· Arbab Khan · comparison · 11 min read
Best Shopify back-in-stock apps (2026): an honest comparison
We reviewed the most-installed back-in-stock apps on Shopify to help you pick one that actually works. Ratings, pricing, notification channels, and honest pros and cons for each.
A customer visits your store, sees the product they want is out of stock, and leaves. No purchase, no waitlist, no way for you to reach them when you restock. That sale is gone.
A back-in-stock app fixes this by adding a “Notify me” form to sold-out product pages. When inventory returns, the app emails those customers automatically. It’s one of the simplest automations you can add to a Shopify store, and it works.
The harder question is which app to choose. There are dozens of options, and they vary a lot in how they handle notification channels, variant-level tracking, pricing, and edge cases. We reviewed the most-installed options to give you a clear picture of each.
About this guide: Arbab Khan writes about Shopify apps and e-commerce operations for Dash Checkout. This guide contains no affiliate links. DC Back in Stock is included because it is made by Dash Checkout, and we’ve noted that clearly.
How we evaluated these apps
We looked at each app across four areas:
- Notification channels (35%): Which channels are available (email, SMS, push), and how reliable they are
- Ease of setup (25%): How quickly a merchant can go from install to live notifications
- Features and customization (25%): Variant tracking, inventory thresholds, batch controls, integrations
- Value for money (15%): Whether the free plan is genuinely useful, and whether paid pricing is fair
Quick comparison
| App | Rating | Best for | Free plan | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notify! Back in Stock | 4.9 (3,041) | All-in-one: alerts + preorders + wishlist | Yes | $15.96/mo (intro) |
| STOQ | 5.0 (3,000+) | Simple setup, preorders and alerts together | Yes (10/mo) | $10/mo |
| Krtbite (Kbite) | 5.0 (2,163+) | Budget-first, email + SMS + push included | Yes (30 emails/mo) | $5/mo |
| Amp Back in Stock | 4.9 (839) | Higher-volume stores, Klaviyo integration | Yes | $19/mo |
| Appikon Back in Stock | 4.7 (1,364) | Email + SMS + Facebook Messenger | Yes | From ~$15/mo |
| SC Back in Stock | 4.5 (158) | Basic needs at low cost | Yes | From ~$10/mo |
| DC Back in Stock | 4.8 (46) | Stores already using Dash Checkout order limits | Yes | $14/mo |
1. Notify! Back in Stock | PreOrder
Rating: 4.9 stars (3,041 reviews) | Best for: Merchants who want back-in-stock alerts, preorders, and a wishlist in one app
Notify! is one of the most feature-packed apps in this category. Beyond basic restock alerts, it includes preorder buttons, a low-stock counter (“only 3 left”), and a wishlist. The app supports email, SMS, and push notifications on paid plans.
Pros
- Back-in-stock alerts, preorders, and wishlist in one app
- Sends notifications via email, SMS, and push
- Low-stock counter adds urgency on product pages
- Solid documentation with video walkthroughs
- US-based team with good support response times
Cons
- Paid plans are priced higher than simpler alternatives ($39.90/month standard)
- Merchants who only need back-in-stock alerts pay for features they may not use
- SMS adds per-message costs on top of the subscription
Pricing
- Free plan available
- Standard: $39.90/month (intro rate of $15.96 for first month)
- Yearly billing available at a discount
What merchants say
Reviews mention a smooth setup experience and good conversion results from alerts. A few merchants note that the pricing feels steep once the intro discount expires, especially for smaller stores.
2. Preorder, Back in Stock: STOQ
Rating: 5.0 stars (3,000+ reviews) | Best for: Stores that want back-in-stock and preorder functionality with a clean, fast setup
STOQ is one of Shopify’s Top 25 Built for Shopify certified apps. It combines back-in-stock notifications with preorder support and handles variant-level tracking well. The free plan allows 10 back-in-stock emails per month, which is enough to test whether alerts convert for your store before upgrading.
Pros
- Built for Shopify certified (Top 25)
- Handles both preorders and back-in-stock from one app
- Variant-level tracking works cleanly
- Free plan is generous enough for small stores or testing
- Multi-language support
Cons
- SMS notifications add per-message cost on top of subscription
- Shopify Flow triggers are only on paid plans
- Advanced analytics requires higher-tier plans
Pricing
- Free: 10 back-in-stock emails/month, 30 preorders/month
- Lite ($10/month): 1,000 emails, 100 preorders
- Pro ($29/month): 2,000 emails, 400 preorders
- Unlimited ($69/month): No caps
What merchants say
Merchants with 97% five-star reviews describe it as easy to set up and reliable. The phrase “just works” appears frequently. Teams switching from heavier apps report a significantly simpler experience.
3. Back in Stock, Notify Me: Krtbite (Kbite)
Rating: 5.0 stars (2,163+ reviews) | Best for: Budget-conscious stores that want email, SMS, and push notifications without paying a premium
Krtbite (sometimes listed as Kbite or CartBite) is built by a solo developer and is noticeably affordable. The free plan includes unlimited subscribers and 30 emails per month. Paid plans start at $5/month and include back-in-stock alerts, price drop notifications, and abandoned cart alerts via email, SMS, and push.
Pros
- Most affordable paid plan at $5/month
- Email, SMS, and push notifications on paid plans
- Price drop and abandoned cart alerts included
- Free plan covers unlimited subscriber collection
- Setup is quick with minimal configuration required
Cons
- Built by one developer, which can mean slower updates and limited support capacity
- Help documentation is less comprehensive than larger teams
- Customization options are more limited than bigger apps
Pricing
- Free: Unlimited subscribers, 30 emails/month
- Paid plans start at $5/month (scales with notification volume)
- Maximum paid plan is around $19/month
What merchants say
Reviews praise the value at the price point. Merchants describe the setup as seamless and note that notifications send quickly after restocks. The reporting features get positive mentions as unexpectedly detailed for the price.
4. Amp Back in Stock | PreOrder
Rating: 4.9 stars (839 reviews) | Best for: Higher-volume stores that rely on Klaviyo or Mailchimp for email marketing
Amp is installed on 23,000+ Shopify stores. It sends alerts via email, SMS, and push and integrates with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Shopify Flow. For stores with large catalogs or high subscriber volumes, Amp’s analytics and flow integration make it easier to manage campaigns at scale.
Pros
- Deep integration with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Shopify Flow
- Supports email, SMS, and push notifications
- Detailed analytics for tracking demand by product
- Multi-language support for global stores
- Strong market adoption (23,000+ stores)
Cons
- Paid plans start at $19/month, which is higher than comparable apps
- Some merchants have reported unresponsive support during issues
- A handful of reviews mention unexpected cost increases
Pricing
- Free plan available
- Paid plans start at $19/month
What merchants say
Long-term users describe it as reliable across different store types. The Klaviyo integration gets specific praise from merchants who use Klaviyo for broader email marketing. A few recent reviews mention support response delays.
5. Appikon Back in Stock
Rating: 4.7 stars (1,364 reviews) | Best for: Stores that want email, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and web push in one app
Appikon has been in the back-in-stock category for several years and supports more notification channels than most competitors: email, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and web push. It integrates with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, PushOwl, and Zapier, and includes analytics for tracking subscriber demand.
Pros
- Supports email, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and web push
- Integrates with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, PushOwl, and Zapier
- Analytics show which products have the most waiting subscribers
- Same-day setup is realistic with no developer required
Cons
- 4.7 rating is the lowest of dedicated back-in-stock apps on this list
- Fewer customization options than newer competitors
- One report noted the app team gave short notice before closing down a related product, which raised concerns about long-term support continuity
Pricing
- Free plan available (10 emails/month)
- Paid plans start at approximately $15/month and scale with notification volume
What merchants say
Merchants value the multi-channel flexibility, particularly the Facebook Messenger option. Support is described as fast. The main complaint is that the feature set hasn’t kept pace with newer apps.
6. SC Back in Stock Restock Alert
Rating: 4.5 stars (158 reviews) | Best for: Stores that want a straightforward, low-cost option without extra features
SC Back in Stock is a no-frills app from Shop Circle. It handles the core use case: capture email on sold-out products, send an alert when stock returns. It lacks the preorder features, wishlist, and advanced analytics of larger apps, but for merchants who only need reliable basic alerts, it does the job at a lower cost.
Pros
- Simple setup with no unnecessary configuration
- Lower price point than full-featured competitors
- Handles basic email notifications reliably
Cons
- Fewer reviews than other apps (158 vs. 1,000+ for most competitors)
- No SMS or push notifications on standard plans
- Limited customization for the signup form and notification email
Pricing
- Free plan available
- Paid plans start at approximately $10/month
What merchants say
Merchants who describe wanting “just the basics” give it positive reviews. Merchants who expected feature parity with larger apps are disappointed. Read the feature list carefully before installing.
7. DC Back in Stock (Dash Checkout)
Disclosure: This is our app. We’ve included it because it’s relevant to this comparison, and we’ll describe what it does and doesn’t do honestly.
Rating: 4.8 stars (46 reviews) | Best for: Stores already using Dash Checkout for order limits, or stores that want back-in-stock alongside purchase limit controls in one app
DC Back in Stock is part of the Dash Checkout app, which also handles order limits and checkout rules. The back-in-stock feature sends email and browser push notifications when products restock. Merchants can customize their signup forms, configure inventory thresholds, control batch sending, and target notifications to specific products, tags, or variants.
The app currently supports email and browser push notifications. SMS and WhatsApp are not available.
Pros
- Email and browser push notifications included
- Campaign-based system: different settings for different product groups
- Inventory threshold control (don’t notify until X units are in stock)
- Batch and delay settings to pace notification sends
- Per-location targeting for multi-warehouse stores
- Variant-level tracking
- Free plan available
- Includes order limits and checkout rules if you need those too
Cons
- Smaller review base (46 reviews) compared to established alternatives
- No SMS notifications
- Limited third-party email platform integrations compared to Amp or STOQ
- Adding a second app for back-in-stock alongside existing tools may not suit all merchants
Pricing
- Free plan available
- Pro: $14/month (includes order limits, back-in-stock, and checkout rules)
What merchants say
Reviews mention reliable alerts and responsive support. Merchants who use the app for both order limits and back-in-stock note that having everything in one place reduces the app stack. For stores that only need back-in-stock alerts and nothing else, larger dedicated apps may be a better fit.
Notification channels by app
| App | SMS | Browser push | Facebook Messenger | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notify! | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| STOQ | Yes | Yes (per-message cost) | No | No |
| Krtbite | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Amp | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Appikon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SC Back in Stock | Yes | No | No | No |
| DC Back in Stock | Yes | No | Yes | No |
What merchants ask about most
Based on Shopify Community threads and Reddit discussions, here’s what comes up most often when merchants evaluate back-in-stock apps:
Variant-level tracking: Most merchants want to notify customers when the specific size, color, or variant they wanted is back, not just the product in general. Most apps in this list handle variant tracking. Confirm this before installing.
Free plan limits: Several apps cap free-plan emails at 10-30 per month. This works for testing, but if you have high-demand products with large waitlists, you’ll hit the cap quickly. Check whether the free plan covers your expected subscriber volume.
Inventory thresholds: If you regularly restock in small quantities (5-10 units) and have 200 people waiting, you probably don’t want to email all 200 at once. Look for threshold settings (minimum inventory before notifications send) and batch controls. DC Back in Stock, Notify!, and STOQ all support this. Krtbite and Amp do too, though the controls vary.
When alerts actually send: Some apps use Shopify’s inventory webhooks, which only fire when inventory crosses zero. Others poll inventory on a schedule. If your store moves inventory between locations or you use manual adjustments, this can cause missed or delayed notifications. The webhooks vs polling article covers this in more detail.
Recommendations by use case
Testing back-in-stock for the first time: STOQ or Krtbite. Both have free plans with enough capacity to run real tests, and setup takes under an hour.
Need SMS included without paying a premium: Krtbite at $5/month. It includes email, SMS, and push.
Already using Klaviyo for email marketing: Amp. The native Klaviyo integration means back-in-stock data flows into your existing segments and flows.
Want preorders and back-in-stock together: STOQ or Notify!. Both handle both use cases from a single app.
Multi-location inventory control: DC Back in Stock. Per-location targeting is a specific feature, and most apps don’t support it.
Already using Dash Checkout: DC Back in Stock is already included in your plan. Enable it from preferences and add the signup form to your theme. See the setup guide for step-by-step instructions.
How to choose
Start by answering two questions: Do you need SMS? And do you need preorders too?
If yes to SMS and you’re budget-sensitive: Krtbite at $5/month handles both email and SMS without the feature overhead of Notify!.
If yes to preorders: STOQ or Notify! both do this well. STOQ is more affordable at $10/month for the Lite plan. Notify! costs more but adds wishlist and low-stock urgency features.
If you only need email alerts and want the simplest possible setup: STOQ’s free plan or SC Back in Stock both work.
If you’re already using Dash Checkout for order limits, the back-in-stock feature is built in. No additional app needed.
One practical note: look at the review count alongside the rating. A 5.0 rating with 50 reviews is less reliable than a 4.9 with 3,000 reviews. Most apps in this list have been around long enough to have a meaningful review base. SC Back in Stock and DC Back in Stock are the newest here by review count.
Ratings and review counts are from the Shopify App Store as of August 2026. We’ll update this guide as apps release new features or pricing changes.
