- Plans: Free, Lite $4.95, Starter $8.95, Essentials $24.95 per month, with a 14-day trial on paid plans.
- Entry price is about half the $9.90 category median (17 priced peers, measured 2026-08-17).
- Free plan: 25 preorders and 300 notifications a month, including partial payments.
- Break-even: Lite up to about 116 preorders, Starter to about 380, Essentials above that.
- Notification overage is $1.00 per 100 on every tier, so sending more than about 1,400 notifications a month on Lite justifies Starter by itself.
Install Essent Preorder Back in Stock: start on the free plan, move to Lite at $4.95 a month when you hit the free limits or need scheduled campaigns, translations or Omnisend/Flow, and go higher only when overage fees would exceed the plan price difference. Paid plans run $4.95 (Lite), $8.95 (Starter) and $24.95 (Essentials) per month. That entry price is positioned against a category median of $9.90 across 17 priced peers in the Shopify pre-orders category (measured 2026-08-17, apps with 100+ reviews, range $1 to $29.99, 89% with a free tier). It sits at about the 29th percentile, so it is cheaper than most of its peers.
01 What each plan costs and includes
The App Store listing shows four plans, all billed in USD every 30 days. Paid plans carry a 14-day free trial. The limits are the part most summaries skip:
| Plan | Price | Preorders / mo | Notifications / mo | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 | 300 | None listed |
| Lite | $4.95 | 100 | 1,000 | $0.25 per preorder; $1.00 per 100 notifications |
| Starter | $8.95 | 300 | 2,500 | $0.20 per preorder; $1.00 per 100 notifications |
| Essentials | $24.95 | 500 | 10,000 | $0.10 per preorder; $1.00 per 100 notifications |
The free plan is generous on features. It covers full and partial payment, variant-level preorder and back-in-stock, unlimited Notify Me sign-ups, automated alerts, a customizable button and 24/7 support. Partial payments are included on the free plan.
- Lite adds — translations, a preorder confirmation email and domain, scheduled preorder campaigns, Omnisend and Flow integration, and premium support.
- Starter adds — specific markets and mixed-cart validation.
- Essentials adds — priority support, plus the largest included volume.
02 Overage fees and the break-even math
The headline prices hide the real cost. Higher tiers cut the per-preorder overage ($0.25, then $0.20, then $0.10), but notification overage is $1.00 per 100 on every tier. Modelling cost at N preorders in a month, ignoring notification overage:
- Lite — $4.95 + $0.25 × (N − 100).
- Starter — $8.95 + $0.20 × (N − 300).
- Essentials — $24.95 + $0.10 × (N − 500).
Lite reaches the $8.95 Starter price at 116 preorders (16 extra × $0.25 = $4). Starter reaches the $24.95 Essentials price at 380 preorders (80 extra × $0.20 = $16). The practical rule is:
- Up to about 116 preorders — stay on Lite.
- About 116 to 380 — Starter is cheapest.
- Above 380 — Essentials wins.
The cost of staying put gets steep. At 300 preorders, Lite plus overage costs $54.95, against $8.95 on Starter. At 500 preorders, Starter costs $48.95, against $24.95 on Essentials.
Notifications can force an upgrade on their own. Lite includes 1,000, and each 100 beyond that costs $1.00. Once you send more than about 1,400 notifications a month on Lite, the overage exceeds the $4 gap to Starter, so an alert-heavy store should treat the notification count as the deciding number.
03 How the $4.95 entry price compares with the category median
Our measurement of 17 priced apps in the pre-orders category puts the median entry price at $9.90. Essent's $4.95 Lite plan costs half that. Its $8.95 Starter plan is also under the median, and only the $24.95 Essentials tier sits above it. The category range runs from $1 to $29.99, so Essent is cheap but not the cheapest.
The free tier matters more than the entry price. Essent is one of the 89% of peers that offer a free plan, and its 25 preorders and 300 notifications are enough to run a real test on a small catalog. Paying only starts when volume grows.
04 Essent Preorder Back in Stock review: is the 5.0 rating trustworthy?
The listing shows a 5.0 rating from 1,297 reviews, and about 97% are five-star. The rest split into 26 four-star, 3 three-star, 4 two-star and 4 one-star. The developer, Essential Apps, launched the app on Nov 22, 2024, so it has gathered that volume in under two years. A high count shows many merchants are happy, but it does not prove the app suits your store.
- Praise — easy setup, support that "responded within minutes", per-product time-specific configuration, and settings that survive theme updates.
- Complaints — two recent reviews report the preorder or Notify Me button not appearing after a campaign was published. Support resolved both. One reviewer also asked for split-cart support.
- Billing — overage is charged per preorder and per 100 notifications, as shown in the plan table.
05 Alternatives that win in specific cases
Amp Back in Stock & Preorder + (4.9 from 957 reviews, on the market since 2011) is the pick if you need SMS or web push alerts, Klaviyo or Mailchimp integrations, or wishlists. Its free plan includes only 10 notifications a month, against Essent's 300. Its paid plans run Starter $19 (500 notifications, unlimited preorders), Growth $49 (2,000 notifications) and Pro $99 (unlimited). For plain preorders and email alerts, Essent costs far less per notification. Amp earns its price only when you need its channels.
06 Verdict: is it worth it?
Yes. Start on the free plan and move to Lite at $4.95 when you hit the free limits or need scheduled campaigns, translations or Omnisend/Flow. Use the break-even points: Starter between about 116 and 380 preorders, Essentials above that, and an earlier jump if notifications spike past about 1,400 a month on Lite. Essent's $4.95 entry price is positioned against a $9.90 category median, roughly half of it. Pick Amp instead if SMS, push or wishlists are essential.
07 Frequently asked questions
- How much does Essent Preorder Back in Stock cost?
- There is a free plan, then Lite at $4.95, Starter at $8.95 and Essentials at $24.95 per month. Paid plans have a 14-day free trial and bill in USD every 30 days.
- What does the Essent free plan include?
- It includes 25 preorders and 300 back-in-stock notifications a month, plus partial payments, variant-level preorders, unlimited Notify Me sign-ups and 24/7 support.
- What are the overage fees?
- Per preorder above the limit: $0.25 on Lite, $0.20 on Starter and $0.10 on Essentials. Every paid tier charges $1.00 per 100 extra notifications.
- Essent Preorder Back in Stock review: is the 5.0 rating reliable?
- It is a strong signal: 5.0 from 1,297 reviews, about 97% five-star. The few complaints involve the button not appearing after a campaign, which support resolved. The app launched in November 2024, so check that it fits your store rather than relying on the count alone.
- When should I upgrade from Lite to Starter?
- Around 116 preorders a month, where Lite plus overage reaches the $8.95 Starter price. Notification overage alone justifies Starter once you send more than about 1,400 notifications a month on Lite ($1.00 per 100 over 1,000 exceeds the $4 plan gap). Move to Essentials above roughly 380 preorders.