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

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist solution is a small decision with outsized consequences. A wishlist app can influence conversion timing, product discovery, email performance, and long-term customer value. Shopify merchants face hundreds of app choices; picking a single-purpose tool without considering integrations and long-term retention strategy can create app sprawl and operational friction.

Short answer: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a robust, fully supported wishlist solution built for brands that want turnkey setup, strong analytics, and enterprise-ready options. VTN Power Wishlist is a lightweight, budget-friendly choice that covers core wishlist needs and offers a generous free tier for small stores. For merchants who want to reduce tool sprawl and consolidate retention tactics, Growave presents a higher-value alternative by combining wishlist with loyalty, referrals, and reviews in one platform.

This post provides a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison of Swish and VTN Power Wishlist to help merchants decide which app fits their technical needs, budget, and growth priorities. It then explains why some merchants prefer a single integrated platform instead of stacking many specialized apps.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

This section breaks the comparison into practical criteria merchants use when evaluating apps: core features, customization and design, data and analytics, integrations, pricing and value, support and onboarding, performance and technical footprint, and scalability.

Features

Core Wishlist Capabilities

Swish

• Persistent wishlists across sessions and devices with unlimited wishlists and saved items.
• Wishlist actions available across the shopping journey (product pages, collection pages, recommendations).
• Automated, personalized wishlist notifications that can prompt conversions at optimal moments.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Basic persistent wishlist with a personal wishlist page and Add to Cart functionality.
• Guest wishlist support and Save for Later actions.
• Wishlist actions accessible on multiple pages in the store.

Analysis

• Both apps cover the fundamental behavior merchants expect from a wishlist: saving items, viewing a wishlist page, and converting from wishlist to cart.
• Swish emphasizes lifecycle automation (notifications) and multi-touch wishlist availability, which helps nudge customers at purchase-ready moments.
• VTN Power Wishlist covers the essential use cases with a focus on simplicity and a generous free tier.

Personalization, Segmentation, and Automation

Swish

• Offers highly personalized and automated wishlist notifications designed to convert saved items into purchases.
• Advanced wishlist curation features to help merchants segment wishlists and craft targeted campaigns.
• Integrations with Klaviyo and Meta enable wishlist events to feed customer segments and ad retargeting.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Provides reporting for wishlist activity and basic reporting tiers on the free plan.
• Advanced reports available in the PREMIUM plan, but automation depth appears limited relative to Swish.

Analysis

• For merchants that rely on automated email flows and advanced lifecycle marketing, Swish’s out-of-the-box integrations and automation provide a stronger path to ROI.
• VTN Power Wishlist can capture wishlist signals, but merchants will need to export or build custom connectors for richer automation.

Multi-Device and Guest Experience

Swish

• Supports persistent wishlists across sessions; integrates with customer accounts for cross-device continuity.
• Works with Hydrogen, headless setups, and modern storefronts (Plus plan benefits).

VTN Power Wishlist

• Guest wishlist support and NoCode setup enable quick installation and immediate functionality.
• Focuses on ease of access for users who do not want to create accounts.

Analysis

• Both apps understand the importance of guest flows and logged-in customer persistence.
• Swish targets brands that need advanced storefront compatibility and authenticated flows; VTN prioritizes simplicity and frictionless guest interactions.

Analytics and Reporting

Swish

• Advanced analytics and wishlist curation features help merchants understand which products show up most in wishlists and how wishlist activity converts.
• Native support for GA4 and integrations help tie wishlist events back to site metrics.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Basic reports on the free plan; more detailed reports in the PREMIUM plan.
• Reporting scope is narrower, suited to stores that want simple metrics rather than full funnel attribution.

Analysis

• Swish offers a fuller analytics suite that is useful for data-driven merchants.
• VTN provides enough reporting to track wishlist adoption but lacks deeper conversion attribution.

Customization and Design

Swish

• Fully customizable UI that integrates with store aesthetics.
• Free setup and customization service across all plans; Plus plan includes white-glove onboarding and priority customization for enterprise/Plus merchants.

VTN Power Wishlist

• NoCode setup aims at merchants wanting quick implementation without code.
• Customization options exist, but the offering is oriented toward practical, lightweight styling rather than enterprise-level bespoke work.

Analysis

• Swish is a better fit for merchants that care about brand consistency and want professional implementation included.
• VTN is ideal for stores that prioritize speed and simplicity over deep visual customization.

Integrations and Technical Compatibility

Swish

• Explicit integrations: Klaviyo, GA4, Meta; works with Checkout, Hydrogen, Markets, Customer Accounts, Search Recommendations.
• Built to support headless and Shopify Plus environments.

VTN Power Wishlist

• The app lists core capabilities, but integration depth is less prominent in the feature list.
• Easier NoCode setup may reduce friction for non-technical merchants, but larger stores looking for deep Klaviyo/CRM pipelines will likely need additional engineering.

Analysis

• Swish is designed to fit into modern marketing stacks and headless architectures.
• VTN is more plug-and-play; some merchants will need to accept limits in native integrations.

Pricing & Value

Swish Pricing Overview

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

Value considerations

• The fixed monthly fee scales with the merchant plan, not store activity, which simplifies budgeting.
• Free setup and customization across plans add tangible value, especially for merchants without internal development resources.
• For brands expecting to leverage Klaviyo or Meta retargeting and needing white-glove support, the Plus plan justifies the higher price.

VTN Power Wishlist Pricing Overview

• Free plan: Free forever — includes personal wishlist page, guest wishlist, basic reports, Add to Cart, email support.
• PREMIUM plan: $2.99/month — adds wishlist on collection pages, move to wishlist from cart, advanced reports, priority support, and installation support.

Value considerations

• The free tier makes VTN extremely attractive for stores testing wishlists for the first time or operating with very tight budgets.
• The premium plan is very low-cost and unlocks useful enhancements like collection page wishlists and better reporting.

Analysis

• VTN Power Wishlist offers the best upfront value for small stores or those looking to trial wishlist functionality without expense.
• Swish offers better value for merchants that require deeper integrations, white-glove onboarding, and enterprise features that reduce internal development time and improve marketing effectiveness.
• For merchants with larger retention programs, the incremental cost of Swish may be offset by improved automation and conversion lift.

Support and Onboarding

Swish

• Free setup and customization service across all plans, which removes friction for merchants that lack development resources.
• Plus plan includes white-glove onboarding, priority support, and a dedicated account manager for higher-touch engagements.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Email support on free plan; installation support and priority support with PREMIUM plan.
• The support model appears designed around fast setup and lightweight guidance.

Analysis

• Swish stands out for merchants that prefer or require hands-on onboarding and a support SLA.
• VTN is suitable for self-serve merchants comfortable with standard setups or seeking lower-cost support tiers.

Performance and Technical Footprint

Swish

• Markets itself as compatible with Hydrogen and headless stacks, indicating attention to modern performance requirements.
• Integration with analytics and ad platforms helps track wishlist-driven conversions without heavy custom engineering.

VTN Power Wishlist

• NoCode setup reduces the risk of errors and minimizes performance surprises.
• Lightweight feature set likely produces a smaller technical footprint.

Analysis

• Both apps can be performant when implemented correctly. The difference is that Swish targets merchants requiring enterprise-grade compatibility, while VTN focuses on simplicity and low overhead.

Scalability and Enterprise Readiness

Swish

• Offers Shopify Plus features, headless support, and a dedicated account manager on the Plus plan — built to scale with growing stores.
• Focuses on integrating wishlist signals directly into ad and email flows.

VTN Power Wishlist

• Designed primarily for small to mid-sized stores; scaling beyond basic wishlist usage may require additional tooling or custom development.

Analysis

• For merchants on a path to high growth, Swish provides scaling features and support that reduce friction as the store grows.
• VTN can serve early-stage needs well but may create a point of rework if the brand later needs deep integrations or bespoke flows.

Practical Use-Case Recommendations

This section explains when each app is the most practical choice, based on common merchant profiles.

Swish Is Best For:

• Brands that need a fully branded wishlist experience and prefer professional setup included in the price.
• Merchants who want wishlist events to feed marketing automation and advertising (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta).
• Shopify Plus stores or merchants using headless architectures that require reliable support and priority service.
• Merchants that plan to use wishlist data for segmentation, retargeting, and high-touch lifecycle campaigns.

VTN Power Wishlist Is Best For:

• Small stores or new brands that want to test wishlist features with no upfront cost.
• Merchants prioritizing a fast, NoCode installation and frictionless guest wishlist experience.
• Stores on very tight budgets where the low monthly fee (or free tier) provides the best value-for-money.
• Shops that do not require deep integrations or complex automation right away.

Real ROI Considerations

When evaluating wishlist apps, merchants should measure outcomes against specific goals:

• Retention and LTV: Which app better feeds customer data into loyalty or email systems to increase repeat purchases?
• Conversion lift: Which solution makes it easier to convert saved items into sales through notifications or retargeting?
• Operational cost: Does the app reduce engineering time through free setup or API integrations?
• Stack complexity: Will adding the app increase the number of vendor relationships, or can it replace multiple tools?

Swish is designed to address conversion lift and retention with built-in integrations and automated notifications, which often translates to higher long-term ROI for merchants who use those channels. VTN minimizes cost and entry barriers, making initial testing and adoption easier but potentially requiring separate tools later for automation.

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

Many merchants that start with a single-purpose wishlist app eventually face "app fatigue"—the cumulative complexity, cost, and data fragmentation that happen when multiple point solutions are stacked to cover loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlists. App fatigue can slow development velocity, create inconsistent customer experiences, and obscure performance signals across platforms.

Growave addresses these challenges with a "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy: combine multiple retention tools into a single, integrated platform to streamline setup, reduce vendor overhead, and keep customer data centralized.

Why App Fatigue Matters

• Operational overhead: Multiple billing cycles, multiple dashboards, and fragmented support channels increase administrative work.
• Data silos: Signals from wishlist behavior, loyalty actions, and product reviews live in different systems unless integrated, which complicates segmentation and personalization.
• UX inconsistency: Different providers often deliver inconsistent UI and messaging, which undermines brand cohesion and customer trust.
• Rising integration cost: Adding point solutions increases engineering and integration costs over time.

A unified platform reduces these friction points by centralizing features that drive customer lifetime value.

What an Integrated Platform Solves

• Single place to manage loyalty, wishlists, referrals, and reviews, which shortens time-to-launch for new retention campaigns.
• Consistent customer profiles that consolidate wishlist events, review submissions, and referral activity.
• Easier measurement: centralized analytics make it simpler to attribute lift to retention initiatives.

These benefits are especially relevant for merchants who plan to scale customer retention programs beyond a single wishlist feature.

Growave’s Value Proposition

Growave combines multiple retention tools into one platform—Loyalty and Rewards, Referrals, Reviews & UGC, Wishlist, and VIP Tiers—so merchants can run fewer apps while unlocking integrated behavior-driven campaigns. The platform supports merchants at all stages, from testing features on the free tier to enterprise-grade deployments with Plus plans.

Growave enables merchants to build integrated loyalty programs that reward wishlist actions, collect and showcase authentic reviews for social proof, and run referral campaigns that boost acquisition. Because these features are already connected, merchants can design campaigns that use wishlist activity as a signal to trigger rewards or review requests without stitching together multiple vendors.

Key benefits

• Consolidated retention features reduce complexity and recurring costs.
• Cross-feature automation (e.g., reward points for review or referral actions) increases engagement.
• Enterprise features like headless support and checkout extensions are available on higher tiers for scaling merchants.

For more detail about how Growave handles loyalty mechanics and program customization, merchants can explore loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases. To understand how Growave captures social proof and leverages product feedback, see how it helps merchants collect and showcase authentic reviews.

How Growave Compares to a Wishlist-Only Approach

• Efficiency: Using Growave’s wishlist alongside loyalty and review tools reduces the number of apps required to run retention programs.
• Data leverage: Wishlist events become first-class signals in loyalty and referral programs, improving personalization and conversion.
• Reduced rework: When a wishlist app is later replaced or extended, gaps in integrations frequently require developer time. Start with a suite that anticipates broader retention needs.

Merchants evaluating Swish or VTN Power Wishlist should weigh the short-term savings of a point solution against long-term costs of vendor sprawl. For merchants ready to reduce tool fragmentation, a consolidated platform can deliver higher lifetime value.

Growave Plans and How They Map to Merchant Needs

Growave is available with flexible plans that scale with store size and sophistication. Merchants can compare plans and choose the right scope of features for their growth stage by reviewing available tiers and price points. For a practical way to understand plans and cost, merchants can compare pricing tiers and bundled features.

Growave offers:

• Free plan for experimentation and early-stage brands.
• Entry Plan ($49/month) for growing stores that want core loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlist tools.
• Growth and Plus plans for scaling or enterprise merchants needing advanced customization, integrations, and dedicated support.

To see how other teams used the platform to consolidate growth tools and improve retention, merchants can review customer case studies that showcase real implementations and outcomes—useful context for deciding whether a consolidated stack is the right move. Read through customer stories from brands scaling retention to assess fit.

Integrations and Enterprise Readiness

Growave supports many storefront and third-party integrations—covering email marketing, help desks, subscription platforms, and headless storefronts—designed to reduce the need for custom integrations. Merchants on Shopify Plus can review how Growave supports enterprise needs and checkout extensions by exploring solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Having a single partner for loyalty, wishlist, referrals, and reviews simplifies integration management and helps marketing teams take action faster.

How to Evaluate Consolidation Versus Specialized Apps

• Short-term pilot: If budget constraints are tight and the goal is to validate wishlist ROI quickly, a free or low-cost wishlist like VTN Power Wishlist can be a low-friction first step.
• Growth trajectory: If the plan is to build a structured retention program, consider whether the time saved by a consolidated suite offsets the incremental subscription cost.
• Technical resources: If the merchant lacks developer resources, a vendor that offers setup and broader feature coverage (like Swish or Growave) can be more cost-effective in the medium term.
• Measurement needs: If wishlist activity must feed directly into lifecycle and ad platforms, prioritize apps with native integrations or an integrated platform that supports those flows.

Merchants can assess plans and availability of features by reviewing plan comparisons and app install options. For merchants ready to explore an integrated alternative to multiple point solutions, the Growave app is available to install from the Shopify App Store and can be reviewed for compatibility and features. Installers can view options to install a unified retention app or consolidate retention features to determine fit with existing tech stacks.

Migration and Coexistence Considerations

Many merchants start with one wishlist solution and later migrate or complement it with other tools. Practical guidance:

• Data export: Ensure the chosen wishlist app offers export of wishlist items and customer associations to avoid loss of historical signals.
• Overlap management: If switching from a wishlist-only tool to a suite, map out duplicate features and disable redundant scripts to avoid double-counting events.
• Measurement continuity: Maintain consistent tracking of wishlist events in analytics tools during any migration to preserve attribution.

Swish’s free setup service reduces migration friction for merchants that need help transitioning wishlist events into marketing platforms. VTN’s free plan makes it easy to trial features before committing to migration.

Support, Security, and Compliance

When integrating customer-facing features, merchants should consider:

• Data privacy: Ensure the app stores wishlist data in compliance with local laws and that integrations respect consent signals.
• Support SLAs: Enterprise stores may require guaranteed response times and dedicated support channels.
• App performance: Third-party scripts should be minimal and asynchronous to prevent page speed regressions.

Swish’s Plus plan emphasizes priority support and dedicated management for merchants needing an SLA. VTN focuses on lightweight support with optional priority support in the PREMIUM plan.

Summary of Pros and Cons

Swish — Pros

• Robust wishlist features with advanced automation.
• Free setup and deep integrations (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta).
• Enterprise and headless support for scaling merchants.
• High user rating and a large number of reviews (272 reviews, 5.0 rating).

Swish — Cons

• Monthly cost that grows with plan level; may be overkill for small stores with minimal wishlist needs.
• Potential overlap with existing retention tools if merchants already use separate loyalty/review platforms.

VTN Power Wishlist — Pros

• Free forever plan for immediate testing and adoption.
• Very low-cost premium tier ($2.99/month) for practical upgrades.
• Simple NoCode setup and guest wishlist support ideal for fast installs.
• High rating for its review sample (9 reviews, 4.8 rating).

VTN Power Wishlist — Cons

• Smaller review base and fewer enterprise-grade integrations.
• Limited automation and analytics compared to more advanced solutions.
• May require additional apps later to cover loyalty, referrals, and reviews.

Cost of Ownership: Example Considerations

• Short-term cost: VTN offers near-zero cost to implement and test wishlist features, which is attractive for pilots.
• Medium-term cost: Swish’s subscription offsets developer time and provides integrations that support revenue-driving activities.
• Long-term cost: Multiple single-purpose apps can add up; an integrated platform may reduce total monthly spend while increasing the utility of each retained signal.

How Merchants Should Decide

• If the merchant needs a lightweight, no-cost starting point: choose VTN Power Wishlist to test wishlist adoption quickly.
• If the merchant needs reliable integrations, automated notifications, and white-glove setup: choose Swish.
• If the merchant wants to avoid stacking multiple apps and prefers a unified retention approach: explore Growave to combine wishlist with loyalty, reviews, and referrals in one platform.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and VTN Power Wishlist, the decision comes down to scale, integration needs, and budget. Swish is best for brands that need enterprise-level support, full-featured analytics, and direct marketing integrations. VTN Power Wishlist is best for merchants who want a free or very low-cost wishlist that installs quickly and covers core user needs.

For merchants concerned about app fatigue, fragmented data, and rising integration costs, an integrated platform can be a more efficient solution. Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” approach bundles wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers to reduce the number of separate apps and create more powerful, connected retention programs. To evaluate how consolidation could affect costs and capabilities, merchants can compare pricing tiers and bundled features and consider installing a unified retention app from the Shopify App Store to test compatibility with the store’s stack. Merchants curious about using wishlist events to power rewards or review prompts can learn more about loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases and how to collect and showcase authentic reviews as part of a unified strategy.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how consolidating wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals can reduce app sprawl and drive repeat purchases. For a guided walkthrough, merchants can also install a unified retention app or compare pricing tiers and bundled features to identify the right plan for their growth stage.

FAQ

Q: Which app has the highest user rating and more reviews?

• Swish has the larger review base with 272 reviews and a 5.0 rating. VTN Power Wishlist has a smaller sample of 9 reviews with a 4.8 rating. The larger sample size for Swish gives more confidence in consistency across merchant experiences.

Q: If a merchant wants a free option to test wishlists, which app should they choose?

• VTN Power Wishlist provides a Free Forever plan that allows merchants to trial wishlist functionality without cost. This is useful for pilots or very early-stage stores.

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

• An integrated platform combines wishlist events with loyalty, referrals, and reviews in one system, reducing operational overhead and enabling richer cross-feature automation. Specialized apps may excel at a single task but can create data silos and increase the long-term cost and complexity of a merchant’s stack.

Q: Which solution is better for Shopify Plus or headless stores?

• Swish offers Shopify Plus-focused features, white-glove onboarding, and support for Hydrogen and headless setups at higher plan levels. For merchants seeking an integrated suite with Plus-level support across loyalty and wishlist features, Growave provides enterprise features and checkout extensions tailored to high-growth stores.