Choosing tools
Cottage Bakery Website Builder: What to Compare Before You Pay
You will know what your cottage bakery site has to do, what to compare before you pay, and how to pick without losing a cut of every sale.
On this page
You bake, you sell, and most nights you are answering the same three messages: what do you have this week, how much is it, and where do I pick it up. A website takes those questions off your phone. This guide walks through what a cottage bakery site actually has to do, what to compare before you pay for a builder, and where Brevl fits.
What your cottage bakery site has to do
Before you look at any builder, write down the jobs your site has to do. Most home bakers need it to:
- Show what you bake this week, with your photos and your prices
- Take an order without a long back and forth
- Collect payment, including cards
- Tell people your pickup days, your delivery area, and any order cutoff
- Let you update it from the kitchen, not just from a desk
If a builder cannot do those five things, it does not matter how pretty the template is.
The kinds of builders you will run into
Most home bakers end up choosing between three rough groups.
A shop tool made for bakers. You add your bakes, set your prices, and take orders. These usually come with order lists, pickup dates, and payment built in.
A general website builder. You start with a blank page and build the bakery parts yourself. You get more freedom over how it looks, and more work to do.
Selling through a big marketplace or a social app. You are renting space on someone else’s site. You reach their shoppers, and you follow their rules.
Any of the three can work. What matters is which jobs from your list it covers, and what it costs you every month and every sale.
What to compare before you pay
Ask these questions about any builder you are considering, including ours:
- What is the monthly cost, and does it change as I sell more?
- Do they take a percentage of each sale on top of the monthly fee?
- Where does my money land, and how fast?
- Can I use my own web address, or do I get a name they own?
- Can I change my colors, photos, and layout?
- Does it work on a computer as well as my phone?
- What happens to my orders, photos, and reviews if I leave?
- How do I get help, and how long does a reply take?
Write the answers down next to each other. The lowest monthly price is often not the cheapest choice once a cut of sales is added in.
What to remember
- Start with the jobs your site must do, not with the design - Compare the full cost: monthly fee plus any cut of each sale - Check that your money goes to your own account - Check it works on a computer, not only on a phone - Ask what you can take with you if you switch later
A four step way to choose
Write your five jobs
List what your site must do. Orders, payment, pickup details, your photos, and editing from your phone are the usual five.
Price it out for a real month
Take a busy month for you and work out the total, the monthly fee plus any percentage taken from sales.
Try it with your own bakes
Put three real items in, with real prices and photos. You will learn more in twenty minutes than in an hour of reading.
Check the way out
Find out what happens to your orders, photos, and reviews if you ever leave. A shop you can take with you is worth more.
Where Brevl fits
If your list looks like the one above, Brevl is the one we would point you to. It is one flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales. You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Your shop is yours to customize, with your photos, your colors, and your own web address. It runs on a computer and on a phone, and it is a full desktop workspace rather than a phone only app, so you can set it up on a bigger screen and still take orders from the kitchen.
It also keeps your recipes with real costing, your ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner, so you can price a batch and plan your week in the same place you take orders. If you would rather not build it alone, we set it up with you, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
Comparing us with Bakesy? Bakesy Pricing: What It Costs and How It Compares goes through the numbers, and Brevl vs Bakesy puts the two side by side. When you are ready to move, Switch walks you through it step by step.
For more background, read Best Website Builder for a Bakery Business, Bakery Website Builder Free: What You Get and What to Check, and How to Make a Website to Sell Baked Goods.
Common questions
How much should a cottage bakery website cost?
It depends on the builder. Compare the monthly fee and any percentage taken from each sale, because a low monthly price plus a cut of sales can cost more than a flat fee. Brevl is one flat $20 a month with 0% commission.
Can I take card payments on my own site?
Yes, if the builder connects to a card processor. Brevl takes card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash.
Do I need a computer, or can I run it all from my phone?
A builder that works on both is easier. Brevl runs on a computer and on a phone, and it is a full desktop workspace rather than a phone only app, so you can set things up on a bigger screen and still take orders from the kitchen.
What happens to my orders and photos if I switch later?
Ask any builder before you sign up. Brevl can move your old shop over, including products, photos, reviews, and dates, and we set it up with you.
Is there a free trial?
Brevl has a 14 day free trial, and you do not need a card to start.