Chefry

Chefry vs Homegrown

A Homegrown alternative that is free, with 0% commission on plates.

Homegrown gives home cooks a clean $10/month storefront. Chefry gives you the storefront for free, keeps 0% commission on plate and menu orders, and adds a native iOS and Android app, marketplace discovery, catering, and daily payouts. Here is the honest comparison.

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The honest version

Homegrown is a solid, simple product. If all you want is a clean local-pickup storefront and you do not mind a flat monthly fee, it does that job well. We are not here to bash it.

But two things matter for most home cooks deciding where to sell. First, cost: Homegrown charges about $10 a month whether you sell anything or not. Chefry is free, with 0% commission on plates, so you pay nothing until you actually get paid, and it stays cheaper as you scale. Second, reach and room to grow: Chefry adds a native app with push notifications, a bigger marketplace, and the ability to take catering, private chef, and meal-prep orders from the same profile, so you are not boxed into cottage food alone.

Bottom line: if you want a free storefront that also gets you discovered, sends your buyers push notifications, and grows with you past cottage food, Chefry is the stronger fit. If you only ever want a basic pickup page and prefer a flat fee, Homegrown is fine.

Chefry vs Homegrown, side by side

FeatureChefryHomegrown
Cost before your first sale$0$10 to $12.50/mo (~$120+/yr)
Commission on plate & menu orders0% to you0% (flat monthly fee instead)
Monthly feeNoneRequired to stay live
Built-in payments & checkoutYesYes
Customer marketplace & discoveryMarketplace + app feedDirectory
Native iOS & Android appYesNo
Push notifications for dropsYesNo
Pre-orders & pickup windowsYesYes
Catering & private chef bookingsYesNo
Meal prep & multi-service from one profileYesNo
Daily, escrow-backed payoutsYesStandard
SMS & email blasts to your followersYesLimited

Chefry plate & menu orders are 0% commission to the seller. A 5% customer service fee and standard Stripe processing (2.9% + 30¢) apply. Service bookings carry a 15% commission. Homegrown pricing is its published flat monthly plan. Confirm current details on each platform before deciding. See Chefry pricing.

Where Chefry pulls ahead

Free, not $120+/year

No monthly fee and 0% commission on plates. You pay only a small customer-side fee and card processing when you make a sale, nothing before that.

A native app, not just a web page

Local buyers find and follow you in the Chefry app and get push notifications the moment you open a drop. A web directory cannot ping a phone.

More than cottage food

Add catering, private chef bookings, and meal prep from the same profile. When you outgrow shelf-stable items, you do not need a second platform.

Daily, escrow-backed payouts

Money for completed orders pays out daily, with instant-to-debit options, so your cash flow keeps up with your kitchen.

🏆 FOUNDING 100, 22 SPOTS LEFT

Free to start, and 0% for a year if you move now.

The first 100 chefs on Chefry become Founding Chefs and pay 0% commission on every order type for their first year, locked in. Only 22 founding spots left.

Claim a Founding SpotCompare all the platforms

Homegrown alternative, frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Homegrown?

Yes. Chefry is free to start with no monthly fee, while Homegrown runs about $10 per month ($12.50 month-to-month). On Chefry, plate and menu orders are 0% commission to the seller, so you keep the full sale price (a 5% customer-paid service fee and standard Stripe processing apply). That means $0 before your first sale, and it stays cheaper as you grow because there is no monthly subscription to renew.

What is the difference between Chefry and Homegrown?

Both give home food sellers a storefront with built-in payments, pickup scheduling, and a way to be discovered. The differences: Chefry is free (Homegrown is a flat monthly fee), Chefry has a native iOS and Android app with push notifications for your drops, and Chefry handles more than cottage food, you can add catering, private chef bookings, and meal prep from the same profile. Homegrown is a clean, simple storefront if a basic local pickup page is all you need.

Is Chefry cheaper than Homegrown?

For most sellers, yes. Homegrown charges a flat monthly fee whether you sell anything that month or not, roughly $120 or more per year. Chefry has no monthly fee and 0% commission on plates, so you only pay a small customer-side service fee and standard card processing when you actually make a sale. If you sell seasonally or are just starting, paying nothing until you earn is a real advantage.

Does Chefry have a marketplace like Homegrown?

Yes, and it goes further. Chefry has a public marketplace plus a native mobile app, so local buyers can find and follow you, and get push notifications when you open a new drop. Homegrown lists vendors in a web directory. Both help you get discovered, Chefry adds the app and notification reach on top.

Can I sell cottage food on Chefry?

Yes. Sell shelf-stable cottage foods (baked goods, jams, granola, candy, and similar) where your state allows them, the same items you would list on Homegrown. When you are ready to sell hot, made-to-order meals, Chefry also supports MEHKO, commissary, and caterer models, so one profile grows with you instead of needing a second platform.

Do I have to switch everything at once?

No. Setting up Chefry is free, so many sellers run it alongside their current setup, list a few items, share the link, and see how the marketplace and app perform before moving everything over. There is no monthly fee, so there is no cost to test it.

Related guides

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