Purple Dot Alternative: Native Checkout Without Third-Party Branding
Three issues drive merchants to explore options
Purple Dot's architecture creates specific trade-offs that don't work for every merchant.
Separate Checkout Breaks Native Shopify Features
Purple Dot routes pre-orders through their own checkout flow instead of Shopify's native checkout.
- Shopify discounts don't work for pre-orders
- Shipping profiles don't apply
- Shopify Functions and checkout apps break
- Analytics and attribution gaps
- Orders stay outside Shopify until fulfillment
Required "Powered by Purple Dot" Branding
Purple Dot's terms require displaying "Waitlist powered by Purple Dot" branding with a "Learn More" hyperlink on pre-order buttons.
- Branding required on standard plans
- Undermines premium brand positioning
- Enterprise may have different arrangements
Per-Order Pricing Compounds at Scale
Purple Dot charges $0.95 per pre-order after the first 10 free.
- 100 orders/month: $85.50
- 500 orders/month: $465.50
- 1,000 orders/month: $940.50
- 2,000 orders/month: $1,890.50
Commission-free pricing at scale
See exactly how much you'll save by switching to PreProduct.
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 37 reviews on the Shopify App Store
Checkout Experience
Pre-orders go through Shopify's native checkout. Discounts, shipping profiles, checkout apps, and payment methods all work normally.
Purple Dot routes pre-orders through their own checkout and processes payments directly. This enables their escrow model but means Shopify features don't apply.
Shopify Discounts
Your existing discount codes, automatic discounts, and promotional rules apply to pre-orders just like regular orders.
Since pre-orders go through Purple Dot's checkout, your Shopify discount codes and automatic discounts won't work for pre-order customers.
Shipping Profiles
Your Shopify shipping zones, rates, calculated shipping, and delivery rules work for pre-orders.
Your carefully configured Shopify shipping zones and rates don't carry over. Purple Dot handles shipping separately.
Third-Party Branding
No "powered by" badges, external links, or third-party branding. Your buttons say what you want. Your checkout looks like your checkout.
Terms require displaying "Waitlist powered by Purple Dot" branding with a "Learn More" hyperlink on pre-order buttons. Enterprise may differ.
PayPal & Alternative Payments
Support for PayPal, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and all Shopify payment methods via native checkout integration.
Purple Dot processes payments directly, which limits payment options to credit cards only. No PayPal support.
Shopify Flow Integration
One of the deepest Shopify Flow integrations in the pre-order space. Trigger charges, release holds, tag customers, and build sophisticated workflows.
Basic Shopify integration with more limited automation capabilities.
Payment Models
Charge-upfront, charge-later (vaulted card), deposits (custom %), capture-only, and multi-step payment plans (Shopify Plus).
Upfront escrow, charge-later, and split payments (10/90 or 50/50). Escrow-based fund handling is unique to Purple Dot.
Commission-Free Option
$259.99/month with 0% commission. Unlimited pre-orders with zero transaction fees.
$0.95 per pre-order with no commission-free tier available. Costs compound linearly with volume.
Platform Support
Multi-platform support for the three major ecommerce platforms.
Unique Salesforce Commerce Cloud support for enterprise brands on that platform.
Native Shopify architecture, better outcomes
PreProduct takes a different architectural approach with different trade-offs.
Native Shopify Checkout
Pre-orders work within Shopify's native checkout. All of Shopify's checkout features work normally for pre-orders.
- Discounts work normally
- Shipping profiles apply
- Shopify Functions and apps work
- Analytics stay unified
- Orders appear in Shopify admin
No Third-Party Branding
No "powered by" badges, external links, or third-party branding. Your pre-order flow looks like your store.
- Fully white-label experience
- Premium brand positioning maintained
- No external links on checkout
Five Flexible Charging Models
Match your charging model to each product launch's needs.
- Charge-upfront
- Charge-later (vaulted card)
- Deposits (custom percentage)
- Capture-only
- Multi-step payment plans (Shopify Plus)
Commission-Free Pricing at Scale
Scale Plus at $259.99/month with 0% commission. The break-even point is around 284 pre-orders monthly.
- Starter: Free + 5% commission
- Scale: $59.99/month + 0-0.5% commission
- Scale Plus: $259.99/month + 0% commission
Powerful Automation
15 Shopify Flow actions and 16 triggers plus native automations.
- Listing Manager auto-creates pre-orders
- Auto-charge when inventory added
- Auto-release fulfillment holds
- Deep Shopify Flow integration
Award-Winning Support
Real humans ready to help. Fast response times, no AI chatbots.
- Priority email support
- Migration assistance
- Setup guidance
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
Is PreProduct FTC compliant like Purple Dot claims to be?
FTC compliance depends on your operational practices, not your software. The FTC requirements are straightforward: clearly identify pre-orders, state shipping timeframes, and keep customers updated with the ability to cancel if delays occur. PreProduct uses Shopify's native checkout and provides tools for all FTC requirements: customizable pre-order messaging, shipping date displays, email automation, and customer portals where buyers can see order status and request cancellations. Purple Dot's escrow approach is a legitimate business model choice, but it's not an FTC requirement.
Why does Purple Dot use a separate checkout instead of Shopify's?
Purple Dot processes payments directly and escrows funds, which requires their own checkout flow. This enables their escrow model but creates significant trade-offs: Shopify discounts don't apply to pre-orders, shipping profiles don't work, Shopify Functions and checkout apps don't run, PayPal isn't supported, orders stay outside Shopify admin until fulfillment, and "Powered by Purple Dot" branding is required.
Can I remove the "Powered by Purple Dot" branding?
Standard plans require the branding per their terms of service. Enterprise arrangements may differ, but you'd need to negotiate that directly. PreProduct has no branding requirements at any tier.
Is Purple Dot's $0.95/order pricing actually cheaper?
At low volumes (under ~284 orders/month), yes. Above that, PreProduct's Scale Plus at $259.99/month with 0% commission is cheaper. At 1,000 orders monthly, you'd save ~$681/month with PreProduct.
What happens to my existing checkout customizations with Purple Dot?
They don't apply to pre-orders. Purple Dot uses its own checkout, so your Shopify discount codes, shipping profiles, checkout scripts, analytics tracking, Shopify Functions, and checkout apps only affect regular orders. Pre-order customers get a different, more limited checkout experience.
Ready to switch to native Shopify pre-orders?
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