Compare GrownBy to the Competition
Compare GrownBy, the farmer-owned sales platform, with Local Line, Barn2Door, Square, Shopify, Farmigo, CSAware, and Farmhand on price and ownership.
Updated October 2026
The short answer: GrownBy is the only farm sales platform owned by the farmers who use it. You can start on a $0/month plan with no setup fee, your customers can choose to cover platform fees at checkout, and SNAP Online is free. For most direct-to-consumer farms, that makes GrownBy the lowest-cost option, and the only one where your fees build equity in a company you own.
We're not just built for farmers, we're owned by farmers.
GrownBy at a glance
Ownership: Farm Generations Cooperative. Farmer-sellers own 90% and employees own 10%. The board is majority controlled by farmer-members elected by other farmer-members.
Reach: 1,300+ farms selling across the US and Canada.
Pricing: $0/month to start. Paid plans from $30/month. No setup fees. Co-op members save 10% on every paid plan.
Fees: Online card payments are 2.75% + $0.20 with Fortis ($6/month) or 2.9% + $0.30 with Stripe. ACH is 1% (capped at $5). Online sales also carry a 2% co-op fee your customers can cover. No co-op fee on Register, cash, or offline payments.
SNAP: The first farm platform approved by the USDA for SNAP Online, free for farms, plus SNAP/EBT at your market stand with GrownBy Register.
Built for farm sales: CSA shares with deposits and installments, customizable CSA boxes, sell-by-weight meat and half or whole animals, pickup, delivery, and shipping, pick and pack lists, a wholesale marketplace, and GrownBy Register for in-person sales.
Built for CSAs of every size
GrownBy runs CSAs for everyone from backyard growers to farms serving more than 1,000 customers. Small CSAs start on a $50/month plan with no setup fee and customer-covered fees. Large CSAs get unlimited pickup sites, deposits and installments with automatic prorating, custom boxes matched to the harvest, a pickup sign-in app, and GrownBy Plus for CSA and wholesale on one inventory. Read how to choose CSA software.
GrownBy Register: SNAP/EBT at the stand
GrownBy Register is the first point of sale designed by and for farmers. It takes cards, SNAP/EBT, tap to pay, and cash on iOS and Android, costs one flat $50/month for unlimited markets, and shares inventory, customers, and farm credit with your online store and CSA. Paired with free SNAP Online, it lets SNAP shoppers buy from your farm at the stand and online. Read how to choose a POS for your farmers market or farm store.
How GrownBy compares
Platform | Who owns it | Monthly cost to start | Setup fee | Fee on sales | Full first-year cost at $50,000 in sales* | SNAP Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GrownBy | Farmers (co-op) | $0 ($50 for CSA) | None | 2% co-op fee, customers can cover | $3,187 in total fees; the farm's share is $2,187 if customers cover the 2% co-op fee | Yes, free |
Local Line | Venture-backed company | $87–$109 | None | None | $2,794 on Core; $3,570 on Premium (needed for CSA) | Not listed on pricing page |
Barn2Door | Venture-backed company | $119 (billed annually) | $399–$599 | None | $3,577 on Entrepreneur, including the setup fee | Not listed on pricing page |
Square | Public company (Block) | $0 | None | None | $1,950 on the free plan (in-person only; no CSA tools) | Not built for SNAP Online |
Shopify | Public company | $29–$39 | None | None with Shopify Payments | $2,218 on Basic (no CSA tools) | Not built for SNAP Online |
Farmigo | Owned by GrubMarket (venture-backed) | $150 minimum in delivery months | None | 2% of delivery revenue | About $3,550 ($150 monthly minimum plus processing) | Not listed on pricing page |
CSAware | Private company (LocalHarvest) | $100 minimum | Not published | 2% of delivery revenue | About $2,950 ($100 monthly minimum plus processing) | Yes |
Farmhand | Farmer-founded private company | $80–$200 | None | 3% service fee, customers can cover | $4,460 in total fees, the highest here; the farm's share drops to $960 only if customers pay a 7% surcharge | Yes, 4% processing |
*Full first-year cost for a CSA farm with $50,000 in online sales at $50 average orders, including the plan fee, any setup fee, card processing at each platform's published rate, and any platform fee. Where a platform lets customers cover fees, the total is the same no matter who pays it; the farm's share is what's left after customers pick up their part. GrownBy uses the $50/month CSA plan with Fortis processing (2.75% + $0.20 plus $6/month). Competitor pricing comes from their public pricing pages and published comparisons as of October 2026; check each company's site before you decide.
Read the detailed comparisons
Guides for choosing farm software
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest farm sales platform?
For most small and mid-sized farms, GrownBy. It has a $0 plan, no setup fee, and lets customers cover the 2% co-op fee. In 2024, 60% of GrownBy customers chose to cover all fees, which made GrownBy free for many farms beyond card processing.
Is GrownBy really owned by farmers?
Yes. GrownBy is run by Farm Generations Cooperative. Farmer-sellers own 90% of the cooperative and employees own 10%. Any farm selling on GrownBy can become a member-owner by purchasing a $250 share.
Which farm platform accepts SNAP online?
GrownBy was the first farm platform approved by the USDA for SNAP Online, and it's free for farms through our partner MarketLink. GrownBy Register also accepts SNAP/EBT in person at markets and farm stores.
When might another platform be a better fit?
If you need a full general-purpose ecommerce store that ships nationally, Shopify has a larger app ecosystem. If you want to sell to a mainline distributor or a national chain like Chipotle, Local Line is built for that supply chain and Chipotle is one of its investors. If you run a large multi-vendor food hub, Local Line and Local Food Marketplace both have vendor tools for that. For direct-to-consumer farms, CSAs, meat farms, and farmers market sellers, GrownBy is built for the way you sell.
Book a demo to see GrownBy with your own products.