Choosing tools
Hotplate vs Bakesy vs Simply Bread: A Fair Comparison for Home Bakers
You will know what is confirmed about each of the three, what to ask before you pay, and how to test them in a week.
On this page
Three names come up again and again when a home baker goes looking for something to take orders and get paid. One of them, Simply Bread, says plainly on its own site what its app does. The other two are quieter from the outside, and we would rather tell you that than fill a page with guesses.
What to remember
- What matters most is not the feature list. It is how you take cards, whether your shop looks like yours, and whether the thing works on the phone in your apron pocket and the laptop on the counter. - Simply Bread lists orders, payments, pickup or delivery scheduling, a shop with your own logo and colors, bake day scheduling, and a desktop version. - Ask Hotplate and Bakesy the same six questions before you pay for anything. - Brevl is one flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales, a 14 day free trial, and cards through your own Stripe or Square account.
What Simply Bread says about its own app
Simply Bread describes its app as the command center for a baking business, handling orders, payments, and pickup or delivery scheduling in one place. It says the app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play, and that a desktop web version is available at app.simplybread.com. It also says bakers can build a shop with their own logo and colors, and that the app includes scheduling bake days and reaching customers.
That is a solid, specific picture, and it tells you the company has thought about bakers who work from a phone at the counter and from a laptop at the kitchen table.
What we could not confirm about Hotplate and Bakesy
We do not have verified details for Hotplate or Bakesy to put beside the Simply Bread facts, and we will not invent them. What we can do is tell you what to look for, because these are the things that decide whether a busy Saturday goes smoothly or falls apart.
The questions that actually decide it
Ask each of the three the same things, and write the answers down.
- How do I get paid, and whose account does the money land in? If the answer is a card processor you do not control, ask what happens to your money if you ever leave.
- Do I get my own web address, or a page on someone else’s site? Your customers should be able to find you at an address you own.
- Does it work properly on a computer, or only on a phone? You will want to sit down and do a week of orders somewhere bigger than a screen in your hand.
- Can I change how my shop looks? Your photos, your colors, your name.
- Does a real person help me set up, and can my old products and photos come across?
- What does it cost each month, and does the company take a cut of each sale on top of that?
Where Brevl fits
This is the part where we tell you what we make, and you can weigh it against the answers you collect.
Brevl 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 own photos, your colors, and your own web address. It works on a computer and on a phone, as a full desktop workspace rather than a phone only app. We set it up with you and move your old shop over, products, photos, reviews, and dates included. There is a 14 day free trial, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
If you are weighing it against Bakesy specifically, our Brevl vs Bakesy page goes line by line. If you already sell somewhere and want your orders and customers moved across, start with Switch.
Test all three in a week
Write down what you actually sell
Before you open any of them, list your order types, how customers reach you now, and how you get paid. That list becomes the test.
Run one real order through each
Take a genuine order, send a payment link, and look at the confirmation the way your customer will, on a phone.
Open the shop on both screens
Add something to a cart on your laptop and again on your phone. If checkout is fiddly with a thumb, that is your answer.
Ask how setup and moving work
Ask each one directly whether a person helps you set up and whether your products and photos can come across. The answer tells you a lot.
A last word on choosing
None of these three is a bad choice for every baker. The right one is the one that fits how you already work: how you sell, how you get paid, and where you do your admin at nine at night. Test with a real order before you commit to a year, and read the fee page twice.
If you want a wider view before you decide, our roundup of the best app for a home bakery and the guide to a home baking business app cover more of the field. For a broader shortlist, see best software for a home bakery business.
Common questions
Which of the three is best for a home baker selling from home? It depends on how you take card payments, whether your shop can look like yours, and whether it works on both your phone and your laptop. Test each one with a real order before you pay for a year.
Does Simply Bread work on a computer? Yes. Simply Bread says a desktop web version of its app is available at app.simplybread.com.
Can I use Simply Bread on my phone? Yes. Simply Bread says its app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.
Can I customize my shop in Simply Bread? Simply Bread says the app lets bakers build a custom shop with their own logo and colors.
How much does Brevl cost? One flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales, and a 14 day free trial.