Cart Reserve – Inventory Holds vs HoldCart — Cart Reservation
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Oct 14, 2026 for Cart Reserve, Oct 29, 2026 for HoldCart.
The short answer
- On the Shopify App Store: Cart Reserve 5.0 from 4 reviews and HoldCart 5.0 from 3 reviews.
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $25/month for Cart Reserve and $19.99/month for HoldCart.
- Cart Reserve lists 13 features HoldCart’s listing doesn’t mention, including AI optimization, AI-powered detection, Analytics.
Head to head
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Free
- · 24-hour analytics history
- · 25 concurrent active holds
- · 3 protected products
- · Checkout validation
- · Fixed 10-minute reservation timer
- · Hands-on setup support
Starter
- · 100 concurrent active holds
- · 100 protected products
- · 7-day analytics history
- · All Free features
- · Bulk product selection
- · Configurable reservation timer
Pro
- · 30-day analytics history
- · 500 concurrent active holds
- · 500 protected products
- · AI-powered bot protection
- · Advanced fair queue
- · All Starter features
Max
- · 2,500 concurrent active holds
- · 90-day analytics history
- · AI + IP and country protection
- · ALL mode — unlimited products
- · All Pro features
- · Auto-protect new products
Free
- · 15-minute hold timer
- · One-click disable & safe uninstall
- · Protect 3 products
- · Real inventory holds, fail-safe
- · Up to 100 reservations/month
Pro
- · Analytics dashboard
- · Checkout grace period
- · Custom hold timers, 2 to 60 min
- · Priority support
- · Unlimited reservations
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureCart Reserve holds available inventory when a shopper adds a protected product to cart. Each reservation is tied to a signed session and verified again at checkout. The storefront timer reflects the active hold, and expired reservations return to stock automatically. Use Cart Reserve for limited stock, one-of-one products, restocks, flash sales, and product drops.
Shoppers add a one-of-a-kind item to their cart, race to checkout, and find it already sold. HoldCart places a genuine inventory hold the moment an item is added, so the unit is actually reserved while they check out, then auto-releases back to stock when the timer ends. It is not a fake countdown or manufactured urgency — it is a real hold with a real timer.
- Real-Time Reservation: Lock inventory instantly when shoppers add items to cart.
- AI Fraud Detection: Identify and block bots to protect stock from abuse.
- Auto-Release: Expired reservations release stock, keeping inventory accurate
- Per-Product Rules: Customize reservation duration & logic for specific products.
- Real inventory holds — items are genuinely reserved at add-to-cart, not faked
- Fail-safe by design — if the app fails, your checkout keeps working
- Honest countdown — shoppers see a real timer backed by a real hold
- Automatic release — holds expire and return to stock on their own
All the numbers
Every figure, side by side
A green dot marks the app ahead on a measured figure. Estimates, gaps and apps that leave no storefront trace never take the lead.
Adoption
| Measure |  Cart Reserve |  HoldCart |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | Not published | Not published |
| Net store change, 28 days | 0 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Not published | Not published |
| Top store countries | Not published | Not published |
Reviews
| Measure | Cart Reserve | HoldCart |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 5.0 ★ | 5.0 ★ |
| App Store reviews | 4(ahead) | 3 |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Cart Reserve | HoldCart |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $25/month | $19.99/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Plans listed | 4 | 2 |
Listing
| Measure | Cart Reserve | HoldCart |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #42 | #13 |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Apr 2, 2026 | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | R3stack | Useful Plugins |
FAQ
Cart Reserve and HoldCart: common questions
- Is Cart Reserve or HoldCart cheaper?
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $25/month for Cart Reserve and $19.99/month for HoldCart. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- Which has better reviews, Cart Reserve or HoldCart?
- On the Shopify App Store: Cart Reserve 5.0 from 4 reviews and HoldCart 5.0 from 3 reviews.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- Cart Reserve lists 13 the others don’t mention, such as AI optimization, AI-powered detection, Analytics, Blocklists. A feature missing from a listing may still be supported; this compares what each App Store listing says.
- Where does this comparison’s data come from?
- Shoplist crawls Shopify storefronts to detect which apps each store runs, and reads each app’s Shopify App Store listing for reviews, pricing, features and integrations. Store counts are as of Oct 14, 2026 for Cart Reserve, Oct 29, 2026 for HoldCart; estimated figures are labeled.
How Shoplist compares apps
Store counts come from Shoplist’s crawl of Shopify storefronts, which detects the apps each store runs; they are as of Oct 14, 2026 for Cart Reserve, Oct 29, 2026 for HoldCart. Reviews, ratings, plans, features and integrations come from each app’s Shopify App Store listing. 28-day figures are labeled when estimated, and a figure that is missing or estimated never decides who leads. Read the methodology.