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

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app for a Shopify store is deceptively important. A wishlist is more than a “save for later” button: it can capture purchase intent, fuel email and ad campaigns, and turn passive browsers into returning customers. But with hundreds of apps available, merchants must weigh features, reliability, integrations, and long-term value.

Short answer: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a polished, full-featured wishlist solution aimed at merchants that need robust analytics, cross-channel integrations, and white-glove onboarding—reflected in its 272 reviews and a perfect 5-star rating. Folio: Wishlist is a lower-cost, lightweight option with basic wishlist features and simple customization, but it lacks social proof (0 reviews) and enterprise-level integrations. For merchants who want wishlist functionality alongside loyalty, referrals, and review collection without stacking multiple apps, an integrated retention platform may offer better value for money.

Purpose of this article: to provide a detailed, objective, feature-by-feature comparison of Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Folio: Wishlist so merchants can pick the tool best aligned with their growth goals, and to explain when a consolidated retention platform is a more strategic choice.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

Product Positioning and Credibility

Swish (formerly Wishlist King)

Swish markets itself as a "feature-rich Wishlist solution for brands with ambition." It positions the product toward merchants who want the wishlist to be an active part of the conversion funnel—complete with personalized and automated notifications, analytics for wishlist curation, and integrations with major marketing platforms. The app’s public credibility is strong: 272 reviews and a 5-star rating suggest consistent satisfaction and active merchant adoption.

Key credibility signals:

• Free setup and customization across plans, which reduces launch friction.
• Integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta—indicating a focus on marketing orchestration.
• Specific support for Hydrogen and headless stacks on Plus plans.

Folio: Wishlist

Folio: Wishlist presents itself as a simple wishlist tool that captures customer selections and provides a dashboard for tracking wishlist activity. The stated features cover the essentials: unlimited items on higher tiers, customizable buttons, wishlist sharing, and dashboard analytics. However, public credibility is limited: 0 reviews and a 0-star rating on the Shopify listing suggest either low adoption or insufficient feedback to validate reliability and support quality.

Implications:

• Swish’s review count and rating provide tangible social proof that reduces buyer risk.
• Folio’s low profile increases the importance of trialing the product carefully and validating support responsiveness before long-term commitment.

Features and Product Depth

Core Wishlist Functionality

Swish

• Unlimited wishlists and saved items on all plans.
• Persistent wishlist across sessions.
• Guest and logged-in user support (works with Customer Accounts).
• Sharing functionality and cross-device continuity.
• Wishlist buttons customizable to match store aesthetics.
• Wishlist curation and advanced analytics to visualize trending saved items.

Folio: Wishlist

• Unlimited items in wishlist (premium plan).
• Guest wishlist support (basic).
• Customizable color/text for wishlist buttons.
• Shareable wishlists.
• Public wishlist counts and a dashboard for analytics.
• Wishlist icon on collection page (premium).

Assessment:

• Both apps cover the core behavior expected of a wishlist app: save items, share lists, guest support, and button customization.
• Swish differentiates through advanced analytics, curated lists, and more robust session continuity and integrations—which are important for using wishlist data in marketing automation.

Notifications, Recovery, and Personalization

Swish

• Automated wishlist notifications designed to recapture interest at optimal moments (e.g., price drops, restocks, cart reminders).
• Integrations enabling personalized messaging via Klaviyo and Meta channels.
• Ability to convert wishlist signals into segmented campaigns.

Folio: Wishlist

• Marketing potential is implied, but specific automation integrations or notification flows are not documented in detail on the app listing.
• Dashboard likely enables manual outreach, but less capability for seamless automated flows.

Assessment:

• For merchant outcomes like recovery of indecisive shoppers and increased conversions, Swish’s automation and integration set support more scalable and high-impact campaigns.
• Folio’s capabilities appear more manual and suited to merchants who will run isolated outreach or prefer in-platform dashboards.

Analytics & Reporting

Swish

• Advanced analytics and wishlist curation tools provide actionable data: most saved products, conversion rates from wishlist to purchase, and wishlist heatmaps.
• GA4 integration allows wishlist events to feed web analytics and attribution models.
• Merchant-facing dashboards to segment wishlist owners.

Folio: Wishlist

• Dashboard analytics show wishlist growth and counts.
• Basic metrics to understand how many customers are using wishlists and which items are saved.
• Less emphasis on integration with external analytics or attribution.

Assessment:

• For merchants that rely on data-driven decisions, Swish’s analytics layer provides better visibility into intent and how wishlist usage translates into revenue.
• Folio’s dashboard is adequate for tracking basic adoption but less useful for cross-channel attribution and CRM segmentation.

Customization & Theming

Swish

• Full customization to match store aesthetic.
• Free customization service provided during onboarding (reduces development overhead).
• Works with all themes and supports headless setups.

Folio: Wishlist

• Customizable button color and text.
• Ability to display wishlist icon on collection pages (premium).
• Theme compatibility likely good for standard themes, though claim is less explicit on headless support.

Assessment:

• Swish’s insistence on free setup and deeper customization suits stores that demand tight visual integration and UX coherence.
• Folio is fine for stores that need simple visual tweaks and prefer to self-implement.

Pricing & Value

Pricing Structures

Swish

• Basic Shopify: $19/month — includes all features and free setup.
• Shopify: $29/month — includes all features and free setup.
• Advanced Shopify: $49/month — includes all features and free setup.
• Shopify Plus: $99/month — adds white-glove onboarding, priority support, dedicated account manager, and Hydrogen/headless support.

Folio: Wishlist

• Basic: $6.99/month — up to 1000 items in wishlist, customize button, share/guest wishlist, public wishlist count.
• Premium: $12.99/month — unlimited wishlist/items, wishlist icon on collection page, all basic features.

Value Considerations

Swish

• Higher price points compared with Folio, but includes free customization and a wider feature set.
• Higher plans focus on enterprise needs (white-glove onboarding, dedicated manager) that justify the cost for larger merchants.
• The 272 reviews and perfect rating provide confidence that the spend converts to consistent performance.

Folio: Wishlist

• Lower entry price, making it attractive for budget-conscious merchants or those testing wishlist functionality.
• Basic plan limitations (1000 items) could become a ceiling for fast-growing catalogs or large customer bases, forcing an upgrade.
• Lack of visible integrations may limit marketing and lifecycle automation without additional engineering.

Assessment:

• Folio delivers better short-term headline price for stores that need only core wishlist features and minimal integration.
• Swish is better value for money when considering long-term revenue impact from automation, analytics, and hands-on onboarding—especially for merchants that plan to use wishlist data in broader retention strategies.

Integrations & Technical Compatibility

Swish

• Explicitly lists integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta, enabling smoother marketer workflows.
• Works with Hydrogen and headless architectures; claims compatibility with Checkout, Customer Accounts, Search Recommendations.
• Likely to support event-driven analytics and advanced tracking.

Folio: Wishlist

• Integration details are sparse; primary focus is on the app dashboard and built-in analytics.
• No explicit listing of marketing platform integrations (e.g., Klaviyo) on the app listing.

Assessment:

• Swish has an integration advantage: it plugs wishlist signals directly into tools merchants already use for email, ads, and analytics.
• Folio may require engineers to bridge data into marketing systems or rely on manual exports.

Onboarding, Support & Reliability

Swish

• Free setup and customization across all plans reduces friction and risk at install.
• Plus customers receive white-glove onboarding and a dedicated account manager.
• Active review base indicates responsive support and product reliability.

Folio: Wishlist

• Offers typical app support channels, likely self-service plus developer ticketing.
• No public evidence of white-glove onboarding or assigned account management.
• With 0 reviews, merchants lack collective feedback on support responsiveness and SLA quality.

Assessment:

• Swish’s setup service is a notable operational advantage for stores that want to launch quickly without pulling developer resources.
• Folio’s low cost comes with more DIY responsibility; merchants should verify support SLA before committing.

Scalability & Enterprise Readiness

Swish

• Explicit Plus plan support for Hydrogen and headless suggests readiness for enterprise architectures.
• Priority support and dedicated account manager on Plus align with enterprise expectations.
• Unlimited wishlists & sessions enable a large customer base without incremental costs.

Folio: Wishlist

• Basic and premium tiers target SMBs; premium removes item limits but doesn't advertise enterprise features like headless support.
• Smaller support footprint and unclear integrations can constrain growth for larger merchants.

Assessment:

• For Shopify Plus and headless merchants, Swish is the safer bet.
• For small merchants wanting a single, low-cost wishlist widget, Folio is sufficient—but expect re-evaluation as the store scales.

Security & Data Privacy

Both apps operate within Shopify’s app framework, so core data handling complies with Shopify’s app policies. Differences to watch for:

• Event tracking with GA4 and integrations raises the bar on Swish for data flow; merchants should confirm data residency and privacy handling with the vendor.
• Folio’s dashboard likely stores wishlist data; merchants should confirm export capabilities and retention policies.

Recommendation:

• Confirm with each vendor the specifics of data export, retention, and privacy compliance for targeted marketing and auditing needs.

Pros and Cons Summary

Swish (formerly Wishlist King) — Pros

• Mature product with 272 reviews and 5-star rating.
• Advanced analytics and wishlist curation.
• Native integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, Meta.
• Free setup and customization across plans.
• Headless/Hydrogen and Shopify Plus support.

Swish — Cons

• Higher monthly price than very low-cost alternatives.
• May be overkill for micro-stores that need only a basic widget.

Folio: Wishlist — Pros

• Low entry price; inexpensive way to add wishlist capacity.
• Guest wishlist and shareability are included.
• Premium plan removes item limits affordably.

Folio: Wishlist — Cons

• No public reviews or rating—limited social proof.
• Sparse integration details; automation potential unclear.
• Lack of enterprise or headless support for scaling merchants.

Which App Is Best For Which Merchant

• For brands that want a robust wishlist integrated into lifecycle marketing (email flows, ads, analytics) and want onboarding support: Swish is the better fit.
• For very small stores that need a basic wishlist, low monthly cost, and minimal engineering: Folio fits the budget and basic requirements.
• For merchants building a growth stack and wanting to avoid multiple single-purpose apps: consider a consolidated platform that includes wishlist plus loyalty, referrals, and reviews to reduce tool sprawl and improve customer lifetime value.

How Wishlist Choice Impacts Retention and LTV

A wishlist is not a stand-alone conversion lever; its value depends on how wishlist signals are used:

• If wishlist events feed marketing automation, a merchant can send targeted price-drop, restock, or cart nudges—driving recovery and conversion.
• If wishlist data gets surfaced in ads (Meta or programmatic), it becomes a high-intent audience for retargeting.
• If wishlists influence merchandising (e.g., restocking decisions, bundling), the product team benefits from direct demand signals.

Swish supports these outcomes with integrations and automation. Folio captures intent but requires additional effort to convert that intent into repeat purchases. For merchants focused on increasing retention and LTV, the integration and analytics layer matters more than the mere existence of a wishlist button.

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

Single-purpose apps solve immediate needs, but they add cumulative complexity. The more separate tools a store runs, the higher the costs: overlapping subscriptions, integration overhead, data fragmentation, and slower experimentation cycles. This phenomenon—app fatigue—reduces operational efficiency and distracts from growth objectives like retention and lifetime value.

An alternative is to consolidate core retention features into a single platform that reduces the number of integrations, centralizes customer data, and provides cross-functional tools that work together by design.

Enter the consolidation approach: combine wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews into one platform so wishlist signals directly influence loyalty messages, referral prompts, and review requests without stitching together multiple apps. This approach reduces the stack and improves the ability to create coordinated lifecycle campaigns.

Growave is an example of that consolidation strategy. Its "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy focuses on giving merchants a single place to manage loyalty and wishlist behavior alongside referrals and reviews. For merchants considering that path, it is useful to evaluate how a unified platform changes outcomes versus standalone wishlist apps.

How consolidation fixes the common limits of single-purpose wishlist apps

• Consolidate retention features: unified platforms let wishlist events increment loyalty points, trigger referral offers, or prompt review requests without separate middleware. This reduces engineering time and accelerates coordinated campaigns. See Growave’s pricing plans for details on bundling options and plan tiers that include wishlist with other retention tools (consolidate retention features).
• Loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases: when wishlist saves are connected to a loyalty program, merchants can offer targeted incentives (e.g., points for wishlist shares), increasing both engagement and LTV. Growave’s loyalty product supports such strategies and integrates into the same suite of tools (loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases).
• Collect and showcase authentic reviews: combining wishlist signals with review prompts creates timely outreach (e.g., request a review once a wishlisted item is purchased), improving social proof and conversion rates. Growave supports review automation and UGC capabilities that complement wishlist behavior (collect and showcase authentic reviews).

Practical benefits of an integrated retention stack

• Fewer monthly subscriptions: swapping multiple single-purpose apps for one suite lowers per-app fees and reduces cognitive overhead in operations.
• Centralized analytics: cross-feature insights (e.g., which loyalty members tend to use wishlists) become available without exporting and stitching datasets.
• Faster monetization of intent: wishlist signals flow directly into the loyalty/referral pipeline, enabling faster conversion tests.
• Better alignment across teams: marketing, merchandising, and CX teams can work from a shared set of customer signals.

Growave feature alignment with merchant needs

Growave combines several retention features into a single platform:

• Loyalty and reward programs to build repeat purchase behavior and segment customers by engagement.
• Wishlist functionality that ties directly into loyalty and referral triggers.
• Reviews & UGC tools for automated review collection and display to increase conversion.
• Referral campaigns and VIP tiers that use customer behavior (including wishlists) to unlock rewards.
• Support for Shopify Plus, multi-language stores, and common marketing stacks.

For merchants that prioritize consolidation, the option to evaluate a combined platform is compelling. Growave’s product pages and case studies explain how bundled retention features convert intent into repeat revenue: explore examples and plan options through growth-focused resources (consolidate retention features, collect and showcase authentic reviews, loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases).

Integrations and enterprise readiness in the consolidated model

An integrated platform also reduces the need for point-to-point integrations:

• Instead of shipping wishlist events to an external ESP and then syncing loyalty events back, a unified tool handles both sides, minimizing sync failures.
• For Shopify Plus and headless setups, enterprise-level feature parity and a single integration surface simplify implementation. Growave provides solutions tailored for larger merchants and headless architectures, with enterprise support options and dedicated onboarding available (solutions for high-growth Plus brands).

Operational considerations when moving from single apps to a suite

• Migration planning: export wishlist and customer data from legacy apps and map them into the unified system. A vendor that offers white-glove onboarding or migration support reduces risk and downtime.
• Testing and measurement: confirm that wishlist events in the consolidated system trigger the intended flows (loyalty points, emails, reviews). Use GA4 and platform analytics to verify attribution.
• Budget alignment: compare the total cost of ownership for multiple apps against a suite with broader capabilities; often the suite delivers better value for money once integration and overhead are included. Merchants can review bundled plan tiers and costs (compare plans and pricing).

Try-before-you-commit path

For teams that want hands-on validation, a recommended step is to request a tailored walkthrough to see how wishlist signals interact with loyalty and review automation in real store contexts. Book a personalized walkthrough with product specialists to test workflows and migration paths (Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention and lowers complexity.)

Migration Checklist: If moving from Swish or Folio to an integrated platform

• Export wishlist data in CSV (customer ID, product ID, timestamp, share links).
• Verify customer matching logic (email or customer account ID) to avoid creating duplicates.
• Identify flows to recreate: price-drop notifications, restock alerts, wishlist-to-email campaigns, and cross-sell flows.
• Map every automation trigger and ensure the new platform has equivalent or improved capabilities.
• Test on a staging environment and confirm analytics tracking matches previous baselines.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Folio: Wishlist, the decision comes down to scale, integration needs, and the desired role of the wishlist in lifecycle marketing. Swish is a strong choice for merchants who need advanced analytics, automated wishlist notifications, and enterprise support—backed by 272 reviews and a 5-star rating. Folio: Wishlist is a cost-effective option for small stores that want basic wishlist features and a low entry price, but limited social proof and unclear integrations increase the risk as the store grows.

That said, wishlist functionality is most powerful when it’s part of a broader retention strategy—connected to loyalty, referrals, and review collection. Merchants looking to reduce tool sprawl and unlock coordinated retention campaigns should evaluate an integrated platform that bundles wishlist with loyalty and social proof. Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” approach packages wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, and reviews so wishlist signals feed directly into reward programs and review flows—helping increase repeat purchases and LTV while reducing integration burden. Compare bundled plans and the cost of consolidation to multiple single apps to determine the best long-term value for money (consolidate retention features).

Start a 14-day free trial to explore how a unified retention platform can replace multiple single-purpose apps and accelerate retention-driven growth (compare plans and start a trial).

FAQ

Q: Which app is easier to implement quickly? A: Folio: Wishlist has a low-cost, lightweight approach that typically allows for quick, self-serve installation. Swish reduces launch friction as well by offering free setup and customization, which can be faster for merchants that want a tailored experience without developer time.

Q: Which app is better for marketing automation (email, ads, analytics)? A: Swish has a clear advantage because it lists integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta, enabling wishlist events to be used directly in automated email and ad flows. Folio’s integration story is less explicit, which may require additional engineering to feed wishlist data into marketing systems.

Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps? A: An all-in-one retention suite centralizes wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews, reducing subscription costs, integration overhead, and data fragmentation. This approach enables faster, coordinated campaigns (e.g., using wishlist saves to trigger loyalty incentives or review requests) and simplifies analytics. However, specialized apps can offer deeper point solutions; the right choice depends on growth stage and priorities.

Q: Is it risky to choose a low-cost wishlist app like Folio for a growing store? A: Low-cost options reduce immediate spend but can introduce hidden costs later: migration effort, lack of automation, or insufficient support. Merchants should weigh immediate savings against future needs for integrations, analytics, and scaling. If the plan is rapid growth or integrating wishlist signals into broader retention campaigns, investing in a more integrated solution or a platform that supports growth workflows may be better value for money.

Further reading and resources: merchants interested in exploring how wishlist, loyalty, and review tools combine to increase retention can review product pages and plan details to compare integration and migration options (loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases, collect and showcase authentic reviews, consolidate retention features, install on the Shopify App Store).