The real choice is scope
Cottage CMS gives you a complete website layer around the storefront. Its Free plan already includes products, Square checkout, availability windows, forms, inventory basics, customer records, and drops. Pro adds the business layer: custom domains, pages, quotes, shipping, delivery, marketing, reports, and customer retention tools.
Confita keeps the scope tighter. It gives you a shop you can design, a product flow that collects custom details, private quote links, deposits, and drops without asking you to configure a full website platform first.
A complete website or a focused shop link
Both can give you a real storefront. The better fit depends on how much website and business infrastructure you want around the order flow.
| Confita | Cottage CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Create the shop free; Pro starts when ready to publish | $0 forever with a real starter storefront |
| Paid plan | $4.99/month or $39/year | Pro $20/month or $200/year |
| Future higher tier | one focused paid plan | Scale previewed at $37/month or $370/year from August 2026 |
| Platform fee | 0% added by Confita | Free Square checkout may include a small Cottage CMS service fee; Pro removes it |
| Payment processing | normal processor rates can apply | Square processing still applies |
| Storefront editor | themes, colors, covers, fonts, banners, stickers, entrance animations, and live preview | visual editor, templates, theme customization, hero options, and custom CSS on Scale |
| Custom domain | included with the paid plan | Pro and Scale |
| Custom pages and blog | focused storefront pages | Pro and Scale |
| Custom questions and image uploads | built into the product flow | Free custom forms and image questions |
| Private quotes and deposits | private quote link with deposit, instructions, and receipt upload | Pro quotes and order deposits |
| Drops and availability windows | drops, cutoffs, pickup windows, and capacity limits | Free preorders, drops, weekly schedules, and availability rules |
| Delivery and shipping | seller-managed order instructions | Pro delivery and shipping; Scale nationwide shipping preview |
| Customer marketing | order details and private status link | Pro chat, loyalty, newsletters, coupons, subscriptions, push, and text tools |
| Seller access | phone, tablet, or computer | mobile-optimized storefront and browser admin |
| English and Spanish storefronts | not listed publicly |
Cottage CMS pricing and feature details checked July 10, 2026. Its Scale plan is previewed for August 2026, and Free checkout may include a small Cottage CMS service fee while Square processing still applies. Confirm current plan terms before subscribing.
Different kinds of design control
Cottage CMS gives you more control over the whole website: custom pages, blog posts, templates, a custom domain, and custom CSS on its higher tier. That is useful when your bakery needs a full web presence and content system.
Confita gives you a more focused storefront editor: themes, colors, covers, fonts, banners, stickers, entrance animations, and live preview in the shop workflow. You can shape the customer-facing page without first building a larger site.
Both collect custom details. The handoff is different.
Cottage CMS Free includes custom forms and image questions, and Pro adds quotes and order deposits. It is a strong option if you want those tools inside a larger website and commerce system.
Confita keeps the handoff short: the product asks for the date, servings, flavors, allergies, and reference photo, then you send one private link with the quote, deposit, payment instructions, and receipt upload.
Where Cottage CMS genuinely wins
Cottage CMS is the better fit when the website itself is part of the business. Its Pro plan adds the pieces a growing seller may want around the storefront: custom domain, pages, blog, shipping, delivery, quotes, customer chat, loyalty, newsletters, reports, and repeat-customer tools.
The tradeoff is scope and price. Free is a strong starter plan, but the full website and growth layer costs $200/year or $20/month. Confita costs $39/year when you mainly need a branded storefront and a clear custom-order workflow.
Choose Cottage CMS if the full website is the point
Choose Cottage CMS if you want a complete website builder with a custom domain, pages, blog, shipping, customer marketing, quotes, reports, and room to add more tools over time.
- You want a full website, not only a shop link.
- A custom domain and blog matter to your growth plan.
- You need delivery, shipping, loyalty, newsletters, or customer chat.
- You are comfortable paying $200/year for the Pro layer when Free no longer fits.
- You want to build around Square checkout and its processing terms.
Choose Confita if the storefront and order flow are the point
Choose Confita if you want to publish a polished bakery storefront quickly, collect complete custom-order details, send quotes, take deposits, and run drops without paying for a full website platform.
- You want a focused shop editor with live preview.
- You need questions and reference photos before quoting.
- You want private quote links and deposits in the same workflow.
- You want to work from any phone, tablet, or computer.
- You prefer a fixed $4.99/month or $39/year price with 0% platform commission.
Keep comparing based on the work you do
Build the storefront before you pay for it
Create your products, customize the shop, add your questions, and send yourself a test order. Start Pro only when you are ready to publish.
Sources
Details were checked against public sources on July 10, 2026. Confirm current prices, policies, or provider instructions before relying on them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cottage CMS more expensive than Confita?
Cottage CMS Free costs $0 forever. Its Pro plan costs $20/month or $200/year. Confita costs $4.99/month or $39/year. Cottage CMS gives you a much broader website and business toolset, so compare the plan based on what you will actually use.
What is included in Cottage CMS Free?
Free includes a real storefront, physical products, Square checkout, availability windows, preorders and drops, product options, custom forms, image questions, realtime inventory basics, customer records, and email notifications. Free checkout may include a small Cottage CMS service fee, while Square processing still applies.
Which has the better storefront editor?
They solve different problems. Cottage CMS gives broader website control with pages, templates, a custom domain, and custom CSS on the higher tier. Confita gives more focused storefront control with themes, colors, covers, fonts, banners, stickers, entrance animations, and live preview in the shop workflow.
Does Cottage CMS support custom orders?
Yes. Cottage CMS lists custom forms and image questions on Free, then adds quotes and order deposits on Pro. Confita is a better fit if you want the questions, reference photo, private quote, deposit, and receipt upload to follow one focused customer path.
Does Cottage CMS charge a payment fee?
Square processing fees still apply. Cottage CMS says Free checkout may include a small Cottage CMS service fee, while Pro removes that service fee from Square checkout. Confita adds 0% platform commission, though normal processor rates can still apply.
Can I use Confita on any device?
Yes. Confita works from a phone, tablet, or computer for both sellers and customers. You can create the shop, edit its design, review requests, and send quotes from the browser.