Pre-orders before the stock arrives
Preorder lets you sell WooCommerce products before they are in stock. Mark any product as a pre-order from the product editor and it stays purchasable even when out of stock, with a custom button label and a clear pre-order flag in the cart and on the order.
Works with
Shoppers bounce off unavailable products
A product is sold out or not released yet, so shoppers cannot buy it and leave. Without pre-orders you lose reservations for upcoming releases and restocks.
- ✗ No way to sell before a product is available
- ✗ Sold-out products cannot be reserved
- ✗ Shoppers have no signal the product is coming back
- ✗ Pre-order lines indistinguishable from normal ones in fulfilment
Preorder lets you sell before availability
- ✓ A per-product pre-order flag in Product data → General
- ✓ Stays purchasable even when out of stock
- ✓ A custom add-to-cart button label
- ✓ Clear pre-order flag in the cart and on the order
What you get in the free version
Everything you need to sell products as pre-orders.
Pre-order flag
Mark any simple product as a pre-order in Product data → General.
Reservation note
A note on the product page tells shoppers the item is reserved as a pre-order.
Custom button label
Custom add-to-cart text, globally or per product.
Purchasable when out of stock
Pre-order products stay purchasable even when their stock status is out of stock.
Cart and checkout flagging
The cart and checkout show a clear pre-order line (Pre-order: Yes).
Order flagging
Order line items are flagged as pre-orders (order item meta) for fulfilment.
Settings screen
WooCommerce → Pre-orders: global on/off and default button text.
Secure and translation ready
Output escaped, input sanitised, nonce-protected forms, POT included, clean uninstall.
Up and running in three steps
Mark a product and test checkout.
Install
Activate Preorder alongside WooCommerce.
Mark a product
In Product data → General tick Pre-order and set the button text.
Check checkout
Add the product to the cart and confirm the pre-order line flag.
Who it is for
When you want to sell releases and restocks before the product is in stock.
Product launches
Collect orders for upcoming releases with an availability date.
- ✓ Pre-order flag
- ✓ Reservation note
- ✓ Custom button
Sold-out bestsellers
Let shoppers reserve a product while it is out of stock instead of losing them.
- ✓ Purchasable when out
- ✓ Cart flagging
- ✓ Global toggle
Order fulfilment
Distinguish pre-order lines in the cart and order for picking.
- ✓ Item meta
- ✓ Line flag
- ✓ HPOS compatible
What PRO adds, and why it matters
Incentive discount
A configurable percentage discount applied to every pre-order line in the cart, rewarding early buyers.
Checkout deposit
A configurable deposit percentage charged on pre-order lines; the balance is due on release.
Discount and deposit settings
Enable each feature and set percentages under WooCommerce → Pre-order Discount and Pre-order Deposit.
Clear cart fees
Discount and deferred balance appear as clear fees at cart and checkout.
Per-variation pre-orders
Mark individual variations as pre-orders with their own button label (PerVariationPreorder, shipped).
Release emails (planned)
Automatic availability notifications when a pre-order product is released.
What you get: FREE vs PRO
PRO keeps everything in the free plugin and adds the modules below.
Preorder vs WooCommerce Pre-Orders vs YITH Pre-Order
How Preorder compares to the popular WooCommerce pre-order plugins.
| Preorder | WooCommerce Pre-Orders | YITH Pre-Order | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free version | Yes | No (paid only) | Yes |
| Mark a product as pre-order | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom pre-order button label | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Buyable while out of stock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cart, checkout & order labelled pre-order | Yes | Yes | — |
| Open source (GPLv2) | Yes | GPL (paid only) | Core GPL |
| Paid plan price | from €29/yr | $179/yr | ~€139.99/yr |
Competitor data and pricing as of June 2026; check the vendors' sites for current pricing.
Need more? Preorder PRO
FREE covers pre-orders with a release date and custom button. PRO adds an incentive discount and checkout deposits.
- ✓ Pre-order incentive discount (shipped)
- ✓ Deposits / partial payments (shipped)
- ✓ Per-variation pre-orders and release emails (planned)
Support and resources
Every plugin has its own documentation with setup walkthroughs. Bugs and questions go to the public GitHub repository for that plugin, we answer in the open.
Frequently asked questions
Does it require WooCommerce?
Yes. WooCommerce must be installed and active, and Preorder operates on WooCommerce products. The plugin declares WooCommerce as a required plugin and runs no pre-order logic when WooCommerce is inactive.
What happens when a product is marked as a pre-order?
The product stays purchasable even when its stock status is out of stock, and the add-to-cart button label changes to the pre-order text. A note on the product page tells the shopper the item is reserved as a pre-order. The cart line and the order line item are flagged with a "Pre-order: Yes" meta value for fulfilment.
Can I pause pre-orders without editing every product?
Yes. Turn off the global toggle under WooCommerce → Pre-orders and every flagged product immediately behaves like a normal product until you turn it back on. You do not need to un-flag pre-order products one by one.
Does it work with variable products?
The pre-order flag and button label apply at the product level, set in Product data → General. Cart and order line flagging applies to any item added from a product marked as a pre-order, including its variations.
Does Preorder create database tables?
No. Preorder stores the pre-order flag as product meta, the line flag as order item meta, and global settings as a single WordPress option. Uninstalling the plugin removes its settings option.
Does Preorder pair with Reorder and Proof?
Yes. Each plugin works at a different stage of the store: Preorder sells before availability, Reorder adds repeat ordering, and Proof shows sales notifications. They run independently and can be used together.
How does Preorder compare to WooCommerce Pre-Orders and YITH Pre-Order?
All three let you sell products before release. Preorder is free and open source with PRO from €29/yr, while the official WooCommerce Pre-Orders has no free version ($179/yr) and YITH's premium is ~€139.99/yr. Pricing as of June 2026.
Add pre-orders to your store
A pre-order flag and a custom button. The full FREE edition under GPL.
Read the docsFREE is the complete pre-order flow, PRO adds an incentive discount and deposits; variations and release emails are planned.