Pre-Orders for WooCommerce – PreCart
Looking for a simple, powerful WooCommerce preorder plugin? Pre-Orders for WooCommerce – PreCart is the easiest way to let customers pre-order products before they’re available. Whether launching new items, restocking…
Solid choice
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 60+ sites, is rated 4.3/5 and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 62/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (60+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Pre-Orders for WooCommerce stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| backorder | #21 |
| pre order | #10 |
| preorder | #9 |
| preorder plugin | #6 |
| woocommerce pre-order | #35 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.3 from 4 reviews
About Pre-Orders for WooCommerce – PreCart
From the official readme · v0.7Description
Looking for a simple, powerful WooCommerce preorder plugin? Pre-Orders for WooCommerce – PreCart is the easiest way to let customers pre-order products before they’re available. Whether launching new items, restocking popular ones, or selling out-of-stock products with automatic backorder support, this plugin helps you capture sales you’d otherwise miss.
With this free preorder plugin for WooCommerce, customers can place pre-orders for upcoming, out-of-stock, or limited-edition products directly on your site. Gain early insights into demand, improve inventory planning, and secure revenue in advance.
👉 Perfect for:
– Product launches & crowdfunded items
– Out-of-stock products with automatic backorder
– Limited-time offers & seasonal inventory
– Digital content, books, music, and more
💡 Give your customers the power to pre-order WooCommerce products confidently — and deliver a premium shopping experience with automatic email updates and customizable preorder settings.
Why PreCart is the best free WooCommerce Pre-Order plugin
Unlike paid alternatives that charge a monthly fee, PreCart gives you everything you need to run preorders on your WooCommerce store for free:
- Stock-based preorder — products automatically become available for preorder when they go out of stock (new in 0.7)
- Global or per-product — enable preorder for everything at once, or pick individual products
- Preorder limits — cap how many customers can preorder per product
- Custom status — preorders get a dedicated order status so you can filter and manage them
🔑 Key Features
🛒 WooCommerce Preorder for Any Product
Enable preorder on simple or variable products with one click. Works with your existing inventory.
📅 Set Custom Release Dates
Control when products ship with per-product or global availability dates. Customers see the date clearly on the product page.
📦 Stock-Based Preorder & Backorder (NEW in 0.7)
When a product runs out of stock, it automatically becomes available for preorder — with an optional backorder limit. No manual toggling needed.
💰 Flexible Payment Options
Charge upfront at checkout. Collect revenue before products are even released.
📨 Email Notifications
Customers automatically receive confirmation emails when they place a preorder.
🎨 Customizable Button & Message
Change the add-to-cart text, badge, and preorder message to match your brand. Use {precart_release_date} to show the ship date dynamically.
🚫 Preorder Quantity Limits
Set a maximum number of preorders per product. Prevents overselling before release.
🔄 Cart Mode Control
Choose whether customers can mix preorder and regular items in the same cart or require separate orders.
🏷️ Dedicated Preorder Order Status
Preorders get a custom status so you can filter, manage, and fulfill them separately from regular orders.
🚀 Why Use This WooCommerce Preorder Plugin?
Pre-orders are common for video games, smartphones, book launches, music/album releases, crowdfunded products, limited-edition products, and many more niches. Companies use them to gauge demand and secure early sales.
📈 Boost Sales
Never miss out on orders for out-of-stock or not-yet-released items. With the new automatic backorder feature, you keep selling even when inventory hits zero.
🔥 Build Hype Before Launch
Generate excitement with preorder options for exclusive or trending products. Show a countdown and release date to create urgency.
📊 Forecast Demand
Use preorder data to plan inventory, reduce waste, and align with manufacturing timelines.
💬 Improve Customer Experience
Give customers transparency with clear preorder messaging, release dates, and automatic updates.
Installation
- Upload the
precartfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Go to PreCart > Settings to configure the plugin.
- Enable pre-orders for individual products from the product edit page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enable pre-orders for a product?
Navigate to your product edit screen in WooCommerce, click the Pre-Order tab in the Product Data section, check “Enable Pre-Order”, then set a release date. You can also enable preorder for all products from PreCart > Settings.
What is stock-based preorder / backorder?
Stock-based preorder (new in version 0.7) automatically turns on preorder mode when a product runs out of stock. You can set this per-product or globally. No need to manually check a box — it just works. You can also set a backorder limit to control how many preorders are accepted while out of stock.
Can I set a limit on how many preorders are accepted?
Yes! You can set a Pre-Order Limit per product for date-based preorders, and a separate Backorder Limit for stock-based preorders. Set to 0 for unlimited.
Does this work with out-of-stock products?
Yes. With the stock-based preorder feature (0.7+), out-of-stock products automatically become available for preorder. The “Pre-Order Now” button replaces the “Out of Stock” message, and customers can checkout normally.
Can I collect payments for pre-orders immediately?
Yes, you can collect payments for pre-orders immediately. A ‘pay later’ option is planned for a future version.
Does this work with my theme or other plugins?
Compatible with all WooCommerce-supported themes and most payment gateways. Not compatible with block-based cart/checkout (classic cart/checkout is fully supported).
How are pre-orders tracked in inventory?
Pre-orders are tracked with separate counters from regular stock. Date-based preorders use _precart_pre_order_count, and stock-based backorders use _precart_backorder_count.
Can I enable preorder for all products at once?
Yes. Go to PreCart > Settings > General Settings and toggle “Enable Pre-Order” on, then set a global release date.
What happens when an order is cancelled?
Preorder and backorder counts are automatically decremented when an order is cancelled or refunded, so your limits always reflect actual pending demand.
Changelog
0.7
Release Date: 2026-06-17
- NEW: Stock-Based Preorder / Backorder — products automatically enter preorder mode when they go out of stock. No manual toggling needed.
- NEW: Per-product “Enable Stock-Based Pre-Order” checkbox and “Backorder Limit” field in the product data tab.
- NEW: Global stock trigger setting with configurable out-of-stock preorder message (PreCart > Settings > Stock Trigger).
- NEW: Distinct amber badge style (
.wcpo-pre-order-badge--stock) to visually separate stock-triggered preorders from date-based ones. - NEW: Custom
wc-precartorder status is now editable in the admin — change items, recalculate totals, and apply actions. - IMPROVED:
{precart_release_date}token in stock messages shows “TBD” when no release date is set. - FIXED: Preorder counters could double-increment on thank-you page reloads — idempotency guard added.
- FIXED: Duplicated eligibility logic across Product, Cart, and Validation consolidated into a single
Helper::is_preorder_product()method. - FIXED: Preorder/backorder counts now decrement when an order is cancelled or refunded.
- NEW: Admin review prompt with modern card-style design, shown on PreCart pages after 5 days of installation.
- NEW: Dedicated settings-page review notice with a “Leave Review” button only (no dismiss controls) above the PreCart Settings page.
- FIXED: Global preorder mode now correctly displays the global release date instead of the per-product date when the per-product preorder is not enabled.
- FIXED: Product list page “Pre-Order Now” button now also renders for out-of-stock products when stock-based preorder is active.
- FIXED: Infinite recursion / memory-exhaustion bug in
woocommerce_product_is_in_stockfilter — now uses rawget_stock_status()to avoid the loop. - IMPROVED: Helpspace support widget link replaced with direct WordPress.org support forum link in admin settings.
0.6
Release Date: 2026-06-09
- FIXED: Fatal error “Call to member function get_id() on null” when product page contained WooCommerce shortcodes without a valid product context.
- FIXED: Invalid release date display when switching between per-product and global preorder modes.
- IMPROVED: Internal code cleanup and WooCommerce HPOS compatibility hardening.
0.5
Release Date: 2026-05-31
- FIXED: Incorrect date displayed when the global pre-order option was enabled.
- FIXED: Setting Pre-Order Product Limit to
0prevented products from being added to the cart. Value of0now means unlimited. - ADDED: Support for WooCommerce 10.8.
- UPDATED: Tested up to WordPress 6.9.
0.4
Release date: 2025-11-11
- Fixed: preorder product showing error on
Add To cart
0.3
Release date: 2025-06-01
- Fixed issue where button text would not update correctly.
- Fixed text domain error notice.
0.2
Release date: 12-03-25
- Added: New fields in Settings
- Added: Set global preorder for all products
- Added: Prevent customers to order pre order and regular products at once
- Fixed: cart-key error showing in the cart page
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce – PreCart: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 4, 2026
Is Pre-Orders for WooCommerce free?
Yes. Pre-Orders for WooCommerce is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Pre-Orders for WooCommerce safe to use in 2026?
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 60+ sites, is rated 4.3/5 and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 62/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Pre-Orders for WooCommerce?
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce is active on 60+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,462 times since it launched in February 2025. It was downloaded 129 times in the last 30 days.
Does Pre-Orders for WooCommerce work with WordPress 7.1?
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Pre-Orders for WooCommerce need?
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Pre-Orders for WooCommerce last updated?
The latest version, 0.7, was released on June 18, 2026 (4 months ago).
Who makes Pre-Orders for WooCommerce?
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce is developed and maintained by tasin07.
What are the best alternatives to Pre-Orders for WooCommerce?
The most popular alternatives to Pre-Orders for WooCommerce are Ship Estimate for WooCommer… (100+ installs), WC Backorder Split (60+ installs) and PiWeb Advance notification… (10+ installs).
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