InStockNotify alternative: the five things to compare before you switch
Every back in stock app does the same core job. Check frequency, order tracking, sending domain, storefront pricing and the switch itself are where they differ.
What every app does the same
If you are looking at InStockNotify, Smart Stock Alerts or any other back in stock app on the BigCommerce marketplace, the core is identical: a form on sold-out products, a list per product, scheduled stock checks, an email when stock is back, and a CSV export. Any of them will recover sales you are losing today. The choice comes down to five things that differ.
1. How often stock is checked
Most apps check every six hours on their entry plan and hourly on the higher one. InStockNotify and Smart Stock Alerts both do. What differs is whether you can choose the hours: a restock at 3 am can wait for 9 am, when your shoppers are awake and your support team is around to answer. Look for a schedule setting, not just a frequency.
2. What is tracked after the email leaves
"Sent" and "opened" are the minimum. What tells you whether the app is paying for itself is the order: did the shopper who got the email buy the product? InStockNotify's published material covers send times and open rates. Smart Stock Alerts tracks the click and the order that followed, per email, per product and per customer, so the dashboard shows revenue and not only activity.
3. Whose name is on the From line
An app either sends from its own shared address with replies routed to you, or lets you authenticate your domain and send from your own address. The second option needs three DNS records and ten minutes, and it changes inbox placement and open rates. Check the listing for SPF, DKIM or "domain authentication"; if it is not mentioned, ask before you switch.
4. What it costs, storefronts included
List prices are close: InStockNotify is $18 a month on Standard and $25 on Premium, Smart Stock Alerts is $13.99 and $19.99. The difference grows with BigCommerce Multi-Storefront: InStockNotify bills $5 a month for each additional storefront, Smart Stock Alerts includes three on Standard and has no limit on Premium. A store with three storefronts pays $28 versus $13.99 for the same check frequency.
5. How to switch without losing a list
Do not uninstall the old app first. Install the new one alongside it, on one storefront, and run both for a week: the widgets do not conflict, and you can compare sign-ups and emails side by side. Export the old app's waiting list as CSV before you remove it, and keep it: shoppers who signed up under the old app will not be emailed by the new one unless you import them or they sign up again.
The side-by-side comparison lists the published facts for both apps, with sources.
Smart Stock Alerts puts a waiting list on every sold-out product in your BigCommerce store. Seven-day trial, no card.
Install on BigCommerce