SWishlist vs. First Wish: In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is a common decision point for Shopify merchants who want to capture intent, reduce friction, and convert saved interest into future sales. Two single-purpose options frequently encountered in the app store are SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards. Both promise to make it easy for shoppers to save items, but they differ in depth, scale, and maturity.

Short answer: SWishlist: Simple Wishlist is an excellent choice for merchants who need a lightweight, reliable wishlist with a strong rating and clear free-to-premium pricing tiers. First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards offers board-style organization and sharing but shows limited social proof and a low rating that raises caution. For merchants who want to avoid adding multiple single-use apps, an integrated retention platform can deliver wishlist functionality plus loyalty, referrals, and reviews with better long-term value.

This post provides an in-depth, feature-by-feature comparison of SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards to help merchants choose the right tool for their needs. The comparison covers core features, pricing and value, integrations, customization, analytics, support, and key trade-offs. After the direct comparison, the post explains how consolidating wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals into a single platform reduces tool sprawl and improves retention.

SWishlist: Simple Wishlist vs. First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

Overview: Different product philosophies

Both apps target the same broad problem—helping shoppers save items for later—but they approach it differently.

SWishlist is positioned as a compact, reliable wishlist solution focused on core wishlist features, front-end customization, and tiered usage caps. The app has accumulated 106 reviews and a 4.9-star rating, suggesting consistent merchant satisfaction for its target use cases.

First Wish emphasizes richer customer-side features such as boards (curated collections customers can create) and cross-device synchronization for logged-in users. However, its public review footprint is minimal (1 review with a 1.0 rating), which makes evaluating long-term reliability and support responsiveness difficult.

The rest of this comparison breaks down the key dimensions merchants should consider before installing either app.

Features

Core wishlist functionality

SWishlist

• Seamless add-to-wishlist behavior for product grid and product pages.
• Built-in sharing so customers can pass wishlists to friends.
• Multi-language storefront options (varies by plan).
• Focus on minimal friction and easy setup.

First Wish

• Supports wishlists for both anonymous visitors and logged-in customers.
• Allows customers to create multiple “boards” (curated lists) and keep them private or share them.
• Cross-device synchronization for logged-in customers.
• Dashboard that reports wishlist activity and best-performing items.

Analysis: Both apps handle the basic wishlist use case. SWishlist concentrates on a fast, dependable add/save experience and front-end customization. First Wish adds organizational features (boards) and synchronization that may suit customers organizing gifts or group shopping. If boards are a key engagement driver for the brand (for example, wedding registries or mood boards), First Wish’s feature shape is attractive—provided the app is stable and supported.

Sharing and social behavior

SWishlist

• Straightforward sharing functionality for wishlists, likely via social and messaging channels.
• Emphasizes ease of customization so shared wishlist UI can match the store.

First Wish

• Explicit support for sharing boards across social media, email, and messaging apps.
• Designed to encourage social discovery via curated lists.

Analysis: First Wish is more explicit about social-first sharing; its boards are built for curation and distribution. SWishlist supports sharing too but puts more emphasis on design alignment and clean front-end behavior. Merchants that plan to drive traffic through social sharing of collections may prefer First Wish—if its execution and support meet expectations.

Account behavior and sync

SWishlist

• Works well for both visitors and customers (implied via API support), but primary details focus on frontend wishlist behavior and device-agnostic saves.

First Wish

• Claims synchronization for logged-in users, enabling saved lists to follow customers across devices.

Analysis: Cross-device sync increases the persistent value of wishlists for logged-in shoppers. If a store has high account adoption and login frequency, First Wish’s sync is valuable. SWishlist’s API support allows custom integrations for sync, but merchants must evaluate the effort required to enable cross-device continuity.

Customization and theming

SWishlist

• Promotes “Customize everything to perfectly match your store”; free setup includes up to 2 themes for storefront integration.
• Multi-language front-end support in paid plans.

First Wish

• Allows customization and translation of labels.
• Dashboard is available for merchants to manage and view activity.

Analysis: SWishlist positions itself as easy to style and integrate with store themes, which is critical for brands with strong design consistency. First Wish supports translation and label customization. The difference centers on how much merchant time is needed for integration: SWishlist’s free setup suggests less effort for standard themes.

Analytics and merchant insights

SWishlist

• Higher-tier plans include “unlimited access to all statistics” according to the product description.

First Wish

• Offers an admin dashboard with insights into wishlist usage, best performing products, and activity reports.

Analysis: Both apps provide analytics; the depth and exportability of that data should be validated with the vendor. SWishlist’s promise of full statistics on premium plans indicates more advanced reporting at higher price tiers, while First Wish advertises a usable dashboard even on lower tiers. Merchants with data-driven optimization needs should request sample reports or a demo to verify what is available.

Internationalization and language support

SWishlist

• Free plan supports 2 storefront languages; Basic plan includes 7 languages; Premium includes 20 languages.

First Wish

• Customizable and translatable labels; explicit multi-language limits are not stated in the provided data.

Analysis: If a merchant operates a multi-language store, SWishlist’s explicit language caps are useful and predictable. First Wish’s translation capabilities are present but unclear on limits. Localization is important for conversion; clarity on supported languages and how translations are delivered (manual vs. auto) matters.

Pricing & Value

Pricing is a core consideration. Stores must assess not only sticker price but the value delivered relative to usage caps, support responsiveness, and the potential need for additional apps.

SWishlist pricing and value

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

Value case: SWishlist’s pricing is straightforward and affordable for stores focused solely on wishlist functionality. The free plan is useful for early-stage shops testing wishlist behavior, and the premium plan at $12/month becomes excellent value if the store needs unlimited adds and priority support. The consistent user rating (4.9 from 106 reviews) suggests customers feel the pricing matches the value delivered.

First Wish pricing and value

• Free plan: Wishlist for anonymous and logged-in customers, 1,000 wishlist adds/month.
• Beginner: $9.90/month — 5,000 adds/month, unlimited boards, sharing features.
• Advanced: $19.90/month — 20,000 adds/month.
• Pro: $29.90/month — 50,000 adds/month.

Value case: First Wish’s free plan offers a higher monthly add cap than SWishlist’s free plan, which could be attractive for smaller stores with lots of browsing but fewer conversions. Paid tiers scale to higher add volumes but at significantly higher price points compared with SWishlist’s simple premium at $12/month offering unlimited adds. Merchants should weigh whether boards and sync functionality justify the price gap. Without clear evidence of strong ongoing support and product stability, higher tiers carry some risk.

Comparative pricing analysis

• For budget-conscious merchants who want reliable basic wishlist functionality, SWishlist provides better value for money, particularly if the store’s needs don’t require boards.
• For merchants who need board features and cross-device sync and are willing to pay more, First Wish could be suitable, but the lack of social proof (1 review, rating 1) means merchants should proceed cautiously—test on a staging environment and confirm support SLAs before upgrading.

Integrations and ecosystem fit

Integrations determine how well a wishlist app plays with email, CRM, loyalty, and analytics systems.

SWishlist

• Works with API: this allows custom integrations with CRMs, email platforms, or storefront logic.
• Specific pre-built integrations not listed in the provided data; merchants should verify compatibility with their stack before committing.

First Wish

• No explicit integrations listed in the provided data, but the app’s dashboard suggests some internal reporting. Merchants should ask the developer to confirm compatibility with services like Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Google Analytics.

Analysis: Neither app presents a rich public list of pre-built integrations in the provided data. This means merchants who rely on automated marketing (e.g., abandoned wishlist flows or wishlist-to-email nudges) will need to verify API capabilities or contact the developer for documentation. If a merchant expects a tight integration with loyalty, email segmentation, or personalization platforms, an integrated retention platform reduces integration risk.

Support and reliability

Support speed and reliability are crucial for apps that interact with the storefront and customer experience.

SWishlist

• Support windows are clearly stated by plan: 24–48 hours for Free, 12–24 hours for Basic, and top-priority for Premium.
• The app’s 4.9 rating across 106 reviews indicates strong satisfaction and likely reliable support.

First Wish

• Support details are not specified in the provided data.
• The app has only 1 review with a rating of 1, which raises flags about either recent issues or limited adoption; merchants should confirm support SLAs and test responsiveness before relying on this tool.

Analysis: The public review volume and rating are a strong proxy for real-world reliability. SWishlist’s stronger review profile reduces perceived risk. First Wish’s lack of social proof should prompt merchants to test support before deploying fully.

Implementation and merchant experience

Installation and setup

SWishlist

• Free setup for up to two themes on the Free plan indicates an intent to make onboarding smooth.
• Emphasizes minimal setup friction.

First Wish

• Described as “easy to install,” and the dashboard suggests a reasonable level of merchant control; yet with small public feedback, onboarding quality should be validated.

Analysis: Favorable onboarding speeds a merchant’s time-to-value. SWishlist’s explicit free setup commitment reduces implementation friction.

The merchant dashboard and controls

SWishlist

• Provides statistics and customization controls; premium plans unlock more analytics.

First Wish

• Includes an admin dashboard with usage metrics and activity reports, which is core to understanding wishlist behavior.

Analysis: Both apps acknowledge merchant-side analytics. Merchants should request screen captures or demo accounts to see which dashboard is more actionable.

Security, data ownership, and compliance

Neither app’s provided data lists explicit privacy or compliance features. Merchants should confirm:

• How wishlist data is stored and whether that data is exportable.
• How anonymous and logged-in wishlists are associated with customer profiles.
• Whether the apps store personal data in compliance with applicable regulations (e.g., GDPR).

Practical recommendation: Ask both developers for a data map and export options before installing. If GDPR or other regulatory compliance is critical, verify data handling and request contracts or policies that reflect the store’s obligations.

Scalability and long-term considerations

• SWishlist’s Premium unlimited additions plan suggests predictable scaling for stores that expect growth in wishlist activity.
• First Wish tiers scale by add volumes but become more expensive as adds grow; merchants should model expected monthly add volumes to evaluate cost at scale.

Merchants should also consider whether future needs may include loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers. If so, adding more single-purpose apps increases maintenance overhead and may saddle the store with integration and data-synchronization challenges.

Pros and Cons Summary

SWishlist: Simple Wishlist — Strengths

• High rating (4.9) across 106 reviews indicates strong merchant satisfaction.
• Simple, affordable pricing; premium plan offers unlimited adds for $12/month.
• Explicit multi-language support and free setup for themes reduce onboarding friction.
• Clear support SLAs by plan.

SWishlist: Simple Wishlist — Limitations

• Focused on wishlist only; merchants will need additional apps for loyalty, reviews, or referrals.
• Integration list is limited in provided data; API exists but pre-built integrations may be few.

First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards — Strengths

• Board-style lists and cross-device sync for logged-in users provide richer customer-side organization.
• Sharing capabilities designed for social distribution of curated lists.
• Free plan offers a relatively generous 1,000 adds/month.

First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards — Limitations

• Extremely limited public reviews (1) and a 1.0 rating create uncertainty about reliability and support.
• Higher paid tiers are more expensive compared with SWishlist’s unlimited plan.
• Integrations and language limits are unclear in the provided data.

Use-Case Recommendations: Which App for Which Merchant

• For brands that need a low-cost, reliable wishlist with predictable support and multi-language storefronts, SWishlist: Simple Wishlist is the better fit. Its positive review volume and rating reduce adoption risk, and the premium plan delivers unlimited wishlist additions for a modest fee.
• For brands that prioritize customer curation, social sharing of multiple boards, and cross-device synchronization for logged-in users, First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards has the feature profile that matches that need. However, the limited public feedback means merchants should perform due diligence—trial the app on a staging environment and test support responsiveness—before a full deployment.
• For merchants planning to scale retention efforts beyond wishlists—those who want loyalty programs, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers—adding single-purpose wishlist apps is likely to create technical debt and tool sprawl. An integrated platform that combines wishlist with loyalty and review capabilities will typically offer better operational efficiency and analytics cohesion.

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

App fatigue is a common and costly problem. Adding single-purpose apps for wishlists, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and similar retention tactics introduces more vendor relationships, integration work, and maintenance overhead. Each additional app creates potential friction in data flow, reporting, and customer experience consistency—especially around loyalty currency, segmented messaging, and reward actions.

Consolidating retention features into a unified platform reduces these costs. Growave’s philosophy—More Growth, Less Stack—addresses app fatigue by bundling wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, and reviews into a single product suite. This model reduces integration complexity, centralizes customer behavioral data, and enables cohesive campaigns that link wishlists to reward programs and review collection.

How an integrated approach changes outcomes

• Retention and LTV become easier to influence when wishlist signals feed loyalty campaigns. For example, a customer who creates a wishlist can earn points for creating it, which increases the likelihood of conversion and repeat engagement.
• Data consistency improves: wishlists, referral credits, and review nudges live in the same customer profile, enabling smarter segmentation and personalized automation.
• Operational overhead drops because one platform manages support, updates, and integrations.

Growave’s platform demonstrates these benefits by offering wishlist as part of a larger retention suite. The integrated approach means merchants avoid stitching together multiple single-function tools and gain a consolidated view of customer lifetime value drivers.

Growave’s value proposition and features

Growave combines multiple retention tools into one platform, which includes loyalty and rewards, referrals, reviews & UGC, wishlist, and VIP tiers. Merchants can design customizable reward programs, run referral campaigns, automate review collection and showcase social proof, and provide wishlist features without multiplying installed apps.

Key strengths of an integrated model include:

• Unified customer profiles that contain wishlist activity, reward balances, and review history.
• Built-in integrations for common marketing platforms and commerce enhancements, which reduce engineering time.
• Enterprise features for larger merchants and Shopify Plus stores, including checkout extensions and headless APIs.

Merchants evaluating integrated platforms should examine how wishlist actions map to rewards and how seamlessly reviews and referrals can be orchestrated from the same dashboard.

Examples of how Growave components work together

• A wishlist add can trigger points awarding in a loyalty program, which can then be used as a discount incentive during checkout.
• Referral behavior that results in conversions can contribute to VIP tier qualification, unlocking exclusive rewards.
• Reviews and UGC collected post-purchase can be displayed alongside product wishlist counts to increase social proof.

Integration and ecosystem fit

Growave supports a broad set of integrations including email and messaging tools, customer service platforms, and commerce partners. This reduces the need for separate integrations for every small capability. For merchants that rely on advanced automation or have an existing MarTech stack, Growave’s integration ecosystem simplifies data flows and campaign setup.

Merchants can evaluate pricing and plans to match store volume and required features. For a more practical assessment, reviewing plan options and the app listing helps determine how the platform fits operational needs.

• To check how pricing scales with order volume and feature sets, merchants can review Growave’s scalable pricing options and choose a plan that consolidates multiple retention tools into one predictable monthly cost by visiting the pricing that scales with order volume.
• To install and try the app directly from the Shopify ecosystem, merchants can view and install from the Growave app listing on the Shopify App Store.

Concrete benefits compared with single-purpose wishlist apps

• Reduced total cost of ownership: paying for one platform can be better value for money than buying multiple single-use apps as the store grows.
• Unified analytics across channels: retention metrics are comparable and combinable without manual stitching.
• Better customer experience: consistent design and reward logic across wishlist, loyalty, and referral flows.
• Fewer integration points to maintain: less engineering overhead.

To explore how wishlist signals can be tied to retention programs, merchants can see examples of how stores use these combined tools in customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Feature-specific comparisons to illustrate consolidation advantages

• Loyalty & Wishlist: Instead of points and wishlist behavior living in separate silos, a unified platform issues points for wishlist creation and redemption for wishlist-driven purchases. Merchants can see examples of loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Reviews & Wishlist: When wishlisted items get purchased and reviewed, a consolidated system attributes reviews to reward actions automatically and helps collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• Shopify Plus and enterprise needs: For high-growth merchants, an integrated retention solution can better support checkout extensions, headless architectures, and dedicated onboarding that single-function apps may not provide. Information on enterprise-focused features and services is available for merchants needing solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

How to evaluate Growave vs. single-purpose wishlist apps

When deciding between a single-purpose wishlist app and an integrated platform like Growave, merchants should consider:

• Current and expected ecosystem: Is the wishlist a one-off experiment or part of a broader retention plan?
• Total cost trajectory: Model what the store will pay at current volume and projected growth for each tool required.
• Data ownership and exports: Verify how the platform handles data portability and exports.
• Support and reliability: Check review volume and support SLAs to measure vendor responsiveness.
• Time to value: An integrated platform often delivers faster value because features interact out of the box.

For a detailed look at plan options and to compare how consolidation affects monthly costs, merchants can review the pricing that scales with order volume and consider installing the app via the Shopify App Store listing to test it in their storefront environment.

How to Choose: Practical Steps for Merchants

• Define goals: List primary objectives (convert wishlist adds to purchases, increase repeat purchase rate, encourage social sharing, collect reviews).
• Audit current stack: Identify which retention features already exist and which will need to be added.
• Run a test: Install the wishlist app on a staging or low-traffic environment to check design fit, performance, and support responsiveness.
• Evaluate analytics needs: Request sample reports and confirm how easy it is to export or connect wishlist data to analytics and email platforms.
• Model cost at scale: Estimate monthly add volume and compare pricing across SWishlist, First Wish, and an integrated platform.
• Consider consolidation: If loyalty, reviews, and referrals are on the roadmap, compare the combined cost and operational effort of multiple apps vs. a single suite.

Merchants considering consolidation may find it helpful to review integrations and case studies to see practical examples of unified retention campaigns, including how wishlist behavior ties into reward programs and review collection. For inspiration and real store examples, merchants can view customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between SWishlist: Simple Wishlist and First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards, the decision comes down to focus and risk tolerance. SWishlist is well-suited to merchants who want a lightweight, dependable wishlist with a strong record of merchant satisfaction and very affordable premium pricing. First Wish provides boards and cross-device sync that are useful for customers who curate and share lists, but the app’s limited public reviews and low rating make reliability and support an open question.

If the store’s roadmap includes multiple retention levers—loyalty programs, referrals, reviews, VIP tiers—an integrated platform reduces tool sprawl, simplifies integrations, and centralizes customer data. Growave offers wishlist functionality alongside loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP features so merchants can consolidate retention tools into one platform. For merchants who want to overcome the limits of single-purpose apps and see how a unified retention stack accelerates growth, start a 14-day free trial to evaluate the consolidated approach and test how wishlist behavior ties into rewards and reviews. (This is the hard CTA.)

For quick reference:

• Choose SWishlist if a low-cost, high-rated, focused wishlist with easy theming and multi-language support is the priority.
• Choose First Wish if board-based curation and cross-device sync are essential—after careful testing and confirmation of support.
• Consider Growave if long-term retention strategy includes loyalty, reviews, and referrals and reducing the number of installed apps is a priority.

FAQ

What are the key differences between SWishlist and First Wish?

• SWishlist focuses on a streamlined wishlist experience with clear pricing tiers, multi-language storefront support, and a strong merchant rating (4.9 from 106 reviews). First Wish centers on curated boards, sharing, and cross-device sync for logged-in customers but has limited public feedback (1 review, 1.0 rating). The main practical difference is that SWishlist trades feature breadth for reliability and value, while First Wish targets richer customer curation experiences.

Which app is better value for money?

• Value depends on needs. SWishlist’s Premium tier offers unlimited wishlist additions at $12/month, which is compelling for stores that expect high add volume and want predictable costs. First Wish scales to higher add volumes but at higher monthly prices. If the wishlist is the sole required feature, SWishlist typically offers better value for money. If board functionality is a core business requirement, First Wish may justify the higher cost—if support and performance checks out.

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

• An all-in-one platform consolidates wishlist, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers into a single system. This reduces integration work, centralizes customer data, and enables more sophisticated, cross-feature campaigns (for example, awarding points for wishlist actions). Compared with specialized apps, an integrated platform is usually better for long-term retention strategy and operational simplicity.

If a merchant wants board-style social sharing but also needs loyalty and reviews, what is the recommended approach?

• Test the board functionality thoroughly with the single-purpose app in a staging environment, verifying performance and support. Simultaneously evaluate how blending wishlist behavior with loyalty and review programs will be handled—either via custom integrations or by adopting a unified platform. If the projected operational cost and integration effort to combine multiple apps is high, an integrated retention platform is likely the better long-term investment.

Does the number of reviews and rating matter when choosing an app?

• Yes. Review volume and rating are useful proxies for product maturity and vendor support. SWishlist’s 106 reviews and 4.9 rating provide confidence about reliability and merchant satisfaction. First Wish’s single review (1.0) offers limited insight and warrants careful due diligence—request demos, check support response times, and test the app before relying on it for production traffic.