warebycastiron alternatives: where home bakers went next
castiron was a favorite of home bakers. here’s what happened to it, and the apps bakers use now.
castiron, an online shop builder popular with home bakers, was acquired by t.d. jakes enterprises in late 2024, and its old web address no longer runs a platform for bakers. the closest alternatives: wareby (free to open, with shoppers within 25 miles finding you), hotplate (free for sellers, built for drops), square online’s free plan, and bakesy ($9.99 a month, built for custom cake orders).
what happened to castiron?
castiron let home bakers and makers build an online shop with pickup and preorders. afrotech reported in december 2024 that t.d. jakes enterprises had acquired it. today castiron’s old web address no longer runs a platform for bakers.
the best castiron alternatives, compared
ordered from most like castiron to least. we make wareby, so weigh our take on it with that in mind.
wareby
best for: home bakers and cooks who want new local customers, not just followers
- what it costs
- free to open. 10% + 3% + 30¢ a sale. no fee for customers
- who finds you
- shoppers within 25 miles, plus your own link
wareby vs hotplatewhat’s good- pickup windows with a cap on orders in each, and your own delivery area
- built for cottage food: a real person checks your food permit
- preorders, subscriptions and texts to past customers on loved
watch out for- you pay more per order than on hotplate, and your customers pay less
- no text to all your followers on the free plan
hotplate
best for: chefs and bakers who sell in drops to a following they already have
- what it costs
- $0 a month. you pay 2.9% + 30¢, customers pay 5% + 55¢
- who finds you
- your own followers, through your link
wareby vs hotplatewhat’s good- built around preorder windows and pickup times
- followers get a text every time you post a menu
- instant or next-day payouts
watch out for- not a marketplace: it won’t bring you new customers
- customers pay a service fee on every order by default
square online
best for: market vendors and cafes who already use a square card reader
- what it costs
- free plan: 3.3% + 30¢ a sale. plus: $49 a month
- who finds you
- people you send to your site
wareby vs square onlinewhat’s good- a real free plan, with pickup and local delivery
- online and in-person sales in one account
watch out for- the free plan shows square’s branding and can’t use your own domain
- retail preorders need plus, at $49 a month
bakesy
best for: custom cake and cookie orders
- what it costs
- $9.99 a month, or $17.99 for premium. 30 days free
- what it is
- a shop and order form for custom bakers
what’s good- made for custom orders: your bakesy shop works as your website and order form
watch out for- a monthly fee after the free month
questions people ask
did castiron shut down?
castiron was acquired in late 2024, and its old web address no longer runs a platform for bakers.
what’s the best castiron alternative for a home bakery?
wareby if you want neighbors to find you with pickup windows and no customer fees, hotplate for drops to followers, and bakesy for custom cake orders.
sources
- afrotech: t.d. jakes enterprises acquires castiron (2024)
- hotplate help center: understanding hotplate’s pricing
- hotplate blog: what hotplate does
- square: online store plans
- bakesy: pricing
- wareby: seller plans
we checked every fee and fact about other companies on october 12, 2026, on their own pages. fees change, so check theirs before you decide. spot something out of date? email hello@shopwareby.com and we’ll fix it.
etsy, amazon handmade, ebay, shopify, square online, wix, squarespace, big cartel, hotplate, bakesy, castiron, instagram, facebook marketplace, nextdoor, doordash, uber eats and grubhub are trademarks of their owners. wareby isn’t affiliated with any of them, and we make wareby, so weigh our opinions with that in mind.
we started tandoco, a small bakery in minneapolis, and sold under a blue tent at farmers markets before we built wareby. our story
