A fair alternative to Product Batch & Expiration Tracking for WooCommerce
If you’re searching for a product batch and expiration tracking alternative, you’ve probably landed on Product Batch & Expiration Tracking for WooCommerce — a premium extension by Web Industrial Solutions (Webis) sold on the WooCommerce.com Marketplace — and you’re weighing whether to buy it or look for something else. This page is a fair, factual comparison to help you decide, not a takedown.
The honest short version: the two plugins solve the same core problem — keeping expired or near-expired stock out of orders — but they’re sold differently. Product Batch & Expiration Tracking is sold as a paid annual subscription, with no free version advertised on its listing at the time of writing. Sellinor Product Expiration Dates gives you a free core and reserves batch/lot FEFO, automatic markdowns, and email digests for Pro. Below is what each does, where they overlap, and where they differ, so you can match the tool to your store.
What Product Batch & Expiration Tracking offers
Credit where it’s due — this is a capable extension. Per its official WooCommerce.com listing and documentation, it:
- Tracks batch numbers and expiration dates, with three modes: expiration only, batch only, or combined.
- Stores per-batch records (expiration date, quantity, batch number/ID, batch date, optional supplier) and uses batch date to determine which stock record depletes first.
- Generates an expiration report (with day-range filters such as 7–90 days) and a batch report in its settings dashboard.
- Sends configurable email alerts a set number of days before products expire.
- Automatically moves soon-to-expire products into a designated clearance category.
- Optionally displays expiration dates on product pages and includes batch/expiry data in invoice and order-notification emails.
- Lets you search orders by batch number and output batch/expiry info via the
[wpbet_batch_expiry]shortcode. - Supports per-variation tracking tables for variable products.
It’s sold as a paid annual subscription. At the time of writing, its WooCommerce.com listing shows $79 for a 1-year plan and a 2-year plan listed at $158 discounted to $126.40 (20% off), with no free version or trial advertised on that listing. Its stated minimum requirements are WordPress 5.2, WooCommerce 4.2.0, and PHP 7.0. For transparency: at the time of writing the listing shows a 1.6 out of 5 star average from 11 reviews on the WooCommerce.com Marketplace. Ratings, pricing, and listing details change over time — re-check the live listing, and confirm its current “tested up to” WordPress/WooCommerce compatibility against your store, before you decide.
What Sellinor Product Expiration Dates offers
Sellinor splits its features into a free core and a Pro add-on, so you can start at no cost and upgrade only if you need the advanced inventory features.
Free (from WordPress.org):
- Expiration dates on simple products and per variation. A dateless variation inherits the parent’s default date, and a variable product is only hidden or set out of stock once every variation has expired.
- Expiry actions — Hide from catalog (applied immediately on page load), Set out of stock (hourly check), Both, or Do nothing — with a configurable days-before threshold.
- Immediate cart & checkout protection whenever an action is enabled: an expired item can’t be added to the cart, and one that expires while in a cart is removed at checkout with a notice.
- A configurable storefront date display (label text, display threshold) plus an
[edfw_expiration_date]shortcode. - A sortable, color-coded Expiration column with filtering, quick/bulk edit, and a dashboard widget.
- An Overview report with a calendar, value-at-risk, stat cards, and expiring/expired tabs.
- CSV import/export (matched by product ID or SKU) and a 90-day activity log. HPOS-compatible; dates are stored as standard product metadata.
Pro (from sellinor.dev):
- Batch & lot tracking with FEFO — per-batch lot, expiry, and quantity; the earliest-expiring batch is deducted first; the exact lot is recorded on the order and customer email; refunds return stock to the correct batch.
- Automatic tiered expiry discounts plus an “Expiring soon” badge. One caveat worth stating plainly: these dynamic discounts do not populate WooCommerce’s native On Sale block or
[sale_products]shortcode, because they apply through price filters rather than writing a sale price. - Scheduled expiring-products email digests (daily, weekly, or monthly).
- Native WooCommerce CSV importer/exporter integration, and batch details in orders and emails.
See the batch tracking and automatic discounts docs for the full behavior.
Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | Product Batch & Expiration Tracking | Sellinor Product Expiration Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Not advertised on its WooCommerce.com listing | Yes (WordPress.org) |
| Pricing model | Paid annual subscription ($79/yr at time of writing) | Free core; Pro add-on for advanced features |
| Expiration dates on products | Yes | Yes (free) |
| Per-variation tracking | Yes (per-variation tables) | Yes (free) |
| Batch / lot records | Yes | Yes (Pro) |
| Stock depletion order | By batch date (per its listing/docs) | FEFO — earliest expiry first (Pro) |
| Pre-expiry email alerts | Yes | Yes — scheduled digests (Pro) |
| Automatic markdowns on expiring stock | Not described on its listing | Yes — tiered discounts + badge (Pro) |
| Clearance-category automation | Yes | Not offered |
| Expiry/batch data in customer emails | Yes | Yes (Pro) |
| Expiration report / dashboard | Yes (expiration + batch reports) | Yes — Overview with value-at-risk (free) |
| CSV import/export | Not described on its listing | Yes (free); WooCommerce CSV integration (Pro) |
| Marketplace rating (at time of writing) | 1.6 / 5 from 11 reviews on WooCommerce.com | See WordPress.org listing |
Each cell reflects each plugin’s own documentation or listing, or a neutral “not described” where a capability isn’t mentioned. Where Product Batch & Expiration Tracking has something Sellinor doesn’t — notably clearance-category automation — the table says so.
Which should you choose?
There’s no single right answer. Product Batch & Expiration Tracking is worth a look if its clearance-category automation, batch-number order search, or combined batch+expiry modes map to your workflow and you’re comfortable buying a paid subscription up front. Sellinor suits you if you’d rather install a free core first, confirm dates, expiry actions, cart protection, and reports fit your store, and only pay for Pro when you need FEFO batch rotation, automatic expiry markdowns, or scheduled email digests.
Whichever way you lean, check each plugin’s current listing for live pricing, ratings, and stated compatibility with your WordPress and WooCommerce versions before committing. If the free-core route fits, you can start with Sellinor’s free plugin and add Pro later.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good product batch and expiration tracking alternative for WooCommerce?
If you want to start without paying, Sellinor Product Expiration Dates is a free-core alternative: it adds per-product and per-variation expiration dates, automatic hide or out-of-stock actions, immediate cart and checkout protection, an Overview report with value-at-risk, and CSV import/export at no cost. Batch and lot tracking with FEFO, automatic expiry markdowns, and scheduled email digests are available in its Pro tier. Product Batch & Expiration Tracking for WooCommerce, by contrast, is sold as a paid annual subscription on its WooCommerce.com listing, with no free version advertised on that listing at the time of writing.
Does the alternative support batch and lot tracking with FEFO?
Yes, in Sellinor's Pro tier. You record multiple batches per product, each with its own lot reference, expiration date, and quantity. When an order comes in, the plugin deducts from the earliest-expiring batch first (FEFO), records the exact lot on the order and the customer's email, and returns stock to the correct batch on refunds. Both Sellinor Pro and Product Batch & Expiration Tracking deplete stock batch-by-batch; per its listing and documentation, Product Batch & Expiration Tracking uses batch date to determine which stock record depletes first, rather than earliest expiry.
Is there a free version of either plugin?
Sellinor Product Expiration Dates has a free version on WordPress.org that covers dates, expiry actions, cart protection, reports, and CSV. According to its WooCommerce.com listing at the time of writing, Product Batch & Expiration Tracking for WooCommerce is sold as a paid annual subscription, with no free version or trial advertised on that listing. Ratings, pricing, and listing details change, so re-check the live listing before deciding.
What does Product Batch & Expiration Tracking do that's worth knowing?
Per its official WooCommerce.com listing and documentation, it offers three modes (expiration only, batch only, or combined), per-batch records with batch number, batch date, quantity, expiration date, and optional supplier, an expiration report and a batch report, configurable pre-expiry email alerts, automatic moving of soon-to-expire products into a designated clearance category, optional on-page expiration dates, order search by batch number, a [wpbet_batch_expiry] shortcode, batch/expiry data in invoice and order emails, and per-variation tracking tables. Weigh these documented capabilities against what your store actually needs.
Can the alternative send email alerts before products expire?
Yes, in Sellinor's Pro tier. You configure recipients, a days-before threshold, and a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule, and the plugin sends a single digest listing products expiring within your window (it skips runs where nothing is due, so you don't get empty emails). Per its listing, Product Batch & Expiration Tracking also sends configurable email alerts a set number of days before products expire. So both cover pre-expiry email, with different delivery models.
Why would I switch from a paid-only extension to a free-core plugin?
The main reasons are cost and the ability to evaluate before committing. With Sellinor you can install the free core, confirm the dates, expiry actions, cart protection, and reports fit your store, and only pay for Pro if you need batch FEFO, automatic markdowns, or email digests. A paid-only extension asks you to subscribe up front. Pick whichever matches how you prefer to buy — and check each plugin's current listing and stated compatibility for your WordPress and WooCommerce versions.
Try the free core before you pay for batch tracking
Install Sellinor Product Expiration Dates free from WordPress.org to get dates, automatic hide/out-of-stock actions, cart protection, reports, and CSV. Add Pro for batch/lot FEFO, automatic expiry markdowns, and scheduled email digests when you need them.
See plans & download freeOr read the documentation.