warebyhotplate vs square online for a home bakery
two popular ways home bakers take orders, compared: who pays the fees, how drops and preorders work, and which fits a market stand.
both cost $0 a month to start, but the fees land on different people. on hotplate, your customer pays 5% of the subtotal plus 55¢ ($2.30 on a $35 order) and you pay 2.9% + 30¢. on square online’s free plan, you pay 3.3% + 30¢ ($1.46) and your customer pays nothing extra. hotplate is built around drops and texts to your followers. square online ties into square’s card reader, which helps if you also sell at markets. neither brings you new customers.
which should you pick?
| if you… | start with | why |
|---|---|---|
| sell in drops and want followers texted each time | hotplate | built around preorder windows and texts |
| also sell at markets with a card reader | square online | online and market sales in one account |
| don’t want customers paying a fee on top | square online | no customer fee |
| want new neighbors to find you | wareby | shoppers within 25 miles, no customer fee |
what does a $35 order cost on each?
| on a $35 order | hotplate | square online free |
|---|---|---|
| the customer pays | $37.30 | $35.00 |
| customer fee | $2.30 | $0 |
| card processing (you) | $1.32 | $1.46 |
| you keep | $33.68 | $33.54 |
we figured hotplate’s card processing on the $35 itself. on hotplate you can choose to cover part of the customer fee yourself. square’s plus plan ($49 a month) lowers its rate to 2.9% + 30¢.
which is better for drops and preorders?
hotplate. it’s built around drops: a menu with a preorder window, a text to followers, and pickup windows. square online has pickup windows on every plan, but retail preorders for a set date need plus at $49 a month.
can a cottage food baker use either?
yes, both take the order and payment, and you hand it over. in minnesota, the person who made cottage food (or their employee) has to deliver it, so hotplate’s third-party drivers (in a closed beta) and square’s courier option aren’t options there today. check your state’s rules.
questions people ask
is hotplate cheaper than square?
for you, about the same: you keep $33.68 on hotplate and $33.54 on square’s free plan on a $35 order. but on hotplate your customer pays $2.30 more.
does hotplate or square bring new customers?
no. hotplate says it’s not a consumer marketplace, and square online is your own site. both rely on customers you bring.
can i use both?
yes. some bakers use hotplate for drops and a square reader at markets.
sources
- hotplate help center: understanding hotplate’s pricing
- hotplate blog: what hotplate does
- hotplate help center: can i offer delivery?
- square: online store plans
- square: payment processing fees
- minnesota department of agriculture: cottage food law guidance
- minnesota statutes, section 28A.152
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
