Best Shopify Pre-Order Apps for Small Brands

Website: https://stoqapp.crisp.help/en/article/how-much-does-stoq-cost-plans-pricing-and-charges-explained-19o4jbd/

Best for: Most small brands that want preorders and restock alerts in one app, with room to start free.

Website: https://globo.io/pre-order

Best for: Budget conscious stores that want preorders, coming soon teasers, and restock alerts from one low cost app.

Website: https://timesact.com/pages/pricing

Best for: Stores that need per variant control, unit caps, and a choice between flexible volume pricing and a fixed unlimited price.

Website: https://apps.shopify.com/preorder-now

Best for: Stores that want unlimited preorder products on a paid plan, with badges, scheduling, and mixed cart alerts built in.

Website: https://apps.shopify.com/kaktus-preorder

Best for: Very small stores that want a store collected partial payment or split payment offer for presale and backorder products.

Website: https://apps.shopify.com/preorder-manager-1

Best for: Stores that want the lowest paid entry price and conditional preorders that switch on and off with stock status.

1. Preorder, Back In Stock by STOQ

Best for: Most small brands that want preorders and restock alerts in one app, with room to start free.

We reviewed STOQ first because its own help pricing is unusually clear. The vendor says all plans include both preorder and back in stock features, charges 0 percent transaction fees on all plans, and counts a preorder as any order that contains at least one preorder product, so one order with three preorder items still counts as one (Source: STOQ plans and charges explained). Its Shopify App Store listing says the app can set up preorder, presale, and backorder offers with a deposit or partial payment collected by the store, and can send back in stock alerts by email and SMS when stock returns (Source: STOQ listing). The same listing notes B2B preorders, multiple locations, and markets support, which helps a small brand that sells the same drop in more than one region (Source: STOQ listing).

Pros

• Free plan includes full and partial payment support, a customizable preorder button, and up to 10 preorder orders per month, so you can prove a drop before paying (Source: STOQ plans and charges explained).
• No transaction fees on any plan, so the app does not take a cut of preorder revenue on top of your normal payment fees (Source: STOQ plans and charges explained).
• Lite unlocks auto collect balance payments on partial preorders, start and end date scheduling, and split or hold fulfillments, which suits a mixed cart of in stock and preorder items (Source: STOQ plans and charges explained).

Cons

• On Free, preorders pause if you pass 10 orders. STOQ gives you 24 hours to upgrade, then pauses your preorder offers until the limit resets or you upgrade, and you must re enable paused offers by hand (Source: STOQ preorder charges).
• Overage fees are non refundable once billed through Shopify, per the vendor known limitations, so a surprise spike still costs you even if orders later cancel (Source: STOQ plans and charges explained).
• SMS alerts cost extra on every paid plan at $0.025 per segment for US and CA, and that fee sits on top of any notification overage fee, not instead of it (Source: STOQ back in stock plans and billing).

Pricing: Free plan available. Lite $10/month, Pro $29/month, Unlimited $69/month, checked 6 November 2026. Pricing page: https://stoqapp.crisp.help/en/article/how-much-does-stoq-cost-plans-pricing-and-charges-explained-19o4jbd/

Skip it if: Your launch will blow past 10 preorder orders in the first weekend and you do not want to watch a usage card or pay per order overage during a drop.

Unique detail: STOQ counts test orders too. Its troubleshooting notes warn that the limit counts all orders with any preorder product, including test orders, so clean up test orders before a launch or they eat your allowance (Source: STOQ preorder charges).

Fits: Small to growing brands, from a first drop up to 400 preorder orders a month on Pro, especially where sell-through on a hero product matters more than squeezing the last dollar of app fees.

Pick this if you want the clearest limits and the safest free start. Prove the offer free, then let Lite pay for itself out of orders you would have lost to a sold out page.

2. PreOrder Globo by Globo

Best for: Budget conscious stores that want preorders, coming soon teasers, and restock alerts from one low cost app.

We compared Globo because its vendor page lays out the whole ladder in one place. The vendor lists Free, Lite at $9.90 per month, and Pro at $19.90 per month, with Lite covering 100 presale orders per month and 1,000 restock emails, and Pro covering unlimited presale orders per month and 5,000 restock emails (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page). Its Shopify App Store listing adds useful storefront detail, saying you can set preorders by inventory level or by start and end dates, show a custom delivery note such as Delivery in 21 to 30 days below the preorder button, and tag orders with labels like preorder or shipping date (Source: PreOrder Globo listing). That delivery note is the kind of small clarity that cuts anxious messages and protects AOV on a long lead time product.

Pros

• Low paid entry at $9.90 per month for Lite, with partial payment and discount, email template editing, CSV import and export, and Shopify Markets on the same tier (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).
• Pro removes the presale cap at $19.90 per month, which is a calm step up for a brand whose drops keep selling through (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).
• Yearly billing drops Lite to $99 per year and Pro to $199 per year on the vendor page, which lowers fees for a store that knows preorders are a year round channel (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).

Cons

• The Free plan is a starter allowance, not a monthly allowance. It covers the first 20 presale orders and the first 100 restock emails, then you need a paid plan to keep going (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).
• Partial payment and discount sit on paid plans in the vendor pricing table, not on Free, so a deposit style offer needs Lite or Pro from the start (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).
• In the old preorder model, collecting the balance on a partial payment order relies on an automatic reminder email prompting the customer to complete payment, per the vendor FAQ, which is a softer flow than an automatic charge on a set date (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).

Pricing: Free plan available. Lite $9.90/month, Pro $19.90/month, checked 6 November 2026. Pricing page: https://globo.io/pre-order

Skip it if: You need restock alerts well above 5,000 emails a month, or you want the balance on a deposit order charged automatically without relying on a reminder email step.

Unique detail: The vendor page says the app now supports Shopify new preorder model alongside the original setup, after Shopify introduced a Selling Plan API to standardize preorders, so check which model your store is on before you copy settings from an old guide (Source: PreOrder Globo vendor page).

Fits: Small brands doing up to 100 presale orders a month on Lite, or steady unlimited presale volume on Pro, where restock emails are a second channel rather than the main event.

Pick this if fees are your first worry and you want preorder plus restock in one bill. It is the tidy budget pick for a store that runs regular small drops.

3. Timesact Preorder Now Presale

Best for: Stores that need per variant control, unit caps, and a choice between flexible volume pricing and a fixed unlimited price.

We checked Timesact because its own pricing page splits the choice cleanly. The vendor lists a Free plan at $0 per month with 20 orders per month and unlimited products, a CORE Flexible plan at $5 per month, and CORE Fixed from $23 per month, or from $17 per month billed yearly, with the fixed price set by your Shopify plan (Source: Timesact pricing). Its preorder product page says preorder is decided per variant, with payment as the full amount or a deposit with the balance collected later, an order cap that is unlimited by default or a set number per variant, and shipping dates shown as ASAP, an exact date, a period, or an interval (Source: Timesact preorder product page). Every preorder order is tagged Pre-order automatically, and a mixed order also gets a Partial Pre-order tag, which makes fulfillment filtering simple (Source: Timesact preorder product page).

Pros

• Per variant control means one sold out size can sit on preorder while the rest of the product keeps shipping as normal, each with its own unit limit (Source: Timesact preorder product page).
• No transaction fees on any plan in the pricing page, and all charges are billed through Shopify on your regular invoice (Source: Timesact pricing).
• Free already includes unlimited coming soon and low stock tools plus unlimited email sign ups, so you can build a waitlist before you ever take a paid preorder (Source: Timesact pricing).

Cons

• CORE Flexible starts with only 10 orders per month in its base volume, then charges $0.20 per order past your chosen volume, so the $5 headline is only the floor (Source: Timesact pricing).
• The Free plan keeps Timesact branding on your storefront, and removing branding needs a paid plan, per the pricing page (Source: Timesact pricing).
• Fixed pricing climbs hard with your Shopify plan. CORE Fixed is $23 per month on Basic Shopify and $117 per month on Shopify Plus before the yearly discount, for the same unlimited orders promise (Source: Timesact pricing).

Pricing: Free plan available. CORE Flexible $5/month, PRO Flexible $7/month, CORE Fixed from $23/month, PRO Fixed from $27/month, checked 6 November 2026. Pricing page: https://timesact.com/pages/pricing

Skip it if: You want one simple flat price with no volume math and no Shopify plan math. The choice between Flexible and Fixed takes a real decision here.

Unique detail: On the PRO plan, the balance on a split payment preorder can be charged on fulfillment, not only on a date, and Timesact help notes you can also collect a split payment balance early if stock lands ahead of schedule (Source: Timesact pricing).

Fits: Small to mid size brands with variant heavy products, from 20 free orders a month up to unlimited orders on Fixed, especially apparel and gear where only one size or color is delayed.

Pick this if variant level control is your pain. When only one size is late, this is the app that lets the rest of the product keep earning.

4. PreOrder Now WOD by Website On Demand

Best for: Stores that want unlimited preorder products on a paid plan, with badges, scheduling, and mixed cart alerts built in.

We reviewed PreOrder Now WOD because it is one of the longest running preorder apps in the store, launched 21 June 2017 per its listing (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing). The listing describes bulk preorder management by product, variant, or tag, preorder scheduling that turns preorders on at a set time, inventory rules and quantity limits, and mixed cart alerts when preorder and in stock items sit in the same cart (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing). Its pricing in the App Store listing is a Free plan for one preorder product, then Shopify Basic at $19.95 per month, Shopify Grow at $39.95 per month, and Shopify Advanced at $59.95 per month, each paid plan with unlimited preorder products and a 14 day free trial, checked 6 November 2026 (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing).

Pros

• Unlimited preorder products on every paid tier, so a wide catalog does not need a product count negotiation before a launch (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing).
• Collection page preorder badges and a quick view display help shoppers spot a preorder before the product page, which sets expectations early and cuts surprise cancellations.
• Mixed cart alerts warn shoppers when a cart mixes preorder and in stock items, which is exactly where split shipment confusion and return rate trouble start.

Cons

• The price follows your Shopify plan, not your preorder volume. The same unlimited products promise costs $19.95 per month on Basic and $59.95 per month on Advanced, checked 6 November 2026 (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing).
• The Free plan covers only one preorder product, so it proves the button and the message, not a full drop or a full restock flow (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing).
• The listing notes a per email charge of $0.01 per email send for the personalized email feature, a small usage fee that sits on top of the monthly plan price (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing).

Pricing: Free plan available for 1 product. Shopify Basic $19.95/month, Shopify Grow $39.95/month, Shopify Advanced $59.95/month, checked 6 November 2026. Pricing page: https://apps.shopify.com/preorder-now

Skip it if: You are about to move up a Shopify plan tier and do not want your preorder app bill to step up with it, or you need to preorder a whole collection on a free plan.

Unique detail: The listing highlights dynamic mixed cart alerts as a named feature, not just a cart note, so the warning follows the cart state as shoppers add and remove in stock and preorder items (Source: PreOrder Now WOD listing).

Fits: Small to mid size stores on Basic or Grow with many products to put on preorder at once, roughly tens to hundreds of preorder orders a month, where unlimited products matters more than the lowest entry price.

Pick this if your catalog is the challenge. If every restock touches dozens of products, unlimited products on the first paid tier earns its keep fast.

5. PreOrder App by Kaktus

Best for: Very small stores that want a store collected partial payment or split payment offer for presale and backorder products.

We checked Kaktus because its listing is direct about its payment angle. The vendor says the app adds a preorder button to presale and out of stock products and lets customers prepay, with a partial payment or split payment collected by the store for preorder and backorder items (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing). Pricing on the listing is free to install for development stores, then $9.99 per month for up to 9 total Shopify orders per month, $14.99 per month for up to 40 total Shopify orders per month, and $29.99 per month for up to 150 total Shopify orders per month, checked 6 November 2026 (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing). Read that limit closely, because it shapes who this app fits.

Pros

• Partial payment and split payment sit at the center of the offer, which suits a high AOV preorder where asking for full payment months early would stall conversion (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).
• The preorder button is added automatically to presale and out of stock products, so setup stays light for a tiny team (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).
• Paid entry at $9.99 per month is low in cash terms for a store that truly stays inside the smallest order tier (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).

Cons

• The tiers count total Shopify orders per month, not just preorder orders. The first paid tier stops at 9 total orders per month for the whole store, so even a small store with mostly in stock sales can outgrow it without selling many preorders (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).
• There is no free plan for a live store. Free install is for development stores only, per the listing pricing, so a live brand pays from $9.99 per month (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).
• The top tier shown on the listing caps at 150 total Shopify orders per month at $29.99 per month, so a growing store needs to confirm what happens above that volume before it commits a launch to this app (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).

Pricing: Free to install for development stores only. $9.99/month up to 9 total Shopify orders/month, $14.99/month up to 40 total Shopify orders/month, $29.99/month up to 150 total Shopify orders/month, checked 6 November 2026. Pricing page: https://apps.shopify.com/kaktus-preorder

Skip it if: Your total store order volume, including in stock orders that never touch the app, already passes 150 orders a month. The tier math will work against you.

Unique detail: The listing frames the app as an easy migration path, naming rival preorder apps it says you can move from, which tells you Kaktus expects switchers rather than only first time preorder stores (Source: Kaktus PreOrder listing).

Fits: Very small live stores under 150 total orders a month, and best under 40, where one or two high value preorder products carry the offer and a store collected deposit keeps the order moving.

Pick this if you are tiny, your AOV is high, and a deposit collected by your store is the whole point. Just do the total order count first, before the trial clock starts.

6. Preorder Wolf by Boss Apps

Best for: Stores that want the lowest paid entry price and conditional preorders that switch on and off with stock status.

We compared Preorder Wolf because its listing leads with control, not hype. The vendor says you can enable preorders for specific products and variants, collections, or all products, and conditionally enable or disable preorders based on whether an item is in stock, out of stock, or has incoming inventory (Source: Preorder Wolf listing). The same listing says you can limit the number of preorders you accept and show a delivery text on the product, cart, and checkout pages, with no coding required (Source: Preorder Wolf listing). Pricing on the listing is Beginner at $4.99 per month, Growth at $19 per month, and Growth Plus at $38 per month, with a 10 day free trial, checked 6 November 2026 (Source: Preorder Wolf listing).

Pros

• Lowest paid start in this comparison at $4.99 per month for Beginner, which keeps fees tiny while you test whether preorders fit your brand (Source: Preorder Wolf listing).
• Conditional rules by stock status and incoming inventory mean the preorder button appears for the right reason, not as a manual switch your team forgets to flip.
• Delivery text can show on product, cart, and checkout pages, so the ship expectation survives the whole buying path and not just the first click.

Cons

• Beginner is capped by preorder revenue, not just orders. The listing frames Beginner around earning up to $500 per month in preorder revenue, Growth up to $2,000 per month, and Growth Plus up to $3,000 per month, so one strong drop can push you up a tier (Source: Preorder Wolf listing).
• The free trial is 10 days, shorter than the 14 day trials on STOQ and PreOrder Now WOD, so you have less room to test a full launch cycle before paying (Source: Preorder Wolf listing).
• No free plan appears in the listing pricing table, so a live store pays from $4.99 per month after the trial, even for a single preorder product (Source: Preorder Wolf listing).

Pricing: Beginner $4.99/month, Growth $19/month, Growth Plus $38/month, checked 6 November 2026. Pricing page: https://apps.shopify.com/preorder-manager-1

Skip it if: Your preorder revenue in a good month will pass $3,000 and you do not want a revenue cap deciding your plan, or you need back in stock alerts as a core channel in the same app.

Unique detail: The listing sells the no theme interference point directly, saying no coding is required and the app does not mess with your theme, with support listed as 24/7 (Source: Preorder Wolf listing).

Fits: Small brands with modest preorder revenue, roughly a few hundred to a few thousand dollars of preorder sales a month, that sell out often and want automatic on and off rules.

Pick this if you want to start cheap and let stock status do the switching. It is the leanest first paid step in this list, as long as the revenue caps fit your drop size.