Gather: Refer a Friend vs Swish (formerly Wishlist King)for Shopify (2026)
Gather: Refer a Friend focuses on leveraging existing customers to acquire new ones through referral programs. Its core strength lies in automating and personalizing the referral process, offering features like tiered reward systems and integration with platforms like Klaviyo for email marketing. Gather aims to create a high-ROAS acquisition channel by incentivizing customer referrals for sales growth, lead generation, or newsletter sign-ups. In contrast, Swish (formerly Wishlist King) centers around enhancing the customer shopping experience by providing a feature-rich wishlist solution. Swish's primary aim is to increase customer engagement and drive conversion by allowing shoppers to save desired products. It emphasizes customization and integration with themes, GA4, and Meta, offering a free setup and customization service. Unlike Gather's acquisition-focused approach, Swish prioritizes customer retention and understanding through advanced analytics and personalized wishlist notifications. While both apps belong to the Customer Loyalty category, they target different aspects of customer relationships - Gather focuses on acquisition through advocacy, and Swish focuses on retention and increased purchase intent through wishlists.
At a Glance
Gather: Refer a Friend
14 reviews
Swish (formerly Wishlist King)
273 reviews
Detailed Overview
Gather: Refer a Friend
Gather activates your customer to customer referral channel, with automation and personalisation.
Key Features
- Sales growth, newsletter growth or lead-gen with referrals.
- Invitations, including: email with contact search, social media and messaging.
- Deploy reward tiers / milestones. Provide One-sided or two-sided rewards.
- Enrol members in a post-purchase CTA sidebar and directly from Klaviyo.
- Design emails with a drag-and-drop editor. Design the embedded dashboard.
Swish (formerly Wishlist King)
Unlock additional revenue with a feature rich wishlist solution that drives customer engagement.
Key Features
- Allow customers to Wishlist items throughout their entire shopping journey.
- Gain meaningful insights with advanced analytics and wishlist curation.
- Integrates with all themes to seamlessly match your stores aesthetic.
- Free setup & customisation service ensures everything looks and works perfectly.
- Leverage our Klaviyo, GA4 and Meta integrations - all available out of the box.
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Gather: Refer a Friend5/5 Swish (formerly Wishlist King)5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 14 | 273 |
Reviews Gather: Refer a Friend14 Swish (formerly Wishlist King)273 | ||
| Primary Focus | Referral Marketing (Acquisition) | Wishlist Management (Engagement & Retention) |
Primary Focus Gather: Refer a FriendReferral Marketing (Acquisition) Swish (formerly Wishlist King)Wishlist Management (Engagement & Retention) | ||
| Key Feature - Reward System | Tiered Reward System | Personalized Wishlist Notifications |
Key Feature - Reward System Gather: Refer a FriendTiered Reward System Swish (formerly Wishlist King)Personalized Wishlist Notifications | ||
| Integrations | Klaviyo | Klaviyo, GA4, Meta |
Integrations Gather: Refer a FriendKlaviyo Swish (formerly Wishlist King)Klaviyo, GA4, Meta | ||
| Customization | Drag-and-drop email editor, embedded dashboard design | Fully customizable, free setup & customization service |
Customization Gather: Refer a FriendDrag-and-drop email editor, embedded dashboard design Swish (formerly Wishlist King)Fully customizable, free setup & customization service | ||
| Target Merchant | Businesses focused on growth and acquisition via referral programs | Businesses focused on enhancing the customer shopping journey and driving conversion through wishlists |
Target Merchant Gather: Refer a FriendBusinesses focused on growth and acquisition via referral programs Swish (formerly Wishlist King)Businesses focused on enhancing the customer shopping journey and driving conversion through wishlists | ||
| Value Proposition | High ROAS, low CPA acquisition channel | Increased sales & customer satisfaction through personalized wishlist experiences |
Value Proposition Gather: Refer a FriendHigh ROAS, low CPA acquisition channel Swish (formerly Wishlist King)Increased sales & customer satisfaction through personalized wishlist experiences | ||
Our Verdict
If a merchant's primary goal is to acquire new customers through incentivized referrals and they want a tool to manage and automate this process with customizable rewards and designs, Gather: Refer a Friend is the better choice. The Klaviyo integration will also be of great value for email marketing campaigns. However, the low number of reviews should be considered. For merchants focused on improving the overall shopping experience, increasing customer engagement, and driving conversions by allowing customers to save and track desired items and providing personalized notifications, Swish (formerly Wishlist King) is the superior option. The higher number of reviews provides more social proof, and the free setup and customization service offer significant value.
Common Questions
Which app is better for acquiring new customers?
Gather: Refer a Friend is specifically designed for customer acquisition through referral programs. Swish focuses on improving the shopping experience and driving conversions from existing customer interest.
Which app offers more robust integration with other marketing platforms?
Swish offers more integrations out of the box, including GA4, Meta, and Klaviyo, whereas Gather explicitly lists Klaviyo integration.
Which app is easier to set up and customize?
Swish boasts a free setup & customization service, suggesting a simplified onboarding experience, while Gather offers drag-and-drop design tools, implying a hands-on customization approach.
Which app has more social proof?
Swish (formerly Wishlist King) has significantly more reviews (273) compared to Gather: Refer a Friend (14), suggesting a larger user base and potentially more established product.
Are both apps suitable for all Shopify stores?
While both fall under 'Customer Loyalty,' Gather targets merchants seeking customer acquisition via referrals, while Swish is geared towards stores wanting to enhance customer engagement and increase purchase intent through wishlists. Their suitability depends on the merchant's strategic goals.
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