Ultimate Wishlist vs. Keep on Hold Wishlist: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is a common friction point for Shopify merchants trying to balance conversion, retention, and site performance. With dozens of apps offering overlapping features, deciding which single-purpose tool fits a store’s strategy can take time and lead to tool sprawl.

Short answer: Ultimate Wishlist is a focused, polished wishlist app with strong analytics and a high user rating that suits merchants who want an easy-to-deploy, customizable wishlist with email reminders. Keep on Hold Wishlist is simpler and geared toward recovering cart-removed items by turning them into saved-for-later entries; it’s a fit for stores that prioritize cart-level retention. For merchants who want to replace multiple single-purpose apps with a single, integrated retention platform, Growave offers broader functionality and better value for money.

This article provides an in-depth, feature-by-feature comparison of Ultimate Wishlist (Config Studio) and Keep on Hold Wishlist (Orchard Digital Solutions Inc). The goal is to clarify strengths, limits, and ideal use cases so merchants can make an informed choice. After the direct comparison, the piece explains why an integrated retention stack can reduce operational overhead and lift lifetime value.

Ultimate Wishlist vs. Keep on Hold Wishlist: At a Glance

Product Positioning and Quick Impressions

Ultimate Wishlist positions itself as a fully customizable wishlist tool with a heavy emphasis on analytics and post-wishlist email reminders. The app supports guest wishlists and logged-in user lists, provides non-English text support, and scales wishlist limits across plans. With 34 reviews and a 4.9 rating, user sentiment—based on the available data—tilts strongly positive.

Keep on Hold Wishlist focuses on preserving cart intent. It adds save-for-later functionality to the cart and wishlist buttons to product pages. The selling point is turning abandoned cart items into saved items that shoppers can revisit later. With 5 reviews and a 4.3 rating, user feedback is more limited and slightly mixed.

The following sections unpack feature parity, pricing and value, technical considerations, analytics, customer support, and practical use cases for each app.

Deep Dive Comparison

Features: What Each App Actually Does

Core Wishlist Functionality

Ultimate Wishlist

• Supports both guest and account-based wishlists, enabling shoppers to create lists without registering while offering cross-device syncing if users log in.
• Wishlist visibility and entry points: can appear on product pages and collection pages depending on the plan.
• Shareability: wishlists can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, and email.
• Text and color customization to better match store themes.
• Non-English text support to handle multi-language stores.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Adds Save-for-Later buttons on the cart page so shoppers can move items out of the cart without losing them.
• Adds Add-to-Wishlist buttons on product pages.
• Optional Shopify login integration to preserve wishlists across devices.
• Designed to be theme-compatible and fast to install.

Implication: For stores that want an all-purpose wishlist accessible from product lists, collection pages, and shareable via social/email, Ultimate Wishlist provides a richer front-end feature set. For merchants whose biggest friction is abandoned cart items being removed and forgotten, Keep on Hold focuses on preserving that cart intent.

Email Reminders and Outreach

Ultimate Wishlist

• Offers customizable email templates (Basic plan and up).
• Pro and Premium plans significantly increase the number of reminders and add the ability to target individual users with reminders.
• Email reminders can be an effective nudge to convert wishlist additions into purchases.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Provides analytics but doesn’t emphasize built-in reminder email campaigns in the app description. Merchants may need to rely on other email tools or integrations for follow-up messaging.

Implication: If automated wishlist remailers are part of a retention strategy, Ultimate Wishlist provides native capabilities that reduce reliance on external email tools. Keep on Hold will typically require pairing with an email platform for remarketing.

Analytics and Reporting

Ultimate Wishlist

• Dashboard reports for wishlist adds, page views, and add-to-cart conversions.
• Higher-tier plans include more thorough reporting and Facebook Pixel integration on Premium.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Tracks cart and wishlist transactions (adds/removes) and exposes which products are in wishlists. This helps identify products repeatedly saved but not purchased.

Implication: Both apps provide analytics, but Ultimate Wishlist’s reporting appears more purchase-intent centric and is explicitly positioned for marketers who want product-level signals to inform promotions. Keep on Hold's analytics are cart-focused and helpful for recovering items directly linked to cart behavior.

Customization and Theming

Ultimate Wishlist

• Explicitly supports customizable text and color to match store look and feel.
• Non-English support allows localization.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Markets itself as fast and compatible with all themes; emphasis on minimal setup and speed.

Implication: Ultimate Wishlist likely provides deeper cosmetic control. Keep on Hold prioritizes speed and compatibility with minimal theme edits.

Social Sharing and Virality

Ultimate Wishlist

• Built-in sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and email. This can help product discovery and referral sales.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Focused on personal save-for-later behavior; social sharing is not a highlighted feature.

Implication: If driving social discovery through curated wishlists is part of a growth playbook, Ultimate Wishlist offers a clear advantage.

Pricing & Value

Ultimate Wishlist Pricing Tiers (explicit)

• Free plan: Up to 500 wishlist items/month; guest wishlist; wishlist on collection pages; sharing; customizable text/colors; non-English support; full reports.
• Basic ($4.99/month): Everything in Free + up to 1,000 items/month; custom email template; up to 500 email reminders/month.
• Pro ($9.99/month): Everything in Basic + individual user reminders; up to 5,000 items/month; up to 2,000 email reminders/month.
• Premium ($14.99/month): Everything in Pro + up to 10,000 items/month; up to 5,000 email reminders/month; Facebook pixel integration.

Keep on Hold Wishlist Pricing

• No public pricing details are included in the provided dataset. Merchants should check the app listing for up-to-date plan and trial information.

Value-for-money analysis:

• Ultimate Wishlist offers a clear pricing ladder with predictable limits on wishlist volume and email reminders. The free tier is functional for small catalogs or stores testing wishlists.
• Paid tiers are inexpensive relative to the email reminder capability and analytics. For stores that convert wishlist interactions into sales via targeted reminders, the paid tiers can be strong value for money.
• Keep on Hold’s missing public pricing makes it harder to evaluate value; if prices are comparable, Keep on Hold’s narrower feature set may still make Ultimate Wishlist the better value for stores needing broad wishlist functionality.

Practical note: Always calculate potential ROI by estimating uplift from reminder emails and saved cart recovery versus the monthly cost of the app.

Integrations & Compatibility

Ultimate Wishlist

• Offers Facebook Pixel integration at the Premium level, which helps track wishlist events for retargeting.
• Works with guest accounts and Shopify customer accounts for syncing.
• Non-English support assists merchants using multi-language themes.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Integrates with Shopify login for cross-device lists.
• Highlights compatibility with themes and fast installation.

Integration implications:

• For merchants who rely heavily on Facebook/Meta advertising and need event-level tracking of wishlist adds, Ultimate Wishlist’s Pixel integration is beneficial.
• If the store uses a lightweight theme and needs a no-fuss install, Keep on Hold emphasizes quick compatibility.

Performance Impact & Implementation

Ultimate Wishlist

• Any wishlist app that injects client-side widgets can impact page load if not implemented carefully. Ultimate Wishlist’s customization options require theme hooks or CSS adjustments to ensure visual cohesion.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• Markets fast installs and compatibility, which suggests a lightweight code footprint or well-encapsulated script. Still, merchants should test Lighthouse scores and monitor TTI after installation.

Implementation best practice for both apps:

• Test on a staging theme first.
• Check theme customizations and mobile rendering after installation.
• Measure core vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) and compare before/after.
• If performance regresses, consult app support for asynchronous loading or to disable unused features.

Support, Reviews & Reliability

Ultimate Wishlist

• 34 reviews, 4.9 rating — indicates a majority of users are satisfied.
• Developer is Config Studio; app listing and support channels should be checked for response time and update cadence.
• The detailed plan features (multiple tiers) imply ongoing maintenance and a roadmap.

Keep on Hold Wishlist

• 5 reviews, 4.3 rating — fewer data points; harder to generalize.
• Developer Orchard Digital Solutions Inc likely maintains the app but lower review count suggests smaller user base or newer release.

Implication: Higher review counts and stellar ratings typically indicate broader adoption and fewer edge-case issues, but merchants should read recent reviews to understand current stability and support responsiveness.

Data Ownership & GDPR/Privacy Considerations

Both apps store wishlist behavior and may capture emails for reminders. Merchants should verify:

• How customer data is stored and whether it is shared with third parties.
• Compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and local privacy laws when sending reminder emails.
• How to export or delete wishlist data on account termination.

Security and Checkout Considerations

Wishlist apps primarily operate on the storefront and customer accounts. Confirm:

• No injection of payment or checkout DOM changes that could violate Shopify Checkout restrictions.
• Any checkout-related features (like checkout extensions) are handled via supported APIs.

Use Cases and Decision Framework

When Ultimate Wishlist Is the Better Fit

• Merchants who want shareable wishlists to drive social discovery.
• Brands that plan to use automated reminder emails to convert wishlist items.
• Stores needing multi-language support and front-end text/customization.
• Teams that value richer product-level analytics to guide promotions.
• Small to medium stores that prefer predictable, low-cost tiers ($4.99–$14.99).

When Keep on Hold Wishlist Is the Better Fit

• Stores that primarily want to capture intent at the cart level and preserve items shoppers remove from carts.
• Merchants who need a lightweight, quick-to-install solution that won’t require heavy theming work.
• Teams that will pair the wishlist with an external email/marketing stack for follow-up.

When Neither Single App Is Enough

• Brands that want loyalty, referral, review collection, VIP tiers, and wishlist features under a single admin experience.
• Merchants looking to eliminate multiple single-purpose apps to reduce maintenance and integration complexity.

Migration, Switching, and Coexistence

• Coexistence: It’s possible to run multiple wishlist-like experiences, but this risks confusing customers (multiple wishlist buttons, duplicate saved items) and duplicate data. Avoid running both in production unless A/B testing.
• Migration: Export wishlist data if switching apps. Ultimate Wishlist appears to provide reporting exports; Keep on Hold exports should be confirmed. If no direct export/import path exists, work with app support or a developer to map user IDs and product handles.
• Testing: Validate cross-device persistence and login behavior after migration. Run a conversion measurement period to ensure the new app meets baseline conversion metrics.

Measuring Success: Metrics to Track

• Wishlist add-to-purchase conversion rate (percentage of wishlist items that convert to orders).
• Email reminder click-through rate and conversion rate (if app supports reminders).
• Saved-for-later recovery rate (for cart-based saves).
• Change in average order value from wishlist-driven purchases.
• Retention metrics: repeat purchase rate and customer lifetime value (LTV) among users who used wishlist features.
• Technical metrics: page speed Core Web Vitals pre- and post-install.

Tracking suggestion: Set up UTM tagging on reminder links and test a short experiment comparing email reminders vs. no reminders, or promotional campaigns targeted at heavy wishlist users.

Real-World Considerations and Common Merchant Questions

• Theme complexity: Some premium themes may require minor CSS or theme editing to place wishlist buttons in ideal positions. Both apps recommend testing before going live.
• Internationalization: If selling across languages, Ultimate Wishlist has explicit non-English support; Keep on Hold’s support for multi-language should be verified.
• Guest behavior: If the store prefers to avoid creating friction with forced account creation, choose an app that supports guest wishlists (Ultimate Wishlist does).
• Data governance: Confirm data retention policies, and that customer wishlist data can be retrieved or purged.

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

Merchants frequently confront "app fatigue"—the operational drag of installing multiple single-purpose apps to handle loyalty, reviews, referrals, wishlists, and tiers. Tool sprawl increases bookkeeping complexity, can fragment data, and often requires multiple recurring subscriptions. Fragmentation also raises integration overhead: multiple tracking pixels, duplicated event definitions, and more points of failure for front-end performance.

An all-in-one retention platform reduces these pain points by consolidating capabilities into one product. Growave’s philosophy, "More Growth, Less Stack," is oriented around reducing tool sprawl while keeping enterprise-grade features accessible.

Key benefits of a consolidated approach:

• Centralized customer profiles that capture wishlist actions, loyalty points, referrals, and review history in one view.
• Unified analytics that attribute lifetime value to specific retention activities without stitching data from separate dashboards.
• Fewer installed scripts and reduced conflict risk across front-end theme code.
• Simplified workflows for promotions and loyalty campaigns that can target wishlist behavior directly.

Growave brings combined functionality—loyalty, referrals, reviews & UGC, wishlist, and VIP tiers—into a single admin experience. For merchants considering consolidation, a side-by-side view shows how replacing multiple apps with one platform affects day-to-day operations.

• Growave’s loyalty engine enables merchants to build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases and integrate reward actions with wishlist behavior.
• Its reviews module helps stores collect and showcase authentic reviews and surface wishlist-driven social proof.
• For stores that want to consolidate billing and reduce integrations, merchants can consolidate retention features into fewer subscriptions with a single admin.

Additional integration and operational benefits:

• Cross-tool triggers: wishlist additions can feed into loyalty actions, trigger review reminders, or be used to qualify VIP tiers without moving data between apps.
• Built-in integrations with email and customer service platforms reduce the need for custom middleware.
• Designed for scale: Growave supports Shopify Plus and headless setups, with tools for advanced storefronts and checkout extensions.

For merchants evaluating how Growave fits into an existing stack:

• The platform’s wishlist feature can replace specialized wishlist apps while enabling immediate cross-promotion through loyalty and reviews.
• By reducing the number of discrete apps, operational time spent on app maintenance, theme debugging, and data reconciliation can shrink.
• Growave’s admin consolidates metrics so that product teams see a clearer relationship between wishlist activity and lifetime value.

Further reading and links that assist with evaluation:

• Merchants looking to try Growave can consolidate retention features as part of a pricing comparison.
• Stores that want to see Growave in the Shopify environment can add Growave to a store in minutes.
• To understand how loyalty and wishlist behavior can be combined, merchants can explore loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• Those focused on social proof and conversions should examine tools to collect and showcase authentic reviews.

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

How Growave Addresses Specific Limitations of Single-Purpose Apps

• Reduces multiple vendor relationships: One contract, one support path, one billing cadence.
• Unified event taxonomy: Wishlist adds, loyalty redemptions, and referrals are tracked consistently.
• Better cross-sell and lifecycle campaigns: Loyalty rewards tied to review submissions or wishlist conversions increase program efficacy.
• Enterprise features without stitching: For merchants on Plus plans or running headless storefronts, features like checkout extensions and APIs reduce the need for developers to glue solutions together.

Pricing Comparison Strategy

Rather than buying several single-purpose apps and paying multiple monthly fees, merchants can evaluate total cost of ownership by comparing the combined subscription costs against an integrated plan.

• For merchants with multiple single-purpose apps (wishlist + reviews + loyalty + referrals), add monthly costs and estimate implementation and maintenance hours.
• Then compare that sum to Growave entry or growth plans where multiple modules are included in one fee.
• Growave’s pricing page helps merchants consolidate retention features and estimate the value of consolidation.

Migration & Implementation Notes for Choosing Growave

• Data migration: Growave supports importing customer and loyalty data—confirm the availability of wishlist exports from current apps and plan a mapping for customer IDs and product handles.
• Incremental rollout: Test Growave’s wishlist module on a staging theme before turning off existing wishlist apps.
• Cross-functional alignment: Involving marketing, support, and engineering teams during the switch prevents gaps in automated workflows.
• Monitoring: Check core technical metrics after implementation and use Growave’s unified analytics to rebaseline conversion attribution.

Comparing Outcomes — What to Expect After Switching

• Reduced admin time: Fewer app dashboards to consult and one system to configure campaigns.
• Improved retention coordination: Loyalty perks tied directly to wishlist engagement increase odds of repeat purchase.
• Cleaner data: A single source of truth for customer behavior simplifies reporting and strategic planning.

Merchants with high-order volume or complex loyalty rules should compare the Growth and Plus plans to ensure the platform supports their throughput and customization needs.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Ultimate Wishlist and Keep on Hold Wishlist, the decision comes down to the store’s primary retention objective. Ultimate Wishlist shines when a merchant needs customizable, shareable wishlists with built-in reminder emails and product-level analytics; it offers clear, low-cost tiers and strong user ratings (4.9 from 34 reviews). Keep on Hold Wishlist is a straightforward solution for stores focused on saving cart-removed items and recovering that specific form of intent; it’s simpler and marketed for fast installs but has fewer reviews (4.3 from 5 reviews) and a narrower feature set.

If the goal is to minimize the number of single-function apps while unlocking broader retention capabilities—loyalty, referrals, reviews, wishlists, and VIP tiers in one system—an integrated platform provides better value for money and reduces operational complexity. Growave’s "More Growth, Less Stack" approach offers a way to consolidate retention tools, centralize analytics, and run coordinated campaigns across lifecycle touchpoints. Merchants can compare options and plans to determine whether consolidation is the right move. Consolidate retention features to reduce tool sprawl and get a unified view of customer behavior. Merchants can also add Growave to a store in minutes to test the integration.

Start a 14-day free trial of Growave to see how a unified retention stack accelerates growth. Start a 14-day free trial of Growave

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which app is better for stores with multilingual customers?

• A: Ultimate Wishlist explicitly supports non-English text and customizable copy, which helps multilingual storefronts. Keep on Hold should be checked for localization options before committing.

Q: Can Keep on Hold and Ultimate Wishlist coexist on the same store?

• A: Technically they can both be installed, but coexisting wishlist tools can confuse customers and create duplicated data. Running both in production is not recommended unless performing an A/B test with careful configuration.

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

• A: An all-in-one platform consolidates wishlist behavior into a broader customer profile that includes loyalty, referrals, and reviews. This reduces integration overhead and enables targeted lifecycle campaigns based on wishlist events. However, highly specialized wishlist apps may offer deeper niche features; the choice depends on whether breadth or depth is the higher priority.

Q: If a store is on a tight budget and only needs simple save-for-later functionality, which is the right choice?

• A: Keep on Hold is likely sufficient for stores that only need cart-level save-for-later behavior. Ultimate Wishlist’s free tier is also a competitive option for shops that may later want email reminders and social sharing without immediate cost.

Q: What metrics should a merchant track to evaluate the ROI of a wishlist app?

• A: Track wishlist add-to-purchase conversion rate, reminder email CTR and conversion, saved-for-later recovery rate, change in average order value linked to wishlist purchases, and changes in repeat purchase rate for users who interact with wishlist features.