Ultimate Wishlist vs. First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is a common early decision for Shopify merchants who want to turn interest into future purchases. Wishlist functionality can reduce lost sales, gather product intent data, and create shareable touchpoints that lead to conversions. However, similar-looking apps can differ dramatically in features, data limits, integrations, and long-term value.

Short answer: Ultimate Wishlist is a focused, budget-friendly wishlist tool that shines for merchants who want a highly customizable, lightweight wishlist with email reminders and analytics. First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards attempts to add social-style curation with boards and larger volume plans but currently shows limited social proof and a low rating that warrants caution. For merchants who want wishlist functionality plus loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers without stacking multiple single-purpose apps, an integrated platform like Growave offers stronger long-term value.

This article provides a feature-by-feature comparison between Ultimate Wishlist (Config Studio) and First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards (Vellir). It explains how each app performs on customization, sharing, analytics, pricing, integrations, and merchant support, and then explores when one app is preferable to the other. The piece concludes by explaining how a multi-tool retention platform can reduce app fatigue and yield better retention, lifetime value, and operational simplicity.

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

Deep Dive Comparison

Developer Profiles & Social Proof

Developer Backgrounds

Ultimate Wishlist comes from Config Studio, a developer that focuses on store-level customization tools. The app’s public listing includes multiple plans, clear feature lists, and visible usage limits.

First Wish is published by Vellir. Its positioning emphasizes curated lists and sharing, framing wishlists as social and planning tools as well as purchase-intent tools.

Reviews and Ratings — Why They Matter

Review counts and ratings are quantitative signals merchants should weigh. Ultimate Wishlist shows 34 reviews with an average rating of 4.9 — a reasonably robust sample that indicates consistent merchant satisfaction. First Wish lists a single review with a 1.0 rating; that low count and score reflect either recent release, limited adoption, or unresolved issues. Low sample sizes increase risk because they make it hard to verify reliability, update responsiveness, or long-term performance.

When evaluating apps, merchants should weigh both the star rating and the number of reviews. A high rating with many reviews points to stability and consistent support. A single review with a low rating is a red flag and merits direct validation (trial the app on a staging store, contact the developer for references, or request a demo).

Feature Set Comparison

Wishlist Types and User Experience

Both apps support wishlists for visitors and logged-in customers. That basic parity means both can capture intent from casual browsers and returning customers.

• Ultimate Wishlist:
  • Guest and registered wishlists.
  • Synchronization across devices for logged-in users.
  • Wishlist visible on collection pages.
  • Emphasis on matching appearance to the store via customizable text and color.
• First Wish:
  • Anonymous and logged-in wishlist functionality.
  • Device sync for logged-in users.
  • Additional emphasis on “boards” — curated lists customers create for trips, events, or seasonal planning.

If the goal is a simple, store-branded "Save for later" feature, both apps cover that base. If the aim is to encourage social planning or collaborative shopping (e.g., gift registries or event planning), First Wish’s boards are conceptually appealing — assuming execution and stability meet expectations.

Customization and Localization

Ultimate Wishlist highlights easy customization of all text and non-English support. That is valuable for merchants running multi-language stores or those who need to match the wishlist visuals with brand guidelines without custom development.

First Wish provides customizable or translatable labels but emphasizes social sharing formats. It’s less explicit about granular styling controls; merchants should validate whether styling adjustments require theme edits.

Sharing and Social Features

Both apps enable sharing via social media and email, but the mechanics differ:

• Ultimate Wishlist supports sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and Email with customizable email templates and reminder emails for wishlist re-engagement.
• First Wish also supports sharing across social and messaging apps, and adds curated boards that customers can share as entire collections.

Sharing formats that are mobile-friendly and include product images and prices increase click-through rates when a wishlist is shared. Merchants should test how each app formats shared content on popular platforms and whether Open Graph tags render product images correctly.

Email Reminders and Re-Engagement

A major differentiator is Ultimate Wishlist’s email reminder capability that scales with plan tiering:

• Customizable email templates and the ability to send reminders to customers (individual reminders available on Pro and above).
• The Free plan includes basic wishlist functionality but reminder volume is limited on lower tiers.

First Wish does not advertise built-in email reminder automations in the public plan descriptions. If email-driven reactivation is important (e.g., nodding customers toward items back in stock or limited-time discounts), Ultimate Wishlist’s reminder features are a tangible advantage.

Analytics and Admin Reporting

Both apps offer dashboards and usage metrics:

• Ultimate Wishlist: Reports on wishlist adds, page views, and items added-to-cart — metrics that help prioritize promotions and inventory planning.
• First Wish: Activity reports and insights into customers’ wishlists and top-performing products.

Data quality matters. Merchants should confirm export options, the granularity of reports (customer-level vs. aggregate), and how easily wishlist data ties into existing analytics stacks and CRM tools.

Board Functionality (Unique to First Wish)

First Wish’s boards enable customers to group and curate items into multiple lists. That feature appeals to niche use cases:

• Multi-item events (weddings, homes, travel).
• Gift-giving lists for families.
• Seasonal or mood-based browsing.

Boards can increase time on site and social sharing. However, boards also add complexity: more UI elements, growth in stored data, and potential privacy and synchronization edge cases. Merchants should confirm whether boards appear in storefront navigation, how they show on mobile, and whether private boards remain private during sharing or social distribution.

Pricing & Value

Pricing shapes long-term TCO (total cost of ownership). The two apps use different quota and pricing models.

Ultimate Wishlist Pricing Summary

• Free: Up to 500 wishlists/month; guest wishlist; collection page wishlist; share options; customizable text/colors; non-English support; full reports.
• Basic ($4.99/mo): Everything in Free; up to 1,000 wishlist items/month; custom email templates; up to 500 email reminders/month.
• Pro ($9.99/mo): Everything in Basic; send email reminder to an individual user; up to 5,000 wishlist items/month; up to 2,000 email reminders/month.
• Premium ($14.99/mo): Everything in Pro; up to 10,000 wishlist items/month; up to 5,000 email reminders/month; Facebook Pixel integration.

Ultimate Wishlist offers a clear, low-cost entry point with incremental steps that are friendly to small and medium stores. The explicit inclusion of email reminders and Facebook Pixel on higher plans adds clear value for conversion-focused merchants.

First Wish Pricing Summary

• Free: Wishlist for anonymous and logged-in customers; 1,000 wishlist adds/month across all customers.
• Beginner ($9.90/mo): Everything in Free; 5,000 wishlist adds/month; unlimited boards; board sharing.
• Advanced ($19.90/mo): 20,000 wishlist adds/month.
• Pro ($29.90/mo): 50,000 wishlist adds/month.

First Wish’s higher tiers make sense for stores with very high wishlist activity. The "adds/month" model is straightforward but requires merchants to map "adds" to traffic and expected engagement. For example, a store with a high ratio of window shoppers to buyers may reach plan limits quickly.

Comparing Value for Money

• For small stores with modest monthly wishlist interactions, Ultimate Wishlist’s Free or Basic plans provide more features (email reminders, customization) at lower price points.
• For stores expecting tens of thousands of wishlist interactions, First Wish scales higher at the Pro tier, but at a steeper price.
• The two apps measure usage differently (wishlist items vs. wishlist adds), so merchants should translate those numbers into expected customer interactions before choosing a plan.
• Ultimate Wishlist includes analytics and reminder functionality that can drive conversion without adding a separate email automation tool; that can reduce overall app count and improve value.

Integrations & Ecosystem Compatibility

Third-party integrations determine how wishlist data flows into email, CRM, and ads platforms.

• Ultimate Wishlist explicitly lists Facebook Pixel integration on its Premium plan, enabling remarketing based on wishlist events.
• First Wish’s public listing emphasizes an admin dashboard with activity metrics but does not list third-party integrations on the public plan descriptions.

If a merchant uses platforms like Klaviyo, Omnisend, Recharge, or Gorgias, it’s important to confirm whether the wishlist app can emit events or export data to those services. Ultimate Wishlist’s Facebook Pixel support is useful for ad retargeting; merchants should confirm channel support for platforms used in their marketing stack.

Performance, Scalability & Data Policies

Both apps operate in the Shopify ecosystem and must respect platform policies and performance constraints. Consider:

• Load on storefront: Widgets that inject scripts can impact page speed. Merchants should test Lighthouse scores with each app installed and choose asynchronous implementations where possible.
• Data retention & export: Wishlist data is valuable. Verify export options (CSV, API access) and how data persists after uninstalling the app.
• Privacy: Boards and shared lists may include personal information. Confirm whether the app supports GDPR-compliant exports and removal upon request.

Without explicit public documentation on these points for First Wish, merchants should conduct a thorough trial and request documentation from the developer.

Support & Documentation

Reliable support shortens problem resolution time and reduces operational risk.

• Ultimate Wishlist benefits from a stronger presence in the app store (34 reviews). High ratings often correlate with responsive support and stable release cycles.
• First Wish’s single low review does not provide evidence of consistent support response times or long-term stability.

Merchants should evaluate SLA expectations, hours of operation, and the presence of setup guides or onboarding. If customization requires theme changes, confirm whether the developer offers install support and whether it’s included or billed separately.

Security, Compliance, and App Stability

Security considerations include how user data is stored, whether the app uses secure APIs, and whether there are any known issues with theme conflicts. Merchants should:

• Ask the developer whether wishlist data lives in Shopify metafields, a separate database, or an external service.
• Confirm that third-party scripts are loaded securely and do not introduce XSS risks.
• Review changelogs and update history to ensure active maintenance.

Implementation, Migration, and Exit Strategy

Key questions before installing either app:

• How easily can wishlist data be migrated if switching apps?
• Does the app provide a CSV export of wishlists and boards?
• Are any custom theme edits reversible, and is there a rollback path?

Ultimate Wishlist’s lower cost and explicit analytics often make it a good testing solution; if switching becomes necessary, a planned migration that exports wishlist entries by customer email reduces friction.

Use Cases & Merchant Profiles

This section helps match a merchant profile to the app most likely to meet their goals.

• Merchant A: Small fashion boutique, bilingual store, limited technical resources.
  • Recommendation: Ultimate Wishlist. The app’s customizable text, non-English support, and low-cost tiers fit the needs of a boutique prioritizing brand cohesion and basic re-engagement.
• Merchant B: High-traffic home decor store with seasonal gift guides and frequent social campaigns.
  • Recommendation: First Wish may be attractive for curated boards and higher "adds" limits if that social curation maps to conversion. However, the single poor review suggests trialing rigorously before committing. If the social curation is less important than long-term retention, consider an integrated platform.
• Merchant C: Growth-stage brand focused on retention, loyalty programs, referral acquisition, and UGC.
  • Recommendation: Evaluate an integrated platform that bundles wishlist with loyalty and reviews to avoid tool sprawl and aid data consistency.

Pros and Cons Summary

Ultimate Wishlist — Pros

• High user rating (4.9) across 34 reviews — strong social proof.
• Low monthly cost and a free tier suitable for testing.
• Customizable text/colors and non-English support.
• Email reminders and individual reminder capability at mid-tier plans.
• Analytics reporting and Facebook Pixel integration on Premium tier.

Ultimate Wishlist — Cons

• Upper limits on wishlist items may be restrictive for very large sites without upgrading to higher tiers.
• For merchants wanting boards/curated lists, this app focuses on classic wishlists rather than social curation.

First Wish — Pros

• Built-in boards and curated lists support collaborative or social shopping experiences.
• Higher volume tiers exist for stores with many wishlist additions.
• Basic free tier supports anonymous and logged-in customers.

First Wish — Cons

• Very limited review data and a low average rating (1.0 from 1 review) create uncertainty.
• Pricing ramps up quickly compared to Ultimate Wishlist.
• Integrations and reminder automations are not clearly documented publicly.

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

What Is App Fatigue?

App fatigue happens when merchants accumulate multiple single-purpose apps that each solve one problem—wishlists, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and so on. Over time, this creates several hidden costs:

• Increased monthly subscription expenses.
• Fragmented data across systems that requires manual reconciliation.
• Slower page load times due to multiple scripts.
• Higher maintenance burden for updates and compatibility.
• Compounded support needs across multiple vendors.

The result is a diminishing return on the investment in tools. Instead of a streamlined retention strategy, merchants end up managing a patchwork stack that leaks value.

Why Single-Function Apps Can Be Limiting

Ultimate Wishlist and First Wish both solve wishlist-specific problems effectively. However, wishlist behavior is most valuable when it feeds loyalty campaigns, re-engagement flows, and social proof systems. With separate apps, merchants must stitch data together manually or use additional integrations, which increases complexity. For example:

• Wishlist adds that indicate purchase intent are strongest when they trigger targeted rewards or automated email flows.
• Shared board activity can be a source of UGC and social proof if connected to review solicitation.
• Loyalty programs that reward wishlisting behavior can increase lifetime value if wishlist events are native to the same platform.

When wishlist events come from a separate app, connecting them to rewards, referrals, or review triggers often requires custom integrations or reliance on third-party middleware.

Introducing a Consolidated Alternative

A single platform that bundles wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers can reduce tool sprawl and create direct workflows between retention mechanisms. Growave follows the principle of "More Growth, Less Stack" by combining multiple retention tools into one platform designed for Shopify merchants.

• Merchants can consolidate wishlist signals with rewards programs and referral campaigns to drive repeat purchases and higher engagement.
• Integrated review collection and UGC tools amplify social proof directly tied to wishlist and purchase behaviors.
• Consolidated data means clearer reports, fewer integration points, and less maintenance overhead.

For merchants evaluating options, it is worth exploring how an integrated platform changes operational complexity and improves retention KPIs. To explore pricing tiers and how consolidation changes the cost equation, merchants can review options to consolidate retention features.

How an Integrated Platform Solves Common Wishlist Limits

• Event-triggered rewards: Wishlist adds can issue a points bonus or a discount when an item is wishlisted or added to cart, without needing separate automation tools.
• Automated re-engagement: Integrated email flows can trigger reminders and incentive offers based on wishlist inactivity or stock changes.
• Cross-feature analytics: One dashboard shows loyalty lift, referral conversion, and wishlist-to-purchase rates, simplifying attribution.
• Fewer scripts: One unified script is easier to optimize for performance and audit for security.

Learn how loyalty and wishlist can work together to increase LTV by reviewing how brands use loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.

The Practical Benefits of Consolidation

• Less monthly overhead compared to paying for multiple best-of-breed single-purpose apps.
• Reduced time spent on integration and troubleshooting.
• Faster onboarding for marketing campaigns because the components are already connected.
• Easier A/B testing across retention tactics with consistent data capture.

Merchants looking to see how consolidated tools work for brands at scale can review customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” in Practice

Growave offers wishlists as part of a retention suite that includes loyalty and rewards, referrals, reviews & UGC, and VIP tiers. Having wishlist functionality built into the same suite means wishlist actions can directly update loyalty balances, trigger referral incentives, or prompt review requests without external middleware. Merchants can see how that combination improves retention outcomes and reduces the number of apps that affect store performance.

If a visual demo would help make a decision, merchants can book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention. This is a good step for merchants who want to see how wishlist events can be used to trigger loyalty rewards and review campaigns in practice.

How Consolidation Affects Pricing and ROI

On the surface, consolidating tools may appear to cost more per month (because entry plans for multi-feature platforms are often higher than single-purpose apps). However, when comparing the combined monthly cost of a wishlist app + loyalty app + review app + referral app, a single integrated plan often provides better value for money:

• Consolidated pricing reduces duplication in functionality and often unlocks deeper automation that single apps cannot provide alone.
• Integrated analytics reduces the need for manual attribution work, saving operational time.
• Cohesive loyalty funnels and automated review triggers can increase repeat purchase rates and LTV, improving the ROI equation.

For merchants who want to explore plan options, pricing tiers are available to compare and decide which level of integration fits current business needs: consolidate retention features.

Integration Examples That Matter

• Wishlist → Loyalty: Reward customers with points when they add items to wishlists or convert wishlist items into purchases.
• Wishlist → Email Flows: Trigger personalized reminder emails when items in a wishlist go on sale or when stock is low.
• Wishlist → Reviews: After a wishlist item is purchased, trigger an automated review request to generate social proof.
• Wishlist → Referral: Encourage customers to share boards with friends and tie referral incentives to successful purchases from shared lists.

See how fully integrated review flows operate and gather social proof with tools that let merchants collect and showcase authentic reviews.

Who Should Consider Switching to an Integrated Platform?

• Brands growing past single-purpose app limits, needing consistent data across retention channels.
• Merchants facing performance issues from multiple storefront scripts.
• Stores looking to leverage wishlist behavior as a direct input into loyalty and referral programs.
• High-growth merchants on Shopify Plus that require enterprise-level support, custom integrations, and dedicated success management — review specific enterprise offerings for solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Merchants near these thresholds should balance short-term savings of a single-purpose wishlist app against the long-term operational and retention benefits of consolidation. For practical examples of brands that combined tools successfully, explore customer stories from brands scaling retention.

Making the Final Choice: When to Pick Which Option

Choose Ultimate Wishlist If:

• The primary need is a reliable, branded wishlist with strong localization and low cost.
• The store wants built-in email reminders and clear analytics without adding another app.
• Budget matters and the expected wishlist volume fits within the item limits of the available plans.
• Quick installation, minimal configuration, and a stable merchant-reviewed app are priorities.

Choose First Wish If:

• Curated boards and social list-sharing are a central part of the store’s content and marketing strategy.
• The store expects very high wishlist add volumes and can justify the higher monthly tiers.
• The merchant is comfortable validating the app in a test environment due to limited reviews and is prepared to escalate support queries to the developer.

Choose an Integrated Platform Like Growave If:

• The aim is systemic retention improvement — connecting wishlist events to loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers.
• Reducing the number of apps and integration points is a priority to improve performance and simplify operations.
• Long-term growth and a single source of truth for customer activity data are required.
• The merchant values enterprise features and deeper integrations with tools like Klaviyo, Recharge, and Gorgias.

To compare costs across consolidation vs. multiple single apps, review pricing and feature tiers to see whether consolidation yields better value: consolidate retention features.

Implementation Checklist — What Merchants Should Do Before Installing Any Wishlist App

• Define goals: Is the wishlist for abandoned-cart recovery, social sharing, inventory demand signals, or a combination?
• Estimate volume: Project expected monthly wishlist adds to map to plan limits.
• Test rendering: Install on a staging theme and verify mobile/desktop appearance and page speed impact.
• Verify integrations: Confirm the app can send events to ad platforms, email providers, or a centralized analytics destination.
• Ask about data exports: Ensure wishlist entries can be exported in case of migration.
• Confirm support SLA: Know expected response times and whether setup assistance is offered.
• Trial period: Use the free tier to validate UX, sharing behavior, email formatting, and analytics before committing to a paid plan.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Ultimate Wishlist and First Wish ‑ Wishlist & Boards, the decision comes down to priorities. Ultimate Wishlist offers a well-rated, cost-effective solution with strong customization, email reminders, and analytics — a good choice for stores that want a focused tool that supports localization and re-engagement. First Wish brings boards and higher volume plans that benefit certain social or high-traffic use cases, but the very low review count and rating demand caution and thorough testing before committing.

For merchants who want wishlist functionality as part of a larger retention strategy—where wishlist events feed loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers—consolidating into a single platform reduces app fatigue and delivers better operational outcomes. Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” approach bundles wishlist with loyalty, referrals, and reviews so wishlist signals become actionable levers for increasing repeat purchases and customer lifetime value. To evaluate pricing and see whether consolidation provides better value for money, merchants can compare plans to consolidate retention features.

Start a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention and simplifies operations: book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack improves retention.

Begin a risk-free trial to test integrated wishlist, loyalty, referrals, and reviews in one platform: consolidate retention features.

FAQ

How do Ultimate Wishlist and First Wish differ in pricing structure?

Ultimate Wishlist uses item-based quotas tied to plans (e.g., up to 10,000 wishlist items/month on Premium for $14.99), with email reminders and analytics included as plan features. First Wish uses a monthly "adds" quota (e.g., 50,000 adds for Pro at $29.90) and positions boards as a core feature. Merchants should translate expected adds or items based on traffic and engagement patterns to select the right plan.

Is First Wish’s “boards” feature worth the extra cost compared to Ultimate Wishlist?

Boards add social curation and may increase sharing and time-on-site for audiences that plan purchases (weddings, registries, large events). However, boards also introduce complexity and require testing to ensure mobile UX and privacy controls meet expectations. If boards are central to the marketing strategy, First Wish might be useful — but due to the limited public feedback, trial and validation on a staging site are strongly recommended.

How reliable are the ratings for these apps and how should they influence the decision?

Ratings are a useful signal. Ultimate Wishlist’s 4.9 average across 34 reviews indicates consistent merchant satisfaction. First Wish’s single 1.0 review lacks breadth and is a cautionary sign. Ratings should inform but not entirely determine the decision—complement ratings with a trial, direct developer questions, and an assessment of support responsiveness.

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

An all-in-one platform reduces tool sprawl by combining wishlist, loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers in a single suite. That integration enables wishlist behavior to immediately trigger rewards, review requests, and referral incentives without extra middleware. While single apps can be cheaper initially, an integrated platform often provides better long-term value by improving retention, simplifying analytics, and reducing maintenance overhead. For a closer look at how wishlist events can feed loyalty programs, review examples of loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases, and to see how integrated review flows work, merchants can collect and showcase authentic reviews.

For merchant case studies that show how consolidation improves retention and simplifies growth, check customer stories from brands scaling retention.