Timesact Alternative: Deeper Pre-Order Features Built to Scale
Where Timesact stops fitting
Timesact suits first campaigns. Brands running pre-orders at scale need different things.
Priced for First Campaigns
Timesact's free plan covers 20 orders a month and paid plans start at $5, a good fit for a store testing its first pre-order. A brand whose orders flow straight into a 3PL or ERP, with Shop Pay, checkout extensions and Klaviyo flows already wired in, is buying for a different job: a launch with a date and its name on it.
- Free plan capped at 20 orders a month; paid plans from $5
- Multi-step payment plans and pay-early not documented
- Setup check with a developer before go-live not documented
One App, Three Products
Timesact bundles pre-orders, back-in-stock alerts and coming soon pages into one app, so pre-orders share its focus with two other products.
- Development focus spread across three products
- Support split across pre-orders, restock alerts and coming soon pages
- Merchants who rely heavily on pre-orders often want a specialist
Balances Charged by Date, Not at Dispatch
Timesact collects the balance on a set date or a number of days after checkout; its docs say fulfilling an order isn't a payment event. To charge at dispatch, they suggest pushing the due date out and collecting each order yourself in Shopify admin. PreProduct triggers charges from the app, by hand or on automation (Scale and up), line by line or in bulk, never early or twice.
- Balance due on a set date or days after checkout
- Charging at dispatch means collecting each order in Shopify admin
- Shopify's bulk capture doesn't collect these balances, per Timesact's docs
See how PreProduct compares
A detailed, honest comparison of features and capabilities.
Shopify App Rating
Based on 108 verified reviews on the Shopify App Store
Based on 2,100+ reviews on the Shopify App Store
Cart Control
Mixed or pre-order-only carts set with front-end redirects, plus Shopify checkout validation rules (all plans) that block mixed carts, skipped pre-order terms and over-limit quantities at checkout.
Can allow or block mixed carts and tags mixed orders "Partial Pre-order". No redirect to isolate pre-orders documented.
Charge-Later
Take nothing at checkout and charge the full amount when stock lands, by hand or on automation (Scale and up), line by line or in bulk. PreProduct never charges a pre-order early or twice.
Nothing charged at checkout; the stored card is charged on a set date or a number of days after checkout. Charging at dispatch means collecting each order in Shopify admin.
Payment Models
Charge-upfront, charge-later (vaulted card), deposits (custom %), capture-only, and multi-step payment plans (Scale Plus).
Full payment, a percentage or fixed deposit, or nothing upfront, with the balance charged to the stored card. Multi-step payment plans not documented.
Shopify Flow Integration
Triggers on Scale Plus, actions on Scale and up. Trigger charges, release holds and tag customers from your own workflows.
Timesact's docs use Flow's "Release fulfillment order holds" action to release held orders.
Back-in-Stock Alerts
PreProduct focuses specifically on pre-orders. If you need back-in-stock notifications, you'd use a separate app.
Back-in-stock alerts bundled into the app alongside pre-orders and coming soon pages.
Fulfillment Holds
Fulfillment holds on pre-order items automatically, with control over when holds release at the listing level or individual customer level.
Orders reach the 3PL held; release them by hand or with Flow's "Release fulfillment order holds" action.
Customer Portal
Customer-facing portal where buyers can check status, view payment schedules, update or cancel orders, update payment methods, and pay early for discounts.
No customer portal documented.
Free Tier
Free to start with a 5% commission on pre-order revenue.
Free plan covers 20 orders a month.
Entry-Level Pricing
Starter plan is free with 5% commission on paid pre-order revenue. Scale: $59.99/month with 0% on the first $5,000 of monthly paid pre-order revenue, then 0.5%. Scale Plus: $259.99/month + 0% commission.
CORE Flex from $5, PRO Flex from $7, CORE Fixed $23 ($17 billed yearly), PRO Fixed $27.
Specialized pre-order focus, deeper capabilities
PreProduct takes a different approach: specialized focus on pre-orders with deeper capabilities in that specific area.
Cart Isolation and Checkout Control
Control over how pre-orders flow through checkout. Choose mixed or isolated carts based on your operational needs.
- Mixed carts increase average order value
- Isolated carts keep pre-orders cleanly separated
- Front-end redirects guide checkout experience
- Flexibility to match your business needs
Checkout Rules Shoppers Can't Get Around
Shopify checkout validation turns your cart decisions into rules at checkout. It runs on Shopify Functions, so other apps can't override it, and it's on every plan.
- Block pre-orders that skip their pre-order terms
- Block mixed carts when your 3PL can't split orders
- Block quantities over variant, location or customer limits
- Opt-in, on all plans
Up to Five Charging Models
Match your charging model to each product launch's needs. 43.8% of pre-order listings use charge-later.
- Charge-upfront for immediate cash flow
- Charge-later (vaulted card) for uncertain timelines
- Deposits (custom percentage) for high-ticket items
- Capture-only for maximum control
- Multi-step payment plans (Scale Plus)
Automation With Shopify Flow
Native automations plus Shopify Flow with 15 actions (Scale and up) and 16 triggers (Scale Plus).
- Listing Manager auto-creates pre-orders (Scale and up)
- Auto-charge when inventory is added (Scale and up)
- Auto-release fulfillment holds
- Trigger charges based on inventory, tags, or custom conditions
- Tag customers based on pre-order behavior
Fulfillment Hold Control
Prevents accidental early shipment with control over when holds release at listing or customer level.
- Automatic fulfillment holds on pre-orders
- Release controls at listing level
- Release controls at individual customer level
- Works with 3PLs and ERPs
Customer Portal
Customer-facing portal reduces support tickets with self-service capabilities.
- Check pre-order status and shipping dates
- View payment schedules
- Update or cancel orders
- Update payment methods
- Pay early for a discount
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."
"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 include back-in-stock alerts like Timesact?
No. PreProduct focuses specifically on pre-orders. If you need back-in-stock notifications, you'd use a separate app. This specialization means pre-order features go deeper, but you manage two tools instead of one.
Does PreProduct have the same checkout limitations as Timesact?
Mostly, yes. Shopify blocks Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and local payment methods like Klarna on any pre-order sold with its pre-order purchase option, whichever app sets it up (Shopify's pre-order requirements). Timesact's split payments run on the same purchase options; it also offers full-payment pre-orders without them, which keeps every payment method. PreProduct's charge-upfront, charge-later and deposit pre-orders use them too; capture-only pre-orders don't. Where PreProduct differs is control: mixed or pre-order-only carts, Shopify checkout validation rules, fulfilment holds and a customer portal.
Is PreProduct harder to set up than Timesact?
It's slightly more involved because you have more options to configure. But "harder" depends on your comfort level. PreProduct provides setup guides, most merchants get up and running within a couple of hours.
What if I only do a few pre-orders per month?
Timesact's free plan covers 20 orders a month, so for very low volume it probably makes more sense. PreProduct's Starter plan (free + 5% commission) can work for low-volume testing, but if you're doing five pre-orders a month at $50 each, the math favors Timesact.
Can I migrate existing pre-orders from Timesact to PreProduct?
Yes. Tag the open Timesact orders in Shopify (or reuse a tag Timesact already added), enter it in PreProduct's Migrate card, and PreProduct imports every order with unfulfilled items. Paid orders come in as paid pre-orders, partially paid ones as deposits, and unpaid ones as charge-later as long as a payment method was saved. Products without a PreProduct listing get one created automatically. Nothing changes on Shopify, no customers are emailed, and imported orders never count toward your PreProduct billing. See the migration guide.
Comparing Timesact with more than one app? See our Shopify pre-order app round-up for 2026 picks by use case.
Ready to explore deeper pre-order capabilities?
Start free on the Starter plan, or try Scale or Scale Plus free for 7 days on the Shopify App Store.
Scale Plus
For brands running pre-orders for scale. 0% commission
$259.99
USD / month
+0% commission
Everything in Scale
0% commission
16 Shopify Flow triggers
API access
Multi-step payment plans and pay-early
Setup check with a developer before go-live (Zoom)
Scale
For brands running pre-orders alongside in-stock products
$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 - 7 day free trial
Everything in Starter
Listing Manager automation access
15x Shopify Flow actions
10+ Klaviyo events
Developer support
Starter
For your first pre-order campaign
$0.00
USD / month
+5% of paid pre-order revenue
Take me to the Shopify app
Take pre-orders from your e-commerce/Shopify storefront
Unlimited pre-order listings
Charge customers upfront, later or via deposit
Customise pre-order front-end & email campaign
Customer portals
Pre-ship upsells add-on available
Email support