Introduction
Choosing the right app to capture shopper intent and convert saved interest into revenue is a persistent challenge for Shopify merchants. Wishlists are simple in concept but variable in execution: some apps focus on elegant, frictionless product saving while others add alerts, segmentation, or marketing automation. Picking the wrong tool can add complexity, slow performance, and increase monthly costs without improving lifetime value.
Short answer: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is an excellent option for merchants who want a polished, enterprise-minded wishlist experience with built-in onboarding and strong integrations; Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow is a solid, budget-friendly choice for stores that want flexible wishlist features and notification flows at an entry-level price. For merchants who want fewer apps and an integrated retention stack (wishlists plus loyalty, referrals, and reviews), Growave offers stronger value by consolidating multiple retention tools into one platform.
This post provides a feature-by-feature, impartial comparison of Swish and Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow so merchants can decide which app matches their technical needs, budget, and growth strategy. After the comparison, a practical alternative is presented for merchants weary of tool sprawl.
Swish (formerly Wishlist King) vs. Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow: At a Glance
| Aspect | Swish (formerly Wishlist King) | Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Feature-rich wishlist platform with marketing integrations | Flexible, multi-wishlist tool with notification flows |
| Best For | Merchants seeking white-glove setup, strong integrations, and enterprise compatibility | Price-sensitive stores needing multiple wishlist types and alerts |
| Rating (Shopify reviews) | 5.0 (272 reviews) | 4.7 (150 reviews) |
| Key Features | Unlimited wishlists, guest lists, Klaviyo/GA4/Meta integrations, analytics, headless support, white-glove onboarding | Multiple wishlists, guest wishlist, price-drop/back-in-stock alerts (email/SMS/push), API & headless support, custom Liquid templates |
| Typical Pricing | $19–$99 / month (tiered by Shopify plan; Plus plan includes account manager) | $2 / month (flat) |
| Strengths | Setup & customization service; enterprise Plus features; integration-ready | Extremely low entry price; flexible notification channels; developer-friendly customization |
| Limitations | Monthly pricing scales by Shopify plan; less clear free tier | Very basic pricing may lack high-touch support for complex launches |
| Works With | Klaviyo, GA4, Meta, Hydrogen, Checkout, Customer Accounts | Klaviyo, PushOwl/Brevo, Shopify Flow, mobile app builders |
Feature Comparison
Core Wishlist Functionality
Swish (formerly Wishlist King)
Swish focuses on a full wishlist experience designed to match premium storefronts. Core capabilities include persistent wishlists for logged-in customers, guest wishlist support, unlimited saved items, and visual flexibility to align the wishlist UI with brand aesthetics. Swish emphasizes the customer journey: shoppers can save items at any point, and wishlists are intended to be an ongoing shopping tool rather than a simple "save for later" list.
Strengths in this area:
- Unlimited wishlists and saved items across plans.
- Multiple UI patterns and fully customizable appearance.
- Free setup and customization service included with plans to ensure consistent theme integration.
Potential gaps:
- Some merchants may find the level of customization more than needed if the requirement is a simple wishlist button.
Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow
Mst focuses on flexibility and simplicity. It offers multiple wishlists per customer, guest wishlist capability, unlimited items, and a customizable "My Wishlist" page. The app supports sharing wishlists and basic display customization via Liquid and HTML/CSS.
Strengths:
- Multiple wishlists per user for categorization (e.g., gifts, future buys).
- No limits on items or customers even on the $2/month plan.
- Straightforward setup for stores that want a quick wishlist add.
Potential gaps:
- Customization exists but may require store owners or developers to tweak Liquid templates for a seamless fit with complex themes.
Advanced Wishlist Behavior (Multiple Lists, Sharing, Guest Use)
Both apps enable guest users to save items and provide multiple wishlist support, but their positioning differs.
- Swish markets itself as a “feature-rich” product with curation and analytics built for brands with ambition, and includes multiple UI options to support different shopping journeys.
- Mst includes multiple wishlists and sharing but emphasizes simplicity and the absence of limits as its main selling points.
Merchants that rely on collaborative shopping experiences, shared registry functionality, or segmented wishlist behaviors will find both apps capable. Swish’s white-glove onboarding can reduce friction for complex implementations.
Notifications and Marketing Flows
Swish
Swish advertises "highly personalised + automated Wishlist notifications" and native integrations with Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta. That means merchants can expect wishlist events to feed directly into advanced email/SMS flows and advertising audiences. The key benefit is that saved-item behavior becomes actionable, enabling:
- Abandoned wishlist flows.
- Price-drop re-engagement.
- Personalized product recommendations based on wishlist curation.
This is where Swish stands out: it is built to turn wishlist signals into marketing actions out of the box, particularly when Klaviyo or other analytics platforms are already in use.
Mst
Mst supports Price Drop and Back in Stock alerts via email, SMS and push notifications and integrates with several messaging platforms. The app’s marketing capabilities are focused primarily on alerting customers when product status changes. Mst also works with Klaviyo and other messaging tools, enabling merchants to pipe events into their comms stack.
Comparative evaluation:
- Swish is oriented to deeper personalization and structured analytics for marketing orchestration across channels.
- Mst offers reliable, essential alerting flows at a lower cost, which serves stores with simpler re-engagement needs.
Integrations & Ecosystem
Integrations determine whether wishlist events can be acted upon across retention channels.
Swish integrates natively with:
- Klaviyo (email/SMS segmentation and automation).
- GA4 (analytics and measurement).
- Meta (custom audiences, ad retargeting).
- Hydrogen and headless setups.
Mst integrates with:
- Klaviyo.
- PushOwl / Brevo (for push/email/SMS).
- Shopify Flow and mobile app builders.
- API support for headless or custom setups.
Practical takeaway:
- If a store employs Klaviyo + Meta ad spend and wants out-of-the-box event wiring, Swish simplifies implementation.
- If a store uses a broader mix of messaging providers or wants very low-cost access with API capability, Mst is competitive.
Analytics, Reporting & Data Access
Swish emphasizes “advanced analytics and wishlist curation,” suggesting an internal reporting layer that surfaces wishlist trends and product-level demand. Those insights support merchandising decisions and allow teams to prioritize restocks or promotions based on saved-product interest.
Mst provides event-level data and works with external analytics tools through integrations. Stores relying exclusively on external analytics platforms (Klaviyo, GA, or other BI tools) can route wishlist events from Mst into those systems and build custom reports.
For merchants that value immediate, dashboard-level wishlist intelligence inside the app, Swish appears to provide a higher degree of built-in reporting. For teams with strong analytics capabilities and an existing stack, Mst's event portability is sufficient and cost-effective.
Mobile Experience & Headless Support
Both platforms declare responsive support and headless compatibility. Key distinctions:
- Swish highlights Hydrogen and headless stacks for Shopify Plus stores, with the Plus plan including white-glove onboarding for complex setups.
- Mst advertises API and headless theme support and compatibility with mobile app builders.
Merchants running custom storefronts or native mobile experiences should validate API endpoints and sample implementations. Swish's Plus plan gives an advantage to stores that need a dedicated integration resource.
Setup, Customization & Theming
Swish offers free setup and customization across all plans (with additional white-glove onboarding for Plus). That is valuable for merchants that lack in-house developers or want quick, consistent theme integration.
Mst promotes easy setup and the ability to fully customize the My Wishlist page via Liquid and HTML/CSS. That flexibility benefits merchants with developer resources who prefer hands-on control.
Considerations:
- Smaller teams or time-constrained launches benefit from Swish’s included setup service.
- Developer-led shops that prioritize cost savings and manual control may prefer Mst.
Support & Onboarding
Swish positions itself as a high-touch partner:
- Free setup and onboarding across plans.
- Plus-level customers receive priority support and a dedicated account manager.
Mst’s support model is less explicitly high-touch; the $2/month pricing suggests lower-touch support, with integrations available for popular messaging tools.
If guaranteed onboarding assistance and a dedicated resource are critical (for example, a large migration or headless rollout), Swish’s model provides more predictable support.
Pricing & Value
Comparing pricing requires evaluating both sticker price and the value delivered.
Swish pricing tiers:
- Basic Shopify: $19/month (includes all features, free setup)
- Shopify: $29/month
- Advanced Shopify: $49/month
- Shopify Plus: $99/month (includes white-glove onboarding, priority support, dedicated account manager, Hydrogen/headless)
Mst pricing:
- Monthly: $2/month (single flat plan with all features; no limits on items/customers)
Value assessment:
- Mst is extremely low-cost and may be the best value for stores that only need wishlist functionality and price/back-in-stock alerts.
- Swish costs more but bundles high-touch onboarding, dedicated Plus services, and curated analytics—features that can shorten launch time and reduce reliance on developer resources. For enterprise merchants, the additional cost per month is often justified by saved implementation time and better support.
Avoiding the phrase "cheaper": Mst offers better value for money when the priority is minimal monthly cost and core wishlist/alert functionality. Swish offers better value for money when the priority is reliable onboarding, advanced integrations, and enterprise-grade support.
Performance Impact & App Footprint
Any front-end app can affect page weight and render speed. Both apps claim theme compatibility and responsive behavior. Implementation quality (how scripts are loaded, whether images or icons are lazy-loaded, and how event listeners are attached) will determine real-world performance impacts.
Merchants should:
- Test performance on mobile and desktop with their specific theme.
- Monitor Core Web Vitals after installing a wishlist app.
- Ask vendors for implementation guides or lightweight script options.
Swish’s onboarding service can help ensure an optimized implementation. Mst’s minimal pricing might require merchants to manage performance tuning internally.
Security, Privacy & Compliance
Both apps work with customer accounts and handle user-provided data. Merchants should confirm:
- Data handling and retention policies.
- How wishlist data ties to customer records.
- Support for privacy regulations (GDPR/CCPA) and export/delete capabilities.
Swish’s enterprise positioning suggests clearer SLAs for data handling, but merchants must confirm contractual terms. Mst provides API and integrations: merchants reliant on compliance must verify available data controls.
Use Cases and Merchant Recommendations
Below are practical recommendations that tie functionality to merchant priorities.
- For teams that want a quick, low-cost wishlist with basic alerts and full access to custom templates: Mst is a sensible choice. Its $2/month plan makes it easy to test the value of wishlists without impacting margins.
- For brands that want white-glove onboarding, out-of-the-box Klaviyo and Meta integrations, and enterprise-level support (including headless/Hydrogen compatibility): Swish aligns with those needs and offers dedicated Plus services for larger stores.
- For stores that want to treat the wishlist as a growth signal—feeding personalization, ad audiences, and retention flows—Swish’s event wiring and analytics are oriented toward that outcome.
- For migration projects or stores with heavy developer resources that prefer to control display and behavior via Liquid/API: Mst’s low cost and headless support are appealing.
No single app is a universal winner. The choice depends on the store’s growth stage, technical resources, and whether a merchant prefers to consolidate retention tools or keep a lightweight wishlist as a standalone utility.
Migration, Exit Planning & Data Portability
Merchants should think beyond feature parity and plan how to move wishlist data if switching vendors later.
Key migration considerations:
- Can the app export wishlist data in a usable format (customer ID, product variants, timestamps)?
- Are API endpoints available to bulk import/export saved item lists?
- Will switching apps break frontend references or require theme edits?
Swish’s white-glove approach can help plan a migration for larger merchants. Mst’s API support provides programmatic paths for data export/import, but migrations may require developer time.
Pricing Summary (Quick Reference)
- Swish: $19–$99/month depending on Shopify plan, free setup included; higher tiers add priority support and headless services.
- Mst: $2/month flat plan with all features; developer-friendly customization via Liquid and API.
Merchants should calculate total cost of ownership, including:
- Monthly app fees.
- Developer or implementation time.
- Marketing ops time to build and maintain flows.
- Performance monitoring and any third-party integrations.
The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform
Why app fatigue matters
App fatigue occurs when merchants rely on many single-purpose apps to meet different retention needs—one app for wishlists, another for loyalty, a third for reviews, and yet another for referrals. The consequences include:
- Increased monthly fees and unpredictable billing as each app scales.
- Fragmented customer data across tools, making unified lifecycle marketing harder.
- Higher technical debt and longer onboarding cycles for new apps.
- Greater risk of front-end performance degradation from multiple script loads.
Because wishlists often feed retention and reactivation behavior, they are one piece of a broader repeat-purchase strategy. Using separate tools for every retention tactic can reduce clarity and complicate optimization.
Growave: More Growth, Less Stack
Growave is positioned as a consolidated retention platform that combines wishlists with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers. The platform's "More Growth, Less Stack" value proposition addresses app fatigue by providing integrated tools that share customer data and reduce the need for multiple single-purpose apps.
Key advantages of the all-in-one approach:
- Unified customer profiles that include wishlist signals, rewards activity, referral status, and review history.
- Fewer monthly subscriptions to manage and a single point of support.
- Cross-functional campaigns (e.g., reward points for writing a review on saved items) without complex integrations.
- Centralized analytics to understand how wishlists impact LTV, repeat purchase rate, and churn across channels.
Merchants interested in reducing tool sprawl can explore how to consolidate retention features into a single subscription while preserving advanced behavior-based marketing.
How Growave maps to the wishlist problem
Growave includes wishlist functionality as part of a broader retention suite so that wishlist events are immediately useful across loyalty, referrals, and reviews.
Examples of linked outcomes:
- Wishlist signals feeding personalized reward offers or point incentives to recover saved-but-not-purchased items.
- Wishlist items triggering targeted email flows that are aware of a customer’s loyalty tier.
- Aggregated metrics showing how wishlists influence repeat purchase rate and average order value.
Stores can compare Growave’s pricing tiers and capabilities to evaluate consolidation versus multiple standalone tools by visiting the Growave pricing area to compare plans and expected outcomes.
Integrations that matter
Growave supports a broad integrations footprint so wishlist events and loyalty behavior can be synchronized with the rest of the tech stack:
- Email and automation platforms such as Klaviyo and Omnisend.
- Helpdesk tools like Gorgias.
- Subscription platforms like Recharge for post-purchase lifecycle.
- Support for Shopify Plus and headless stores.
To evaluate enterprise readiness and headless support for large catalogs, merchants can review Growave’s solutions for high-growth Plus brands.
Feature highlights and contextual links
- Loyalty & Rewards: Growave’s loyalty system enables merchants to create points programs, VIP tiers, and custom reward actions that can be tied to wishlist engagement. For merchants focused on improving lifetime value, learn more about loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
- Reviews & UGC: Growave includes review collection and display tools so merchants can collect and showcase authentic reviews alongside wishlist activity to increase buyer confidence.
- Wishlist: The wishlist component is integrated and designed to power lifecycle flows without adding a separate app.
- Customer stories: Merchants exploring consolidation can read customer stories from brands scaling retention to understand typical results and implementation approaches.
Using these combined capabilities reduces the number of vendors and simplifies campaign execution. For merchants who want a live walkthrough of how wishlist signals can feed loyalty and review campaigns, it is possible to Book a personalized demo with a product specialist.
(Book a personalized demo to evaluate how a unified retention stack improves retention.)
Pricing and trialing Growave
Growave offers tiered plans and trials designed to match store scale:
- Free plan available for initial testing.
- Entry Plan ($49/month) with loyalty, reviews, referrals, wishlist, and basic integrations—suitable for stores starting to prioritize retention.
- Growth Plan ($199/month) and Plus Plan ($499/month) offer higher order thresholds, advanced customization, and dedicated support.
Merchants can review available pricing to decide whether consolidation produces savings and operational benefits by comparing options on the Growave pricing page and, if desired, install Growave from the Shopify App Store to test in a live environment.
When the all-in-one approach makes sense
An integrated platform is often the better strategic choice when:
- The brand is focused on increasing customer lifetime value and reducing churn.
- The merchant is paying for multiple single-purpose apps that cover overlapping retention features.
- The marketing team needs unified segmentation and attribution for loyalty-driven campaigns.
- The store is preparing for scale or is already on Shopify Plus and needs headless support.
For smaller stores that simply want a lightweight wishlist without broader retention needs, a single-purpose wishlist app may remain the most cost-effective short-term choice. That said, the operational overhead of multiple apps grows with the business; consolidation often becomes more attractive as order volume and marketing complexity increase.
Conclusion
For merchants choosing between Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Mst: Wishlist + Marketing flow, the decision comes down to trade-offs between high-touch integration and enterprise-ready features versus minimal upfront cost and developer-led customization. Swish suits merchants who want robust integrations, analytics, and white-glove onboarding—ideal for brands that already run Klaviyo/Meta ad stacks or need headless compatibility. Mst is a strong option for price-sensitive stores that require flexible wishlist capabilities and alerting at the lowest monthly cost.
Beyond the immediate choice between these two wishlist apps, consider whether a broader retention strategy would benefit from fewer moving parts. Growave consolidates wishlists with loyalty, referrals, and reviews so a single platform can handle cross-functional retention goals. Merchants ready to reduce tool sprawl and focus on increasing LTV can explore Growave’s plans and decide whether consolidation yields better operational and financial outcomes by reviewing pricing and options on the Growave site and choosing to install Growave from the Shopify App Store.
Start a 14-day free trial to evaluate whether a single integrated retention platform accelerates growth and simplifies operations by visiting the Growave pricing area and signing up today: Start a 14-day free trial.
FAQ
- How do Swish and Mst differ in terms of marketing automation?
- Swish focuses on enabling personalized and automated wishlist-triggered notifications with out-of-the-box Klaviyo and Meta integrations, making it easier to use wishlist events directly in marketing flows. Mst supports price-drop and back-in-stock alerts and integrates with messaging providers; it’s effective for essential notifications but may require more configuration for sophisticated personalization.
- Which app offers better value for stores without developer resources?
- Swish includes free setup and customization and offers higher-touch onboarding, which speeds implementation for shops without in-house developers. Mst offers strong developer-friendly customization at a very low monthly price, which is better value for teams that can implement templates and handle integrations themselves.
- How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps for wishlists?
- An integrated platform reduces the number of subscriptions, centralizes customer data, and enables cross-feature campaigns (e.g., reward points for wishlist actions). While specialized wishlist apps can be cheaper and lighter in implementation, consolidation often improves long-term retention strategy, measurement, and operational simplicity.
- If a store uses Klaviyo and Meta heavily, which option is most efficient?
- Swish is designed to map wishlist events into Klaviyo and Meta audiences quickly, which streamlines advertising and lifecycle flows. Growave also integrates with Klaviyo and enables wishlist signals to feed loyalty and retention campaigns, which can reduce the need for separate wishlist and loyalty apps.








