Ultimate Wishlist vs. Simple Wishlist: An In-Depth Comparison

Introduction

Choosing the right wishlist app is a deceptively important decision for Shopify merchants. Wishlists can drive repeat visits, capture purchase intent, and feed product strategy—but the wrong choice adds technical debt and monthly cost without delivering meaningful lift.

Short answer: Ultimate Wishlist is a feature-rich, low-cost wishlist focused on customization, analytics, and email reminders—an attractive option for merchants who want control and measurable signals. Simple Wishlist is a lightweight, easy-to-install option that prioritizes minimal setup and a clean user experience. For merchants seeking fewer apps and a single platform that combines wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, and reviews, Growave provides stronger long-term value and operational simplicity.

This article compares Ultimate Wishlist (Config Studio) and Simple Wishlist (eCommerce Custom Apps) across features, pricing, integrations, support, and business outcomes. The goal is to help merchants select the best fit for their store today and point to a holistic alternative for teams avoiding tool sprawl.

Ultimate Wishlist vs. Simple Wishlist: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison

App Background and Positioning

Ultimate Wishlist (Config Studio)

Ultimate Wishlist positions itself as a fully customizable wishlist that supports guest and logged-in users, multi-device sync, sharing, and analytics. The app has 34 Shopify reviews with an average rating of 4.9, which suggests strong satisfaction among those who have used it. Key selling points emphasize text and styling customization, non-English support, email reminders, and a dashboard for wishlist behavior.

Simple Wishlist (eCommerce Custom Apps)

Simple Wishlist is marketed as an easy-to-use wishlist that avoids custom code and focuses on quick setup. With only 2 reviews and a 4.4 rating, the sample size is small and offers limited insight into long-term performance. The app stresses single-click wishlisting, button design options, and displaying wishlisted items on a dedicated page.

Feature Comparison

This section evaluates the features merchants rely on to convert wishlists into revenue and insights.

Wishlist Creation and User Experience

Ultimate Wishlist

• Supports guest wishlists and logged-in accounts, allowing users to access their saved items across devices.
• Wishlist buttons can be customized in text and color to match store design.
• Includes share options for Facebook, Twitter, and email.
• Offers wishlist placement on collection pages and a dedicated wishlist page.

Simple Wishlist

• Focuses on a single-click add-to-wishlist experience.
• Allows button design choices and a wishlisted product display page.
• Explicitly avoids adding custom code to the store, which can be safer for merchants worried about theme conflicts.

Assessment

• Ultimate Wishlist provides a richer user experience for buyers who switch devices or log in; that multi-device persistence increases the chance of conversion later.
• Simple Wishlist reduces friction during implementation and may suit stores that want a stripped-down wishlist without extra configuration.

Customization and Localization

Ultimate Wishlist

• Marketed as "easily customizable" for text and appearance.
• Supports non-English stores, which helps international merchants create a native experience.
• Customizable email templates on paid plans let merchants align messaging with brand voice.

Simple Wishlist

• Offers button and wishlist page design options but does not emphasize localization or deep template customization.

Assessment

• For stores operating in multiple languages or with strict brand guidelines, Ultimate Wishlist is the stronger choice.
• Simple Wishlist is acceptable for merchants who need basic visual tweaks without localization.

Sharing, Reminders, and Monetization Hooks

Ultimate Wishlist

• Social sharing via Facebook and Twitter, and email sharing.
• Email reminders available on paid plans, with limits depending on tier.
• Premium plan adds Facebook pixel support, enabling better ad retargeting based on wishlist activity.

Simple Wishlist

• Does not advertise email reminders or advertising pixel integrations in its public listing.

Assessment

• Ultimate Wishlist gives merchants clearer paths to monetize wishlist signals—email reminders and ad retargeting are direct revenue levers.
• Simple Wishlist’s lack of reminder and pixel features reduces immediate re-engagement options.

Analytics and Reporting

Ultimate Wishlist

• Built-in dashboard that tracks wishlist adds, page views, and adds-to-cart from wishlists.
• Reports can inform merchandising and promotional choices.

Simple Wishlist

• No analytics or reporting features listed publicly.

Assessment

• If measurement matters, Ultimate Wishlist’s analytics deliver strategic value. Simple Wishlist leaves merchants to rely on separate analytics tools or platform-level reports.

Email Capabilities

Ultimate Wishlist

• Custom email templates available starting on paid plans.
• Basic plan includes up to 500 email reminders/month; higher plans significantly increase reminder limits and offer individualized reminders.

Simple Wishlist

• No email reminder functionality announced.

Assessment

• Email reminders turn wishlists into active follow-ups. Ultimate Wishlist’s tiered reminder capability is a clear commercial advantage for merchants aiming to recover intent.

Performance and Technical Footprint

Ultimate Wishlist

• No specific claim about adding code vs. using theme snippets, but offers feature set implying some theme-level integration (wishlist button, collection page placement).

Simple Wishlist

• Explicitly claims not to add custom code to stores, which reduces the risk of theme conflicts and simplifies uninstall.

Assessment

• Merchants that want minimal technical risk may prefer Simple Wishlist’s code-free pitch. Those who want features like analytics and reminders should accept a slightly larger technical footprint, which Ultimate Wishlist provides.

Pricing and Value

Pricing is a major factor for small merchants and high-volume stores alike. Compare costs versus the expected returns from wishlist-driven conversions and marketing.

Ultimate Wishlist Pricing Overview

Ultimate Wishlist offers four tiers:

• Free: Up to 500 wishlist items/month; guest wishlist; wishlist on collection page; share; customizable text/color; non-English support; full reports.
• Basic ($4.99/mo): Everything in Free plus up to 1,000 wishlist items/month, custom email template, up to 500 email reminders per month.
• Pro ($9.99/mo): Includes Basic features, individualized email reminders, up to 5,000 wishlist items/month, up to 2,000 email reminders/month.
• Premium ($14.99/mo): Pro features plus up to 10,000 wishlist items/month, up to 5,000 email reminders/month, and Facebook pixel integration.

Value considerations

• The Free plan is generous for small stores experimenting with wishlists.
• Low price points on paid tiers make it easy to test email reminders and pixel-based retargeting.
• Limits (wishlist items/month, email reminders) should be reviewed against store traffic and expected usage.

Simple Wishlist Pricing Overview

• No public pricing is provided in the app listing. Merchants will need to contact the developer or install the app to see pricing (if any) or check the Shopify App Store listing for changes.

Value considerations

• Lack of transparent pricing makes it hard to estimate ROI ahead of installation.
• The simplicity of the app may hide ongoing costs if premium features or support come at extra charge.

Comparative Pricing Assessment

• Ultimate Wishlist offers clear, low-cost tiers that scale with usage and add features (reminders, pixel) that directly influence conversion. This is often better value for money for merchants who intend to use wishlist signals for marketing.
• Simple Wishlist may be lower-cost or free, but the lack of pricing transparency and features reduces the ability to capture value from wishlist data.

Integrations and Technical Compatibility

Tracking and Marketing Integration

Ultimate Wishlist

• Premium plan includes Facebook pixel integration—useful for retargeting ads to users who added items to wishlists.
• Email reminder cadence and templates enable integration into email marketing workflows.

Simple Wishlist

• No tracking pixel or marketing hooks publicly advertised.

Assessment

• Ultimate Wishlist is superior for merchants looking to incorporate wishlist behavior into paid and email marketing funnels.

Theme, App, and Platform Compatibility

Ultimate Wishlist

• Designed to work across Shopify stores with attention to multilingual stores. Merchants should test on custom themes for styling and placement.
• No explicit mention of checkout extensions or headless support.

Simple Wishlist

• Emphasizes no custom code, which minimizes theme interference.
• Suitable for merchants who prefer an app that modifies storefront presentation without deeper technical changes.

Assessment

• Ultimate Wishlist requires verification during install on bespoke themes but offers more features. Simple Wishlist reduces the risk of theme disruption.

Enterprise and Headless Considerations

• Neither Ultimate Wishlist nor Simple Wishlist advertises headless commerce or advanced Shopify Plus features.
• Merchants on Shopify Plus or headless setups should test both apps for compatibility or consider a platform that explicitly supports enterprise use cases.

Support, Reviews, and Trust Signals

Ratings and Review Counts

• Ultimate Wishlist: 34 reviews, 4.9 rating. This indicates strong satisfaction among adopters, though the sample size is moderate.
• Simple Wishlist: 2 reviews, 4.4 rating. The small number of reviews makes it difficult to generalize reliability and satisfaction.

Assessment

• Review counts matter. A higher average rating with more reviews suggests consistent performance. Ultimate Wishlist’s 34 reviews and 4.9 rating are a stronger trust signal than Simple Wishlist’s 2 reviews.

Support Channels and Documentation

Ultimate Wishlist

• Offers features like customizable email templates and analytics, which typically require documentation and support; merchants should verify response times and setup help via the Shopify listing and developer contact.

Simple Wishlist

• Simplicity reduces support needs. However, the absence of advanced features means fewer support touchpoints to evaluate.

Assessment

• Merchants relying on analytics and email features will want responsive developer support—Ultimate Wishlist’s feature set makes dependable support more critical.

Security, Data Ownership, and Compliance

• Neither app lists explicit data residency or compliance features in the provided summaries. Merchants handling customer data should confirm how wishlist data is stored and whether email reminders comply with local regulations (e.g., consent, GDPR).
• Ultimate Wishlist’s email reminders and analytics heighten the need for clarity around consent and data handling.

Merchant Outcomes: Retention, LTV, and Growth

Wishlists are a merchandising tool; their business value depends on how they integrate into retention channels.

Ultimate Wishlist

• Email reminders and Facebook pixel integration enable direct re-engagement, which can convert passive interest into repeat purchases.
• Built-in analytics allow merchandisers to prioritize products that receive wishlist attention—useful for promotions, bundles, and inventory planning.
• Multi-device sync improves conversion for customers who research on mobile and purchase on desktop.

Simple Wishlist

• Low-friction wishlisting can improve the storefront experience with fewer clicks.
• Without email or pixel hooks, wishlist signals are less actionable for re-engagement, limiting impact on repeat purchase rate and lifetime value.

Assessment

• For merchants focused on retention and increasing LTV, the measurable channels in Ultimate Wishlist create clearer revenue paths.
• For merchants prioritizing a simple UX and minimal maintenance, Simple Wishlist is serviceable but offers fewer monetization levers.

Use Cases and Merchant Profiles

This section helps merchants determine which app fits their business model.

Which merchants should consider Ultimate Wishlist?

• Small to mid-size stores that want affordable wishlist features with measurement and marketing hooks.
• Brands that operate in multiple languages and need customization.
• Merchants planning to use wishlist signals for email follow-ups or Facebook retargeting.
• Teams that can handle some light theme integration and want analytics.

Which merchants should consider Simple Wishlist?

• Small stores or startups that need a fast, low-friction wishlist without technical complexity.
• Merchants that prefer no custom code and want a clean wishlist button and page.
• Stores where wishlist behavior is a small UX enhancement rather than a core marketing signal.

Which merchants should avoid either app?

• Enterprise stores requiring headless support, deep CRM integrations, or advanced loyalty features will outgrow both apps' scope.
• Merchants who need explicit SLAs, dedicated implementation support, or consolidated retention tools should consider a broader platform.

Pros and Cons (Concise)

Ultimate Wishlist — Pros

• Robust feature set for the price.
• Email reminders and analytics.
• Support for guest and logged-in wishlists.
• Non-English support and customization.

Ultimate Wishlist — Cons

• Requires theme-level integration (some technical work).
• Limits on wishlist items and reminders per tier—plans must be matched to volume.

Simple Wishlist — Pros

• Extremely simple to install and use.
• No custom code claim reduces theme conflict risk.
• Clear UX with one-click add.

Simple Wishlist — Cons

• Very limited public information and no visible pricing.
• No analytics, email reminders, or ad tracking.
• Low review count limits confidence.

Implementation, Migration, and Measurement

Implementation Checklist

When installing any wishlist app, merchants should follow a short checklist:

• Confirm theme compatibility in a staging environment.
• Review placement options for wishlist buttons (product page, collection).
• Verify whether the app requires custom code snippets and whether it backs up theme files.
• Test wishlist behavior for guest and logged-in users.
• If email reminders exist, confirm consent capture and unsubscribe handling.

Both apps require basic verification. Ultimate Wishlist will need more configuration for emails and pixel; Simple Wishlist will be quicker to deploy.

Migration and Data Portability

• If the merchant later switches wishlist apps, exported wishlist data and user associations are crucial. Ultimate Wishlist’s analytics and account sync suggest more internal data; confirm export options before committing.
• Simple Wishlist’s lighter footprint may complicate transfer of saved customer intent if persistent storage is not exposed.

Key Metrics to Track

Merchants should measure impact using these metrics:

• Wishlist adds per session.
• Conversion rate from wishlist to purchase.
• Revenue attributed to wishlist email reminders and retargeting.
• Average order value for wishlist-driven purchases.
• Customer lifetime value and repeat purchase rate for users who use wishlists.

Ultimate Wishlist provides direct tracking for several of these metrics; Simple Wishlist requires merchants to assemble tracking from platform analytics or other tools.

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

Why App Fatigue Matters

Adding single-purpose apps increases maintenance overhead, monthly cost, and the risk of inconsistent customer experiences. App fatigue manifests as:

• Multiple billing lines that erode margins.
• Fragmented customer data across tools, making it hard to build unified customer profiles.
• Conflicting scripts and theme changes that break storefront behavior.
• Higher time-costs for migrations and support.

Merchants often start with a focused tool like Ultimate Wishlist or Simple Wishlist and gradually accumulate fragmented apps for loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP programs. Over time, the operational burden can erase the incremental value those apps delivered.

Growave’s “More Growth, Less Stack” Value Proposition

Growave addresses app fatigue by combining wishlist functionality with retention features in one platform. The core idea is to reduce the number of point solutions and centralize retention tools—loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlists—so merchants can grow repeat purchases without managing multiple integrations.

Growave bundles:

• Loyalty programs and VIP tiers.
• Referral campaigns and rewards.
• Reviews and user-generated content (UGC) collection.
• Wishlist features tied into customer profiles.

That integration helps merchants convert wishlist signals into loyalty actions and referral incentives without stitching together separate apps.

How an All-in-One Flow Improves Outcomes

• Wishlist activity can automatically feed into loyalty programs, offering points for adds or purchases sourced from wishlists.
• Reviews captured in one place improve product credibility and can be surfaced alongside wishlisted items.
• Referral incentives can be tied to wishlist-driven purchases, creating cross-channel synergy that single-purpose apps cannot deliver alone.

Merchants can review Growave’s pricing to evaluate consolidated value; reducing the number of separate apps often produces better value for money and fewer technical issues. For a clear plan comparison, merchants can review modern options to consolidate retention features and compare cost against multiple single-function apps by visiting the platform pricing page and installing from the app store.

Consolidate retention features can be an immediate step to understand cost trade-offs when replacing several apps with a single integrated solution. Merchants can also install from the Shopify App Store to evaluate the app in a live environment.

Loyalty and Rewards Integration

Growave allows merchants to build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases. Integrating wishlist behavior into these programs means wishlists become a direct input for reward triggers and VIP segmentation, turning passive interest into measurable loyalty outcomes.

Add the wishlist to a reward journey:

• Award points for adding a product to a wishlist.
• Create campaigns that convert wishlists into purchases with targeted discounts.
• Use VIP tiers to prioritize customers who frequently add or convert wishlists.

This integration makes it easier to increase customer lifetime value without adding separate loyalty software.

Reviews and Social Proof

Collecting and showing product reviews matters for wishlisted items. Growave’s tools enable merchants to collect and showcase authentic reviews, so wishlisted products can display recent social proof and images to accelerate conversion when a user returns.

Linking UGC from reviews to wishlist pages can increase trust and reduce hesitation among return visitors.

Enterprise Readiness and Shopify Plus Support

For merchants on larger plans, Growave offers features and services designed for scale, including checkout extensions, API and SDK support, and a dedicated onboarding pathway. Merchants seeking enterprise-level capabilities should review solutions for high-growth Plus brands and the associated support model by exploring the platform’s Shopify Plus page.

Solutions for high-growth Plus brands outline how integrated retention features scale with large stores.

Putting It Together: Practical Integration Examples

• Use wishlist adds to trigger an email series and award points if the product isn’t purchased within X days.
• Combine reviews and wishlist analytics to decide which products to promote during a flash sale.
• Use referral incentives for customers who share wishlists that lead to new customer purchases.

These workflows are easier to implement in a single platform than across multiple single-purpose apps, which require custom integrations or manual data exports.

Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated retention stack accelerates growth.
(Clicking this sentence will connect merchants with a tailored walkthrough of integrated use cases.)

Cost and ROI Comparison

Consolidating costs into one platform often increases perceived monthly spend but reduces overall total cost of ownership. Merchants should calculate:

• Cumulative monthly fees for wishlist, loyalty, reviews, referrals, and VIP tools versus a single platform fee.
• Time-costs for theme maintenance and compatibility testing for multiple apps.
• Revenue lift from combined workflows (e.g., wishlist → email → loyalty → referral).

A good starting point is to compare line items on a pricing page and weigh them against the expected increase in repeat purchases. For a direct look at consolidated plans and trial options, merchants can evaluate how pricing may map to business goals by visiting the platform pricing page or viewing the app on Shopify.

Consolidate retention features and install from the Shopify App Store to explore actual plans and trial availability.

Feature Cross-References (contextual links)

• For loyalty program design: build loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases.
• For product social proof: use tools that collect and showcase authentic reviews.
• To evaluate enterprise-level support: review solutions for high-growth Plus brands.

Each of these pages helps merchants understand how wishlist behavior can be converted into measurable retention outcomes within a unified platform. Repeat visits to the pricing page can clarify the finance-side trade-offs of consolidation.

Consolidate retention features to compare the cost of multiple single-purpose apps versus one integrated platform. Merchants can also install from the Shopify App Store to test the app in a live store.

Implementation Comparison Summary

• Quick launch, minimal code risk: Simple Wishlist.
• Feature set for measurement and re-engagement at low cost: Ultimate Wishlist.
• Unified retention programs, scalable workflows, and fewer integrations to manage: Growave.

Merchants should pick the solution aligned with their operational capacity and strategic objectives. If a store’s primary need is a simple wishlist widget without marketing follow-up, Simple Wishlist fits. If the goal is to act on wishlist data and re-engage users through email and ads, Ultimate Wishlist provides strong value. For merchants looking to consolidate and scale retention across loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlists, an integrated platform is typically the best long-term bet.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Ultimate Wishlist and Simple Wishlist, the decision comes down to priorities and scale. Ultimate Wishlist (Config Studio) delivers a rich feature set for a low price, including guest and logged-in wishlists, email reminders, analytics, and pixel integration—making it suitable for merchants who want to convert wishlist activity into measurable marketing outcomes. Simple Wishlist (eCommerce Custom Apps) offers a minimal, easy-to-install wishlist with a clean user experience and lower implementation risk, which is valuable for stores that need a simple UX improvement without additional marketing hooks.

Both apps have trade-offs:

• Choose Ultimate Wishlist if measurement, localization, and marketing follow-ups are priority. The app’s 34 reviews and 4.9 rating indicate reliable performance among its adopters.
• Choose Simple Wishlist if the goal is minimal implementation friction and a no-code approach; be aware that only 2 public reviews and a 4.4 rating provide limited visibility into long-term reliability.

For merchants looking to reduce tool sprawl and unlock higher retention with fewer integrations, Growave presents a compelling alternative. Growave’s platform combines wishlist functionality with loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers—enabling merchants to convert wishlist intent into loyalty-driven purchases without managing multiple point apps. To compare consolidated options and pricing in relation to a multi-app stack, merchants can review how to consolidate retention features and see the platform on the Shopify store by choosing to install from the Shopify App Store.

Start a 14-day free trial to evaluate the benefits of a unified retention stack and reduce the operational overhead of multiple single-purpose apps. (This sentence is a clear action to begin a trial and explore integrated workflows.)

FAQ

Q: Which app gives better measurement and insight into wishlist behavior?
A: Ultimate Wishlist provides built-in analytics (adds, page views, add-to-cart from wishlists) and email reminder metrics. Simple Wishlist focuses on minimal UX and does not advertise analytics, so merchants who need measurement should prefer Ultimate Wishlist.

Q: Is there a big technical difference when installing these apps?
A: Simple Wishlist highlights a no-custom-code approach, lowering the risk of theme conflicts. Ultimate Wishlist may require theme-level adjustments for button placement, email templates, and pixel integration. Test on a staging theme to avoid live-store issues.

Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps?
A: An integrated platform reduces the number of vendor relationships, centralizes data, and enables cross-feature workflows (e.g., converting wishlist adds into loyalty points or review campaigns). This typically reduces maintenance overhead and increases the ability to measure lifetime value and repeat purchases. Review consolidated pricing and feature trade-offs to confirm ROI for specific stores.

Q: Which option is better for scaling and enterprise needs?
A: Neither Ultimate Wishlist nor Simple Wishlist advertises comprehensive enterprise features for headless or advanced Shopify Plus flows in the same way that specialized retention platforms do. Merchants on Plus or those requiring dedicated implementation and APIs should evaluate platforms with explicit enterprise support and Plus capabilities. For a consolidated retention approach and enterprise-ready options, review solutions designed for scaling merchants and check Plus-level offerings on the platform’s enterprise pages.