SWishlist: Simple Wishlist vs. Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist

Introduction

Choosing the right app for wishlists, loyalty, and retention is a common point of friction for Shopify merchants. Many stores start with a single-function tool, then layer on other apps as needs grow — and that stack can become expensive, fragile, and hard to manage.

Short answer: SWishlist: Simple Wishlist is an excellent choice for merchants who want a lightweight, focused wishlist tool with an attractive free tier and a clear price ladder. Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist is better suited for brands that aim to build repeat purchase behavior, combine wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and scale toward enterprise capabilities. For merchants seeking the most value per tool and fewer integrations to manage, Growave often delivers better value for money.

This post provides a feature-by-feature, practical comparison of SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce) and Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist (Growave). The goal is to give merchants a clear view of strengths, limitations, pricing trade-offs, integration footprints, and recommended use cases so an informed decision can be made.

SWishlist: Simple Wishlist vs. Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

Product Focus and Philosophies

SWishlist: Simple Wishlist – Focused and Minimal

SWishlist is precisely what the name suggests: a wishlist system. Its positioning centers on simplicity — allow customers to save favorite items, share wishlists, and match store styling. That focus keeps the user experience tight and the app lightweight.

Strengths in approach:

• Minimal UI footprint and limited feature set reduces setup complexity.
• Clear pricing ladder with a useful free tier for very small volumes.
• Rapid adoption for stores that only need wishlist behavior and nothing else.

Trade-offs:

• Single-purpose functionality means merchants will need additional apps for reviews, loyalty, referrals, or advanced retention tactics.
• Integrations appear limited primarily to API-level interactions, so deeper built-in integrations with marketing automation or POS aren’t available out of the box.

Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist — Platform Mindset

Growave is built as a retention platform rather than a single-tool solution. It bundles loyalty, referrals, reviews & UGC, wishlist, and VIP tiers into one suite. The stated ambition is to give merchants enterprise-style retention features without the complexity of multiple vendors.

Strengths in approach:

• Consolidation of retention tools reduces integration overhead and data fragmentation.
• Specifically built to support growth use cases that drive repeat purchases and higher lifetime value.
• Broader partner integrations (Klaviyo, Recharge, Gorgias, page builders, POS) enable deeper automation.

Trade-offs:

• Higher starting price if a merchant only needs wishlist functionality.
• Implementation can be more involved because of the breadth of features and customization options.

Wishlist Experience: Features and Customization

Wishlist Core Capabilities — SWishlist

SWishlist focuses on the fundamentals required for a customer-facing wishlist:

• Add/remove favorites quickly from product pages and collection listings.
• Shareable wishlist links for social proof or gifting.
• Multi-language support across plans (2 languages on Free, up to 20 languages on Premium).
• Theme matching and customization to blend with store design.

Practical implications:

• For stores prioritizing a lightweight wishlist with easy sharing and decent appearance control, SWishlist delivers the essentials.
• The Free tier allows stores to trial the behavior before upgrading.

Wishlist Core Capabilities — Growave

Growave includes wishlist as one component of a retention suite:

• Wishlist additions are integrated with back-in-stock emails and user accounts.
• Wishlist activity can be tied to loyalty actions (e.g., reward points for adding products or purchasing from a wishlist).
• Wishlist is available on Growave’s Free plan and is part of higher-tier automation (e.g., back-in-stock wishlist emails on Growth plan).

Practical implications:

• Wishlist is more strategic when it’s connected to loyalty and email automation: it becomes a conversion lever, not just a convenience.
• For brands that want to convert saved items into purchases via automated flows, Growave’s integrated wishlist is more actionable.

Loyalty, Rewards, and Repeat Purchase Driving Tools

This is the most important differentiator.

SWishlist: No Native Loyalty Program

SWishlist does not include a loyalty rewards program. It focuses on product saving and sharing features. To run a points-based loyalty program, merchants must add a separate loyalty app, which increases cost and integration work.

Operational consequences:

• Managing loyalty alongside SWishlist introduces more vendors, potential data silos, and extra engineering or configuration to sync customer identities and behavior across apps.
• Without loyalty, converting wishlist behavior into repeat customers requires manual or external automation.

Growave: Native Loyalty & VIP Tiers

Growave’s platform includes a full loyalty engine:

• Points systems, advanced rewards, VIP tiers, custom reward actions, and POS loyalty QR codes on higher plans.
• Loyalty can be configured to reward wishlist activity, referrals, purchases, reviews, and more.
• VIP tiers enable segment-based incentives that increase customer lifetime value.

Operational consequences:

• One platform to manage loyalty and wishlist reduces data reconciliation needs and simplifies reporting.
• Loyalty programs combined with referral mechanics and reviews create compounding retention effects rather than siloed performance.

For merchants focused on retention, Growave’s loyalty toolkit is a clear advantage.

Relevant resource:

• For merchants evaluating loyalty mechanics, Growave’s page on loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases explains typical configurations and business outcomes.

Reviews & User-Generated Content (UGC)

SWishlist: No Native Reviews/UGC Module

SWishlist does not provide review collection or UGC modules. Merchants that want buyer reviews or social proof must deploy a separate review app.

Consequences:

• Separate reviews solution adds additional cost and potential duplication of features (some review apps also include widgets that pull customers to accounts, similar to wishlist).
• Integration between wishlist behavior and reviews (e.g., asking a customer who purchased from their wishlist to leave a review) needs custom work.

Growave: Built-In Review Collection and UGC

Growave includes reviews and UGC features:

• Review request automation, Google Shopping Reviews on higher plans, and social UGC integration (Instagram).
• Reviews can be tied into loyalty flows (reward a customer for leaving a review) to increase participation.
• Built-in review attributes and moderation tools help maintain quality.

Reinforcing link:

• Merchants interested in social proof can see how to collect and showcase authentic reviews with Growave’s features.

Practical takeaway:

• Bundling reviews with wishlist and loyalty allows automated cross-channel nudges that drive conversion and repeat purchases without stitching multiple apps together.

Integrations and Technical Flexibility

SWishlist: API-Level Flexibility

SWishlist lists "Works With: API", indicating a reliance on API integrations for custom work. This provides flexibility if merchants have internal development resources or use middleware.

Pros:

• Clean, lightweight integration for merchants who want to control the user experience via code.
• Lower potential for third-party dependencies when the merchant handles integration.

Cons:

• No out-of-the-box integrations with common marketing platforms — expect to invest developer time or use an integration service.
• For merchants without technical resources, this can slow time to value.

Growave: Rich Integration Ecosystem

Growave supports a wide set of integrations:

• Native connections with Checkout, Shopify POS, Customer Accounts, Shopify Flow, Page builders, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Recharge, Gorgias, and others.
• Headless support, APIs, and SDKs on Plus plan for custom storefronts.

Consequences:

• Faster automation and cohesive customer journeys with existing marketing stacks.
• Less time spent on engineering integrations and more time optimizing programs.

Practical note:

• Merchants relying heavily on Klaviyo or Recharge will find the prebuilt connectors helpful for sending behavior-triggered messages and syncing loyalty data.

Pricing and Value for Money

Pricing is often the deciding factor. Both apps offer free tiers, but their monetization philosophies differ.

SWishlist Pricing Snapshot

• Free: 300 wishlist additions/month, 2 storefront languages, free setup for up to 2 themes, 24–48 hour support.
• Basic ($5/month): 7,000 additions/month, 7 languages, faster support (12–24 hours).
• Premium ($12/month): Unlimited additions, 20 languages, full statistics, top priority support.

Value assessment:

• Exceptionally affordable for stores that only need wishlist capability.
• The Free plan is generous for low-volume stores and experimentation.
• For merchants who never plan to run loyalty or reviews, this is better value for money compared with a full retention suite.

Growave Pricing Snapshot

• FREE: Basic loyalty, wishlist, product reviews, limited order volume, Growave branding, 48hr email support.
• ENTRY ($49/month): Advanced rewards, referral program, nudges, review request email series, Shopify POS & Shopify Flow, one integration slot, 24/7 email support.
• GROWTH ($199/month): VIP tiers, dedicated loyalty page, back-in-stock wishlist emails, enhanced integrations, priority support.
• PLUS ($499/month): Checkout extensions, headless APIs & SDKs, unlimited integrations, customer success manager, launch plan, phone support.

Value assessment:

• Higher starting point for paid plans compared with SWishlist, but it replaces several single-purpose apps with one platform.
• For stores aiming to increase LTV and average order frequency, the incremental cost often pays back through better retention and reduced churn.
• Free tier enables small merchants to try core features before upgrading.

Practical comparison:

• Small merchants with a strict wishlist-only requirement will find SWishlist better value for money.
• Merchants with medium growth ambitions who want loyalty, reviews, and wishlist in one place will typically find Growave offers more net value despite a higher monthly fee.

Support, Onboarding, and Documentation

SWishlist Support

• Support response times vary by plan (24–48hrs on Free, 12–24hrs on Basic, top priority on Premium).
• Free setup for up to two themes may reduce initial friction for stores on standard themes.

Implications:

• Reasonable support cadence for a small app; merchants should account for slower responses on free plans.
• Premium plan buyers get faster attention.

Growave Support

• 48hr email support on Free; 24/7 email support on Entry; 24/7 email/chat and 5-star onboarding on Growth; Plus includes a dedicated Customer Success Manager.
• Extensive documentation, and options for onboarding and dedicated launch plans on higher tiers.

Implications:

• Larger brands and Shopify Plus merchants will benefit from the enterprise support structure.
• For merchants implementing multiple Growave modules, the onboarding can accelerate time to value.

Data, Reporting, and Measurement

SWishlist Reporting

• Premium plans offer "unlimited access to all statistics." The public data shows statistics geared toward wishlist usage metrics.
• For merchants needing conversion attribution between wishlist activity and sales, additional analytics wiring may be required.

Growave Reporting

• Reporting spans loyalty program performance, referral KPIs, review ROI, wishlist-to-order conversion, and customer lifetime value changes.
• Integrated events can be exported or fed into analytics tools for cross-channel measurement.

Practical difference:

• Growave’s reporting treats wishlist behavior as one piece of retention analytics, making it easier to measure program-level impacts.

Performance and Scalability

SWishlist

• Lightweight architecture suitable for stores that require a small, fast wishlist feature.
• Premium plan supports unlimited additions, making it technically able to scale wishlist volume.

Growave

• Designed for multi-feature usage at scale, including Shopify Plus and headless setups on higher tiers.
• Checkout extensions and POS support make Growave suitable for omnichannel merchants.

Recommendation based on scale:

• If scaling retention programs, Growave’s architecture and integrations reduce friction and technical debt.

Customization and Branding

SWishlist

• Emphasis on "Customize everything to perfectly match your store."
• Offers theme matching and language options.

Growave

• Full flexibility to customize app branding and tailor experiences, including loyalty page custom designs on Plus plan and headless options.
• Allows control over emails, widgets, and on-site nudges.

Implication:

• Both apps offer branding options, but Growave’s customization spans program pages, emails, and checkout — useful when the brand experience needs to be cohesive across multiple retention touchpoints.

Security, Compliance, and Ownership

Both apps operate on Shopify and follow standard data handling practices expected of Shopify apps. Merchants should review each app’s privacy policy, data export options, and retention policies, especially when dealing with loyalty points and customer data.

Use Cases and Recommendations

This section provides practical guidance on which app to choose depending on business goals and constraints.

When SWishlist Is the Right Choice

• The merchant only needs a wishlist experience and has no plans to implement a loyalty or review program.
• Low monthly budget and desire to test wishlist behavior before investing in broader retention strategies.
• Merchant has technical resources and prefers a lightweight app with API access for custom integrations.
• Store volume remains low enough that the free or $5/month plan covers expected wishlist additions.

Practical merchant actions:

• Use SWishlist’s Free or Basic plan to validate wishlist adoption rates.
• Monitor wishlist-to-cart conversion and, if conversion is under target, plan to add either an email automation or referral incentive.

When Growave Is the Right Choice

• The merchant wants to convert saved items into purchases through loyalty incentives or automated back-in-stock flows.
• The business values a single source of truth for loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlist data to reduce tool sprawl.
• The store plans to scale with omnichannel retail, Shopify POS loyalty, or headless storefronts.
• The brand expects to increase customer lifetime value and wants built-in methods (VIP tiers, rewards, reviews) to do that.

Practical merchant actions:

• Use the Free plan to trial core modules, then upgrade to Entry or Growth to unlock referral mechanics and review automations.
• Combine wishlist behavior with loyalty awarding rules to nudge saved-product buyers into purchases.

Migration, Implementation, and Operational Cost

Migrating From a Wishlist App to a Retention Platform

Key steps merchants should plan for:

• Export wishlist data and identify top saved SKUs and customer segments.
• Map customer identity across apps (email, customer ID) to avoid duplicates when consolidating systems.
• Recreate any saved segment logic in the retention platform for targeted campaigns.

Operational considerations:

• Time investment to map data fields and migrate historical wishlist behavior.
• If switching from SWishlist to Growave, the merchant will replace multiple apps (wishlist + loyalty + reviews) with one — reducing long-term operational overhead.
• Onboarding support tiers on Growave can reduce implementation time.

Ongoing Cost Comparison

• SWishlist: Low monthly subscription (Free/$5/$12) but requires additional apps for loyalty and reviews which add incremental cost.
• Growave: Higher single monthly fee but consolidates several functions, often delivering lower combined cost compared with subscribing to several single-purpose apps.

Rule of thumb:

• Calculate all-in costs for wishlist + loyalty + review apps and compare to Growave’s price. For many merchants, the single-platform approach reduces integration, support, and hourly developer costs.

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

"App fatigue" is the cumulative burden merchants feel as the number of installed apps grows. Symptoms include slow page load times, inconsistent data, duplicated functionality, rising monthly bills, and complex vendor management. Single-purpose apps like SWishlist: Simple Wishlist solve a specific problem well, but can accelerate app fatigue if other needs (loyalty, referrals, reviews, POS loyalty) are tackled with separate tools.

Consolidation reduces friction:

• Fewer vendors to manage for billing, support, and feature requests.
• Single identity graph for customers, making behavior-based automation reliable.
• Unified reporting that shows how wishlist behavior feeds into loyalty, reviews, and repeat purchases.

Growave’s philosophy — "More Growth, Less Stack" — is designed to address app fatigue by combining multiple retention tools into one platform. Growave’s product set includes loyalty, reviews & UGC, referral marketing, wishlist, VIP tiers, and headless/checkout extensions, enabling merchants to build cohesive retention programs without stitching together separate vendors.

Strategic benefits of consolidation:

• Loyalty can be directly tied to wishlist events, turning saved items into measurable revenue drivers.
• Review automation can be tied to purchase events and loyalty rewards to increase participation.
• Referral programs layered on top of loyalty amplify word-of-mouth with clear reward paths.

For merchants assessing consolidation, the following resources explain how Growave’s modules map to specific retention outcomes:

• Learn how to build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• See options to collect and showcase authentic reviews.

Operational guidance for evaluating consolidation:

• Identify core retention outcomes (increase repeat purchase rate, lift AOV, increase review volume).
• Map current apps and note overlapping features or duplicated costs.
• Trial an integrated platform to measure the delta in time-to-launch for campaigns and the combined CAC-to-LTV impact.

Install and trial options:

• Merchants can install Growave from the Shopify marketplace to test the platform quickly.
• To evaluate fit for mid-market or enterprise needs, merchants can compare Growave pricing and available plans.

Book a personalized walkthrough:

• Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention and reduces tool sprawl. (Book a demo)

How the platform approach resolves common merchant problems:

• Slow page speeds due to multiple script injections are reduced when widgets are consolidated.
• Customer data becomes actionable across loyalty and email platforms via native integrations.
• Onboarding and support are centralized; advanced plans include a customer success manager for launch and optimization.

For merchants on Shopify Plus or those building headless storefronts:

• The platform provides solutions for high-growth Plus brands including checkout extensions and headless APIs to maintain performance while scaling features.

Practical checklist before consolidating:

• Confirm essential integrations are supported (e.g., Klaviyo, Recharge, Gorgias).
• Verify whether the platform supports POS and checkout behavior relevant to in-store loyalty.
• Review onboarding options and SLA for support.

Contextual links within the alternative argument:

• Merchants evaluating consolidation can compare Growave pricing to estimate total cost of ownership.
• For stores focused on loyalty mechanics, review loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• For social proof and SEO benefits, learn how to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Install options are available for quick testing if the merchant wants to install Growave from the Shopify marketplace.

Additional points on cost rationalization:

• Add up current monthly spend for wishlist, loyalty, referral, and review apps. Compare this to Growave’s consolidated monthly rate for equivalent capabilities.
• Factor in internal time and developer hours required to keep integrations working after Shopify or third-party changes.

Implementation Scenarios and Practical Steps

This section provides practical, non-fictional steps merchants can apply when choosing or switching.

Scenario: Small Shop That Only Wants a Wishlist

Recommended steps:

• Start with SWishlist’s Free plan to confirm wishlist adoption rates.
• Add simple email flows in Shopify or an ESP to nudge wishlist owners (e.g., abandoned wishlist reminders).
• Monitor wishlist-to-order conversion for a quarter; if conversion targets are missed, evaluate adding a loyalty or review lever.

Scenario: Growing Brand Looking to Increase Repeat Purchases

Recommended steps:

• Pilot Growave’s Free plan to test wishlist, basic loyalty, and reviews.
• Configure reward rules to give points for wishlist additions and purchases from wishlist items.
• Set up back-in-stock wishlist emails and automated review requests tied to order fulfillment.
• Measure repeat purchase rate and customer lifetime value before and after 60–90 days.

Scenario: Enterprise or Omnichannel Retailer

Recommended steps:

• Use Growave’s Plus or Growth plan for checkout extensions, POS loyalty, and headless APIs.
• Engage a Customer Success Manager to tailor the loyalty strategy and migration plan.
• Consolidate loyalty, review, and wishlist programs to minimize redundancy and reduce latency between on-site behavior and rewards.

Final Feature Comparison Snapshot

• Wishlist usability: Both apps cover the basics; SWishlist is laser-focused while Growave ties wishlist activity into retention flows.
• Loyalty: Only Growave includes built-in loyalty and VIP tiers.
• Reviews & UGC: Growave provides review automation and social UGC; SWishlist does not.
• Integrations: Growave has extensive built-in connectors; SWishlist focuses on API-level flexibility.
• Pricing model: SWishlist is lower-cost for wishlist-only needs; Growave is higher cost but replaces multiple apps.
• Support: Growave provides tiered enterprise-level support; SWishlist provides reasonable support with priority tiers.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist, the decision comes down to scope and growth priorities. SWishlist is an effective, low-cost, specialist wishlist app well suited to stores that only need the wishlist feature. Growave is a multi-module retention platform that combines wishlist with loyalty, referrals, reviews, VIP tiers, and enterprise integrations — making it a stronger choice for brands serious about increasing lifetime value and simplifying their app stack.

If the priority is minimal monthly spend and a fast wishlist-only setup, SWishlist offers excellent value for money. If the priority is scalable retention, fewer integrations, and measurable lift in repeat purchases, Growave is the higher-value alternative.

Start a 14-day free trial to see how consolidating wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals improves retention while reducing tool complexity. (Compare Growave pricing)

Additional ways to evaluate Growave:

• For loyalty program design and rewards configurations, explore loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• To understand how review collection can amplify conversions, review strategies to collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Or install quickly and test features by choosing to install Growave from the Shopify marketplace.

FAQ

Q: How do SWishlist and Growave differ in terms of core purpose?

• SWishlist is a single-purpose wishlist tool designed to let customers save and share favorites with straightforward setup and low cost. Growave is an integrated retention suite that includes wishlist but prioritizes loyalty, referrals, and reviews to drive repeat purchases.

Q: Which app is better for stores that want loyalty and rewards?

• Growave includes native loyalty and VIP tiers. SWishlist does not, so merchants would need to add a separate loyalty app if they choose SWishlist.

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

• An all-in-one platform reduces the number of vendors, eases data consistency, and simplifies automation because wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews are connected in one system. Specialized apps can be cheaper per feature but often increase total cost and integration effort when multiple apps are required.

Q: Can merchants test Growave without committing?

• Yes. There is a Free tier and trial potential; merchants can also compare Growave pricing and install from the Shopify marketplace to run an initial test.