SampleGuard ‑ Order Approval vs SweetRelease Pre‑orders
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Oct 13, 2026.
The short answer
- Only SampleGuard lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $129/month for SampleGuard and $29/month for SweetRelease Pre‑orders.
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: Core
- · Approval history and audit trail
- · Approve or reject sample orders
- · Automatic approved/rejected tags
- · Block fulfilment until approved
- · Secure one-click manager approvals
Premium
- · Advanced routing by requester or rules
- · Audit reporting and workflow insights
- · Custom request fields and capture forms
- · Multiple managers and approval teams
- · Reminder emails and escalation flows
- · ShipStation Integration
Basic Plan
- · Auto-detect & hold preorders
- · Keeps orders held reliably
- · Preorders can't ship early
- · Release queue with priority
- · Single & bulk release
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureSampleGuard stops selected orders from being fulfilled until they have been reviewed and approved. Create approval rules using order value, discount codes, customer tags, product tags, requester email and other criteria. Matching orders are held and routed to the right approver. Approvers can approve or reject orders in one click from secure emails, with every decision recorded in a clear audit trail.
SweetRelease gives you control over when preorders ship. When a customer preorders, the app automatically holds that order at a gated location that can't fulfill, so it can't ship early. Held orders appear in a queue where your team can set priority and release them to your live warehouse individually or in bulk.
- Automatically flag sample orders that require approval
- Block fulfilment until a manager approves the order
- Approve or reject orders using secure email links
- Manage approvals in a dedicated manager portal
- Automatically detects and holds preorders so they can't ship early
- See every held preorder in one place and set its priority
- Keeps preorders held reliably until you choose to release them
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 |  SampleGuard |  SweetRelease Pre‑orders |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | SampleGuard | SweetRelease Pre‑orders |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 5.0 ★ | Not published |
| App Store reviews | 4 | Not published |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | SampleGuard | SweetRelease Pre‑orders |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Not listed |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $129/month | $29/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Plans listed | 2 | 1 |
Listing
| Measure | SampleGuard | SweetRelease Pre‑orders |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #120(ahead) | #486 |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Feb 25, 2026 | Jul 10, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | GuardApps | ISC |
FAQ
SampleGuard and SweetRelease Pre‑orders: common questions
- Is SampleGuard or SweetRelease Pre‑orders cheaper?
- Only SampleGuard lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $129/month for SampleGuard and $29/month for SweetRelease Pre‑orders. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- 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 13, 2026; 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 13, 2026. 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.