Hotplate vs. Ovenbell.
A fee on every order, or one flat $19 a month.
See what your sales would cost. Then compare the tools behind them.
Start 30 days freeCancel anytime
Make it your month.
About 100 orders this month
Hotplate
$180/ month
5% + $0.55 per order
Ovenbell
$19/ month
Flat monthly subscription
Someone pays.
Every time.
Passing on a platform fee changes who pays it. The fee itself stays.
- 01
You pay. You keep less from the order.
- 02
They pay. Their checkout total goes up.
- 03
You split it. You both contribute.
What happens to a $25 order?
HotplateExample order
- Your products
- $25.00
- Buyer platform fee
- +$1.80
- Customer pays
- $26.80
You keep $25.00 before card fees
Ovenbell$19/month
- Your products
- $25.00
- Buyer platform fee
- $0.00
- Customer pays
- $25.00
You keep $25.00 before card fees
This month: you pay $0 and your customers pay $180 in Hotplate platform fees.
40%of US shoppers who left a checkout named extra costs like fees as a reason.
Extra fees give customers
one more reason to leave.
Higher checkout costs can discourage a purchase, and a platform fee is one more line at checkout. See the research Baymard Institute survey of US online shoppers, excluding those just browsing. General ecommerce research, not a measured result for either platform.
What you pay.
What you get.
An illustrative month
100 orders × $25 = $2,500 in sales| What you're comparing | Hotplate | Ovenbell |
|---|---|---|
| Total monthly platform costPaid by you and your customers, combined. | $180/ month5% of sales + $0.55 per order No monthly subscription | $19/ monthOne flat monthly plan No per-order platform fee |
| $161 less in platform fees each month. Across you and your customers. | ||
| Orders paid by cash, Venmo or Zelle | Platform fee still applies | No per-order platform fee. Record payments made outside Ovenbell. |
| Custom orders & deposits | Create a manual order and send a payment link | Requests, quotes & deposits. Track the remaining balance in one place. |
| Changes to confirmed orders | Seller edits the order; price differences are settled separately | Your customer approves the change before the confirmed order is updated. |
| Orders from conversations | Built-in customer inbox | Create orders and requests from email conversations. |
| Prep lists | Prep lists and order tickets | Preorders and custom orders in one bake plan. |
| Markets & pop-ups | Pop-up ordering and preorder pickups | Market plans, preorder pickups and recorded table sales. |
| Scheduled drops & pickups | Menus, item limits and pickup windows | Menus, item limits and pickup windows |
| Your own storefront | Branded online shop | Branded online shop |
Selected pricing and workflows from Hotplate's public documentation. Checked October 2, 2026. Sources: pricing, external payments, custom orders, order changes and product.
How Hotplate
fees add up.
Hotplate has no monthly subscription, but its standard online-order platform fee includes both a percentage and a fixed amount. On a $25 order, that works out to:
That's 7.2% of the item price, before card processing. Smaller orders carry a higher effective percentage because the fixed $0.55 stays the same. View Hotplate's pricing.
When does Ovenbell cost less?
The larger your average order, the sooner Hotplate's total platform fees pass Ovenbell's $19 monthly price.
| Average order | Orders in a month |
|---|---|
| $15 | 15 orders |
| $25 | 11 orders |
| $50 | 7 orders |
Calculated from 5% + $0.55 per order, using equal-value orders. Compares total platform charges across seller and customers, excluding payment processing. Below these volumes, Hotplate's platform fees are lower than $19.
The calculator estimates order count from monthly sales divided by average order value, then rounds the monthly fee estimate to cents. Actual charges can vary with individual order values and rounding.
A Hotplate alternative
for custom orders, too.
Custom order
Emma's birthday cake
Saturday, Oct 10
- Order total
- $120.00
- Deposit received
- $60.00
- Remaining balance
- $60.00
From request to booked.
Take a custom request, send a tailored quote and collect the deposit that books the order. Track the remaining balance, including payments you record yourself.
Saturday's bake plan
One morning. Every order.
Preorders and custom orders together
- Country sourdoughSaturday's drop
- 18
- Cookie boxesPreorders
- 12
- Emma's birthday cakeCustom order
- 1
One list of what to make.
Saturday’s sourdough drop and a custom birthday cake belong in the same plan. See the quantities together, so your week isn’t split between a preorder list and separate notes.
Order change · accepted
Emma's birthday cake
A little bigger for the celebration.
Change approved by Emma
Changes, agreed together.
A larger cake or a different pickup time starts as a proposal. The confirmed order stays in place until your customer accepts, so you both know which version to follow.
A few questions
before you choose.
Is Hotplate free to use?
Hotplate has no monthly subscription. Its standard online-order platform fee is 5% of the item subtotal plus $0.55 per order, with card processing charged separately. At 100 orders of $25 each, that’s $180 in platform fees. Ovenbell’s monthly plan is $19, with no per-order platform fee.
Who pays Hotplate’s fees?
Customers pay the platform fee by default. Sellers can absorb it or split it with customers. The allocation changes who pays, not the total fee. Our comparison counts the platform charges paid by you and your customers together, so the difference isn’t necessarily a saving on your own bill.
Are card processing fees included in the comparison?
No. Card processing is separate on both platforms. The calculator compares Hotplate’s standard online-order platform charges with Ovenbell’s $19 monthly subscription. Taxes and tips are also excluded. Check each provider’s payment terms for the processing charges that apply to your shop.
Does Hotplate charge a fee on cash or Venmo orders?
Yes. For orders taken through Hotplate and paid by cash, Venmo or Zelle, its platform fee still applies. Ovenbell adds no per-order platform fee to these orders. External payment services may have their own charges. Hotplate's external-payment guide explains how its fee is collected.
Can Ovenbell handle custom cake orders as well as drops?
Yes. Customers can send a custom request, you can send a quote and collect a deposit, and the remaining balance stays with the order. Preorders and custom orders appear in one bake plan. Ovenbell also keeps the confirmed details in place while a customer reviews a proposed change.
What if I only sell a few orders each month?
Hotplate can cost less in total platform charges at low volumes. At a $25 average order, 10 orders incur $18 in platform fees; 11 orders incur $19.80. Ovenbell stays at $19 per month. Use the calculator with your own average order and monthly sales.
What happens after Ovenbell’s free trial?
Your first 30 days are free. A card is required, and the monthly plan is $19 after the trial. Cancel before the trial ends and you won’t be charged. An annual plan is also available for $190, billed annually; this page compares the monthly plan.
Your next order.
Your own shop.
Cancel anytime