Swish (formerly Wishlist King) vs VTN Power Wishlist: Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app can feel surprisingly consequential. Wishlists are frequently the first retention touchpoint that turns passive interest into repeat visits, saved carts, and eventually purchases. Merchants face a choice between narrowly focused, feature-rich wishlist tools and lightweight, cost-conscious options — and the decision affects conversion, data quality, and the number of apps stacked into the store.

Short answer: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a full-featured, professionally supported wishlist solution aimed at brands that want advanced analytics, onboarding, and integration with marketing tools. VTN Power Wishlist is a leaner option that works well for stores that need a simple, low-cost wishlist with guest support and quick setup. For merchants who want a single system that handles wishlists plus loyalty, reviews, referrals and VIP tiers, an integrated retention platform can deliver better value and less tool sprawl than either single-purpose app.

This article provides a feature-by-feature, impartial comparison of Swish and VTN Power Wishlist to help merchants determine which is the better fit by business size, technical needs, and growth goals. After the comparison, the piece examines the costs of app proliferation and presents an all-in-one alternative that reduces integration overhead and improves long-term retention.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

The comparison below evaluates the two apps across features, implementation, analytics, integrations, pricing & value, performance and support. Each section focuses on outcomes relevant to merchants: increasing conversion, retaining customers, boosting lifetime value (LTV), and minimizing operational complexity.

Feature Set and UX

Wishlist Creation & Persistence

Swish

• Allows wishlisting across the full shopping journey, including product pages, collection pages, and potentially custom places via theme integration.
• Supports unlimited wishlists and saved items per account; ideal when customers maintain multiple lists (e.g., gift lists, favorites).
• Works with customer accounts to persist wishlists for logged-in users and can support headless experiences through Hydrogen markets.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Supports personal wishlists and guest wishlists out of the box; guest-first capability lowers friction for first-time visitors.
• Free plan includes a personal wishlist page with add-to-cart, the Premium plan expands placement to collection pages and adds move-to-wishlist from cart.
• Designed for quick, no-code setup; good for merchants that need a simple save-for-later experience without heavy customization.

Practical takeaway: For stores that expect complex customer behavior (multiple lists, headless storefronts, or heavy cross-device usage), Swish provides more persistence and flexibility. For straightforward save-for-later needs, VTN covers the essentials with lower complexity.

Customization and Theming

Swish

• Promotes full customization to match store aesthetics; free setup and customization service is included across plans.
• White-glove options at the Plus tier include priority support and dedicated setup — helpful for maintaining brand cohesion in large stores.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Focuses on easy and fast setup with basic styling controls suitable for most themes.
• Premium plan provides installation support and additional placement options, but it’s less oriented toward bespoke front-end work.

Practical takeaway: Brands that require pixel-perfect integration and a wishlist UI that mirrors a custom theme will find Swish’s included setup service valuable. Smaller merchants or stores without complex design needs will be satisfied with VTN’s simpler theming approach.

Notifications & Automation

Swish

• Emphasizes personalised and automated wishlist notifications aimed at converting saved items into purchases.
• Integrations with Klaviyo and Meta enable targeted campaigns triggered by wishlist events.
• Automation capabilities support remarketing and lifecycle email flows.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Provides basic reporting and email support. The app’s core positioning is wishlist management rather than advanced notification automation.
• Premium users gain more reporting depth, but explicit automation workflows and third-party marketing triggers are not as prominent in the feature set.

Practical takeaway: If converting saved items through time-based or event-based emails is a priority, Swish has an advantage due to out-of-the-box integrations with major marketing tools.

Analytics & Wishlist Curation

Swish

• Marketing- and product-oriented analytics intended to surface high-intent items and wishlist trends.
• Reports can inform merchandising and re-stock decisions, and feed into marketing campaigns.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Free plan provides basic reports; Premium includes "Advanced Reports" which likely cover wishlist activity and simple segmentation.
• The small review base (9 reviews) makes it harder to judge the depth of reporting from user feedback alone.

Practical takeaway: Swish targets merchants that want wishlist data to influence merchandising and marketing. VTN offers reporting suitable for small stores that need simple visibility into saved items.

Integrations & Ecosystem Compatibility

Marketing & Email Platforms

Swish

• Explicit integrations with Klaviyo, GA4 and Meta are called out — this is critical for merchants that rely on sophisticated email flows and ad retargeting.
• Those integrations reduce the amount of manual ETL and increase the value of wishlist events in existing marketing automation.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Email support and reporting are included, with installation assistance at the Premium level. Integration depth with major marketing automation platforms is not emphasized in the provided data.

Practical takeaway: Merchants using advanced email and ad platforms will likely have a smoother experience with Swish because of the native integrations.

Platform and Headless Support

Swish

• Notes compatibility with Hydrogen and headless stacks; Shopify Plus plan explicitly lists Hydrogen & headless support.
• This is especially relevant for enterprise merchants using modern front-end architectures.

VTN Power Wishlist

• No explicit headless or Hydrogen mention in the provided details. The app seems optimized for traditional Shopify themes and quick installs.

Practical takeaway: Swish is a safer bet for headless or progressive storefronts; VTN is better for standard Shopify themes.

Customer Accounts & Guest Users

Swish

• Integrates with Customer Accounts to provide persistent wishlists for logged-in users, improving long-term data quality.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Emphasizes guest wishlist capability — a clear plus for stores that must accommodate anonymous shoppers and reduce friction.

Practical takeaway: If guest wishlist creation is essential (for example, stores with many occasional shoppers), VTN’s guest-first approach is an advantage.

Performance, Reliability & Scale

Swish

• A larger review base (272 reviews) and a 5-star rating signal widespread adoption and strong user satisfaction. The presence of dedicated onboarding and higher-tier support suggests a reliability posture aimed at scale.
• Unlimited sessions and unlimited wishlists are favorable for stores with high traffic.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Fewer reviews (9) but a high rating (4.8) indicate positive early feedback. Smaller developer footprint can mean quicker iteration but also less proven scale.
• The free plan and ultra-low Premium price point are attractive for small stores but may raise concerns about long-term support and stability at scale.

Practical takeaway: For high-traffic stores that require proven uptime and enterprise support, Swish’s market presence provides more confidence. For side projects, test stores, or low-traffic shops, VTN is a practical, low-risk choice.

Pricing and Value

Swish Pricing Overview

Swish positions pricing against Shopify subscription tiers:

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

Value considerations:

• Swish charges more at higher tiers to reflect white-glove services and dedicated account management.
• Free setup across all plans lowers the implementation cost barrier.
• For merchants who will use integrations like Klaviyo and need deeper customization, the incremental cost can be good value for money.

VTN Power Wishlist Pricing Overview

VTN offers:

• Free plan: Free forever, basic wishlist page, guest wishlist, basic reports.
• PREMIUM plan: $2.99/month, includes collection page wishlist, move-to-wishlist from cart, advanced reports, priority support, and installation support.

Value considerations:

• VTN’s free tier covers many wishlist basics, making it the most budget-friendly option.
• At $2.99/month, the Premium plan is extremely low cost for incremental features — strong value for small stores.
• The trade-off is less emphasis on enterprise-level features and integrations, which some merchants will outgrow.

Comparing Value for Money

• VTN Power Wishlist provides better value for money for stores that only need wishlist functionality and minimal integrations. It minimizes monthly overhead and can be installed and tested risk-free.
• Swish offers better value for merchants that expect to use wishlist data alongside marketing automation, need onboarding services, and require a partner that can support a growing, complex tech stack.

Practical takeaway: Consider the total cost of ownership. Multiple single-purpose apps that each cost a few dollars per month quickly add complexity. For stores scaling beyond wishlist basics, a platform that bundles wishlist with other retention tools may deliver better value per feature.

Implementation & Time to Launch

Swish

• Free setup and customization across all plans reduce time to launch for brands that need a tailored implementation.
• Plus plan white-glove onboarding is suitable for merchants that require hands-on assistance.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Emphasizes easy, no-code setup for fast installation.
• Premium plan offers installation support if needed.

Practical takeaway: VTN wins for the fastest DIY launch. Swish reduces time indirectly by handling setup for merchants that prefer a supported rollout and want to ensure a polished, integrated experience.

Support & Community Feedback

Swish

• 272 reviews with an average rating of 5 suggests active user satisfaction and robust support.
• Dedicated support options and Plus-tier account management indicate strong SLAs for larger merchants.

VTN Power Wishlist

• 9 reviews with a 4.8 rating suggest positive user experiences, but the limited sample size reduces the ability to spot edge-case issues.
• Email and priority support on Premium are helpful, but the small developer footprint can affect response capacity for complex issues.

Practical takeaway: Swish’s larger install base and review volume provide more confidence in support consistency. VTN’s support is appropriate for smaller installations but may not scale as a store grows.

Security, Data Ownership & Privacy

Both apps operate within Shopify’s ecosystem and must adhere to Shopify’s app requirements for data handling. Key considerations for merchants:

• Swish’s deeper integrations with marketing tools mean additional data flows (to Klaviyo, Meta), so merchants should confirm data handling practices specific to their compliance needs.
• VTN’s simpler integration surface area reduces complexity but might limit the ability to export wishlist activity to external analytics tools.

Practical takeaway: Merchants bound by strict privacy or data governance requirements should verify integration security and data residency policies for any wishlist provider. Swish provides richer integrations that come with more data movement to manage.

Use Cases: Which App Is Right For Which Merchant?

This section maps typical merchant needs to the app that best serves those needs.

• Brands on Shopify Plus with headless or Hydrogen storefronts and a focus on personalized lifecycle marketing: Swish is better suited because it supports headless, offers white-glove onboarding, and integrates with Klaviyo and Meta.
• Mid-market DTC brands that want wishlist analytics to inform merchandising and retargeting strategies: Swish provides more actionable analytics and marketing hooks.
• Small stores or side projects that want a simple wishlist, guest support, and minimal monthly cost: VTN Power Wishlist is a logical choice; the free plan lets merchants test wishlist behavior before upgrading.
• Stores prioritizing rapid DIY deployment with low technical overhead: VTN’s no-code setup and low cost make it easy to implement.
• Merchants who expect to consolidate retention features (wishlists + loyalty + reviews + referrals): Neither single-purpose app addresses all retention needs; consider a multi-function platform to reduce stack complexity.

Migration, Exit Strategy, and Data Portability

Merchants should plan for potential migration when choosing a wishlist provider.

• Swish likely supports data export and integrations with analytics platforms, which simplifies migration and ensures wishlist insights are not trapped in a single app.
• VTN’s smaller scope might make exports straightforward for saved items and basic reports, but the lack of deep marketing hooks could mean manually stitching wishlist events into marketing workflows.

Practical takeaway: Determine export capabilities and whether wishlist data can be forwarded into analytics and email platforms before committing. This reduces the risk of losing historical wishlist behavior when switching apps.

Pricing Scenarios and Total Cost of Ownership

Consider a growth path:

• Small store on a budget: Start with VTN’s free plan, upgrade to $2.99/month if collection-level wishlisting or move-to-wishlist is required. Low monthly cost and quick setup minimize risk.
• Growing DTC brand using Klaviyo and Facebook/Meta ads: Swish’s $29–$49 plans (depending on Shopify tier) include integrations and onboarding that streamline marketing automation. The Plus plan at $99/month is justified if white-glove onboarding and headless support are required.
• Merchants adding multiple single-purpose apps: Each additional tool adds maintenance, billing, and potential data fragmentation. Over time, that increases the total cost of ownership beyond per-app prices.

Practical takeaway: Evaluate not just the monthly fee but the operational cost of supporting more apps, troubleshooting integrations, and building workflows across multiple vendors.

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

Single-purpose apps solve narrow problems very well, but they also create operational and strategic friction. Frequent consequences of relying on multiple point solutions include inconsistent data models, duplicated functionality, higher monthly bills, and increased lift for support and integration efforts. This is commonly known as app fatigue.

App fatigue impacts merchant outcomes:

• Fragmented customer profiles reduce the effectiveness of personalized marketing.
• Multiple data sources complicate A/B tests and attribution.
• Each additional app increases theme maintenance risk and the surface area for technical issues.
• Managing invoices, support tickets, and vendor roadmaps consumes time that could be spent on growth strategies.

An all-in-one retention platform mitigates these issues by centralizing wishlists alongside loyalty, referrals, reviews and VIP tiers. That approach lowers the number of integrations, standardizes customer events, and streamlines reporting. It also keeps incentive logic in one place — crucial when loyalty points, wishlist triggers, and referral rewards must work together.

Growave’s "More Growth, Less Stack" proposition is built around this consolidation idea. The platform combines loyalty and rewards, referrals, reviews & UGC, wishlist, and VIP tiers in a single suite so merchants can reduce tool sprawl while improving retention outcomes.

• To evaluate the value of consolidating retention features, merchants can review pricing to compare the bundled cost and the operational savings of fewer integrations: consolidate retention features.
• For stores that want the convenience of installing a unified product rather than assembling several single-purpose apps, it’s simple to install a unified retention platform from the Shopify App Store.

How an Integrated Suite Reduces Complexity

• Unified customer identity: Wishlists, loyalty points, referrals and reviews feed a single customer profile, enabling more precise lifetime value (LTV) optimization.
• Fewer integration touchpoints: One platform handles event collection and routing to marketing tools rather than several independent apps.
• Centralized reward logic: Points, discounts, and VIP thresholds can be applied consistently across wishlist-driven behaviors and referral conversions.
• Consolidated reporting: Merchants can view wishlist impact in the same analytics context as loyalty and referral performance, which simplifies decision-making.

Feature Comparison: What an All-in-One Platform Offers Beyond Wishlists

Growave integrates wishlist functionality with other retention tools that boost repeat purchases and LTV:

• Loyalty and Rewards: Build customizable programs that encourage repeat purchases and increase average order value. Merchants can design point-earning events that include wishlist interactions to reward and re-engage shoppers. Learn about implementing loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Reviews & UGC: Collect and showcase verified reviews and user-generated content to improve conversion and provide social proof. This helps turn wishlist interest into trust signals on product pages. Merchants can easily collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Referrals & VIP Tiers: Convert wishlist fans into referrers and reward high-value customers with VIP perks, creating a loop that increases retention and advocacy.
• Cross-tool automation: Link wishlist events to loyalty triggers — for example, awarding points when a wishlist item is purchased or sending exclusive VIP offers to customers who maintain active wishlists.

Growave provides multiple touchpoints for merchants to explore how those features work for specific business models:

• See customer stories and inspiration from brands that moved to a unified platform to reduce tool sprawl and improve retention: customer stories from brands scaling retention.
• For enterprise and high-scale merchants, there are tailored solutions and support infrastructure: solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Practical Outcomes of Consolidation

• Reduced churn of apps: Fewer subscriptions to manage and fewer compatibility issues during theme updates.
• Faster experimentation: Changes to reward logic or wishlist incentives can be implemented in one place and measured quickly.
• Improved ROI on marketing: When wishlist events flow into the same system that manages loyalty and referral incentives, the signals used for segmentation become stronger and more actionable.

Integration Examples and Marketing Workflows

• Wishlists to Email: Wishlist activity can trigger segmented flows, such as abandoned wishlist reminders for high-intent items. Using a single platform simplifies mapping wishlist events to rewards and email triggers without complex middleware.
• Wishlist-to-Loyalty: Award points for saving items or for purchasing from a wishlist, then surface targeted offers to customers who frequently maintain lists.
• Wishlist to Reviews: Encourage customers who saved and then purchased items to submit reviews, improving UGC volume and conversion.

Merchants interested in evaluating bundled pricing and technical fit can compare plans to see how a consolidated platform costs versus multiple single-purpose apps: consolidate retention features. For quick discovery and installation, view the app on Shopify: install a unified retention platform.

Migration Considerations When Moving to an All-in-One Platform

• Data mapping: Ensure wishlist items and customer identifiers map cleanly into the new system so historical insights are preserved.
• Reward reconciliation: If loyalty or rewards data exists in a separate app, plan for reconciliation to avoid reward duplication or loss.
• Announcement strategy: Communicate changes to customers if their account or wishlist behavior will be affected during the migration window.

Merchants can schedule a conversation to review migration specifics and receive tailored guidance: book a personalized demo.

Cost-Benefit Summary

• VTN Power Wishlist is low-cost and quick to install, delivering immediate wishlist functionality for minimal expense. It is the best value for stores that only need a wishlist and minimal reporting.
• Swish is better value for merchants that require enterprise-grade onboarding, marketing integrations, analytics, and headless support — especially where wishlist behavior feeds into broader lifecycle campaigns.
• For merchants who expect to adopt multiple retention tools or want a single source for loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists, a consolidated platform reduces operational overhead and improves the ability to execute cross-channel retention strategies. Compare plans to evaluate what a consolidated solution saves on integrations and administrative effort: consolidate retention features.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and VTN Power Wishlist, the decision comes down to scope and scale. Choose VTN Power Wishlist if the priority is an affordable, no-code wishlist that supports guest users and quick launches. Choose Swish if the priority is a full-featured wishlist integrated with marketing automation, supported onboarding, and headless storefront compatibility.

For brands that want to avoid tool sprawl and get more retention for each dollar spent, a unified retention platform offers a higher-value alternative. Consolidating wishlists with loyalty, reviews, referrals, and VIP tiers reduces integration overhead and delivers more consistent lifetime value improvements. Explore how a unified retention stack can replace multiple single-purpose apps and simplify retention workflows: consolidate retention features. Install a single app to manage wishlists alongside loyalty and reviews for faster, cleaner growth: install a unified retention platform.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how combining wishlists, loyalty, referrals, and reviews in one platform reduces app fatigue and accelerates retention.

FAQ

What are the primary differences in target merchant profiles between Swish and VTN Power Wishlist?

• Swish targets mid-market to enterprise merchants that need customization, integration with marketing platforms like Klaviyo, and white-glove onboarding. VTN Power Wishlist targets small stores and merchants that prefer a low-cost, no-code wishlist solution with guest wishlist support.

How do integrations affect the long-term value of each app?

• Deeper integrations (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta) increase the long-term value of wishlist events because they feed into lifecycle marketing and ad targeting. Swish emphasizes these integrations, while VTN focuses on rapid setup and a lightweight feature set.

Which app is better for merchants using headless or Hydrogen storefronts?

• Swish explicitly supports Hydrogen and headless stacks at the Shopify Plus level, making it better suited for merchants on modern front-end architectures.

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

• An all-in-one platform reduces the number of integrations, centralizes customer identity, and enables cohesive reward and retention strategies. This reduces operational overhead and often delivers better value as a merchant scales. For merchants evaluating consolidation, a comparison of bundled plans is a practical next step: consolidate retention features.