Looking for the best Shopify plugins for low stock? Urgency++ Low Stock Counter (4.7, 78 reviews, also listed on the App Store as Scarcity++ Low Stock Counter) is one of the more established names in the category, though it has dropped its free plan and now starts at $7.90/month. Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter (5.0, 128 reviews) has the most reviews and the highest rating in the category, and includes a free plan for stores under 3 products. This post compares 5 low stock plugins, Urgency++, Hey!Scarcity, Jedi Stock Counter, ET Scarcity, and Scarcity+, on rating, reviews, pricing, and free-plan availability.
In this post:
- What a low stock plugin actually does on a Shopify product page
- Comparison table: the best Shopify plugins for low stock ranked
- Urgency++ Low Stock Counter: an established name, no longer free
- Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter: most reviews, highest rating, free entry point
- Jedi Stock Counter and ET Scarcity: variant-level display options
- Scarcity+: the smallest player in this list
- How to choose: real stock data vs. manual stock mode
- FAQ
Quick disclosure on this best Shopify plugins for low stock comparison: I am the founder of Minimate Apps, and Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter is one of the five plugins compared below. Every rating and review count comes from the apps’ own public Shopify App Store listings, pulled the week this post was written, so verify them directly before you decide. We’ve run a dedicated low stock plugin since October 2021, so we’ve watched this exact category add and lose competitors for 5 years and know which features are marketing dressing versus what actually changes conversion.
What a low stock plugin actually does on a Shopify product page
A low stock plugin shows shoppers how many units are left, or a manually set number, on a product page to nudge a purchase decision before the item sells out. The two things that separate these apps in practice: whether the counter reflects real Shopify inventory or a manual number the merchant sets, and where the counter is allowed to show up, product page only, or also collection pages and cart.
Why does the real-vs-manual distinction matter so much? Because showing a manually set “only 2 left” on a product with 400 units in stock is the kind of thing that erodes trust fast if a customer ever notices, say, by checking back a week later and seeing the same “2 left” message. Real stock data avoids that risk entirely, but it also means the counter goes quiet on well-stocked products, which is exactly why some merchants want the manual override in the first place.
Comparison table: the best Shopify plugins for low stock ranked
Here’s the scannable version:
| App | Rating | Reviews | Pricing | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgency++ Low Stock Counter | 4.7 | 78 | $7.90/mo, no free plan | Dancing and blinking alert animations with customizable holiday presets |
| Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter (us) | 5.0 | 128 | Free (<3 products), Premium $5.99/mo | Most reviews and highest rating in category, elegant pulse-animation alerts, rule-based visibility, variant-specific inventory counts, Built for Shopify badge, collection-page display, manual stock mode, translations |
| Jedi Stock Counter | 4.6 | 70 | Free plan available | Per-variant quantity display with rules-based visibility |
| ET Scarcity Low Stock Counter | 5.0 | 13 | Free plan available | Variant-support emphasis, no Built for Shopify badge |
| Scarcity+ Low Stock Counter | 4.4 | 7 | Free plan available | Smallest review count in this comparison |
Urgency++ Low Stock Counter: an established name, no longer free
Urgency++ (listed on the App Store as Scarcity++ Low Stock Counter) is rated 4.7 across 78 reviews and has been around since 2020. It offers two alert animation styles, dancing and blinking, along with a library of holiday-themed countdown presets and support for showing the counter on specific products only. It no longer has a usable free plan for live stores, pricing runs $7.90/month with a 7-day free trial.
Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter: most reviews, highest rating, free entry point
Our own app, Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter, is rated 5.0 across 128 reviews, the most reviews and the highest rating of any plugin in this comparison, and has run since October 27, 2021. It carries the Built for Shopify badge. The free Starter plan covers stores under 3 products with the first 5,000 page views included; Premium is $5.99/month for unlimited views and every feature.
On the alert style itself, we use a pulse animation rather than a shaking or dancing effect, a subtler, more elegant visual cue that fits a wider range of store aesthetics without feeling like a flashing banner ad. Beyond that, Hey!Scarcity supports rule-based visibility (showing the counter only under conditions you set, like a specific inventory threshold or collection), variant-specific inventory counts so the number shown always matches the exact variant a shopper has selected, collection-page display, manual stock mode for merchants who want to set a number themselves, and translations.
One merchant, D’zage Designs in Hong Kong, described it this way after 11 months on the app: “The application itself is incredibly useful to allow our customers know which items are in-stock which greatly boosts our conversions, which is especially necessary when we’ve just restocked and want to clear inventory fast!” Review volume, rating, and longevity are our clearest advantages here.
Jedi Stock Counter and ET Scarcity: variant-level display options
Jedi Stock Counter is rated 4.6 across 70 reviews, no Built for Shopify badge, with per-variant quantity display and rules for when the widget shows. ET Scarcity Low Stock Counter matches Hey!Scarcity’s 5.0 rating but with only 13 reviews, also without a BFS badge, and emphasizes variant-level support. Both are reasonable picks if you need finer control over which variants show a counter and which don’t, though neither has the review volume to lean on as heavily as the top two above.
Scarcity+: the smallest player in this list
Scarcity+ Low Stock Counter is rated 4.4 across just 7 reviews, the smallest sample in this comparison. Worth watching as it grows, but too little data yet to weigh heavily against the other four in this best Shopify plugins for low stock comparison.
How to choose: real stock data vs. manual stock mode
A few quick decision points across the best Shopify plugins for low stock compared here:
- Want an established name and don’t mind paying from day one: Urgency++.
- Want the most-reviewed, highest-rated option with a genuine free tier, collection-page support, rule-based visibility, and variant-specific counts: Hey!Scarcity.
- Need tight per-variant display rules: Jedi Stock Counter or ET Scarcity.
- Just want to try the smallest, newest option: Scarcity+.
One honest limit worth stating: manual stock mode, which we and some competitors offer, only works as long as it stays believable. If a returning customer notices the same “2 left” message weeks later, the tactic backfires. Use manual mode sparingly and keep thresholds realistic.
FAQ
What is the best Shopify plugin for low stock alerts?
Among the best Shopify plugins for low stock, Hey!Scarcity Low Stock Counter (5.0, 128 reviews) has both the highest rating and the most reviews in the category, and is the only top-rated option with a genuine free plan.
Is there a free Shopify plugin for showing low stock?
Yes. Hey!Scarcity, Jedi Stock Counter, ET Scarcity, and Scarcity+ all offer free plans. Urgency++ no longer offers a free plan for live stores.
Can a low stock plugin show a manually set stock level instead of real inventory?
Yes, several plugins in this comparison, including Hey!Scarcity, support a manual stock mode alongside real inventory sync. Use it carefully since customers can notice if the number never changes.
Do low stock plugins work on collection pages, not just product pages?
Hey!Scarcity supports collection-page display. Most competitors in this comparison focus on the product page only; check each app’s current feature list before assuming collection-page support.
Will a low stock counter plugin slow down my Shopify store?
A simple counter widget adds minimal page weight compared to heavier apps like full product customizers. Any of the five plugins compared here are lightweight relative to that category.
How much do Shopify low stock plugins typically cost?
Free plans are common across most of this category, with paid tiers from $5.99/month (Hey!Scarcity Premium) to $7.90/month (Urgency++) among the plugins compared here. Shopify’s own inventory tracking documentation is worth reading first to confirm your stock data is accurate before any plugin displays it.
