Serban Ghenea mixed the track and Chris Gehringer did the audio mastering at Sterling Sound in New York.

In terms of music notation, "On Purpose" was composed using 44 common time in the key of D minor, with a moderately tempo of 100 beats per minute.

[4] Brittany Goldfield Rodrigues of Andpop said "The lead single off of the record hinted at more of an indie sounding Sabrina — matched with the same emotional lyrics and powerful vocals.

[7] It was supposed to include her Girl Meets World co-star Corey Fogelmanis, but his scenes didn't make the final cut.

[8] Carpenter performed the song on the Honda Stage at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles on August 25, 2016, along with other new music before the release of Evolution.