Is ibakepro right for a cake decorator?
Yes, if every job is quoted individually, you take a deposit months before the event, and the same cake changes price depending on size, flavour, filling and how much work is on it. That is the exact shape ibakepro was built around, because it was built for a decorator.
No, if what you actually want is a design tool. ibakepro prices, quotes, schedules and tracks. The artwork stays yours.
Why a decorator is a different problem
A retail bakery sells the same scone a hundred times. You sell one thing once, priced from a conversation, delivered on a date that cannot move. Three parts of ibakepro exist because of that.
One quote, several options. A single quote can carry a 6 inch / 15 cm, an 8 inch / 20 cm and a 10 inch / 25 cm version at different prices. The customer opens the portal link, picks the one they want and pays the deposit against that option. No second quote, no version confusion.
A deposit now, the balance before the event. A payment schedule takes a percentage on the order date and sets the rest as "remaining", due a fixed number of days before the event date. Add a dessert table three weeks out and the deposit you already took does not move; the balance absorbs it. The mechanics are in how do I take a deposit.
Costs that follow the choices. Products are built from components, components from pantry items, so a flavour swap or a bigger tier changes the cost rather than changing nothing. Packaging is costed per fulfilment method, so the same cake costs differently to collect, deliver or post. Reference photos attach to the order, and custom fields carry the details that are specific to your work.
Allergens, because you will be asked
Tag an allergen once on the pantry item and it rolls up through components and products onto the order document, where contains, may contain and processed in each print as their own row. When a supplier reformulates, dependent products are flagged for review and the published declaration does not change until a person applies it. Full behaviour is in allergen tracking.
What to weigh up
Which setup fits
- You want design software. Concept image generation exists in the AI studio and is charged per use. The sketching, the cutting plan and the structural spec stay in your own hands.
- You need contracts signed. Policy acceptance is stamped on every order with a timestamp; formal e-signing lives in your document tool.
- You need to book consultations and tastings. Orders carry event dates; your consultation diary stays wherever you keep it.
- You take one or two orders a week and quote by message. ibakepro earns its setup time from a few orders a week upward: pantry first, then components, then products.
- You want your existing product list loaded from a file. Customers, orders, ingredients, supplies and expenses import from CSV, and imports only create, never update. The catalogue is built once in the product builder so pricing means something.
- You want a till at a market or shopfront. A walk-in sale is recorded in seconds today; the counter register arrives with Point of Sale.
- Your delivery run is the hard part. Ordinary delivery scheduling and fees are on every plan; route optimisation, drivers and proof of delivery are Business-plan features.
Which plan a decorator needs
Essentials covers a decorator working alone, up to 100 orders for the life of the account and one login. Growth is the step up: unlimited orders, two users, your own domain and the public shop with checkout if you want people ordering cupcakes without a conversation. Wholesale, drivers and integrations are Business, and most single-decorator studios never need them.
The numbers, and the costs that sit outside the subscription, are in what does bakery software cost. If you are still working out what to charge in the first place, start with pricing a custom cake.