WOD PreOrder Now Alternative: Flexible Payments Without Checkout Limitations
Two issues drive merchants to explore options
WOD's architecture creates specific friction points that don't work for every merchant.
Forced Partial Payment Percentages
WOD's partial payment feature can force 50% upfront payments in certain configurations.
- One merchant reported: "Forcing you to take part payments - ie, 50% now and 50% later was a fail and it stopped people from buying."
- Limited control over deposit percentages or payment timing
- Inflexibility creates friction for charge-later workflows
- Products with long lead times suffer from forced deposits
- Customer expectation of pay-when-ships not easily met
No Customer Self-Service Portal
WOD doesn't offer a customer-facing portal where buyers can check their pre-order status, view estimated shipping dates, or manage their orders.
- Every "when will this ship?" question becomes a support ticket
- No self-service options for order status
- High support volume during product launches
- Manual responses required for hundreds of pre-orders
- Operational burden increases with scale
Notification Email Costs Add Up
WOD charges $0.01 per notification email, which compounds at scale.
- 1,000 notification emails/month: $10
- 5,000 notification emails/month: $50
- 10,000 notification emails/month: $100
- Multiple email touchpoints multiply costs
- PreProduct includes notifications in all plans
See how PreProduct compares
A detailed, honest comparison of features and capabilities.
Shopify App Rating
Based on 96 verified reviews on the Shopify App Store
Based on 1,019 reviews on the Shopify App Store
Cart Control
Choose whether customers buy pre-order and in-stock items together (mixed cart) or separately (isolated cart), and use front-end redirects to guide the checkout experience.
WOD offers limited options for controlling how pre-orders flow through cart and checkout.
Platform Support
One pre-order system across multiple platforms simplifies operations for multi-platform merchants.
WOD is Shopify-only. Multi-platform merchants need different pre-order tools on each platform.
Payment Flexibility
Five distinct pre-order types: charge-upfront, charge-later (vaulted card), deposits (custom %), capture-only, and multi-step payment plans (Shopify Plus).
Partial payment feature can force 50% upfront payments in certain configurations, limiting flexibility.
Charge-Later Option
Capture the payment method at checkout but don't charge until ready. No forced percentages. 43.8% of pre-order listings use this model.
Charge-later options are more limited compared to PreProduct's vaulted card approach.
Customer Portal
Customer-facing portal where buyers can check pre-order status, view payment schedules, update or cancel orders, update payment methods, and pay early for a discount.
No customer-facing portal. Every "when will this ship?" question becomes a support ticket or email.
Notification Emails
Email notifications included at no extra cost, regardless of volume.
At scale, notification email costs add up: 5,000 emails/month = $50.
Shopify Flow Integration
One of the deepest integrations in the pre-order app space. Build workflows for charges, fulfillment holds, customer tagging, and external system updates.
WOD offers limited automation capabilities compared to PreProduct's deep Shopify Flow integration.
Free Tier
Starter plan is free but charges 5% commission on pre-order revenue. For testing, compare total costs.
Free tier limits you to one product with no commission. For testing with a single product, WOD's free tier is genuinely free.
Starting Price
Scale plan at $59.99/month + 0-0.5% commission. Scale Plus at $259.99/month + 0% commission.
Basic plan at $19.95/month provides unlimited products with core features. Plus $0.01/notification email.
Pre-Order Discounts
Create discounts in Shopify that apply to pre-order products. Same outcome, requires separate configuration.
Automatic pre-order discounts built into the app. Convenient for early-bird promotions.
Collection Page Badges
Style pre-order elements to match your brand. Implementation differs but visual outcome is similar.
Help customers identify pre-order products at a glance. Visual differentiation improves browsing experience.
Payment flexibility and self-service, your way
PreProduct takes a different approach with different trade-offs.
Cart Isolation and Checkout Control
Control how pre-orders flow through checkout. Choose mixed vs isolated carts and use front-end redirects to guide the experience.
- Mixed carts increase average order value
- Isolated carts simplify fulfillment
- Front-end redirects guide checkout flow
- You decide what works for your business
Five Flexible Charging Models
Match your charging model to each product launch's needs. No forced 50% deposits or rigid payment structures.
- Charge-upfront for simple cash flow
- Charge-later (vaulted card) - 43.8% of listings use this
- Deposits at your own percentage (10%, 25%, 50%)
- Capture-only for manual workflows
- Multi-step payment plans (Shopify Plus)
Customer Self-Service Portal
Reduce support tickets with a customer-facing portal where buyers can check status and manage orders.
- Check pre-order status and estimated shipping
- View payment schedules
- Update or cancel orders
- Update payment methods
- Pay early for a discount
Multi-Platform Support
Works across Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. One pre-order system across all stores.
- Consistent workflows across platforms
- Expand beyond Shopify without new tools
- Simplified operations for multi-platform merchants
Notification Emails Included
Email notifications included in all plans. No per-email charges that compound at scale.
- Order confirmations included
- Update notifications included
- Shipping notifications included
- No surprise costs at scale
Powerful Automation
15 Shopify Flow actions and 16 triggers plus native automations for sophisticated workflows.
- Listing Manager auto-creates pre-orders
- Auto-charge when inventory added
- Auto-release fulfillment holds
- Tag customers based on pre-order behavior
- Trigger charges based on custom conditions
Why brands love PreProduct
Real reviews from verified Shopify merchants.
"Game changer for us. PreProduct has transformed the way our small team is able to manage pre-orders. It's been a massive operational unlock. The app itself is intuitive, fast to implement, and fits seamlessly into our existing workflows."
"Run, don't walk and install PreProduct! We've been a very long time looking for the perfect pre-order app and can happily report we've found it! The deferred payment options and flexibility are absolute game changers."
"Glad I went for this pre-order app. Very flexible and well thought out functionality. Also the customer service is some of the best I've experienced - friendly and highly responsive."
"PreProduct is easily the best pre-order solution we’ve used. Beyond the app’s performance, the support team is outstanding.They are incredibly responsive and always come back to us with actual solutions rather than generic answers. They made our entire experience seamless and were genuinely helpful at every turn.We are really impressed!"
"This app has enabled us to integrate Shopify preorders with our legacy ERP. The ability to defer charging customers for preordered items until we are ready to ship is an amazing feature. We also love the feature that allows customers to manage their order's preorders themselves. Another great feature of this app is the ability to prevent preorder items from being mixed into carts with non- ..."
"Brilliant app that changes the game for out of stock items, really love the usability of this and it works like a charm. Oli is extremely responsive and helpful for support, 100% would recommend!"
Common questions
Does PreProduct support pre-order discounts like WOD?
Yes, but differently. PreProduct works with Shopify's native discount system. You create discounts in Shopify that apply to pre-order products. It's not a separate "pre-order discount" feature like WOD, but the outcome is the same: customers get discounts on pre-orders.
Does PreProduct have the same checkout limitations as WOD?
Both PreProduct and WOD use Shopify's selling plan structure, which means the same accelerated checkout limitations apply. The difference is PreProduct offers more control over how pre-orders flow through checkout—mixed vs isolated carts, front-end redirects, and customer portal features that give you operational flexibility.
Is PreProduct more expensive than WOD?
At the entry level, yes. WOD's $19.95/month beats PreProduct's $59.99/month Scale plan. But factor in notification email costs ($0.01/email with WOD), lost conversions from checkout friction, and support delays. For higher-volume operations, the total cost picture is more nuanced.
What about collection page badges?
PreProduct supports pre-order badges and button customization. You can style pre-order elements to match your brand. The implementation differs from WOD's specific badge feature, but the visual outcome is similar.
Does PreProduct have a free tier like WOD?
Not exactly. PreProduct's Starter plan is free but charges 5% commission on pre-order revenue. WOD's free tier limits you to one product with no commission. For testing with a single product, WOD's free tier is genuinely free. For ongoing operations, compare total costs.
Ready for flexible pre-order payments?
Start with our free Starter plan or test the full experience with a 14-day trial.
Scale Plus
For medium to large sized brands
$259.99
USD / month
+0% commission
Take me to the Shopify App Store - 7 day free trial
Our top plan with all the features
0% commission
15+ Shopify Flow triggers
Developer support
Scale
For small to medium sized brands
$59.99
USD / month
+0% commission on up to 5k of monthly paid pre-order revenue, then 0.5% afterwards.
Take me to the Shopify App Store - 7 day free trial
All of Growth features
Listing Manager automation access
API access
15x Shopify Flow actions
10+ Klaviyo events
Priority support
Starter
Only pay a percentage of pre-order revenue
$0.00
USD / month
+5% of paid pre-order revenue
Take me to the Shopify App Store
Take pre-orders from your e-commerce/Shopify storefront
Unlimited pre-order listings
Charge customers upfront, later or via deposit
Multi-step payment plans and ad-hoc installments
Customise pre-order front-end & email campaign
Customer portals