Choosing tools
Best Website Builder for an Online Bakery: What to Compare
A plain look at what three builders cost and which one fits a home baker who takes her own orders.
On this page
You already know how to bake. The hard part is the other half, the part where someone wants to buy six dozen cookies and you need a place to send them.
This guide compares three builders you will run into: Shopify, Squarespace, and Brevl. I am not going to tell you one is bad. They are built for different sellers, and the right one for you depends on how you take orders.
Start with how you sell, not with the builder
Before you open any pricing page, answer one question. Do you take orders yourself, or does a stranger buy a box of cookies off a shelf with no conversation?
If you take custom orders, quote prices, and hand things over at the door, you need a shop that holds your menu, your prices, and your payment link. You do not need a warehouse system.
If you ship nationwide and carry fifty products, you need more machinery. That is where Shopify and Squarespace earn their price.
What each option actually costs
Here is the plain pricing.
Shopify Basic is $29 a month on annual billing. Shopify Grow is $79 a month.
Squarespace Basic is $12 a month billed annually, or $19 month to month. Core is $17 a month billed annually, or $27 monthly. Advanced is $25 a month billed annually, or $36 monthly.
Brevl is one flat $20 a month, with no cut of your sales.
Where Brevl fits for a home baker
Brevl is the alternative home bakers choose, and here is the honest reason. It is easier to set up, and the shop is yours to customize with your photos, your colors, and your own web address.
You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Your money lands in your account.
It works on a computer and on a phone, so you can load photos at the kitchen table and take an order from the car line. There is a 14 day free trial. We set it up with you and move your old shop over, products, photos, reviews, and dates. A real person answers, usually within minutes.
If you want the side by side, see Brevl vs Bakesy and Switch.
How to choose in four steps
Write down how you sell
List whether you take custom orders, sell at markets, do porch pickup, or ship. This decides which builder fits before you look at any price.
Add up what a year really costs
Take the monthly price, check whether it is annual or month to month, and add any cut of your sales. Compare the yearly number, not the headline.
Test it on your phone
Open the builder on your phone and try to add a product and take an order. If it is painful on a phone, you will stop using it.
Check how you get paid
Confirm which payment methods work and whose account the money lands in. Your money should go to you, not sit with the builder.
Mistakes I see home bakers make
The first is paying for a plan built for shipping when you do porch pickup. You will spend your evenings learning settings you never use.
The second is picking a builder that only works well on a computer. You bake on your feet. If you cannot take an order from your phone, orders wait until tonight.
The third is not knowing your cost per batch before you set prices. That is a separate problem from the builder, and it costs more. Start with how to price your bakes.
The short version
Shopify and Squarespace are solid tools for sellers with big catalogs and shipping. Brevl is built for the home baker who takes her own orders, wants her own shop, and wants to keep every dollar of the sale.
If you are still narrowing it down, these two will help: best website builder for a micro bakery and home bakery website builder. If cost is the sticking point, read bakery website builder free first. And when you are ready to build, how to make a website to sell baked goods walks it through.
Try the free pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
What is the best website builder for an online bakery?
It depends on how you sell. If you bake from home and take orders yourself, a builder made for home bakers keeps your shop, your card payments, and your pricing in one place. If you run a large catalog with shipping, Shopify or Squarespace can work, but you will pay more each month and set up more of it yourself.
How much should I expect to pay each month?
Shopify Basic is $29 a month on annual billing and Shopify Grow is $79 a month. Squarespace Basic is $12 a month billed annually or $19 month to month, Core is $17 a month billed annually or $27 monthly, and Advanced is $25 a month billed annually or $36 monthly. Brevl is one flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales.
Do I need a computer to run my bakery shop?
You will want one for the setup work, like loading photos and writing your menu. After that, check that whatever you pick works well on a phone too, because most orders come in while you are out or in the kitchen. Brevl works on both.
Can I take card payments without a big setup?
Yes. Brevl takes card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. You keep your own payment account rather than paying a cut of every sale to the builder.
Sources
Prices change. Check each company's own pricing page before you sign up, and read the terms on annual plans before you commit.