A merchant reports being billed over $500 a month for notifications while the app could not process valid U.S. phone numbers formatted with dashes or a "+1" prefix, and that rejected numbers produced only a generic error with no guidance on the expected format.
Comparison · Notify! alternative
A Notify! alternative for stores that just want alerts
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder is a large, well-reviewed app bundling preorders, wishlists, and low-stock forecasting with its alerts. Its recent one-star reviews describe billing surprises and phone-number handling problems on the SMS side. If you just need reliable back in stock alerts without the bundle, Kelso is a simpler, alerts-only alternative with a flat send-based price.
Free to install. Free migration from Notify!, we'll move your list by hand.
Sourcing: competitor pricing and review excerpts below were taken from Notify!'s public Shopify App Store listing and review pages in July 2026. As of July 28, 2026, Notify! showed a 4.9 star rating across 3,447 reviews and carried the Built for Shopify badge. Ratings and pricing change; check their listing before you decide.
Pricing, side by side
What you pay, side by side
| Notify! | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 10 alerts/mo, 5 preorders, 50 wishlist actions | 50 sends/mo, unlimited subscribers |
| Entry paid plan | $9.90/mo (Kickstart) · 500 alerts, 500 preorders | $14/mo · 750 sends |
| Mid tier | $19.90/mo (Starter) · 500 alerts, 500 preorders | $29/mo · 3,000 sends |
| Top listed tier | $39.90/mo (Standard) · 1,500 alerts, 1,500 preorders | $59/mo · 10,000 sends |
| SMS and push | Included on paid plans | Not offered yet |
| Revenue share or overage fees | None listed | None, ever |
Notify! pricing as listed on the Shopify App Store, July 2026. Kelso pricing is current and listed in full on the pricing page.
Why merchants switch
What Notify! reviewers report
These are paraphrased from dated, public one-star reviews on Notify!'s Shopify App Store review page. They are individual merchant reports, not our claims about every merchant's experience.
A merchant reports the app as "overpriced and glitchy" after almost two years of use.
A merchant reports the pricing model charges $300 to $400 a year just to display inventory status, even on products with stock in the thousands of units.
A merchant of roughly four years reports being moved into paid options without a clear heads-up, describing it as being "tricked" into charges, and advised other merchants to look at alternatives.
The Kelso difference
What Kelso does differently
- Two-path restock detection. The inventory webhook fires first and a scheduled reconciliation poll runs behind it, so a dropped webhook cannot become a missed alert.
- A full send audit log. Every alert is accounted for: queued, sent, delivered, clicked.
- A flat, published send ladder with no preorder bundle to configure around: $14/mo for 750 sends, plain and predictable.
- A free plan that never paywalls subscriber capture. Only send volume is gated, and that is written down.
- Human support that replies in hours. The promise is published on our support page.
A fair look back
Where Notify! may still fit you
A fair comparison cuts both ways. Based on the same public listing and reviews:
- Notify! holds a 4.9 star rating across 3,447 reviews and carries the Built for Shopify badge. That is a large, well-reviewed installed base built up over years.
- Notify! bundles preorders, low-stock alerts with inventory forecasting, wishlists for guest users, B2B catalog support, and SMS and push notifications alongside back in stock alerts. Kelso does not do preorders or SMS.
- Notify! supports 13-plus languages out of the box and integrates with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, and PageFly. Kelso is newer and has a smaller integration list today.
- Notify!'s free plan includes 10 alerts and 5 preorders a month, which covers a genuinely tiny store. Kelso's free plan offers more send volume before you need to pay anything.
Switching takes a CSV export
Export your waitlist from Notify!, upload it into Kelso, and your subscribers carry over. Stuck on the export? Email us and a person will help.
Free to install. Free migration from Notify!, we'll help by hand.
Founding 50
The first 50 stores to install lock today's price for as long as they stay subscribed. No countdown, the count is real.
Coming from Notify!? Switching is a CSV upload. See how migrating to Kelso works.
New store still deciding? Start on Kelso's free plan (50 alert sends a month, unlimited subscribers captured). Want to see how the dedicated back in stock apps compare on price? Read the back in stock app pricing breakdown.