Choosing tools
Home Baking Business App: What to Use to Take Orders and Get Paid
You will know what a home baking business app really costs you each month and which one fits how you already bake and sell.
On this page
- What a home baking business app should do for you
- The apps home bakers ask about most
- Bakesy
- Hotplate
- MyPorch
- Butterbase
- Nourysh, formerly Castiron
- What the fees really cost
- The point where an app pays for itself
- How to pick one without overthinking it
- Why many home bakers end up on Brevl
- What to check before you pay for anything
If you are running orders out of your texts and a notebook, you already know where it breaks. Someone asks for two dozen cupcakes for Saturday, you forget who paid a deposit, and you are writing names on the back of a receipt at 11pm. A home baking business app is meant to hold all of that in one place so you can bake instead of chase.
What to remember
- Free tiers are real, but small. MyPorch allows 10 orders a month and Butterbase allows 20.
- Once you are busy, the payment fee costs you more than the monthly price.
- The usual point where an app pays for itself is around five to eight orders a week.
- Brevl is $20 a month flat, takes no cut of your sales, and puts card payments through your own Stripe or Square account.
What a home baking business app should do for you
At the most basic level you want four things. A place where customers can see what you make and order it. A way to get paid without chasing people. A list of what you promised and when it is due. And something that works on your phone, because that is where you are when a customer texts.
Everything past that is extra. Do not pay for extra.
The apps home bakers ask about most
Bakesy
Bakesy handles orders and payments for home bakers. Its Secure Payments option costs 3.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. That fee sits on top of whatever monthly price you are on, so run your own order volume through it before you commit.
Hotplate
Hotplate takes 5% plus $0.55 per order, with 2.9% plus $0.30 added on top for card processing. Stack those together and a real slice of every order leaves your kitchen.
MyPorch
The free tier gives you 10 orders a month, a page where customers can order, labels, and Stripe checkout, and you can start without paying. Ten orders is a steady week for some home bakers and a single Saturday for others. Know which one you are.
Butterbase
The free tier allows 20 orders a month. That is a more forgiving starting point than MyPorch, and a fair way to test whether you even want to take orders this way.
Nourysh, formerly Castiron
Castiron was acquired in November 2024, rebranded as Nourysh, and shut down in late 2025. If you find a blog post recommending it, that post is out of date.
What the fees really cost
Square in person card payments cost 2.6% plus 15 cents. That is the low end. Bakesy Secure Payments sit at 3.9% plus $0.30. Hotplate is 5% plus $0.55 with 2.9% plus $0.30 on top.
Run one of your real orders through each number. Take a $75 custom cake. The gap between 2.6% and 5% is a couple of dollars, and over a month of steady orders that is a tank of gas.
The point where an app pays for itself
The usual threshold is around five to eight orders a week. Under that, a notebook and a payment app will honestly do. Over it, the admin starts eating your baking time, and paying for something that holds your orders together starts to make sense.
How to pick one without overthinking it
Count your real order volume
Look at your last four weeks, not your best week. Write down how many orders you actually filled.
Price your own order through each fee
Take your average order total and run it through Bakesy, Hotplate, and Square in person. See what is left.
Check it on your phone
Open the app on the phone you carry. If you cannot find today’s orders in a few taps, it will not get used.
Start on a free tier or a trial
MyPorch and Butterbase let you start. Brevl gives you 14 days free.
Why many home bakers end up on Brevl
Brevl is the alternative home bakers choose because it is easier to set up and it does not take a cut of what you sell. It is one flat $20 a month. Cards go through your own Stripe or Square account, and you can also take 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, so you are not stuck doing paperwork on a tiny screen.
It also handles the parts that eat your evenings. Recipes with real costing, ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner help you price and plan instead of guessing. We set it up with you and move your old shop over, including products, photos, reviews, and dates. A real person answers, usually within minutes.
If you want the side by side, read Brevl vs Bakesy. If you are already on something else and want to move, start with Switch.
What to check before you pay for anything
Read the fee page, not the homepage. Ask what happens when you pass the free order limit. Ask whether you can take your customer list with you if you leave. Ask if there is a contract.
If you are still comparing, these two are worth your time: Best App for Home Bakery and Best Software for a Home Bakery Business. And before you set prices inside any app, get your numbers straight with how to price your bakes.
The right app is the one you will actually open on a Tuesday afternoon. Pick the one that keeps your orders, your money, and your recipes in one place, then get back to baking.
Sources
App fees and card processing rates change. Check the current fee page on any app before you sign up.