Powder coating is not really an option.

Anodizing is much better. I could send off a batch for anodizing if everyone wanted to pay extra. Like machining, metal plating cost is focused mostly on setup. So anodizing 1 small plate or 10 small plates might not have a huge difference in overall price. When we have a healthy confirmed list of people, I can also tally how many would want to anodize and I would be able to give a quote based on that.