brands to match enterprise requirements.
• If the merchant needs white-glove onboarding and a dedicated point of contact:
  • Swish Plus and some all-in-one platforms offer dedicated account management.

Migration, Maintenance, and Long-Term Considerations

When switching wishlist solutions or consolidating:

• Data migration: Ensure wishlists and saved items are exportable/importable to avoid losing customer signals.
• Testing: A/B test design and notification timing to measure conversion lift safely.
• Performance: Monitor page speed and script impact before and after changes.
• Legal: Confirm data retention policies and compliance with privacy laws.

Swish and Growave both emphasize onboarding support, which reduces migration risk. Stensiled’s simpler setup minimizes immediate migration effort but may require additional tools later.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Stensiled Wishlist and Swish (formerly Wishlist King), the decision comes down to priorities:

• Stensiled Wishlist is a sensible choice for merchants who want a low-cost, code-free wishlist with basic analytics and "save for later" features. It fits stores that need a fast, minimal solution and have no immediate need for deep integrations.
• Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is better suited to brands that want to convert wishlist interest into purchases using advanced analytics, personalized notifications, and tight integrations with tools like Klaviyo and GA4. Its higher price reflects onboarding, customization, and enterprise-focused features.

Both single-purpose options have strengths, but they also risk adding to app sprawl when merchants try to layer loyalty, referrals, and reviews on top of wishlists. For merchants seeking a higher-value alternative that reduces the number of apps while expanding retention capabilities, Growave offers a unified suite that consolidates wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews. Merchants can learn how to consolidate retention features and explore an integrated approach across channels. Merchants can also install an integrated app from the Shopify App Store to streamline deployment and reduce vendor overhead.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how an all-in-one retention platform can replace multiple single-purpose tools and accelerate customer lifetime value. Start a 14-day free trial

FAQ

Q: Which wishlist app is better for small stores on a tight budget?

• A: Stensiled Wishlist provides a free tier and a low-cost paid option, making it a good fit for merchants who want a lightweight wishlist without extra features. For stores wishing to expand into loyalty and reviews later, evaluate the long-term cost of adding separate apps versus migrating to an integrated platform.

Q: Which app is better for converting wishlist activity into purchases?

• A: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) has built-in personalization and integrations with marketing platforms like Klaviyo and GA4, which make it easier to turn wishlist signals into targeted campaigns. If converting wishlist interest to revenue is a priority, Swish is more purpose-built for that outcome.

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

• A: An all-in-one platform reduces tool sprawl, minimizes integration work, and centralizes analytics and customer profiles. This consolidation often leads to faster campaign launches, clearer attribution, and potentially lower total cost of ownership despite a higher single subscription price. Merchants can compare and test options to determine which approach delivers the fastest path to improved retention and lifetime value.

Q: What should merchants check before choosing between these options?

• A: Confirm integration support for key tools (email, analytics, CRM), check onboarding and support terms, request performance impact details, and calculate the combined monthly cost of single-purpose apps versus an integrated platform. Reviewing customer case studies and speaking with vendor onboarding teams can also clarify implementation timelines and expected ROI.