Wholesale comparison
Crate vs Pepper
Wholesale ordering you can price and start today, on Square, Clover or Shopify.
By the Crate teamUpdated
The short answer
- Crate publishes its price and lets you start today: $50/month for up to 20 active buyers, $80/month for up to 50, with a 14-day free trial and no card.
- Pepper prices each distributor after a demo and is built around food distributors' ERP systems.
- Crate starts from the Square, Clover or Shopify catalog you already keep.
Why pick Crate
- A price you can see before you talk to anyone. Crate Starter is $50/month, Growth $80/month and Plus $150/month. Pepper describes pay-for-performance pricing tailored to each distributor, and its pricing buttons lead to a demo request. Source
- Start on your own, this week. Sign up for a 14-day free trial with no credit card and connect your catalog yourself. Pepper assigns a dedicated implementation lead and says you can launch in a few weeks. Source
- Made for Square, Clover and Shopify sellers. Crate imports your Square, Clover or Shopify products and stock. Pepper's site describes integrations with distributor ERP systems and does not list Square, Clover or Shopify. Source
- Standing orders buyers manage themselves. On Growth, buyers set weekly, 14-day or 28-day orders and change, skip or pause them from their portal.
- Built for roasters. Set roast weekdays with an order cutoff banner, show the roast date on every order, and print a production sheet PDF that sums orders by SKU.
Where Pepper may still fit: if you are a food distributor with an ERP, an order desk and sales reps, and want AI capture of phoned, texted and emailed orders plus a sales CRM in one system.
What it costs at 10 and 50 accounts
| Accounts | Crate | Pepper |
|---|---|---|
| About 10 accounts | Starter: $50/month, 14-day free trial | Not published: pay-for-performance pricing, quoted after a demo. |
| About 50 accounts | Growth: $80/month, with standing orders and invoicing | Not published: pricing is tailored to each distributor. |
Crate and Pepper, side by side
| Topic | Crate | Pepper |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Published: Starter $50/month, Growth $80/month, Plus $150/month. | Not published. Pay-for-performance pricing tailored to each distributor; quotes come through a demo or sales call. Source |
| Who it is built for | Roasters, bakeries and independent brands selling wholesale to cafes, shops and restaurants. | Independent food distributors: broadline, produce, seafood, meat, JanSan, beverage and more. Source |
| Catalog source | Import products from Square, Clover or Shopify, or keep a standalone Crate catalog. QuickBooks Online for invoicing. | Says it integrates with 90+ ERP systems. Square, Clover and Shopify are not listed on its site. Source |
| Orders by email and text | The order inbox add-on turns incoming requests into orders you review before accepting. Contact Crate to enable it. | Order Agent captures orders from email, text, photo, PDF and voicemail for order desks and sales reps. Source |
| Buyer ordering | A branded portal with account prices, reorder, invoices and, on Growth, buyer-managed standing orders. | Storefront offers custom order guides with PAR levels, open invoices, saved payment methods and autopay. Source |
| Getting started | Self-serve signup with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. | Demo first, then a dedicated implementation lead; Pepper says launch takes a few weeks. Source 1 Source 2 |
Keep the catalog you already have
Crate brings in your Square, Clover or Shopify catalog, so there is no second product list. Invoice through Square, Shopify, QuickBooks Online or Crate.
Already on Pepper? Read the step-by-step switch guide.
Questions
- How much does Pepper cost?
- Pepper does not publish prices. Its pricing page describes pay-for-performance pricing tailored to each distributor and sends you to a demo or sales call for a quote.
- Is Crate a Pepper alternative for coffee roasters and food brands?
- Yes, when your products live in Square, Clover or Shopify. Crate gives buyers a branded portal with account prices from $50/month, plus roast-day cutoffs and production sheets. Pepper is built for food distributors running ERP systems.
- Does Pepper work with Square or Shopify?
- Pepper's site lists ERP integrations and does not mention Square, Clover or Shopify, so ask Pepper to show your catalog route. Crate imports products from all three.
Sources
Published by Crate from Pepper's published information, not a hands-on test. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.
- Pepper pricing
- Pepper platform, industries and integrations
- Pepper Order Agent
- Pepper Storefront
- Pepper implementation services
Other comparisons
See Crate with your catalog
Connect Square, Shopify or Clover, set each account's prices and send buyers their login. Plans start at $50/month.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.