SWishlist: Simple Wishlist vs. Folio: Wishlist: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is a common bottleneck for Shopify merchants building a retention and conversion stack. Single-purpose wishlist apps promise quick wins — saving items, boosting engagement, and enabling social sharing — but not all solutions are created equal. With limited dev time, budget constraints, and the pressure to keep pages fast, merchants need a clear, practical comparison to decide which app fits their store today and their growth plan tomorrow.

Short answer: SWishlist: Simple Wishlist is an excellent choice for merchants who want a polished, lightweight wishlist with a strong rating and low-cost entry tiers; Folio: Wishlist may appeal to stores that prioritize specific wishlist UI options and a slightly different pricing tier, but its lack of reviews makes risk assessment harder. For merchants looking to reduce tool sprawl and access wishlist functionality alongside loyalty, referrals, and reviews in one place, Growave presents a higher-value alternative.

This article provides a feature-by-feature comparison of SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and Folio: Wishlist across usability, pricing, integrations, analytics, and support. The goal is to help merchants choose the right tool for their needs, and to explain when moving to an integrated retention platform makes more sense than adding another single-feature app.

SWishlist: Simple Wishlist vs. Folio: Wishlist: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

This section compares SWishlist and Folio across critical selection criteria merchants use when choosing a wishlist app. Each subsection evaluates usable outcomes — retaining customers, lifting average order value, and reducing cart abandonment — rather than feature checklists alone.

Features & User Experience

Wishlist Core Actions

Both apps cover the core wishlist actions customers expect: add items, view saved products, and share lists.

• SWishlist emphasizes a frictionless add-to-wishlist flow and supports sharing. Its UI focus aims for consistency with the store theme and multi-language support, which is valuable for global stores.
• Folio lists the ability to add unlimited items (on premium) and customizable buttons, with guest wishlist and public counts as differentiators at the UI/experience level.

Practical implication: For stores with multilingual audiences or that rely on consistent branding across the storefront, SWishlist’s language and customization tiers make it simpler to maintain a cohesive customer experience. Folio’s guest wishlist and public counters are useful for social proof and for stores that want casual browsers to save items without logging in.

Mobile & Checkout Experience

• SWishlist: No explicit separate checkout integration listed, but the app works with API and supports storefront languages. That suggests flexibility to adapt behavior on mobile and in Customer Accounts.
• Folio: Mentions dashboard analytics and wishlist presence on collection pages in premium. Guest wishlist suggests some mobile-friendly behavior, but details about checkout or Customer Accounts integration are not explicit.

Practical implication: If the wishlist needs to interact tightly with checkout (recovered carts, special discount triggers), neither app lists built-in checkout-level extensions, meaning merchants may need additional work or third-party integrations.

Sharing & Social Features

Both apps allow wishlist sharing, an important growth lever for referral traffic and gifting use cases.

• SWishlist: Promotes sharing and customization. The app’s higher review count suggests merchants find its sharing flows reliable.
• Folio: Also supports shareable lists and public wishlist counts — the latter can be leveraged as social proof signals on product pages or collections.

Practical implication: For gift-led traffic and referral by social sharing, both apps are equipped. The strategic difference is SWishlist’s stronger public validation (through user feedback) versus Folio’s feature set that emphasizes visible social proof metrics.

Admin Dashboard & Analytics

• SWishlist: Mentions “unlimited access to all statistics” on premium, but the product detail is sparse in public copy beyond that designation.
• Folio: Explicitly promotes a dashboard that tracks wishlist activity and growth analytics in real-time.

Practical implication: Both apps provide analytics, but merchants should confirm the depth of data available before committing (conversion attribution, email export, integration with ESPs, granular user-level reporting). Folio frames analytics as a core benefit; SWishlist promises statistics but places more emphasis on language and support tiers.

Pricing & Value

Pricing is a decisive factor for small and mid-market merchants. Value is about outcomes per dollar: retention lift, incremental orders, and how much the app reduces friction for repeat purchases.

SWishlist Pricing

• Free: Free. 300 wishlist additions per month, 2 languages at storefront, free setup for up to 2 themes, 24–48h support.
• Basic: $5/month. 7,000 wishlist additions, 7 storefront languages, includes Free features, support within 12–24h.
• Premium: $12/month. Unlimited wishlist additions, 20 storefront languages, unlimited statistics, top-priority support.

SWishlist provides a generous ramp from experimentation to unlimited scale at a low price point. The free plan allows small stores to test UX and conversion impact with limited volume. The $5 plan is attractive for growing shops that expect several thousand wishlist additions per month but need multilingual support. Unlimited on $12/month is strong value for stores with heavier engagement.

Folio Pricing

• Basic: $6.99/month. 1,000 items in wishlist, customizable button, share wishlist, guest wishlist, public wishlist count.
• Premium: $12.99/month. All Basic features plus unlimited wishlist and items, wishlist icon on collection page.

Folio’s pricing is straightforward, with a similar unlimited tier to SWishlist but at a slightly higher price. The Basic tier sits between SWishlist’s free and $5 plans, offering more items than SWishlist’s free plan, but fewer additional languages or setup features.

Pricing Comparison — Value for Money

• For strict price-conscious merchants, SWishlist’s $5 plan offers much higher additions (7,000) than Folio’s $6.99 (1,000), representing better value for money at that mid-tier. SWishlist also provides a free starter plan.
• Both offer unlimited options in the $12–$13 per month range. SWishlist’s $12 plan is slightly cheaper and pairs unlimited additions with broader language support and promised analytics access.
• Folio’s Basic tier includes guest wishlist and public counts, features that SWishlist only provides in higher tiers or via customization (merchants should verify).

Practical implication: For merchants prioritizing budget and volume, SWishlist provides clearer tiered value. For merchants prioritizing a specific UI feature set (guest wishlist, public counts, collection page icons), Folio’s Basic tier may be attractive despite the higher price.

Integrations & Extensibility

Third-Party Integrations

Integrations determine how wishlist data can be used in email campaigns, CRM, and personalization.

• SWishlist: Works with API, which suggests merchants can push wishlist events to their backend or third-party services. This is useful for building custom automations, exporting wishlist data, or integrating with ESPs.
• Folio: Public listing doesn’t specify integrations or API support. The dashboard analytics are central, but integration capabilities are unclear.

Practical implication: Merchants relying on platforms like Klaviyo, Omnisend, or a headless setup should validate integration specifics. SWishlist’s API support is a strong advantage for merchants that require custom flows or analytics exports. Folio requires direct clarification about whether wishlist events can be forwarded to email platforms or CRMs.

Platform Compatibility

• SWishlist: Works with API; messaging suggests adaptability across storefront themes and languages.
• Folio: No explicit compatibility matrix provided publicly.

Merchants on advanced setups (Shopify Plus, headless architectures, or using many page builders) should confirm theme compatibility, checkout behavior, and how customer accounts are updated by each app before installing.

Support & Onboarding

Support responsiveness and onboarding resources affect time-to-value and merchant confidence.

• SWishlist: Support windows are clearly tiered: 24–48 hours on Free, 12–24 hours on Basic, and top-priority for Premium. Free setup up to 2 themes is included.
• Folio: Public page lacks clarity on response times or onboarding scope.

Practical implication: The transparency of SWishlist’s support SLAs helps merchants estimate implementation time. Folio may offer responsive support, but the absence of stated SLA or setup assistance makes it harder to evaluate risk for merchants with limited technical resources.

Performance, Reliability & Scalability

Wishlist apps can impact site speed if they inject heavy scripts or do synchronous calls on product pages.

• SWishlist: Smaller footprint implied by positioning as a simple wishlist; API integration can be tuned for asynchronous calls. No public complaints (given high rating), which suggests acceptable performance.
• Folio: Without reviews and explicit performance notes, performance assessment is unclear.

Practical implication: Review counts and ratings are indirect indicators of reliability. SWishlist’s strong rating (4.9) across 106 reviews suggests merchants are satisfied and likely experience acceptable performance. Folio’s lack of reviews makes it harder to estimate real-world impact; merchants should test the app in a staging environment and use speed monitoring tools before full deployment.

Data Ownership & Privacy

Merchants need visibility into data capture (customer-level wishlist data) and compliance with privacy laws.

• SWishlist: API and statistics imply that data can be accessed and potentially exported, but merchants should confirm ownership terms and retention policies.
• Folio: Dashboard analytics are stated, but public information on export and retention is not explicit.

Practical implication: Merchants must verify whether wishlist user data can be exported, anonymized, or integrated with their CRM. For GDPR and CCPA compliance, ask the vendor how wishlist user consent is managed and where the data is stored.

Transparency & Social Proof

Ratings and reviews play a practical role in risk assessment.

• SWishlist: 106 reviews, rating 4.9. This is strong social proof that the app delivers consistent value to multiple merchants.
• Folio: 0 reviews, rating 0. Absence of reviews does not mean poor quality, but it increases uncertainty.

Practical implication: For many merchants, a higher review count and rating reduce perceived risk. If a merchant is risk-averse or has limited dev support, a solution with community validation (like SWishlist) is often preferable.

Technical Support for Growth

As stores scale, wishlist volume, multi-language support, and integration needs increase.

• SWishlist: Offers multi-language support up to 20 languages on Premium, which is valuable for brands expanding internationally. The API and priority support on higher tiers support scaling.
• Folio: Promotes unlimited items in Premium and collection page icon support, but lacks clarity on multi-language support and scaling assistance.

Practical implication: Growing merchants who plan to expand internationally or need enterprise-level support should factor in language capabilities and documented API support. SWishlist’s language tiers and API support make it a safer choice for international growth.

Use Cases: Which App Fits Which Merchant

This section translates feature differences into practical recommendations for merchant types.

• For small stores testing wishlist functionality with limited traffic:
  • SWishlist Free plan is a sensible starting point (300 additions/mo). If tests prove positive, upgrading to Basic is affordable.
• For stores that need a guest wishlist or visible public counts to boost social proof:
  • Folio’s Basic plan includes guest wishlist features and public wishlist counts, which are useful for discovery-focused or gift-oriented brands.
• For international brands with multi-language storefronts:
  • SWishlist’s language tiers (up to 20 languages on Premium) make localization straightforward.
• For merchants prioritizing integration with email marketing, analytics, and custom automations:
  • SWishlist’s API support provides a foundation; Folio needs direct confirmation.
• For stores with limited developer resources that require clear SLAs and easy theme setup:
  • SWishlist’s documented setup and tiered support times are advantageous.
• For merchants cultivating social proof on collection pages:
  • Folio’s collection page wishlist icons (premium) and public counts are convenient out-of-the-box features.

Pros and Cons

Below are concise lists designed to help merchants quickly compare trade-offs.

• SWishlist: Simple Wishlist
  • Pros:
    • High rating (4.9) and sizable review count (106) indicate strong merchant satisfaction.
    • Low-cost plans with high value (free tier, $5 mid-tier, $12 unlimited).
    • Multi-language support up to 20 languages.
    • API support enables custom integrations.
    • Clear support SLA and free setup for limited themes.
  • Cons:
    • Wishlist-to-checkout automation or direct checkout-level features are not explicitly listed.
    • Some advanced UI features (guest wishlist, collection icons) may require verification.
• Folio: Wishlist
  • Pros:
    • Dashboard analytics and real-time tracking are positioned as core strengths.
    • Guest wishlist, public wishlist count, and collection page icons support stronger social proof out of the box.
    • Unlimited wishlist option on Premium.
  • Cons:
    • Zero public reviews increases uncertainty about reliability and merchant experience.
    • Integration and API capabilities are not clearly stated; may require follow-up.
    • Slightly higher pricing at comparable tiers.

Decision Checklist: Questions To Ask Before Installing

Use these prompts to evaluate both apps in the context of the store’s priorities:

• Does the app provide an API or native integration with the store’s ESP and analytics platform?
• How does the wishlist data appear in Customer Accounts and the checkout flow?
• Can wishlist actions be exported or forwarded to email platforms to trigger abandoned-wishlist or cart recovery emails?
• What are the support SLAs and does the vendor offer free setup or theme assistance?
• Are there known performance impacts on page load, and can the script be loaded asynchronously?
• Is multi-language support required, and if so, which app covers the needed languages?
• Does the app provide data privacy guarantees and data exportability for compliance?

Asking these questions during a 7–14 day trial will reveal how the app performs under real store conditions.

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

Many merchants reach the point where managing multiple point solutions becomes a bigger problem than the functionality each app delivers. Installing separate apps for wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals quickly increases maintenance work, script bloat, and data fragmentation — collectively known as app fatigue. The consequence is slower pages, inconsistent customer experiences, and lost opportunities to link behaviors (e.g., wishlist adds → reward points → targeted reviews campaigns).

An all-in-one platform reduces friction by consolidating retention features into one integrated system. Growave’s philosophy — "More Growth, Less Stack" — is designed to solve common shop-level problems caused by adding multiple single-purpose apps.

Why app fatigue matters

• Fragmented data: Separate apps silo wishlist events, reward redemptions, and referral sources into different dashboards. That complicates attribution and personalization.
• Integration overhead: Each app adds integration work with email, CRM, or analytics platforms. Maintaining multiple integrations increases tech debt.
• Performance costs: Each additional script and widget can measurably slow page load times, harming SEO and conversion.
• Support complexity: Multiple vendors mean multiple SLAs, competing priorities, and fragmented onboarding experiences.
• Cost inefficiency: Individually priced apps add up; sometimes merchants pay more for the same or overlapping capabilities.

Consolidating wishlist functionality into an integrated retention suite helps merchants link customer behavior across touchpoints — for example, using wishlist adds to target loyalty incentives or to trigger post-wishlist follow-up review requests.

Growave’s approach: More Growth, Less Stack

Growave bundles wishlist alongside loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers so wishlist data can be used natively within referral flows, rewards campaigns, and review requests. That means wishlist behavior can directly increase retention and lifetime value without glue-code or complex integrations.

Key ways Growave addresses app fatigue:

• Centralized data model: Wishlist saves, reward points, referral sources, and review submissions live in a unified system, enabling richer automation.
• Native cross-product features: Use wishlist triggers to award points, prompt referral incentives, or personalize email campaigns.
• Reduced script count: One integrated widget replaces several third-party widgets, simplifying front-end performance tuning.
• Enterprise readiness: Support and integrations for larger merchants on Shopify Plus and API/SDK options for headless storefronts.

Compare these practical benefits with the single-focus features offered by SWishlist or Folio. An integrated platform permits strategic, outcome-driven campaigns rather than isolated feature patches.

Growave features that replace multiple single apps

Growave bundles multiple retention features merchants commonly add piecemeal:

• Loyalty and rewards to drive repeat purchases.
• Referrals to turn wishlisters into new customer acquisition channels.
• Reviews & user-generated content to increase conversion and SEO visibility.
• Wishlist with share and save functionality, integrated with loyalty and email.
• VIP tiers to recognize and segment high-value customers.

Merchants can learn about Growave pricing and how bundling these features can reduce total monthly app costs and maintenance overhead by comparing plans on the product pricing page for a head-to-head evaluation of value per feature and per monthly order threshold. For merchants ready to install, Growave is also available through the Shopify App Store, which simplifies deployment for stores using standard Shopify workflows.

• Explore how merchants can consolidate retention features by reviewing Growave plans and pricing: consolidate retention features.
• Install and review the app from the Shopify App Store to see how a unified widget behaves on live themes: install via the Shopify App Store.

Using wishlist data to drive repeat purchases

When wishlist events are captured in the same platform that manages loyalty and referrals, merchants can:

• Auto-award points for wishlist-driven actions (e.g., first wishlist add).
• Trigger targeted emails to customers who saved items but didn’t purchase after a set time.
• Offer exclusive reward-based discounts to convert high-value wishlist items into orders.

Growave allows these cross-product automations natively, avoiding brittle multi-app integrations. For merchants evaluating wishlist apps, consider whether the wishlist is a standalone conversion lever or part of a broader retention strategy. If the latter, bundled platforms shorten the path to measurable LTV improvements.

• Learn how loyalty and rewards can pair with wishlist behavior to drive repeat purchases: loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.

Reviews and social proof powered by wishlist signals

Wishlist actions identify products customers value but haven’t purchased. Those signals complement reviews and UGC strategies:

• Use wishlist data to prompt early review requests once an item has been purchased.
• Promote wishlist-counted popularity in merchandising; combine with verified reviews to build trust.

Growave’s Reviews & UGC tools are integrated with wishlist and loyalty to enable these flows without additional third-party scripts.

• See how merchants collect and showcase authentic reviews to pair with wishlist-generated social proof: collect and showcase authentic reviews.

Integration and Platform Readiness

Growave supports integrations and enterprise features that matter during scaling:

• Shopify Plus support and tailored plans for high-volume merchants.
• Native integrations with popular email and customer service tools.
• API and SDK options for custom headless implementations.

Merchants on bigger plans can access white-glove support and migration assistance that simplify replacing multiple single-purpose apps.

• For merchants considering enterprise features and readiness, explore solutions designed for high-growth Plus brands: solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Real merchant evidence

Seeing how other brands have used an integrated retention platform helps validate the decision. Growave publishes customer stories showing how brands consolidated tools and improved retention metrics.

• Read customer stories from brands realizing retention gains and a simpler tech stack: customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Getting started and next steps

For merchants evaluating whether to consolidate tools, a practical next step is to compare costs and feature coverage side-by-side. Review Growave plans to measure the incremental value of bundling wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews versus maintaining separate apps.

• Compare Growave plan tiers and how they map to monthly order volumes and feature needs: consolidate retention features.

If the goal is to see how an integrated stack improves retention before committing a large migration, schedule a walkthrough with a product specialist.

Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention. Book a personalized demo

(That sentence above is an explicit call-to-action to request a demo.)

Migration Considerations: Moving From Single-App Wishlists To An Integrated Suite

Shifting from SWishlist or Folio to an integrated platform requires planning to avoid downtime, data loss, or duplicate tracking.

• Data export: Confirm wishlist export options. Export saved items with user identifiers and timestamps to allow re-import.
• Mapping: Map wishlist fields to the integrated platform’s data model—customer ID, product ID, date added, and public/private flags.
• Script replacement: Disable the legacy wishlist widget only after confirming the new widget works across themes and devices.
• Email automations: Recreate or enhance any abandoned-wishlist workflows using the integrated platform’s native automations for cleaner, single-source triggers.
• Testing: Use a staging environment and verify performance with tools like Lighthouse before and after the switch.

When these steps are followed, consolidation reduces long-term maintenance and unlocks higher-value, cross-channel automation.

Practical Recommendations & Final Comparison Summary

• Choose SWishlist: Simple Wishlist if:
  • The store needs a well-reviewed, budget-friendly wishlist app with multi-language support.
  • The team prefers documented support SLAs and a predictable, low-cost upgrade path from free to unlimited additions.
  • The store requires API access for custom automation.
• Choose Folio: Wishlist if:
  • Specific UI features (guest wishlist, public wishlist count, collection page icons) are must-haves out of the box.
  • The merchant is comfortable vetting an app with minimal public reviews, potentially relying on a limited trial and direct vendor vetting.
• Choose an integrated platform (like Growave) if:
  • The store plans to run loyalty programs, referrals, reviews, and wishlist campaigns together.
  • Reducing script bloat, consolidating data, and driving programmatic increases in customer lifetime value are priorities.
  • The brand expects to scale and wants enterprise-level support, deeper integrations, and unified automation.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and Folio: Wishlist, the decision comes down to priorities: SWishlist is a strong, cost-effective, and well-reviewed option for stores that need multilingual support, a clear support SLA, and API extensibility. Folio offers useful social-proof and guest wishlist features but lacks public reviews and clear integration details, which increases risk for merchants who prefer validated options.

If the primary goal is to reduce tool sprawl and turn wishlist behavior into predictable retention outcomes, an integrated retention platform delivers higher long-term value. Growave combines wishlist features with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers in a single platform so wishlist interactions fuel reward campaigns, referral growth, and review requests without complex integrations. Compare Growave plans to quantify how consolidation reduces monthly app costs and technical overhead: consolidate retention features. Install and preview the integrated widget to understand behavior on live themes: install via the Shopify App Store.

Start a 14-day free trial to explore Growave's all-in-one retention stack. Start a 14-day free trial

(That sentence above is an explicit call-to-action to begin a trial.)

FAQ

• How do SWishlist and Folio differ on pricing and left-to-right value?
  • SWishlist offers a free starter plan and a low-cost progression to unlimited wishlist additions at $12/month, with clear multi-language support. Folio’s pricing starts at $6.99/month with 1,000 items and reaches $12.99 for unlimited items. For pure volume and language coverage, SWishlist generally offers better value for money; for specific UI elements like guest wishlist and public counts, Folio may provide out-of-the-box convenience.
• Which app is better for stores that need multi-language storefronts?
  • SWishlist explicitly supports multiple storefront languages (up to 20 on Premium), making it a stronger candidate for multilingual stores. Folio’s public feature list does not emphasize multi-language support, so merchants should confirm compatibility before selecting it.
• How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps like SWishlist or Folio?
  • An all-in-one platform combines wishlist with loyalty, referrals, and reviews under the same data model, reducing integration overhead and enabling cross-functional automations (for example, rewarding wishlist actions with points or using wishlist data in referral flows). This consolidation lowers maintenance, reduces script load, and enables higher-value retention strategies. Merchants should weigh the upfront cost of a bundled solution against the operational and long-term ROI benefits.
• If a merchant already uses a loyalty or reviews app, is it worth switching to a unified platform?
  • It depends on the complexity and cost of current integrations. If multiple apps require frequent maintenance, cause performance issues, or prevent cross-feature automations (e.g., using wishlist signals to award points), consolidation typically improves efficiency and LTV. Before switching, run a cost-benefit analysis: compare total monthly costs and lost opportunity due to fragmented data against the benefit of unified automation and support. Review case studies and plan a staged migration to avoid disruption.