Swish (Wishlist King) vs. Smart Wishlist: In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing a wishlist app might seem simple, but the decision can have an outsized impact on conversion, retention, and site performance. Merchants face a steady stream of single-purpose tools promising lift in engagement — yet many add complexity, duplicate features, and increase monthly spend.

Short answer: Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is a strong choice for merchants who want a highly polished, fully supported wishlist with advanced analytics and white-glove setup. Smart Wishlist is a budget-friendly, lightweight option that prioritizes simplicity, fast setup, and a small performance footprint. For merchants who want to reduce tool sprawl and drive retention across loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlists, an integrated platform like Growave can deliver better value for money.

This article provides an in-depth, feature-by-feature comparison of Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Smart Wishlist to help merchants decide which solution suits their needs. After the direct comparison, the article explains how an all-in-one platform can replace multiple single-point apps and improve long-term retention outcomes.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

Product Positioning and Philosophy

Swish: Feature-rich, white-glove approach

Swish positions itself as a full-featured wishlist solution for ambitious brands. Its copy stresses customization, analytics, and personalized automated notifications. The team offers free setup and customization across plans, which signals a service-first approach to onboarding and visual/UX alignment with merchant themes. The app supports integrations like Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta out of the box and provides Shopify Plus and headless options on higher tiers.

Smart Wishlist: Lightweight and pragmatic

Smart Wishlist markets itself around speed, simplicity, and reliability. Its value proposition centers on one-click saving, guest support (no login required), and a small performance footprint that avoids theme breakage. The app isolates wishlist functionality and offers APIs for merchants who need technical extensions, but it intentionally keeps the surface area small.

Feature Comparison

Core Wishlist Functionality

Swish

• Persistent wishlists for guests and logged-in customers.
• Unlimited wishlists and saved items.
• Wishlist button placement on product, collection, search, and cart pages.
• Advanced wishlist curation and analytics to identify high-interest SKUs.
• Automated, personalized wishlist notifications to recover lost interest and drive conversion.

Smart Wishlist

• One-click saving, including guest mode so customers can save without an account.
• Wishlist buttons available on product, collection, search results, and cart.
• Unlimited wishlists across stores.
• Simple sharing options for wishlists (shareable lists).
• Lightweight payload and clean uninstall behavior.

Analysis: Both solutions cover the baseline wishlist features. Swish edges ahead on personalization and conversion automation. Smart Wishlist’s strengths lie in minimal friction for both merchants and shoppers.

Customization & Design

Swish

• Free setup and customization service ensures the UI matches the store theme.
• Works with all themes and offers styling to align with aesthetic standards.
• Plus plan adds white-glove onboarding and a dedicated account manager for enterprise customization.

Smart Wishlist

• Easy, no-code setup with flexible placement.
• Lightweight design that aims not to interfere with a merchant’s theme.
• Provides JS and REST APIs for merchants who want deeper customization.

Analysis: Merchants who need a pixel-perfect, brand-matched wishlist experience and prefer vendor-assisted setup will prefer Swish. Stores that want to DIY quickly, or that prioritize a tiny footprint, may prefer Smart Wishlist.

Analytics, Reporting & Actionability

Swish

• Advanced analytics and wishlist curation enable product-level insights (which items are most wished, who’s most engaged).
• Data can feed into marketing automation through integrations (e.g., Klaviyo, GA4).
• Analytics support strategic merchandising and promotional targeting.

Smart Wishlist

• Focused on the core product interaction metrics (saves, shares).
• Provides APIs for pulling wishlist data into external analytics tools, but lacks built-in advanced reporting.

Analysis: For shops that rely on wishlist insights to make merchandising or customer reactivation decisions, Swish’s analytics are a clear advantage. Smart Wishlist requires extra work to extract and act on wishlist data.

Integrations & Ecosystem Compatibility

Swish

• Native integrations: Klaviyo, GA4, Meta, Customer Accounts, Checkout, Hydrogen, Markets, Recommendations.
• Supports headless and hydrogen stacks (beneficial for Plus and custom storefronts).
• Works across key Shopify touchpoints and popular tech.

Smart Wishlist

• Works with SendGrid and ShareThis for sharing and email use-cases.
• Provides JS and REST APIs to integrate with broader stacks, but integrations are less packaged out of the box.

Analysis: Swish ships with marketing and analytics integrations that help convert wishlist behavior into measurable revenue. Smart Wishlist can integrate via APIs but requires more technical effort.

Performance & Theme Safety

Swish

• Integrates with themes and offers setup assistance to avoid conflicts.
• Because it does more (notifications, analytics, integrations), merchants should expect a larger feature footprint than a minimalist app.

Smart Wishlist

• Advertises a lightweight payload and explicit non-breaking uninstall behavior.
• Ideal for stores where theme integrity and page load are critical.

Analysis: Smart Wishlist tends to be gentler on page speed and theme stability. Swish mitigates risk by providing setup services, but the app’s fuller feature set comes with greater complexity.

Guest Wishlist & Sharing

Both apps support guest wishlists and shareable lists. Smart Wishlist specifically highlights one-click saves for guests without login friction. Swish supports guest behavior while coupling it with personalized automated notifications (e.g., “item back in stock” or price drop), which can be more effective at re-engaging those guests if email capture exists.

APIs & Extensibility

Swish

• Provides integrations and supports advanced workflows including headless stores.

Smart Wishlist

• Exposes JavaScript and REST APIs to enable advanced use cases and data syncing.

Analysis: Both support extensibility; Smart Wishlist’s APIs are attractive for developers wanting a small widget to hook into. Swish is built to scale into broader marketing and analytics workflows.

Pricing & Value

Swish Pricing Tiers

• Basic Shopify: $19 / month — Designed for Basic Shopify stores; includes all features, free setup, unlimited wishlists & sessions.
• Shopify: $29 / month — For stores on the Shopify plan; same inclusions.
• Advanced Shopify: $49 / month — For advanced plan stores; same inclusions.
• Shopify Plus: $99 / month — Plus-exclusive: free white-glove onboarding, priority support, dedicated account manager, Hydrogen & headless stack support.

Swish sells value through included setup, unlimited wishlists, and integrated analytics. The Plus tier focuses on enterprise needs and support.

Smart Wishlist Pricing

• Standard: $4.99 / month.
• No explicit higher tiers listed; app is positioned as a low-cost option.

Smart Wishlist’s low starting price provides immediate price appeal. It lacks packaged advanced support or analytics that Swish includes, which is reflected in its lower price.

Value Assessment

Swish

• Best value for merchants that will use the advanced features: white-glove setup, marketing integrations, personalized automation, and analytics.
• A merchant that needs those features will likely see lift in conversion and retention that justifies the cost.

Smart Wishlist

• Better value for stores that only want lightweight wishlist functionality and minimal monthly spend.
• For pure "save for later" needs without marketing automation, Smart Wishlist may offer better immediate ROI.

Language note: Say “better value for money” instead of “cheaper.” Smart Wishlist offers better value for money when the only required capability is a reliable, low-impact wishlist. Swish offers better value for money when the merchant plans to use analytics and automated notifications that amplify wishlist-driven revenue.

Support & Onboarding

Swish

• Free setup and customization across all plans is a standout. This removes technical friction and ensures consistent UX across themes.
• Plus plan adds priority support and a dedicated account manager.

Smart Wishlist

• Focuses on easy setup without code.
• Lacks a white-glove onboarding promise; support is likely less hands-on.

Analysis: Merchants without development resources or those seeking a vendor partner in setup will value Swish’s onboarding. Small teams with dev capacity can often self-serve with Smart Wishlist.

Security, Data Ownership & Portability

Both apps store wishlist data connected to the Shopify store. Important merchant considerations include:

• How easily wishlist data can be exported or integrated with CRM and email providers.
• GDPR and privacy compliance for wishlists tied to identifiable users.
• Whether guest wishlists use cookies/local storage or server-side storage for portability.

Swish’s integrations with Klaviyo and GA4 imply more structured data flows to analytics and marketing tools. Smart Wishlist’s reliance on guest functionality and APIs may require custom work to push data to CRM systems.

Uninstall Behavior & Technical Risk

Smart Wishlist highlights a “doesn't break your theme upon uninstall” benefit. Swish mitigates risk by providing setup and support, which reduces the chance of theme conflicts. Merchants should plan for rollback: test on a staging theme and document any code snippets added during setup.

Merchant Use Cases & Recommendations

Swish is a better fit when:

• The merchant plans to turn wishlists into measurable revenue using automated notifications and integrations (e.g., Klaviyo flows).
• The merchant wants free setup and a high-touch onboarding to match the wishlist UI to the brand.
• The store needs headless/Hydrogen support or Shopify Plus-specific features.

Smart Wishlist is a better fit when:

• Budget and page-speed are primary concerns.
• The merchant needs a simple, reliable widget for save-and-share functionality with minimal setup.
• The store has developer resources that can extend APIs, or the merchant does not need in-app analytics.

Pros & Cons — Quick Bulleted Summaries

Swish — Pros

• Robust analytics and wishlist curation.
• Free setup and customization across plans.
• Integrated marketing/analytics connectors (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta).
• Built-in personalization and automated notifications.
• Supports headless and Plus-level features.

Swish — Cons

• Larger feature footprint can mean more complexity.
• Higher tiers for enterprise features (expected for dedicated support).

Smart Wishlist — Pros

• Extremely low monthly cost for core functionality.
• Lightweight payload and safe uninstall behavior.
• Simple, fast, no-code installation.
• Guest wishlists and shareable lists out of the box.
• APIs for technical extensibility.

Smart Wishlist — Cons

• Fewer out-of-the-box marketing and analytics integrations.
• Less advanced reporting and personalization.
• Lower review rating suggests some merchants encounter limitations or support issues.

Measuring Success: KPIs and Expected Impact

Metrics to track post-installation:

• Wishlist saves per 1,000 sessions.
• Conversion rate of wishlist notifications (Swish) or follow-ups.
• Average order value for customers using wishlists.
• Repeat purchase rate / LTV uplift for wishlist users.
• Site performance (page load time) delta after implementation.

Swish’s analytics and integrations enable direct tracking from wishlist events into email flows and GA4, making attribution simpler. Smart Wishlist requires hooking wishlist events into analytics via APIs for equivalent tracking.

Implementation Checklist (Recommended Steps)

• Audit current site speed and identify performance budget.
• Choose a staging theme for testing.
• Review integration needs (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta, SendGrid).
• Confirm whether guest wishlists need to persist across devices (server-side storage).
• Configure email automation or notification flows if applicable.
• Validate uninstall behavior and rollback process.
• Monitor KPI baselines before and after launch.

Pricing Decision Matrix (Guidance)

• If the wishlist is a test: Smart Wishlist at $4.99/month gives the lowest risk to test basic behavior.
• If the wishlist is strategic: Swish’s $19–$99 tiers provide more immediate impact through analytics and onboarding.
• For enterprises and Plus stores: Factor in the value of dedicated account management and Hydrogen/headless support in the $99 Plus tier.

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

Single-purpose apps can provide quick wins, but they often contribute to "app fatigue" — the growing cost, complexity, and integration burden of maintaining many one-trick tools. App fatigue leads to duplicated features across vendors, slower release cycles, fragmented customer data, and higher monthly spend.

An alternative approach is to consolidate retention tools into a single platform that covers loyalty, reviews, referrals, wishlists, and VIP tiers. This reduces the number of vendors to manage, centralizes customer data, and enables coherent, cross-functional campaigns.

Growave embraces a "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy: one integrated suite that replaces multiple single-purpose apps while preserving flexibility for enterprise needs. Merchants can consolidate retention features and reduce operational complexity by adopting a unified platform that connects loyalty programs to wishlist insights, referral rewards to review requests, and VIP tiers to personalized offers.

• For merchants who want to consolidate retention features and reduce monthly app overhead, Growave’s pricing and packaging provide options that combine multiple capabilities under one roof. Explore how to consolidate retention features with Growave’s plans by checking current options.
• For brands that want loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases, Growave offers customizable programs and VIP tiers that can be tied directly to wishlist and referral activity.
• For stores focused on social proof, Growave makes it easy to collect and showcase authentic reviews and UGC across the storefront and marketing channels.
• For teams evaluating enterprise-ready solutions, Growave describes solutions for high-growth Plus brands and the headless/shopify-plus use cases.

Growave integrates multiple retention tools so that wishlist signals don’t live in isolation. Instead of paying for a wishlist app, a loyalty app, a reviews app, and a referral app, merchants can use a single platform to orchestrate cross-channel campaigns.

Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention by connecting wishlists, rewards, and reviews. Book a personalized demo.

How Growave Replaces Multiple Single-Purpose Apps

• Wishlist + Loyalty: Wishlist intent can feed the loyalty engine (reward points for actions, personalized offers).
• Wishlist + Email Automation: Built-in integrations reduce the need for middleware and make flows more reliable.
• Wishlist + Reviews & UGC: Use wishlist behavior to trigger review requests for items customers purchased after saving.
• Referral & VIP: Turn wishlist engagement into referral incentives and VIP invitations to increase lifetime value.

By consolidating capabilities, Growave aims to increase retention, streamline tech operations, and reduce the management burden of multiple vendors. Merchants that value centralization and coherent data flows often get better long-term ROI from this approach.

Growave’s Feature Set — What It Replaces

Growave bundles tools that are commonly spread across several apps:

• Loyalty and Rewards: Customizable programs and VIP tiers that encourage repeat purchases. Merchants can build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Reviews & UGC: Tools to collect, moderate, and display product reviews and customer photos. Merchants can collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Wishlist: Native wishlist functionality that connects to loyalty and campaigns.
• Referrals: Built-in referral mechanics that reward advocates and drive new customer acquisition.
• Integrations: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Gorgias, Recharge and other commerce tools are supported, helping to preserve existing workflows.

Merchants can read customer stories from brands scaling retention to see how consolidation improves LTV and operational simplicity. Multiple customer stories show how a unified retention stack reduces integration headaches while increasing repeat purchase rates.

Pricing & Plans: One Suite, Multiple Options

Growave’s tiered pricing allows merchants to pick the scale needed while keeping most retention tools in one place. For details on plans and to evaluate cost vs. combined single-app subscription fees, merchants can compare options and consolidate retention features.

The pricing structure aligns with volume and feature needs:

• A free plan or trial options are available for merchants that want to evaluate the suite.
• Entry and Growth plans include loyalty, reviews, referrals, and basic integrations.
• Plus-level plans provide enterprise features, custom design, and higher-touch onboarding for Shopify Plus and headless storefronts.

For Plus-level merchants seeking specialized resources and 24/7 support, Growave offers plans and services designed for scale, with tailored onboarding and a solution for high-growth Plus brands.

Integrations & Ecosystem

Growave supports a broad ecosystem, helping merchants avoid point-to-point connectors and duplicated setup:

• Integrations into common marketing platforms (Klaviyo, Omnisend) and service tools (Gorgias).
• Compatibility with Shopify Checkout, Shopify POS, Recharge, and headless storefronts.
• Native support for multi-language stores and enterprise workflows.

Merchants can install Growave from the Shopify App Store or review plan-level differences on the pricing page.

Practical Outcomes: How Consolidation Helps

• Faster campaign execution: Single dashboard for loyalty, wishlist triggers, and review automation.
• Clearer attribution: Cross-functional events are tracked in one system for more direct measurement of LTV uplift.
• Lower maintenance: One vendor for updates, troubleshooting, and roadmap alignment.
• Reduced monthly cost: Consolidating several single-purpose apps into one platform eliminates overlapping fees.

If a merchant wants a walkthrough of feature mapping from their current stack to a unified solution, Growave offers demos and implementation support. Book a personalized demo to map current tools to the suite and estimate TCO.

Real-World Considerations

• Migration effort: Combine data exports from separate apps (wishlists, loyalty points, and reviews) before moving to a consolidated platform.
• Feature parity: Confirm that any specialized workflows (e.g., custom wishlist notification logic) can be implemented within a unified platform or via integrations/APIs.
• Scale planning: Ensure the chosen plan handles expected order volume and supports headless or Plus storefronts if applicable.

Merchants can explore examples of implementation and real outcomes by reading customer stories from brands scaling retention and by comparing plan feature sets to current vendor costs on the pricing page to determine whether consolidation is financially compelling.

When Not to Consolidate Immediately

• If the wishlist is an exploratory test and the merchant is uncertain about long-term adoption, starting with a low-cost widget like Smart Wishlist could be appropriate.
• If a merchant needs an extremely lightweight widget and no other retention tools, a specialized app keeps the tech stack minimal.
• If the merchant’s operations tightly couple niche functionality across multiple vendors in a way that would be costly to replicate, a slower transition is advisable.

However, for merchants already using multiple retention apps (loyalty, referrals, reviews) the balance often favors consolidation for operational simplicity and consistent customer experiences.

How to Evaluate Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

• Calculate current monthly spend across wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referral apps.
• Add integration and maintenance time costs (developer hours, vendor coordination).
• Compare to a unified plan that bundles these features and includes onboarding and support.
• Factor in the expected LTV uplift from improved cross-channel campaigns and reduced churn.

Merchants can compare plan-level features and run a short ROI scenario on the Growave pricing page to see whether moving to an integrated platform reduces TCO while improving retention metrics.

For direct evaluation, merchants can view the app details and install options on the Shopify marketplace and compare user reviews and plan specifics by checking the Growave listing on the Shopify App Store.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Swish (formerly Wishlist King) and Smart Wishlist, the decision comes down to scope and priorities. Swish is best for brands that want a full-featured wishlist with analytics, marketing integrations, and white-glove setup—particularly useful when wishlist behavior should feed automated reactivation and merchandising decisions. Smart Wishlist is best for stores that need a low-cost, lightweight wishlist widget with minimal setup and a small performance footprint.

For merchants looking to reduce tool sprawl and unify retention under one roof, an integrated platform that combines loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlist functionality can deliver better long-term results and better value for money. Merchants can evaluate Growave’s consolidated approach and compare plan options to current tooling on the pricing page. Start a 14-day free trial to test how a unified retention stack replaces multiple apps and improves customer lifetime value. Start a 14-day free trial

FAQ

What are the key differences in merchant support between Swish and Smart Wishlist?

• Swish provides a free setup and customization service across all plans and offers priority/white-glove onboarding for Plus customers. Smart Wishlist emphasizes easy, no-code setup and a lightweight install; support is less centered on hands-on onboarding. Merchants without developer resources often find Swish’s onboarding helpful, while teams with dev capacity may prefer Smart Wishlist’s simplicity.

How do the apps compare on integrations and marketing automation?

• Swish ships with native integrations such as Klaviyo, GA4, and Meta, making it easier to turn wishlist behavior into email or ads automation. Smart Wishlist provides JS and REST APIs that developers can use to push data into external tools but requires more engineering work to achieve the same integrated workflows.

Which app is better for page speed and theme safety?

• Smart Wishlist emphasizes a lightweight payload and non-breaking uninstall behavior, making it attractive for performance-sensitive stores. Swish manages theme compatibility through setup services but has a broader feature surface that can affect page load unless configured carefully.

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

• An all-in-one platform reduces the number of vendors to manage, centralizes customer data, and enables cross-functional campaigns (e.g., using wishlist behavior to trigger loyalty or referral flows). Consolidation often lowers long-term operational costs and improves attribution. Merchants can review consolidated plan benefits and TCO comparisons to evaluate trade-offs, and explore examples of customer outcomes and plans on the Growave pricing page. Consolidate retention features

Additional Resources

• To see how loyalty programs can be tied to wishlist activity and increase repeat purchases, merchants can learn more about loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases. Loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases
• For merchants prioritizing social proof, learn how to collect and display product reviews and UGC at scale. Collect and showcase authentic reviews
• Explore customer implementations and inspiration for integrated retention strategies. Customer stories from brands scaling retention