vs. Buy Button

The Shopify Buy Button let you embed a purchase button on external websites that sent customers to checkout. Shopify deprecated the JavaScript Buy SDK in January 2025. Checkout Links solves the same problem differently — instead of embedding a button, you share a link. It works in more places, does more, and doesn’t break when Shopify updates something.

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Quick Summary

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Feature Comparison

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Distribution

Verdict: The Buy Button only worked as an embed on websites. Checkout Links works anywhere a URL works — email, SMS, social, QR codes, even printed flyers.

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Product Support

Verdict: Buy Button was one product at a time. Checkout Links handles bundles, collections, and complex product setups.

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Promotions & Discounts

Verdict: Buy Button had zero promotion support. Checkout Links auto-applies discounts, free gifts, and free shipping — including tiered promotions based on cart value.

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Analytics & Tracking

Verdict: Buy Button offered no tracking. Checkout Links gives you a full analytics dashboard with revenue, conversions, and campaign attribution.

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Automation

Verdict: Checkout Links can be scheduled for launches and sales, limited by usage, and integrated into Klaviyo flows and Shopify automations.

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Reliability

Verdict: Buy Button frequently broke with theme changes and was incompatible with most Shopify apps. Checkout Links uses standard Shopify APIs and has no theme dependency — links just work.

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What Buy Button Users Were Actually Doing

Most merchants used the Buy Button for one of these scenarios. Here’s how to do each with Checkout Links:

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“I want to sell from my blog or external site”

Buy Button: Embed a button that sends visitors to checkout. Checkout Links: Drop a link into your blog post or external page. When clicked, it adds the product to cart, applies any discount, and sends the customer to checkout. Works as a text link, a styled button, or an image link — your choice.

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”I want to send people directly to checkout from email”

Buy Button: Not supported. The embed didn’t work in email clients. Checkout Links: This is the core use case. Create a link, paste it in your email. Works in every email client. With Klaviyo integration, you can generate personalized links per customer.

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”I want a quick buy option for a specific product”

Buy Button: Embed on your own site for one product. Checkout Links: Create a link for the product. Share it anywhere — on-site, off-site, anywhere a URL works. Add a discount to make it irresistible.

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Migrating from Buy Button

If you were using the Buy Button, switching to Checkout Links is straightforward:

1. Create links for your products — Each Buy Button embed becomes a Checkout Link
2. Replace embeds with links — Swap the embed code for a link or styled button
3. Add promotions — Take advantage of auto-applied discounts (Buy Button couldn’t do this)
4. Set up tracking — Add UTM parameters to understand which placements drive sales

The biggest difference: you gain capabilities you never had. Analytics, scheduling, promotions, and multi-channel distribution weren’t possible with Buy Button. They’re standard with Checkout Links.

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Pricing

The Buy Button was free but limited and now dead. Checkout Links costs $15/month but does significantly more — and it’s actively maintained.

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Bottom Line

The Buy Button was a product of its time — a simple embed for a simpler era of e-commerce. Shopify deprecated it because the ecosystem outgrew it. Checkout Links picks up where Buy Button left off, but approaches the problem differently. Instead of embedding fragile JavaScript on external sites, you share a link. Links work in email, SMS, social, print — everywhere. And they come with the analytics, promotions, and automation that modern marketing requires. If you’re still looking for a Buy Button replacement, this is it.