warebywareby vs hotplate.
hotplate is a preorder app built around “drops” for chefs and home bakers. wareby is a marketplace where people within 25 miles find local makers. here’s what each costs you, what it costs your customers, and who brings them.
on this page
1at a glance2what each is3fees4new customers5drops and preorders6cottage food7using both8when hotplate wins9questions10sourceshotplate is an ordering tool for drops: you post a menu with a preorder window, your followers get a text, and they pick up in the window you set. it has no monthly fee. you pay card processing of 2.9% + 30¢, and by default your customer pays 5% of the subtotal plus 55¢, so a $35 order costs them $37.30. hotplate says it isn’t a marketplace, so customers come from your own following. wareby lists your shop for shoppers within 25 miles, with no fee on top for them: 10% plus 3% + 30¢ on the free plan, and less for founding shops.
wareby vs hotplate at a glance
| what we compared | wareby | hotplate |
|---|---|---|
| built for | local makers of all kinds: bakers, cooks, florists, potters, candle makers | chefs and bakers who sell in drops: pop-ups, micro-bakeries, home cooks |
| how new customers find you | shoppers within 25 miles find your shop on wareby, plus your own link | your own link. hotplate says it’s “not a consumer marketplace” |
| monthly fee | $0 on open. $29 or $79 for more tools | $0 |
| what you pay per order | 10% on open (8% or 6% on paid plans) + 3% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ card processing |
| what customers pay on top | nothing. no service fee | 5% of the subtotal + 55¢, unless you cover some of it |
| a $35 order | the customer pays $35. you keep $30.15 (free plan) or $31.55 (founding) | the customer pays $37.30. you keep about $33.68 |
| drops and preorders | pickup windows on every plan. preorders and subscriptions on loved | built around drops: preorder windows with a start and end time |
| telling your regulars | follow-ups by text or email on loved | followers get a text every time you post a menu |
| delivery | by you, inside the area you set | third-party drivers, in a closed beta that’s currently full |
| getting paid | every week | instant or next-day |
| who’s behind it | a small company in minneapolis | hotplate, a san francisco startup founded in 2020 |
marks the better side for local makers and shoppers. fees checked october 12, 2026.
what’s the difference between hotplate and wareby?
hotplate is an ordering tool built around drops. you post a menu with a preorder window, your followers get a text with a link, and they order and pick up in the windows you set. it’s good at that, and thousands of chefs and bakers use it.
hotplate is also clear about what it isn’t. in its own words: “we are not a consumer marketplace.” it doesn’t list you among other businesses for customers to browse, so your orders come from your instagram, your texts and your regulars.
wareby is a marketplace for verified local businesses. shoppers within 25 miles open wareby to find bakers, cooks and makers near them, then check out once across several shops.
what does hotplate cost, compared with wareby?
here’s the same $35 order on each, from hotplate’s pricing pages and wareby’s plans:
| on a $35 order | hotplate | wareby free | wareby founding |
|---|---|---|---|
| the customer pays | $37.30 | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| customer fee | $2.30 | $0 | $0 |
| sale fee | $0 | $3.50 | $2.10 |
| card processing | $1.32 | $1.35 | $1.35 |
| you keep | $33.68 | $30.15 | $31.55 |
on hotplate, most of the cost lands on your customer: by default they pay 5% of the subtotal plus 55¢, and you pay card processing of 2.9% + 30¢. you can choose to cover part of the customer fee yourself. hotplate doesn’t charge its fee on tips or tax. (we figured the card processing on the $35 itself.)
so per order, hotplate costs you less and costs your customer more. on wareby, the price on your menu is what your customer pays, plus sales tax and any delivery fee you set.
one more thing: if a customer pays you in cash, venmo or zelle for a hotplate order, hotplate takes its fee out of your payout.
on wareby’s loved plan, orders through your own shop link or qr code have no sale fee, just card processing. on that same $35 order, your customer pays $35 and you keep $33.65.
how do new customers find you?
on hotplate, through you. drops work best once you have a following: people who watch your instagram and want the text when you post.
on wareby, people within 25 miles who’ve never heard of you can find your shop in “new near you” and when they search for what you make. that’s what the sale fee pays for. your own link still works too, and on loved, orders through it have no sale fee.
which is better for drops and preorders?
hotplate, today. it’s built around them: preorder windows, pickup windows and a text to your followers each time you post a menu.
wareby has pickup windows on every plan, with a limit on how many orders fit in each. preorders, subscriptions and follow-ups to past customers by text or email come with the loved plan, which founding shops get free for their first year.
can you use hotplate or wareby for cottage food?
yes. both take the order and the payment, and you hand it over. in minnesota, the person who made cottage food (or their employee) has to be the one who delivers it, so third-party drivers aren’t an option for a home baker there today, on any app.
on wareby, food is always pickup or delivery by the shop, never a courier, so the rule is built in. more on cottage food and apps.
can you use hotplate and wareby at the same time?
yes. keep hotplate for drops to your followers, and use wareby so people nearby can find you between drops. wareby doesn’t ask you to sell only on wareby. looking at more options? here are other apps like hotplate.
when is hotplate the better pick?
hotplate is the better fit if:
- you already have a following that waits for your drops, and you want them texted every time you post
- you want the lowest cost to you on each order, with your customers paying the service fee
- you want your money fast: hotplate offers instant or next-day payouts
if you want new customers nearby to find you, and you’d rather your customers pay your menu price with no service fee on top, that’s what wareby is for.
questions people ask
how much does hotplate cost?
hotplate has no monthly fee. sellers pay card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ per order, and by default customers pay a fee of 5% of their subtotal plus 55¢. sellers can cover part of that fee themselves. hotplate doesn’t charge its fee on tips or tax.
is hotplate free for sellers?
there’s no monthly fee, setup cost or contract. sellers still pay card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on each order, and customers pay a service fee by default.
does hotplate help new customers find you?
not the way a marketplace does. hotplate says it’s “not a consumer marketplace” and doesn’t list you among other businesses to browse, so customers come through your own link. wareby lists your shop for shoppers within 25 miles.
is wareby cheaper than hotplate?
for you, usually not: on a $35 order you keep about $33.68 on hotplate and $30.15 on wareby’s free plan. for your customer, yes: they pay $37.30 on hotplate and $35 on wareby. founding shops on wareby keep $31.55, or $33.65 on orders through their own link.
can hotplate deliver my orders?
hotplate’s third-party delivery is in a closed beta and currently full, with the customer paying the delivery fee. in minnesota, cottage food has to be delivered by the person who made it or their employee, so home bakers there can’t use couriers today.
can i use hotplate and wareby at the same time?
yes. wareby doesn’t ask you to sell only on wareby.
sources
- hotplate: pricing
- hotplate help center: understanding hotplate’s pricing
- hotplate help center: why should i use hotplate?
- hotplate help center: can i offer delivery?
- hotplate blog: what hotplate does
- hotplate: how drops work
- y combinator: hotplate
- minnesota statutes 2024, section 28A.152
- minnesota department of agriculture: cottage food law guidance
- wareby: seller plans
we checked every fee and fact about hotplate on october 12, 2026, on its own pages where it has them. fees change, so check theirs before you decide. spot something out of date? email hello@shopwareby.com and we’ll fix it.
hotplate is a trademark of its owner. wareby isn’t affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by hotplate. the opinions here are ours.
we started tandoco, a small bakery in minneapolis, and sold under a blue tent at farmers markets before we built wareby. our story
