---
title: "Compatibility & Known Limitations"
description: "Where OrderRules rules are checked, where they're only counted, and the limits worth knowing before you rely on a rule — Shop Pay, headless, POS, subscriptions, draft orders, guests and more."
contentType: "docs"
locale: "en"
localized: true
source: "https://orderrules.com/docs/guides/compatibility-and-limitations"
slug: "guides/compatibility-and-limitations"
---
**OrderRules checks your rules at checkout with a Shopify validation Function, so they hold on Shop Pay, express checkouts and headless carts on every Shopify plan.** Some order sources skip checkout — POS, subscription renewals, orders created by other apps — so there rules are counted but not checked. This page lists where each applies and the limits worth knowing before you rely on a rule.

Last verified against the app and Shopify's documentation on September 26, 2026.

## Where rules are checked

| Where the order comes from | Rules checked? | Counts toward limits? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online store checkout | **Yes** | Yes | Any plan |
| Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Buy it now | **Yes** | Yes | Express checkouts run the same validation |
| Headless storefront (Storefront API cart and checkout) | **Yes** | Yes | Storefront widgets are theme extensions — show limits yourself |
| B2B company checkout | **Yes** | Yes | Rules apply like any logged-in buyer; OrderRules has no B2B-specific rules |
| Draft order paid through the invoice checkout | Shopify runs validation | Yes, once completed | Test your rule on a draft order before relying on it |
| Shopify POS | **No** | **Yes** | Shopify doesn't run checkout validation on POS |
| Subscription renewal orders | **No** | **Yes** | The first subscription checkout is checked; renewals aren't |
| Orders created by other apps or the Admin API | **No** | Yes | They don't go through checkout |
| Order edits after purchase | **No** | Not adjusted | Editing an order doesn't re-check rules or change counts |
| Pre-order and try-before-you-buy purchase options | **No** | Yes | Not supported by Shopify's validation |

Rules are checked at checkout, not when items are added to the cart. The storefront shows limits and full dates earlier, so most shoppers see them before they reach checkout.

## Plans and platforms

- **Any Shopify plan.** Checkout validation from a public app works on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus.
- **Shopify Plus** is needed only for the delivery date picker on the checkout page. Product- and cart-page pickers work on any plan.
- **Themes.** Storefront widgets install as theme app blocks and embeds on Online Store 2.0 themes. Some cart drawers need a selector set before the drawer picker appears.
- **Languages.** Storefront messages follow the shopper's language in 9 languages. Checkout block messages use your store's language.
- **Markets and currencies.** Rules apply the same way in every market; they can't be set per country or market.

## Per-customer limits

- **Customers must log in.** OrderRules identifies customers by their Shopify customer account. While customer limits are on, guest checkout is blocked — see [guest checkout blocking](/docs/guides/guest-checkout-blocking).
- **One rule for everyone.** Rules can't target customer tags or segments, and apply to B2B company buyers too.
- **History starts at install.** Orders placed before you set a rule don't count, except store-wide lifetime order and spend totals, which come from Shopify.
- **Spend caps are soft.** The order that crosses the cap goes through; the next one is blocked. Spend messages show "$" whatever your currency.
- **Cancellations release usage; refunds don't.** Cancel an order to give a customer their allowance back.

## Limits, caps and minimums

- **Caps are shared totals.** A daily or weekly cap on a product counts all shoppers together. There's no per-order maximum setting.
- **Minimums and step quantities are per product or variant.** There's no collection-wide or cart-value minimum — for a minimum order value, use Shopify's Checkout Blocks.
- **Daily caps by delivery date** work on products and variants (daily only). Collection caps count by order date.

## Delivery and pickup

- **Rules don't vary by address.** There's no postcode, zone or country scoping; OrderRules can't tell local delivery from shipping.
- **Pickup capacity is per time slot**, counted in orders. A location without slots has no pickup cap of its own.
- **Capacity is the same on every date.** To close a date, add a blackout.
- **On stores without Plus**, OrderRules can't check that the delivery method chosen at checkout matches the pickup chosen in the picker.
- **Very large setups.** If a store has an unusually large number of products with dated caps, the furthest-out dates may be trimmed from what checkout can see.
- **Carrier CSV exports** cover shipments only, up to 1,000 orders per export; pickup orders aren't included.

## Timing and accuracy

- **Near-simultaneous checkouts.** Validation reads a snapshot, not a lock, so two checkouts in the same second for a last place can both pass.
- **Counts update from Shopify's order notifications.** If Shopify is slow to send one, a count can briefly lag.
- **Periods reset in your store's timezone.** Rolling 30-day limits look back from the moment of checkout.

## Related

- [How Shopify checkout validation blocks orders](/blog/shopify-checkout-validation-functions-block-orders)
- [Shopify's native order limits vs OrderRules](/blog/shopify-native-order-limits-vs-orderrules)
- [Guest checkout blocking](/docs/guides/guest-checkout-blocking) · [Delivery date at checkout (Plus)](/docs/delivery/delivery-date-at-checkout)