Compare
Doughdate vs Square Online
At a glance
| Feature | Doughdate | Square Online |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Free | Free plan, or $49 or $149 a month per location |
| Fee on an online order | 4% + 30¢ paid by your customer, never more than $5.00, plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ on card orders, paid by you | 3.3% + 30¢ card fee on the Free plan, paid by you |
| Cash orders | Same customer fee | No fee |
| Card payments online | Yes, through your own Stripe account, paid when the customer orders | Yes |
| Card reader and in-person sales | No | Yes |
| Shipping | No | Yes |
| Text messages | No. Email only | Text marketing on paid plans |
| Pickup and local delivery | Yes, with ZIP-code areas and a minimum | Yes, with delivery times and order minimums |
Fees on a $33 order
The two charge in different ways, so who pays matters as much as how much.
- Square Free, paid by card online: the card fee is 3.3% plus 30¢, about $1.39. It comes out of your $33.00.
- Square Plus, paid by card online: 2.9% plus 30¢, about $1.26, plus $49 a month for the plan.
- Square, paid in cash: no fee.
- Doughdate: your customer pays a $1.62 service fee on top, whatever way they pay. On cash and Zelle orders you keep the full $33.00. On card orders, Stripe takes its standard 2.9% plus 30¢, the same rate as Square Plus, with no monthly plan.
Doughdate charges no fee on orders you enter yourself, cancelled orders or no-shows. Bakers who join with early access get 60 days with no service fee.
Capacity and overselling
Square Online lets you set ordering windows, prep time, how far ahead customers can order, and how many pickups can happen at once. That works well for a shop that makes food to order through the day.
A home baker’s limits look different. Doughdate counts:
- Fridge space, from the day you bake an item until the day it’s picked up.
- The most you can make of each product in a day, counted on the day you bake it.
- Orders per pickup time.
- Order notice, like “order by Thursday 6 PM for Friday pickup,” skipping the days you don’t bake, with an optional short-notice fee.
When a day is full, it closes on its own and shows “Full.” Each day also gets a bake list that adds up every order by product and size.
Payments
Square is built around payments. Customers pay by card when they order, and you can take cards in person with a reader (Square’s hardware starts at $59). Doughdate takes cards online through your own Stripe account, and the money goes straight to you. Card orders are paid in full when the customer orders. You can also take cash or Zelle, paid at pickup or delivery. Doughdate doesn’t offer a card reader for in-person sales.
Your brand
Both let you build a shop with your own look. A Doughdate shop takes your colors, fonts, logo and photos, can use your own domain ($5 a month), and can show your menu on the website you already have. Customers order in their browser with no app and no account, and confirm their email with a 6-digit code that works inside Instagram’s browser.
When Square is the better choice
- You sell at markets or a storefront and need a card reader.
- You ship your baked goods.
- You already run your business on Square and want one system.
When Doughdate is the better choice
- You bake to order for set pickup days, and want to take cards, cash, Zelle or any mix.
- Your fridge and oven are the limit, and you want the calendar to close when you’re full.
- You want a bake list for each day that adds up every order by product and size.
- You want the standard 2.9% plus 30¢ card rate without paying for a monthly plan.
Last checked November 2, 2026. Prices from each company’s own pages: Square Online plans, Square pricing and Set up pickup options for your online store.
Get early access
Sign up now and your first 60 days have no service fee.