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

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app for a Shopify store can feel deceptively simple, yet the decision affects conversion, customer retention, and the number of apps a merchant must manage. Merchants must weigh features, integrations, implementation effort, pricing, and the longer-term impact on customer lifetime value before committing.

Short answer: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a polished, full-featured wishlist built for brands that want advanced customization, integration with email/analytics platforms, and professional onboarding; Stensiled Wishlist is a lightweight, budget-friendly option that focuses on basic wishlist functionality with core analytics. For teams that want to avoid tool sprawl and scale retention beyond saved items, a single integrated platform that combines wishlists with loyalty, referrals, and reviews often delivers better value for money.

This article provides an in-depth, feature-by-feature comparison of Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Stensiled Wishlist to help merchants decide which app fits their needs. Each section evaluates product functionality, pricing, integrations, onboarding, analytics, and the real trade-offs merchants face when choosing a single-purpose wishlist versus a broader retention solution.

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

Feature Comparison: Core Wishlist Capabilities

Wishlist creation and display

Swish

• Offers flexible wishlist creation across the shopping journey, allowing customers to add items from product pages, collections, and search results.
• Includes theme integration to match the store aesthetic; the onboarding team provides custom styling so buttons, modals, and icons feel native.
• Supports both logged-in customer wishlists and session-based saved items to capture intent from guest browsers.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Provides code-free setup to add wishlist buttons and a save-for-later flow.
• Button icon selection helps branding, but visual matching relies on the theme’s default styles unless the merchant customizes CSS.
• Focuses on straightforward addition/removal of items; fewer options for placement or multi-entry points compared to Swish.

Bottom line: Swish is built for flexible placement and brand-consistent visuals out of the box, while Stensiled targets quick, low-effort wishlist deployment.

Persistence and account handling

Swish

• Unlimited wishlists and saved items across plans.
• Integrates with customer accounts so wishlists persist across devices and sessions when users are logged in.
• Session-based saved items are also supported for guest shoppers.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Save-for-later functionality exists but depth of account integration is more limited; persistence depends on cookies and basic customer-account hooks.
• Best used where merchants prioritize a simple save flow over robust cross-device persistence.

Bottom line: For consistent cross-device persistence, Swish provides stronger account-level wishlist handling.

Sharing and social features

Swish

• Automated wishlist notifications and sharing options to encourage gifting and social proof.
• Integrations enable sending reminders or targeted messages through email/ads platforms.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Basic sharing capability is available, but automation and multi-channel notification support are minimal.
• Sharing is adequate for customers to send wishlists to friends but lacks advanced automated workflows.

Bottom line: Swish excels when merchants want to turn saved items into conversion via automated notifications and multi-channel reminders.

Customization and UX control

Swish

• Free setup and customization service for every plan; styling, modal behavior, and button placement are tailored during onboarding.
• Advanced customers (Plus plan) enjoy white-glove onboarding and priority support, and compatibility with headless/Hydrogen setups.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Emphasizes code-free setup with simple UI options like custom icons.
• Limited deep customization; bespoke styling may require manual CSS or developer assistance.

Bottom line: Merchants needing tight UX control and brand-fit should prefer Swish; Stensiled is a faster, simpler option for standard setups.

Advanced Features: Analytics, Automation, and Curations

Analytics and reporting

Swish

• Offers advanced analytics and wishlist curation to surface high-intent products and interpret saved-item behavior.
• Integrates with GA4 for behavior tracking and with Klaviyo for segmentation based on wishlist activity.
• Data is geared toward conversion optimization—e.g., identifying frequently saved but rarely purchased SKUs.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Includes detailed wishlist analytics (per vendor claims) and activity tracking with time-range filters.
• Analytics are geared toward basic reporting on saves, popular items, and recent activity windows.

Bottom line: Both apps provide analytics, but Swish focuses on actionable integrations and deeper conversion insights, while Stensiled delivers fundamental metrics suitable for small shops.

Automation and follow-up

Swish

• Built-in automation for wishlist notifications: personalized messages, restock alerts, and price-drop notifications can be configured.
• Leverages integrations (Klaviyo, Meta) to trigger multi-channel campaigns based on wishlist actions.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Automation is limited; merchants typically need to export data or use platform-level automations to follow up on wishlist actions.
• Time-based segmentation exists for activity tracking, but automated triggered messaging is not a core strength.

Bottom line: If turning wishlists into revenue through automated communication is a priority, Swish provides more native capability.

Wishlist curation and merchandising

Swish

• Supports curation features so merchants can promote wishlisted items within marketing or landing pages.
• Insights allow merchandising teams to adjust inventory, run targeted promotions, or create urgency for popular wishlisted products.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Merchandising features are basic—reports expose popular items, but the tool lacks built-in promotional widgets to display wishlisted collections.

Bottom line: Swish helps close the loop between wishlist behavior and merchandising decisions; Stensiled provides raw signals without deeper merchandising tooling.

Integrations & Compatibility

Email and marketing platforms

Swish

• Official out-of-the-box integrations with Klaviyo and Meta allow for seamless segmentation and ad personalization.
• GA4 support enables analytics teams to unify wishlist events with site analytics.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Integrations are limited; merchants may need to route activity through platform-level events or manual exports.
• No clear built-in Klaviyo or GA4 plug-and-play integrations documented in the app listing.

Bottom line: Swish is the better option for stores relying on sophisticated email and ad automation.

Headless and enterprise environments

Swish

• Has Shopify Plus plan offerings with Hydrogen and headless stack compatibility, including dedicated account support.
• For merchants running complex storefront setups, Swish explicitly supports advanced architectures.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Tailored more toward standard Shopify themes; headless support and enterprise features are not highlighted.
• Suitable for traditional storefronts rather than complex, headless implementations.

Bottom line: For enterprise brands or headless stores, Swish provides more robust compatibility.

Checkout and other Shopify integrations

Swish

• Works with Checkout, Hydrogen, Markets, Customer Accounts, Search, and Recommendations.
• Designed to integrate across the shopping journey, increasing the chance wishlist data is actionable at checkout or in recommendations.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Works primarily within storefront pages; specific integrations with checkout extensions or advanced Shopify features are not prominent.

Bottom line: Swish is more integrated across the platform and therefore more capable of feeding wishlist signals into wider commerce workflows.

Pricing & Value

Pricing structure comparison

Swish

• Plans start at $19 / month (Basic Shopify) and scale to $99 / month for Shopify Plus, with intermediate tiers at $29 and $49.
• All plans include free setup and onboarding, unlimited wishlists and sessions.
• Shopify Plus plan adds white-glove onboarding, priority support, and Hydrogen/headless support.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Basic Plan is free and includes code-free setup, wishlist analytics, custom icons, save-for-later, and activity tracking.
• Advance Plan is $9.99 / month and provides the same feature bullets (the distinction between paid and free tiers appears small in the listing).
• Lack of additional tiers suggests a very low-cost proposition for small merchants.

Assessing value for money

Swish

• Higher price relative to Stensiled, but includes paid setup, advanced integrations, and enterprise support—good value for merchants who need those services.
• The free setup and customization across all plans reduce implementation friction and time-to-value; for merchants who value professional onboarding, this offsets monthly fees.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Attractive to budget-conscious merchants due to a free tier and a low-cost paid plan.
• Offers good value for stores that only need basic wishlist mechanics and simple analytics without deeper integrations or high-touch support.

Bottom line: Swish represents better value for merchants who rely on integrations, onboarding, and automation to drive conversion; Stensiled represents better value for merchants prioritizing minimal cost and simplicity.

Onboarding, Support & Trust Signals

Onboarding and implementation support

Swish

• Emphasizes free setup and customization services across all plans.
• Shopify Plus customers receive white-glove onboarding and a dedicated account manager.
• Onboarding is a tangible differentiator for teams that lack developer resources.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Promotes code-free setup, which keeps technical barriers low.
• No documented white-glove or dedicated onboarding; merchant support likely comes through standard channels.

Bottom line: For merchants with limited internal developer bandwidth who value hand-holding during setup, Swish reduces friction and risk.

Customer reviews and social proof

Swish

• 272 reviews with a 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store—strong social proof that many merchants appreciate the product and support.
• High review count and perfect rating suggest consistent performance and satisfaction.

Stensiled Wishlist

• 0 reviews and a 0 rating on the app listing—no social proof to evaluate merchant experience.
• New or less-adopted apps can still be viable, but the lack of reviews increases uncertainty around reliability and support quality.

Bottom line: Swish demonstrates established trust; Stensiled’s lack of reviews requires merchants to either test the app or request references.

Implementation Complexity and Developer Requirements

Theme compatibility and styling

Swish

• Works with all themes and offers customization during setup so the wishlist aligns with brand styles without custom development.
• For non-standard themes, the onboarding team can assist, reducing the need for in-house developers.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Code-free setup intended for fast deployment; however, deeper visual alignment may need custom CSS changes.
• Best suited to merchants comfortable editing theme settings or accepting near-default visuals.

Bottom line: Swish minimizes development overhead by handling styling; Stensiled suits merchants comfortable with a quick plug-and-play approach.

Custom code and headless use cases

Swish

• Supports headless and Hydrogen workflows in higher tiers.
• Provides additional support for advanced storefront architectures.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Focuses on standard theme implementations; headless or API-centric setups are not a documented priority.

Bottom line: For technical architectures beyond mainstream Shopify themes, Swish offers clearer support.

Security, Data Ownership, and Privacy Considerations

Swish

• Integration with analytics platforms like GA4 and Klaviyo implies that wishlist events can become part of a merchant’s owned data.
• Merchants should review data-handling practices during onboarding, especially when connecting to customer profiles and marketing platforms.

Stensiled Wishlist

• Stores activity data and offers analytics; merchants should verify retention periods and access models.
• With fewer integrations, data flows may remain simpler, but that also limits how wishlist data is used for lifecycle campaigns.

Bottom line: Both apps require merchants to review privacy and data-sharing settings, but Swish’s integrations make it more powerful—and therefore more important to configure privacy controls correctly.

Use Cases and Recommendations

Best fit: Swish

Swish is best for:

• Mid-market and enterprise merchants who rely on Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta for retargeting and segmentation.
• Brands that need polished visual integration and want the onboarding experience to minimize developer time.
• Stores planning to use wishlist data to drive email automation, restock alerts, and targeted ad campaigns.
• Merchants on Shopify Plus or headless stacks that need compatibility and dedicated support.

Practical outcomes for choosing Swish:

• Faster time-to-value because setup and styling are handled by the vendor.
• Higher conversion lift from automated wishlist notifications and targeted campaigns.
• Better merchandising decisions driven by curated wishlist analytics.

Best fit: Stensiled Wishlist

Stensiled Wishlist is best for:

• Small stores or single-founder shops that need a free or very low-cost wishlist.
• Merchants who want a simple save-for-later feature without complex integrations.
• Stores that will manually analyze wishlist analytics or use platform-level automations.

Practical outcomes for choosing Stensiled Wishlist:

• Minimal upfront cost and quick deployment.
• A straightforward persistent save flow for customers without investing in a full retention stack.
• Lower risk for stores that view wishlists as a convenience feature rather than a revenue-driving data source.

Trade-Offs Merchants Should Consider

• Investment vs. impact: Paying for advanced onboarding and integrations (Swish) speeds execution and supports revenue-driving campaigns. A free or low-cost tool (Stensiled) reduces overhead but may require in-house work to derive the same business outcomes.
• Data leverage: Swish’s integrations make wishlist data actionable in marketing automation; Stensiled’s data tends to be more siloed unless merchants build custom pipelines.
• Trust and reliability: 272 reviews with a 5-star rating gives Swish visible credibility. The absence of reviews for Stensiled increases implementation risk.
• Long-term scaling: Merchants intending to scale retention activities beyond wishlists (loyalty, referrals, reviews) should anticipate adding other apps and the complexity that causes.

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

The problem of app fatigue

App fatigue is the cumulative burden merchants face when managing a growing stack of single-purpose apps for separate retention use cases: wishlists, loyalty programs, referral tools, reviews, VIP tiers, and more. Each app introduces:

• Additional monthly fees and overlapping features.
• Fragmented customer data across multiple dashboards.
• Multiple integrations to maintain (e.g., Klaviyo, GA4, helpdesk).
• UX inconsistencies that can confuse customers and increase friction.

These costs add up. Deploying several niche apps to cover retention can increase maintenance overhead, slow down execution, and create missed opportunities because signals are siloed.

Growave’s "More Growth, Less Stack" proposition

To address app fatigue, merchants can consolidate retention features into a single platform that unifies wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews and VIP tiers. Growave positions itself around the "More Growth, Less Stack" value proposition by combining these capabilities in one product.

Growave brings multiple retention levers under a single roof:

• Loyalty and rewards programs to increase repeat purchase frequency and average order value.
• Wishlist features to capture purchase intent and trigger targeted campaigns.
• Referral mechanics to turn satisfied customers into new-acquisition channels.
• Reviews and UGC to build social proof and improve conversion.

The core advantage of consolidation is practical: one dashboard, one billing relationship, and a single source of truth for customer activity. Merchants can use wishlist data to inform loyalty actions or to trigger review requests without manual exports.

How consolidation improves measurable outcomes

• Retention and LTV: Integrated loyalty programs tied to wishlist behavior help convert intent into repeat purchases and increase lifetime value.
• Reduced friction: One integration point with marketing platforms reduces data loss and simplifies automation setup.
• Faster experimentation: Running referral or loyalty campaigns that reference wishlisted SKUs becomes operationally simpler, enabling faster A/B testing and promotional strategies.
• Better customer experience: Consistent styling and unified messaging across wishlist, loyalty, and review prompts create a smoother customer journey.

Merchants interested in consolidation can compare options and pricing across integrated suites by reviewing consolidated pricing tiers. For merchants evaluating consolidation, a practical next step is to explore how a single platform reduces stack complexity and drives retention improvements through tighter data flows and combined features. Merchants can examine options to consolidate retention features and see what fits budget and scale.

Growave feature spotlight (integrated benefits)

• Loyalty & Rewards: Customizable points and reward actions that can be triggered by wishlist actions, purchases, or referrals. For merchants focused on repeat purchases, combining wishlists and loyalty creates clear conversion pathways for saved items.
  • Explore how merchants build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Wishlist: A native wishlist module that plugs into the larger retention machine—wishlists feed loyalty segmentation and review prompts without separate exports.
  • Merchants can compare the wishlist experience within a unified retention product to see the difference in activation and engagement.
• Reviews & UGC: Automated review collection and display tools that surface genuine customer feedback at key moments. When wishlisted products convert, automatic review requests can follow the purchase.
  • Learn how to collect and showcase authentic reviews as part of a larger retention strategy.
• Referrals & VIP tiers: Reward programs that encourage customers to refer friends and unlock VIP benefits. Wishlists can be used to create referral incentives around specific SKUs or collections.

Each of these modules is built to work together—wishlist events can trigger loyalty actions, or loyalty tiers can unlock exclusive wishlist features or saved collections for VIP customers. This creates a cohesive retention funnel rather than multiple disconnected touchpoints.

Integrations and enterprise readiness

Growave supports integrations across marketing and support tools commonly used by growth teams—making it easier to pipe unified events into analytics or automation platforms. For stores on enterprise plans or planning headless implementations, Growave provides compatibility and support for scaling brands. Merchants evaluating consolidation will want to review integration lists and migration support to understand how existing wishlist data and loyalty customers migrate into a single system.

Merchants can inspect options for enterprise use and scaling needs with solutions aimed at high-growth or complex stores by exploring resources tailored for solutions for high-growth Plus brands. For those who prefer a live walkthrough, scheduling a demo helps evaluate fit and migration steps—book a personalized demo to see integration scenarios in action.

Cost considerations and value for money

Replacing multiple one-off apps with a combined platform often improves value for money in two ways:

• Direct savings on cumulative monthly subscriptions when overlapping features are consolidated.
• Indirect savings from reduced engineering time, fewer integrations to maintain, and faster campaign execution.

Growave publishes pricing tiers that help merchants assess how consolidation fits budgets. Merchants evaluating consolidation should compare the total cost of ownership for several single-purpose apps versus an integrated platform by reviewing consolidated pricing options and feature sets. To compare plans and select the best-fit tier for order volume and required capabilities, merchants should review available options at consolidate retention features.

Practical migration considerations

• Data migration: Export wishlist data from current apps and map to the new platform’s customer identifiers. Unified suites often provide migration guides or migration assistance.
• Feature parity: Identify which wishlist behaviors are critical (e.g., seat persistence, share features, automation) and ensure the replacement covers them.
• Staged rollout: Consider running the new platform in parallel for a short period to compare event fidelity and customer experience before sunsetting legacy apps.

Merchants can view examples of how other brands migrated and configured retention stacks in Growave’s customer stories for real-world context—review customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Practical Decision Framework for Merchants

When choosing between Swish, Stensiled, or an integrated suite like Growave, merchants should evaluate along these dimensions:

• Business stage and scale:
  • Small boutique stores with limited budget: Prioritize Stensiled for cost control and speed.
  • Growing mid-market brands: Swish can accelerate conversions with advanced integrations and onboarding.
  • Scaling brands seeking retention at scale: Prefer an integrated platform to reduce app sprawl.
• Technical capacity:
  • No developer bandwidth: Swish’s onboarding reduces implementation burden, or Stensiled keeps things simple if merchants accept basic visuals.
  • Headless or complex storefronts: Swish or a consolidated platform with Plus-level support is the better choice.
• Marketing and data strategy:
  • If wishlist events must feed into complex email and ad automation, Swish or an integrated suite is recommended.
  • If wishlists are a convenience feature only, Stensiled suffices.
• Total cost of ownership:
  • Compare the monthly fees, potential overlap between apps, and resource costs associated with maintaining multiple integrations.
  • Consolidation can be a better value for money when multiple retention tools are required.

Final comparison snapshot

• Swish offers enterprise-grade wishlist capabilities, strong integrations, free customization, and proven trust via 272 reviews at a 5-star rating. It drives outcomes when wishlists are a strategic input to email, ads, and merchandising.
• Stensiled Wishlist is a low-cost, easy-to-install wishlist option with basic analytics and save-for-later features. The lack of public reviews means merchants should validate support and reliability before committing.
• For merchants seeking a longer-term retention strategy that includes loyalty, referrals, and reviews in addition to wishlists, consolidating into an integrated platform reduces complexity and often improves lifetime value.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Stensiled Wishlist, the decision comes down to ambition and scope. Swish is the stronger choice for brands that want deep customization, proven onboarding, and integrations that make wishlist data actionable across marketing and analytics. Stensiled Wishlist is a practical, low-cost option for stores that need a fast, simple save-for-later experience without additional integrations.

However, the strategic question is not only which wishlist app to use, but whether a single-purpose wishlist should sit alongside separate loyalty, review, and referral apps. Combining these functions into one platform reduces tool sprawl and creates stronger, data-driven retention strategies. For merchants ready to consolidate retention features and streamline operations, Growave offers a way to reduce the number of apps while retaining—if not enhancing—capabilities.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how a unified retention stack reduces app sprawl and accelerates growth: Start a 14-day free trial.

For those who want to evaluate the app listing and installation path directly, installing an integrated retention suite can be done from the Shopify App Store: install an integrated retention suite.

FAQ

Q: Which app is better for a small store with a limited budget?

• A small store focused strictly on cost and quick deployment will likely find Stensiled Wishlist appealing due to its free tier and low-cost paid plan. It covers core wishlist needs without long onboarding. However, merchants should weigh the long-term benefit of investing in a consolidated solution if plans include loyalty or review programs soon.

Q: Which app is better for a brand that uses Klaviyo and needs automated wishlist follow-ups?

• Swish is better positioned for Klaviyo-driven workflows because it offers built-in integrations and automated wishlist notification capabilities. That makes turning wishlist intent into segmented email journeys more straightforward.

Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps like Swish or Stensiled?

• An all-in-one platform consolidates wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews into one product, reducing monthly fees, integration overhead, and data fragmentation. This typically delivers faster orchestration of retention strategies and clearer ROI. For merchants planning multiple retention programs, consolidation often provides better value for money and simpler operations compared with maintaining several specialized apps. Merchants interested in comparing costs and functionality across plans can consolidate retention features.

Q: How should a merchant evaluate trust and support when an app has few or no reviews?

• A merchant should request references, test onboarding responsiveness, and evaluate support SLAs before committing. When reviews are absent—as with Stensiled Wishlist—small merchants can trial the app on a staging theme to validate behavior, while larger merchants may prefer vendors with proven track records and onboarding guarantees, such as those provided by Swish. For comparisons of enterprise readiness and customer stories, see customer stories from brands scaling retention.