Introduction
Choosing the right wishlist app is one of many decisions Shopify merchants face when trying to improve conversion and increase lifetime value. Wishlist features can reduce friction, keep products top of mind, and feed remarketing. Yet picking between focused, single-purpose tools can be confusing: some apps are lightweight and easy to install, while others trade simplicity for deeper analytics or integrations.
Short answer: SWishlist: Simple Wishlist is a strong choice for merchants who want a polished, multi-language wishlist widget with predictable, low-cost tiers and clear usage limits. XB Wishlist is attractive to shops that rely on Shopify Flow and want a minimal, deeply integrated wishlist feature with built-in analytics. For merchants looking to reduce the number of single-purpose apps and invest in retention across loyalty, reviews, referrals, and wishlist, a consolidated platform like Growave often delivers better value for money and faster time-to-impact.
This post provides a feature-by-feature, impartial comparison of SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce) and XB Wishlist (XB). It highlights strengths, trade-offs, technical considerations, pricing implications, and merchant use-cases. After the comparison, the article presents an alternative approach to avoid tool sprawl and improve retention holistically.
SWishlist: Simple Wishlist vs. XB Wishlist: At a Glance
| Aspect | SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce) | XB Wishlist (XB) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Customer wishlists with sharing, multi-language, and analytics | Customer wishlists with account access, sharing, and basic analytics |
| Best For | Merchants who need multi-language support, clear usage tiers, and hands-on support | Merchants who use Shopify Flow and want simple wishlist + analytics |
| Rating (Shopify) | 4.9 (106 reviews) | 5.0 (19 reviews) |
| Key Features | Add/save favorites, share wishlists, heavy customization, multi-language | Save items, wishlist in customer account, shareable lists, analytics |
| Pricing (visible) | Free / $5 / $12 per month (usage caps) | Developer does not list public pricing on app page |
| Works With | API | Shopify Flow |
| Notable Differentiator | Clear monthly caps, fast support on paid plans | Deep Flow compatibility and built-in tracking |
| Typical Merchant Size | Small to mid-size stores, international stores due to language support | Shops leveraging Shopify Flow automations; stores wanting light wishlist features |
Deep Dive Comparison
Product Philosophy and Positioning
SWishlist: Simple Wishlist — Focused, multilingual, usage-based
SWishlist is presented as a dedicated wishlist tool designed to make it easy for customers to save favorites and share lists. The developer emphasizes customization and multilingual storefronts, which is useful for merchants selling into multiple regions. Pricing is transparent, with clear monthly quotas for wishlist additions and defined support-response timeframes.
Strengths:
- Transparent pricing tiers tied to usage (300, 7,000, unlimited additions).
- Multi-language storefront support scales with plan level.
- Focus on customization and branding.
Potential trade-offs:
- Adding a separate app increases the number of tools to manage.
- A pure wishlist app may lack loyalty, referral, or review features that influence long-term retention.
XB Wishlist — Simple, Flow-friendly, analytics baked in
XB Wishlist positions itself as a lightweight wishlist solution with emphasis on simple setup, account-based wishlists, and built-in analytics. The “Works With: Shopify Flow” note signals an orientation toward stores that already use Flow for automations and want wishlist events to trigger workflows.
Strengths:
- Smooth integration with Shopify Flow for customized automations.
- Built-in analytics to track wishlist activity.
- Straightforward feature set focused on saving and sharing items.
Potential trade-offs:
- Publicly available pricing is not listed, which can create uncertainty for merchants budgeting costs.
- Smaller review base (19 reviews) suggests a shorter track record compared with many alternatives.
Features Compared
Wishlist Basics: add/save behavior and persistence
Both apps cover the essential behavior merchants expect from a wishlist: customers can save products to a list for later. Key differences emerge in how these lists are stored and surfaced.
- SWishlist: Emphasizes cross-device persistence, social sharing of lists, and language support. Its plan structure suggests a limit on how many wishlist additions are stored monthly on lower tiers.
- XB Wishlist: Stores wishlists accessible from the customer account and enables sharing; its Flow compatibility suggests reliable event hooks that can be used to trigger emails or automations.
Merchant takeaway: If multi-language storefronts and predictable monthly usage limits matter, SWishlist provides explicit support and quotas. If a merchant wants wishlist events to feed into existing Flow automations (for example, to trigger back-in-stock alerts or targeted emails), XB Wishlist offers direct compatibility.
Sharing and Social Behavior
Both apps advertise shareable lists, a feature that increases the likelihood of social referrals and group gift buying.
- SWishlist: Allows customers to share wishlists with friends and customize CTA copy and appearance to match brand voice.
- XB Wishlist: Also supports sharing and pairs it with simple analytics to measure shares and conversions.
Merchant takeaway: Sharing is a standard capability for both; SWishlist’s emphasis on customization is helpful for stores focused on branded experiences, while XB’s analytics can help test which sharing flows convert.
Design & Customization
Look and feel matter. A wishlist widget that clashes with a store’s theme reduces conversion.
- SWishlist: Explicitly mentions the ability to “Customize everything to perfectly match your store.” Free setup covers up to two themes; paid support speeds integration times.
- XB Wishlist: Offers tailored wishlist button styling and account-accessible lists. It emphasizes simple setup and integration.
Merchant takeaway: Both offer customization; SWishlist highlights a white-glove initial setup for a limited number of themes on the free plan, which reduces the work required for non-technical merchants.
Multi-language & Localization
SoluCommerce’s SWishlist includes multi-language support baked into pricing tiers: 2 languages on Free, 7 on Basic, 20 on Premium. That makes SWishlist well-suited for merchants operating in multiple countries.
XB Wishlist does not advertise language tiers on the app listing, which suggests either single-language support or language handling that isn't a core selling point.
Merchant takeaway: For international storefronts where localization matters, SWishlist provides clearer language support and predictable scalability.
Analytics & Data
Tracking wishlist activity is essential for turning passive interest into purchases.
- SWishlist: Mentions “Unlimited access to all statistics” on its Premium plan, implying detailed metrics for high-tier users.
- XB Wishlist: Lists “Track wishlist activity with built-in analytics,” signaling at least basic metrics on user saves and shares.
Merchant takeaway: Both provide analytics, but SWishlist’s tiered access suggests deeper metrics are gated behind higher plans. XB’s analytics may be sufficient for merchants who want immediate, simple insights connected to Flow.
Integrations & Automation
Integration flexibility impacts how wishlist data flows into broader retention strategies.
- SWishlist: Works with API, which allows developers to integrate wishlist events into custom flows, email providers, or data warehouses.
- XB Wishlist: Works with Shopify Flow, enabling event-driven automations natively inside the Shopify admin without additional middleware.
Merchant takeaway: Choose SWishlist if custom developer integrations or external systems must consume wishlist events. Choose XB if the store already uses Shopify Flow for automations and prefers a low-code approach.
Mobile & Performance
Both apps advertise lightweight implementations aimed at keeping storefront performance intact. Evaluate real-world performance:
- SWishlist: Free plan setup for up to 2 themes and handcrafted implementation typically reduces compatibility issues that could degrade speed.
- XB Wishlist: Simple setup can lead to faster time-to-live but verify theme compatibility and test Core Web Vitals after install.
Merchant takeaway: Run a staging install and test speed metrics (LCP, TTFB) before deploying to production. Both apps are positioned to be performant, but individual theme and scripts may alter results.
Pricing and Value
SWishlist: Transparent, usage-based pricing
SoluCommerce publishes clear tiers:
- Free: 300 wishlist additions per month, 2 languages, setup for up to 2 themes, support within 24-48 hours.
- Basic ($5/month): 7,000 wishlist additions per month, 7 languages, all Free features, faster support (12-24 hours).
- Premium ($12/month): Unlimited wishlist additions, 20 languages, unlimited statistics, top-priority support.
This structure is predictable and friendly for small stores that want to start free and scale. The explicit caps on wishlist additions mean merchants can evaluate their need and upgrade predictably.
Value considerations:
- For stores with low wishlist activity, the Free tier may be sufficient.
- The Basic and Premium tiers present clear scaling paths for international stores and higher traffic volumes.
- Support response speed and access to stats are meaningful differentiators for merchants who need quick troubleshooting or detailed reporting.
XB Wishlist: Pricing not publicly listed
XB does not show public pricing on the app listing. That ambiguity can be a problem for merchants wanting to budget. Lack of a published price often implies:
- Pricing may be usage-based, custom, or quoted during install.
- Merchants will need to contact the developer to get exact costs, which slows evaluation.
Value considerations:
- Unlisted pricing can be acceptable for enterprise or customized installations, but creates friction for fast-moving small teams.
- Evaluate ROI by measuring how many wishlist saves convert to purchases and whether Flow automations can be used to recover carts.
Merchant takeaway: SWishlist provides transparent value tiers and fixed monthly fees, which ease purchase decisions. XB’s unlisted pricing requires merchants to reach out for quotes and may be better suited for stores that prefer developer engagement.
Integrations & Technical Considerations
Platform Hooks and Extensibility
- SWishlist: API compatibility allows developers to pull wishlist data into CRMs, analytics stacks, or to build cross-app automations.
- XB Wishlist: Shopify Flow integration is a major plus for shops that want to trigger workflows (e.g., send an email when a popular wishlist item goes on sale).
Decision point:
- Choose SWishlist when integration with third-party systems (like Klaviyo or a custom backend) is needed and a developer is available.
- Choose XB when the shop relies on Flow and prefers declarative automations within Shopify.
Developer Friendliness
- SWishlist: API-first approach is familiar to development teams and supports headless implementations.
- XB Wishlist: Flow compatibility reduces the need for code, which is attractive to stores without full developer resources.
Compatibility with Plus / Headless / POS
Neither app lists exhaustive compatibility matrices on their public listings. For merchants on Shopify Plus, or those using headless storefronts and POS, evaluate:
- SWishlist’s API makes it more adaptable to headless and hybrid architectures.
- XB’s Flow support can be used in Plus stores where Flow is activated.
Merchant takeaway: For headless or multi-touchpoint commerce (web + POS), an API-based tool typically provides more flexibility.
Implementation & Support
Onboarding Speed
- SWishlist: Free setup for up to two themes suggests the vendor assists with initial implementation, speeding time-to-live.
- XB Wishlist: Simple setup language implies quick installation but possibly less hands-on onboarding unless engaged directly.
Support SLA
- SWishlist: Support windows are explicit—24-48 hours for free tier, 12-24 hours for Basic, top-priority for Premium.
- XB Wishlist: No explicit SLA publicized; contact-based support expectations should be clarified before purchase.
Merchant takeaway: Merchants who prioritize quick support or need fast fixes for theme conflicts may prefer SWishlist’s clearer support timelines unless XB provides comparable SLAs upon contact.
Data, Privacy & Security
Wishlist data can contain customer identifiers and preferences—treat it as sensitive behavioral data.
- SWishlist’s API model allows merchants to manage their data flow and often provides clearer export options for analytics and compliance.
- XB Wishlist, working with Shopify Flow, can leverage Shopify’s native data model; however, merchants should confirm how long wishlist data is stored and how exports are handled.
Merchant takeaway: Confirm data retention policies and export options before installing either app. For compliance or data portability needs, API-first solutions often provide clearer control.
Reliability & Maturity Signals
Ratings and review counts are useful proxies for app maturity and merchant trust.
- SWishlist: 106 reviews with a 4.9 rating suggests a mature app with a longer track record and broad usage.
- XB Wishlist: 19 reviews with a 5.0 rating indicates a good product but a smaller user base, which may mean fewer real-world edge cases surfaced.
Merchant takeaway: A larger review base does not guarantee perfect fit, but it often correlates with more resolved edge cases and broader compatibility across themes and stores.
Use Cases and Which App Fits Best
- Merchants focused on fast, low-cost, multilingual wishlists with transparent pricing: SWishlist is well-suited.
- Merchants using Shopify Flow who need wishlist events to trigger automations and prefer no-code workflows: XB Wishlist is attractive.
- Merchants who need wishlist features plus loyalty, reviews, and referral programs integrated into one retention strategy: Consider a consolidated platform to reduce overhead and improve lifetime value tracking.
Pros & Cons
SWishlist: Simple Wishlist
- Pros:
- Transparent pricing and usage caps.
- Multi-language support scales with plan level.
- Clear support SLAs for each plan.
- API support for custom integrations.
- Higher review count (106) supporting its maturity.
- Cons:
- Adds another single-purpose app to the stack.
- Some useful metrics are gated behind premium plans.
XB Wishlist
- Pros:
- Smooth compatibility with Shopify Flow for native automations.
- Simple setup and account-based wishlist access.
- Built-in analytics for wishlist activity.
- Very high rating (5.0).
- Cons:
- Smaller review base (19) and less public pricing transparency.
- May require contacting the developer for pricing or advanced features.
The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform
The problem: app fatigue and fragmented retention stacks
Many merchants begin by installing single-purpose apps—one for wishlists, another for reviews, a third for referrals, and so on. This approach can create:
- Management overhead across multiple dashboards.
- Compounding subscription costs.
- Fragmented data that makes it hard to measure the combined impact on retention and lifetime value.
- Integration gaps requiring custom builds to get cross-app events into email, analytics, or customer service tools.
This situation, commonly referred to as app fatigue, slows growth. An alternative is to consolidate multiple retention primitives into a single platform so wishlist events, reviews, and loyalty triggers are centrally managed.
Growave’s approach: "More Growth, Less Stack"
Growave positions itself as a flexible retention platform that combines Loyalty and Rewards, Referrals, Reviews & UGC, Wishlist, and VIP tiers into one integrated suite. The value proposition simplifies operations:
- One dashboard to manage rewards, referrals, reviews, and wishlists.
- Unified customer profiles that capture interactions across features.
- Fewer monthly bills and less technical integration work.
- Enterprise-ready features and integrations for stores scaling on Plus, including checkout extensions, headless APIs, and dedicated launch support.
Merchants can choose to consolidate retention features and consolidate retention features under one plan to simplify operations and reduce duplicate effort.
How consolidation changes outcomes
When wishlist activity is natively tied to loyalty, referral, and review systems, merchants can:
- Reward wishlist engagement with points to nudge conversion.
- Encourage sharing via referral incentives and seamlessly attribute new customers.
- Turn wishlist interest into product review prompts and UGC campaigns.
- Trigger targeted emails and flows without stitching data between multiple apps.
For many merchants, the outcome is an improved customer experience and a clear lift in repeat purchase rates and lifetime value.
Feature mapping: Wishlist + retention primitives
Growave provides integrated functionality that covers or augments what single-purpose wishlist apps offer, while also delivering complementary retention tools:
- Wishlist: Native wishlist with sharing, account access, and cross-device persistence.
- Loyalty & Rewards: Points systems, custom actions, and VIP tiers that reward wishlist interactions. Learn how merchants build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
- Reviews & UGC: Tools to collect, display, and moderate reviews to build social proof. Merchants can collect and showcase authentic reviews alongside wishlist-driven campaigns.
- Referrals: Incentivize sharing of wishlists that can convert into referred orders.
- Shopify Plus and Enterprise: Solutions for stores requiring advanced checkout and headless features, with a tailored Plus offering for high-growth merchants.
Integrations and extensibility
Growave integrates with many common ecommerce stacks (Klaviyo, Omnisend, Recharge, Gorgias, and more), which reduces development time and makes it easier to use wishlist events in marketing automations. Merchants can also add an integrated retention suite to a store from the app store and review pricing and plans to decide the right level of service.
Cost and ROI considerations
Comparing the total cost of ownership is essential. A merchant using separate apps for wishlist, reviews, referral, and loyalty might pay multiple subscription fees. Consolidating into one platform may:
- Reduce combined monthly spend when the platform includes multiple modules.
- Shorten time-to-value because integrations and unified data are built-in.
- Improve lifetime value (LTV) by coordinating campaigns across features.
Merchants can consolidate retention features and run a cost comparison with current subscriptions to estimate the ROI.
Real-world signals and support
Growave has a substantial presence on the Shopify App Store and a large number of reviews (1,197 with a 4.8 rating), indicating a broad install base and real-world validation. For merchants evaluating enterprise support, the platform lists options for Shopify Plus, dedicated launch plans, and customer success management for higher tiers.
Customer stories and examples provide additional validation. Merchants can explore customer stories from brands scaling retention to see how consolidation impacts growth.
When a consolidated platform is not the right move
There remain valid reasons to choose a single-purpose wishlist app:
- If a store needs a minimal widget and wants the lowest monthly cost without extra features.
- If a store already has a sophisticated, custom-built loyalty system and only needs wishlist events sent into that system.
- If the merchant prefers absolute modularity and picks best-of-breed single-purpose apps for each retention area.
For merchants who want to experiment quickly and keep costs tiny at first, SWishlist’s free and low-cost tiers or XB’s simple setup may be attractive. For teams focused on retention strategy and scaling efficiently, consolidation reduces friction and often unlocks better lifetime value.
See pricing, plans, and install options
Merchants evaluating consolidation should compare plans carefully. Growave’s pricing tiers range from an entry plan to enterprise Plus offerings, allowing stores to pick the right balance of features and price. Explore ways to consolidate retention features and examine the Shopify App Store listing to add an integrated retention suite to a store.
If a demo helps accelerate decision-making, merchants can take action now. Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack accelerates growth.
Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack accelerates growth.
Practical Migration & Implementation Notes
If choosing SWishlist or XB Wishlist
- Test in a staging theme first to avoid live storefront regressions.
- Measure wishlist additions, shares, and conversion rates for at least 30 days before evaluating ROI.
- For SWishlist, track usage against monthly quotas to avoid unexpected caps.
- For XB Wishlist, confirm how wishlist events pass through Flow and build test workflows to capture wishlist behavior (abandoned wishlist follow-up, inventory alerts).
- Confirm support SLAs so unexpected theme conflicts or bugs don’t hinder conversion.
If consolidating to Growave
- Map existing capabilities: list all current retention tools and which Growave modules replace them.
- Import or map customer data where possible to preserve history and enable immediate loyalty or remarketing campaigns.
- Prioritize quick wins: for example, enable a points-for-wishlist action or incentivize friends to buy via referral codes attached to shared wishlists.
- Use integrated review collection to convert wishlist interest into UGC after purchase.
- Review integration docs and run end-to-end tests on checkout, referral attribution, and loyalty redemption.
For merchants on Shopify Plus or those needing advanced technical assistance, Growave provides enterprise-level integration options and dedicated launch support, which can be crucial for high-volume or international operations.
Comparison Summary: Which App Is Best For Which Merchant?
- Best for small shops that want a straightforward, budget-conscious wishlist with defined quotas and language support: SWishlist: Simple Wishlist (SoluCommerce).
- Best for stores already leveraging Shopify Flow that want wishlist events to be low-friction triggers for automations: XB Wishlist (XB).
- Best for merchants who want to reduce tool sprawl, unify retention programs, and manage loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlist from one dashboard: Growave.
Both SWishlist and XB Wishlist are capable wishlist solutions with slightly different emphases. SWishlist emphasizes predictable pricing and language support; XB Wishlist prioritizes Flow-based automation and lightweight analytics. For merchants prioritizing integrated retention and long-term LTV improvement, a consolidated toolset often provides better value.
Conclusion
For merchants choosing between SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and XB Wishlist, the decision comes down to priorities: SWishlist is ideal for those who need clear, usage-based pricing and multi-language support; XB Wishlist fits shops that prefer deep Shopify Flow integration and a minimal install footprint. Both deliver the core wishlist features merchants expect—saving items, sharing lists, and tracking activity—but they occupy slightly different technical and operational niches.
For merchants concerned about app fatigue, duplicated subscription costs, and fragmented data, a unified retention platform is worth considering. Growave bundles wishlist capabilities alongside loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers, reducing the number of single-purpose apps and enabling coordinated retention strategies. Merchants can review options to consolidate retention features or add an integrated retention suite to a store to see how consolidation changes cost and outcomes.
Start a 14-day free trial to explore how combining wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals in one platform improves retention and lifetime value.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do SWishlist and XB Wishlist differ in pricing transparency?
A: SWishlist publishes clear tiers (Free, $5/month, $12/month) with defined wishlist addition limits and language support per plan. XB Wishlist does not show public pricing on the app listing, so merchants must contact the developer for a quote. Transparent tiers make budgeting easier and reduce friction.
Q: Which app is better for merchants using Shopify Flow?
A: XB Wishlist is explicitly designed to work with Shopify Flow, making it easier to create automations based on wishlist events without writing code. SWishlist supports API access for custom integrations, which is powerful for developers but requires more technical work.
Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps for wishlist and retention?
A: An all-in-one platform centralizes data and features—wishlists, loyalty, referrals, and reviews—reducing dashboard switching, subscription overhead, and integration costs. This consolidation often yields faster setup for cross-feature campaigns (for example, rewarding wishlist engagement) and clearer attribution of retention impact. Specialized apps may be cheaper initially or more narrowly focused, but they can create integration and data-fragmentation costs over time.
Q: If a store is international and needs language support, which option is best?
A: SWishlist explicitly lists multi-language support across tiers (2 languages on Free, 7 on Basic, 20 on Premium), making it a straightforward choice for international stores. Consolidated platforms like Growave also support multi-language setups and broader retention strategies, which can be preferable as the store scales globally.








