Here’s a detailed comparison between the Free and Pro versions of the Discontinued Product Stock Status plugin, helping you decide which version is the right fit for your WooCommerce store. The Pro version unlocks advanced features such as product alternatives, expanded compatibility, and powerful styling controls that improve customer experience and streamline product management. Feature Comparison Table:

	Features	Free	Pro
1.	Supports Product Level Messages	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
2.	Supports Global Level Messages	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
3.	Works on Category, Archive & Shop Pages	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
4.	Supports WooCommerce’s Default Product Types: Simple, Variable, Grouped	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
5.	Product Alternatives: Show up to 4 product alternatives for the Discontinued Product.	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#FF0000" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-close" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
6.	Global Styling Options: Options to style the Global Discontinued Product Message	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#FF0000" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-close" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
7.	Compatible with WooCommerce Subscriptions: Works with Simple & Variable Subscription Product types	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#FF0000" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-close" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]
8.	Compatible with WooCommerce Product Bundles: Works with Product Bundle Product type.	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#FF0000" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-close" icon_size="26"]	[nectar_icon icon_family="fontawesome" icon_style="default" icon_color_type="custom" icon_color_custom="#1fbda5" icon_padding="5px" pointer_events="all" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-check" icon_size="26"]

If you’re not ready to upgrade yet, you can download the Free Version from here: Discontinued Product Stock Status for WooCommerce You can also explore all premium features in action by viewing the Pro Demo here: DPSSW demo

Can this plugin handle variations of a product? Absolutely! The plugin fully supports simple products as well as variable products with multiple variations. You can easily mark any variation—or the entire variable product—as Discontinued. This ensures your store catalog stays clean and accurate, without them appearing as regular out-of-stock items. This gives you complete flexibility to manage discontinued items at both the product level and variation level. For more details, refer to this article: Setting a Product as Discontinued to learn how to discontinue products of various types.

Actually, setting a product as discontinued strengthens your SEO presence rather than limiting it. With our plugin, the product page continues to stay active and visible to search engines, allowing it to retain its ranking and ongoing traffic. By keeping the page live with clear, informative messaging, visitors arriving through search can easily understand the product’s status and discover recommended alternatives. This helps maintain engagement, encourages conversions, and preserves the value of existing search visibility. Your SEO performance continues smoothly, while discontinued products still contribute meaningfully to customer journeys and overall store traffic. To learn more about customization options, refer to Customization Options for Discontinued Products Message, and to set alternative products, refer to Configure Alternative Products.

Yes! Our plugin provides a seamless way to automate the process, allowing a product to transition to Discontinued as soon as its stock reaches zero. This ensures your store catalog remains accurate without requiring manual updates. Within the Product Data metabox on the product edit page, navigate to the Inventory tab. When “Track stock quantity” is enabled, you’ll see the option: “Mark this entire product as ‘Discontinued’ once its stock becomes zero.” Enabling this setting allows your products to update automatically, maintaining a smooth shopping experience for your customers and keeping your catalog up-to-date. For further guidance on this feature, refer to the article Setting a Product as Discontinued.

Our plugin makes it easy to guide shoppers toward suitable replacements by allowing you to display up to four alternative products directly on a WooCommerce discontinued product page. This ensures customers always have relevant options to explore, helping maintain engagement and encouraging conversions even when the original product is no longer available. The Discontinued Product Stock Status Pro for WooCommerce plugin includes a dedicated feature that lets store owners showcase substitute or related products whenever an item is marked as discontinued. This creates a smooth transition for customers and keeps the buying experience uninterrupted. You can configure these alternatives from: Product Edit Page → Product Data Metabox → Discontinued Products Tab This section allows you to search, select, and assign alternative products with just a few clicks, ensuring your catalog remains helpful and customer-focused. For more details on configuring alternatives, refer to the article Configure Alternative Products.

Definitely! The plugin allows you to set a global message for all discontinued products, ensuring consistent communication across your store. For a more personalized approach, you can also display product-specific discontinued messages by enabling the “Enable Product-Specific Discontinued Message” option in the global settings. Once this setting is active, you can add unique messages for individual products directly from the Product Edit page by opening the Discontinued Products tab in the Product Data Metabox. This allows each product or variation to have tailored messaging that enhances the customer experience and keeps your store presentation professional and informative. For more details on customizing messages, refer to the article Customization Options for Discontinued Products Message.

Can I use this plugin for downloadable and virtual products? Yes! The plugin supports all WooCommerce product types, including downloadable and virtual products, making it versatile across your entire catalog. Just like simple, variable, grouped, subscription, and bundled products, downloadable and virtual items can be marked as Discontinued, allowing you to manage your store consistently and efficiently. This ensures that every product type in your store can have accurate availability information, clear messaging, and the ability to guide customers toward alternatives when needed. For more details on managing discontinued products of various types, refer to the article Setting a Product as Discontinued.

By clearly communicating the discontinued status of products and highlighting suitable alternatives, you can keep customers engaged and guide them toward other options in your store. Displaying recommended products alongside discontinued items ensures that visitors continue exploring your catalog, increasing the likelihood of purchases and maintaining customer loyalty. This approach not only preserves sales opportunities but also creates a smoother, more professional shopping experience. Customers feel informed and valued when they are presented with alternatives instead of dead-end pages, which helps strengthen trust in your store and encourages repeat visits. By leveraging discontinued product messaging effectively, you can turn every product interaction into a chance to retain customers and boost overall engagement.