[Shopify] The classic: Comparing our top 5 favorite apps

Wishlist Plus

The most popular and favorite app

This is probably the most used app in Japan. Overall, it's a favorite app that I highly recommend.

Although the free plan may seem attractive, the free version does not support Japanese, so you will actually have to start from the next higher plan, "$14.99."

Also, if you register more than 1,000 favorites per month, you will need to upgrade to the $49.99 plan, so there is not much advantage in terms of cost.

In terms of functionality, paid plans include a feature that automatically sends reminder emails to favorite users when a product becomes "low in stock," "restocked," "priced down," etc., helping to reduce opportunity loss.

Cheapest plan (non-key parts can be customized for $14.99)

However, I think the drawback is that there are surprisingly few things you can tweak. First of all, there is not much you can do with the cheapest plan, excluding the free plan.

As for Japanese, the paid version will "translate" the app into Japanese, but it is left to the app company to translate it into Japanese, so you cannot change the subtle nuances of the words! I don't like this very much, so I have never actually used it.

The best part is the strong integration with other apps !

It is possible to implement effective measures by linking with external tools that are different from those built into the app itself, but the apps that can be linked to are generally made overseas, which makes the app difficult to use in Japan.

Linkable apps

However, it has the advantage of being a trigger for Shopify Flow! I recommend it when you want to expand your marketing efforts even if it costs money !

Wishlist King

I feel like it's been decreasing recently, but it was quite popular a while ago.

Again, this is an app that seems to have a high usage rate simply because it was often featured on blogs and other sites in the early days of Shopify in Japan.

It's extremely simple in terms of functionality and allows you to create your favorite lists!

There is no notable functional advantage.

The difficulty of installation is a little too high if you are doing it by yourself, but the app will help you, so you don't need to rate it that highly.

One attractive feature is the cost, which varies depending on the Shopify plan. The basic plan is "$4.95/month", which is quite cheap, but the standard plan is "$19/month", which makes it less advantageous.

As for Japanese translation, it is possible to translate it manually , so there are no particular issues with compatibility and it is easy to use, but to be honest there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it that makes it recommended.

Wishlist Hero

High functionality and low price. Our standard.

Although it is not well known in Japan, this is actually quite easy to use ! It's called Hero-chan.

In terms of cost, there is a free version, but you will actually need to start with the "$4/month" Silver Plan! The biggest reason is that the Silver Plan gives you access to "restock" and "price reduction" reminder emails !

Another good thing is that it has an easy-to-read analysis function .

The Silver Plan also has few functional limitations.

As you can see, there are a lot of useful features.

It can also self-translate Japanese perfectly, which makes it highly user-friendly, and you can even decide what action to take when you press the add to favorites button, which is great!

Installation is not difficult, and although the settings are in English, they are mostly self-explanatory, so once you've learned it at first, you'll be able to use it without much trouble.

It offers an excellent balance between functionality and cost, so we generally recommend Wishlist Hero in most cases!

iWish: Wishlist

It has the minimum necessary functions and is inexpensive.

It used to be called "Wishlist @$2", but then it changed to just "Wishlist", and then it changed again to its current name, "iWish:Wishlist".

It's simple, you can add favorites and customers can view them. That's all, but the biggest attraction of this app is that it's not a pay-per-use system ! While most other apps charge a per-use fee based on the number of favorites you register each month, you can continue to use it at a low price of $2/month no matter how much you use it.

There is no problem with localizing it into Japanese, and manual translation is possible so it can be adapted to the Japanese language. Installation is easy, and despite being cheap, the support is surprisingly good !

If you want to keep costs down and have the bare minimum functionality, this is the perfect choice !

fuji3 Favorites

After all, it's a Japanese app. The affinity with Japanese is overwhelmingly high, making it a strong option for merchants who are unsure about their English.

Can foreigners read fuji3 as "Mt. Fuji"? That's an issue, but I like the fact that it's easy for people overseas to use. (Japanese apps with low overseas adoption rates are questionable in terms of sustainability.)

As it is a Japanese-made app, the " explanation page " also has Japanese documentation, which is a nice touch!

In terms of functionality, it is limited to a very simple "Favorites" function. You can try it for free up to 100 favorites, and the installation difficulty is also easy. This is a great way to first try out what favorites are like.

(Please note that with the free plan, you cannot add favorites without registering as a user.)

Even if you choose a paid plan, the price is fixed at $8.99/month. Since it's not a pay-per-use charge, it's fairly cheap for a Shopify app.

It does have some simple marketing features, such as tracking the number of favorites added to your favorites, but it doesn't offer many full-fledged marketing features.

If you are looking for something simple and easy to implement in Japanese, this will be a good candidate for ease of use.

Also, one of the biggest features of "fuji3 Favorites" is that it can be expanded by using it in conjunction with the RuffRuff app, which is made by the same app company, allowing you to make various sales within your wishlist!

summary

I have introduced five apps above.

I think King is a bit out of the question at the moment, but the remaining four are

・Cost-effectiveness balance = Wishlist Hero
・I want to work hard on marketing = Wishlist Plus
・Cheap for now = iWish
・Made in Japan is better = fuji3 is my favorite 

That's the key point we recommend you use in different ways!

In any case, the initial choice is surprisingly important! If you change apps later, your favorites will be reset, so it's not a good idea to just get a cheap app and then switch to a different app later!

I think it's a good idea to think ahead and make a balanced choice!