STOQ
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vs Notify me

STOQ vs Notify Me!: which preorder and back-in-stock app is right for your store?

Both do preorders and back-in-stock alerts well. STOQ adds depth as you scale: flexible payments on every plan, Shopify Flow, market control, API, and POS.
Side by Side

STOQ vs Notify Me!: full comparison

STOQ
Notify Me!
Payment flexibility
Deposits / partial payments
STOQ
Yes
On every paid plan
Notify Me!
Limited
Partial payments need the $39.90 plan
Preorder discounts & per-variant limits
STOQ
Yes
Notify Me!
Limited
Standard plan only
Balance collection
STOQ
Automatic on your date or at fulfillment, with retries
Notify Me!
Scheduled balance on the offer date
Variant-level control
Specific variants on preorder while others sell normally
STOQ
Yes
Notify Me!
Yes
Restock alerts for just the restocked variant
STOQ
Yes
Notify Me!
Yes
Customization & messaging
Widget, badge & button customization
STOQ
Yes
Incl. collection, search, Quick Buy
Notify Me!
Yes
Alert channels
STOQ
Email + native SMS
Notify Me!
Email + SMS
Shopify Markets
Control which markets can preorder
STOQ
Yes
Availability
Notify Me!
Limited
Display-only (shows/hides the button)
Region-correct restock alerts
STOQ
Yes
Notify Me!
Yes
Integrations & automations
Klaviyo
STOQ
Yes
Two-way (triggers your flows)
Notify Me!
Yes
Shopify Flow
STOQ
Yes
Back-in-stock
Notify Me!
No
Public API
STOQ
Yes
Read and write
Notify Me!
Limited
Read-only
Headless storefront
STOQ
Yes
Notify Me!
No
Engagement Analytics (signup → order → revenue)
STOQ
Yes
Both jobs
Notify Me!
Limited
Dashboards
Where it works (reach)
Shopify POS
STOQ
Yes
Sells preorders + captures signups
Notify Me!
Limited
Captures signups only
Where Notify Me! goes further
Wishlist
STOQ
No
Notify Me!
Yes
Web push notifications
STOQ
No
Notify Me!
Yes
Via PushOwl
Low-stock widget
STOQ
No
Notify Me!
Yes
Trust
Rating
STOQ
5.0 (3,421)
Notify Me!
4.9 (3,766)
*Note. Comparisons are based on each product's public site and help docs (and STOQ's own product) and can change, so check current details before deciding. All trademarks belong to their owners; used here for comparison only, not affiliation or endorsement.
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Beyond the checklist

The differences that matter

Both apps cover the basics of preorders and restock alerts. These are the places the choice actually comes down to.

Flexible preorder payments, without the top-plan upgrade

Notify Me!

Notify Me! supports full and partial payments, but partial payments — along with preorder discounts and per-variant limits — need its $39.90 Standard plan. The buyer sees a scheduled balance on the offer date.

✓
STOQ

STOQ runs full, deposit, partial, and pay-later from the $10 plan. Customers choose full payment or a deposit, the balance charges automatically on your date or at fulfillment (with retries), and preorder orders can be held so a big launch doesn't jam normal shipping.

Control which markets can actually preorder

Notify Me!

Notify Me!'s preorder Markets are display-only: they pick which markets see the preorder button, but Shopify still decides availability. For restock alerts it matches STOQ — both notify by the customer's market, so a US buyer isn't pinged for an Australia-only restock.

✓
STOQ

STOQ controls preorder availability per market, not just the button, and runs Shopify Markets for both jobs. You decide who can actually place a preorder, market by market.

Built to fit the rest of your Shopify stack

Notify Me!

Notify Me!'s API is read-only, there's no Shopify Flow, and it doesn't document headless support, so a growing store hits a ceiling when it wants to automate or build custom.

✓
STOQ

STOQ ships a read-and-write API with headless and Dev Mode, triggers your Klaviyo flows directly, and adds Shopify Flow for restock automation — so preorder and restock data flows into the tools you already run.

Sell preorders in person, not just signups

Notify Me!

On Shopify POS, Notify Me! captures back-in-stock signups only. A shopper can join a waitlist at the counter, but can't place a preorder there.

✓
STOQ

STOQ sells preorders on POS and captures signups, so an in-store customer can reserve a coming-soon product then and there, not just ask to be told when it lands.

Done in an afternoon

Switching is simple

Switching to STOQ doesn't mean starting over. If you have signups in another app, bring them with you, and your customers keep getting restock alerts on time. Three steps:

Install STOQ

Pick a plan, then follow the onboarding steps — or book a support call and we'll set it up with you.

Export your data

Export your subscriber list from your current app.

Import to STOQ

Upload the file into STOQ's import template. Subscribers keep their email, phone, consent, and language, and alerts keep going out.
Book a migration call
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Hear it from STOQ customers

Real Merchants, Real Results

Food & Drink
August 1, 2025

Savepod × STOQ: how preorders turned a viral moment into $65,000 in revenue

Read Full Story
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FAQ’s

STOQ vs Notify Me!: quick answers

Is STOQ a good Notify Me! alternative?
Yes. Both handle back-in-stock alerts and preorders. Notify Me! is stronger on wishlists, web push, and low-stock widgets. STOQ goes further on preorder payment flexibility (on cheaper plans), Shopify Flow, per-market preorder control, a read-and-write API, headless, and preorders on POS. If you need more than notifications, STOQ covers more ground.
Does Notify Me! charge a fee on preorders?
Not a percentage. Both apps include a set number of preorders per plan, then charge a small flat amount per extra preorder — Notify Me! is $0.20 each ($0.15 on its top plan), STOQ is $0.25 on Lite and $0.10 on Pro. Neither takes a cut of your preorder revenue.
Which app is better for Shopify preorders?
Both support preorders and partial payments. The difference is where they sit: STOQ's partial payments, customer-chosen full-vs-deposit, pay-later, and fulfillment holds work from its $10 plan, while Notify Me! reserves partial payments (plus discounts and per-variant limits) for its $39.90 Standard plan.
Does STOQ collect preorder balances, and how is Notify Me! different?
Both schedule the remaining balance on a preorder. STOQ charges it automatically on the date you set or when the order ships, retries failed charges, and lets customers choose full payment or a deposit. Notify Me! shows the buyer a scheduled balance and gates partial payments to its top plan.
Does STOQ support Shopify Flow?
Yes, for back-in-stock automation — STOQ exposes Shopify Flow triggers ("customer notified", "variant restocked") so you can automate alert sending. Preorder scheduling, balance collection, and fulfillment holds are handled by STOQ natively. Notify Me! doesn't offer a Shopify Flow integration.
Does STOQ work with Shopify Markets, and does Notify Me!?
Both send restock alerts based on the customer's market. The difference is preorders: STOQ controls which markets can actually place a preorder, while Notify Me!'s preorder Markets only show or hide the button.
Which app is better for Shopify Plus or headless stores?
Both work with Plus. STOQ's edge at scale is the combination of flexible preorder billing, Shopify Flow, a read-and-write API, and headless storefront support via metafields and Dev Mode — Notify Me! doesn't document headless support and its API is read-only.
How do I switch from Notify Me! to STOQ, and will I lose my subscribers?
It's a CSV import that keeps your whole waitlist and their consent — no one gets left behind. Export from Notify Me!, import in STOQ under Back in stock alerts → Integrations → Import data. Most stores finish in an afternoon.