Frequently asked questions

Yes. CottageOps is free through 2026 — the full platform, no catch. State-compliant labels, your storefront, unlimited orders and menu items are all included. No per-order fees, no transaction cuts, no tiered upsell.

No. There's no card at signup and nothing is billed this year. Sign up with just your email, get your storefront live, and start taking orders.

In 2027 CottageOps becomes $19/month (or $190/year) — one flat plan, no tiers. Even then, you stay free until you pass about 12 orders; we only ask for a card once you cross that. It's a flat subscription with zero transaction fees: we never take a cut of your sales. We'll email you well before anything is billed, with the option to cancel.

Yes. There's nothing to cancel — it's free in 2026, so you aren't billed. When paid plans begin in 2027 you can cancel any time from your dashboard; cancellations stop the next charge and you keep access until the end of the period you've already paid for. See the refund policy for the full breakdown.

No. Zero transaction fees. Your buyers pay you directly — Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, or cash — and we never see the money or take a cut. The platform is free through 2026; in 2027 a flat subscription covers everything we do, never a slice of your sales.

Update cottage_state in your dashboard. The platform adapts: label disclosures change, revenue caps update, and any state-specific permit prompts appear. We cover all 50 states + DC, so whichever you move to, the rules are already wired in — for example, Texas is permit-free while California Class B requires a county permit.

There are no card-processing fees on your orders. Buyers pay you directly — Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, or cash — so order money never passes through CottageOps or Stripe, and there's nothing to take a percentage of. The only Stripe charge is your $19/month platform subscription, and that doesn't start until 2027 (CottageOps is free in 2026).

Yes. CSV import is built in and accepts the Castiron schema as of 2026-04-25. Upload your Castiron export and we auto-detect the columns; menu items, prices, and customer lists land in one click.

We're bootstrapped — no VC pressure to grow at all costs. If we ever wind down, we commit to 12 months' notice and a full CSV export of every baker's data (menu, customers, orders). We are not a marketplace. You own your customer list. All five of our promises are posted in writing at Our commitment.

Customers see your pickup window time, not your home address. The address only becomes visible after a customer has paid for a specific order. This is enforced at the API layer of the platform — not as a togglable setting — so a misconfiguration can't leak your address to the public storefront.

Depends on your state — and we cover all 50 states + DC, so the right answer surfaces automatically from your baker profile. Many states (for example Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, and California Class A) require no state permit; others (such as California Class B) do. CottageOps is software — we don't issue or substitute for permits. Check your state's cottage-food law before selling.

Allergens, the cottage-food disclosure required by your state, a batch number, and your baker info — all formatted to your state's rules and printable in 30 seconds. The platform regenerates the label whenever ingredients change so you don't ship out-of-date disclosures.

CottageOps is free through 2026. In 2027 it becomes a flat $19/month (or $190/year) for everyone — one plan, no tiers. If we ever change a price beyond that, you'll get at least 30 days' notice via email and a banner in your dashboard, with the option to cancel before any new price takes effect.

Most bakers are live within an hour. If you're importing from Castiron, the import takes a few minutes; the rest is a quick walk-through (label preview, pickup windows, first test order). The founder offers an optional 30-min onboarding call — book one if you'd like a guided setup.