Best Wishes Alternatives

Wishes is a mobile wishlist app built around a one-link sharing system. It works well if you want a single, neatly presented wishlist on your phone. For that purpose, it may be all you need.

This page looks at alternatives for anyone who finds the app restrictive. Wishes limits free accounts to three wishlists, then asks for an annual subscription or a fee for each extra list. Here, Wishes is compared directly with Things To Have across ten criteria that affect how lists get used.

What Wishes does well

• The iOS and Android apps are polished and hold a 4.7 rating on the App Store.
• Guests can open your list from a link without creating an account.
• The visual design is simple and easy to explain to a family member.
• You can add wishes with Siri, find lists in Spotlight and pin a list as a widget.

Why people look for an alternative to Wishes

The free tier is three wishlists. After that, you must pay $1.99 for each extra list, or $9.99 a year for Wishes Plus. That annual subscription removes the cap and adds features such as shared editing and themes.

That limit lands exactly when you need it. Many people keep a birthday list, a Christmas list and a private list of things they plan to buy for themselves. Starting a fourth list means paying.

A wishlist is used a few times a year. An ongoing annual fee can feel expensive for something consulted so infrequently. The person who organises the lists pays the whole cost, while the people who buy the gifts use the tool for free.

Wishes vs Things To Have

View without an account

Family members often close a link straight away if it asks them to create an account first. A shared wishlist needs to open directly on any device without that barrier.

Things To Have. Anyone with the shared link can view a list immediately in their web browser. Visitors do not need an account or an app to see the items.

Wishes. Guests can open a Wishes list using a link without installing an app or registering an account. If someone decides to book a gift, they must sign in using Apple or Google.

Verdict: Even.

Reservations

Reserving an item prevents duplicate gifts, because people buying from your list can see what is already taken.

Things To Have. The list author can turn reservations on for any list. Visitors sign in to reserve an item so other guests see it is taken.

Wishes. Guests book gifts after signing in with Apple or Google. This marks the item as taken for other visitors.

Verdict: Even, as both apps let visitors reserve items on a list.

Free, no paywall

Most people use a wishlist only a few times each year. A cap on list numbers often causes problems when a birthday and Christmas fall close together. An ongoing subscription is difficult to justify when an app sits unused for months.

Things To Have. Everything is free, with no paywall on any feature. You can create as many lists and add as many items as you need.

Wishes. The free plan includes three wishlists and secret booking. Additional lists cost $1.99 each. Unlimited lists, themes and shared editing require a Wishes Plus subscription at $9.99 a year.

Verdict: Things To Have is ahead for anyone who needs more than three lists. It never asks for payment to add another list.

No ads

A wishlist is meant to show the items someone actually picked. When an app adds suggestions, it starts doing the work of a shop. Most people prefer a shared list to contain only their own selections.

Things To Have. The service includes no adverts, no sponsored products and no algorithmic feed. It never displays product recommendations on a list.

Wishes. When a list is still short, Wishes displays gift ideas inside the list itself. The app matches these suggestions to the occasion. You can add one of these items with a long press.

Verdict: Things To Have is ahead for people who want no suggestions in their list.

Any store

Good gift ideas come from small shops and independent websites as well as big retailers, so a list should accept items from anywhere.

Things To Have. A list accepts a link from any online shop.

Wishes. You can paste a link or use "Add to Wishes" from another app's share sheet. On iOS devices, you can also add items using Siri.

Verdict: Even, as both tools let you add items from any online shop.

Autofill

Typing a title, price and photo by hand for each item takes time. This extra effort is often why people stop adding things to a list.

Things To Have. Pasting a link fills in the title, photo and price without needing a browser extension. You can also add items using a bookmarklet, an iOS Shortcut or an embeddable save button.

Wishes. Pasting a link or using the share sheet fills in the title, photo and price.

Verdict: Even, as both tools pull in product details from store links so you do not have to type them out yourself.

Works on any device

If a list only works on one platform, part of the family cannot use it. Gift buyers use many different phones, tablets and computers. The list must open easily on any screen they choose to use.

Things To Have. It is a website and an installable web app, so it works on any device. Anyone can create, edit and view lists without installing any software.

Wishes. Wishes has apps for iPhone and Android, where users build and manage their lists. Visitors who receive a link can view the list directly in a web browser.

Verdict: Even. Both allow family and friends to view wishlists on any device.

Sort & filter

A list with dozens of items is easier to shop from when buyers can search it or sort by price. Most gift givers arrive with a clear budget in mind. Filtering by price helps them find a suitable gift without scrolling through every item.

Things To Have. Any visitor can search a list and sort items by price either way. People can also set a maximum price limit, whether they are signed in or not. Prices in different currencies are converted so that they compare accurately.

Wishes. An update made wishes searchable and sortable. Lists and individual wishes also show up in iOS Spotlight search.

Verdict: Even.

Export your data

Apps can shut down unexpectedly. A list you cannot download is only borrowed from the service. Having an export also makes it easy to move your items to another tool.

Things To Have. You can export your lists as a JSON file from Settings → Data whenever you like. The import tool accepts pasted links or files in .txt, .md or JSON format. It shows a preview of your items before saving.

Wishes. There is no export feature built into the app. The privacy policy explains that you can receive your data in a machine-readable format by contacting the data protection officer. You must make a manual request to get your file.

Verdict: Things To Have is ahead.

MCP

The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, lets an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT read and update your lists, so you can add items or plan gifts by talking to it.

Things To Have. You can connect Claude, ChatGPT or your own agent over MCP at https://thingstohave.app/mcp, approve which permissions it gets and revoke access at any time. Assistants that cannot open a browser use an access token from Settings → MCP. The assistant can add items you mention, tidy your lists and help you work out what to buy the friends you follow.

Wishes. Wishes does not publish an MCP server, ChatGPT app or Claude connector. Its website and help pages do not mention one.

Verdict: Things To Have is ahead, because Wishes publishes no MCP server.

Final verdict

• You want a free list to send to family who will not sign up: Choose Things To Have. Guests can open your lists in a browser without an account, and there are no list limits.
• You want what Wishes is best at (a single, neatly presented mobile wishlist): Stay with Wishes. The mobile apps are polished and work well if you keep within the three free lists.

Wishes, Things To Have and the runners-up

Frequently asked questions

Keep comparing

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