Disclosure: FoodOrderingSystem is one of the products compared here, so we are not a neutral party. We list every option under the same headings, take facts only from each vendor's own public pages (linked, checked 2026-10-11), and write "not published" where we could not find a number. If you spot something out of date, tell us through the contact page.
How we compared (and our disclosure)
An online ordering system for restaurants is software that lets guests order pickup or delivery from your website, a link, a QR code or your Google listing, and sends those orders to your kitchen. The category is crowded and most "best of" lists are written by vendors who rank their own product first. We have tried to do something more useful: compare how each option actually charges, who it is built for, and where it is limited, using only what each vendor states publicly.
We looked at nine established options plus ourselves: ChowNow, Owner.com, Menufy, Toast, Square, Wix Restaurants Orders, UpMenu, CloudWaitress and Olo. We read each vendor's own pricing or product page on 2026-10-11. We did not test the products with real orders, so we make no claims about how pleasant any of them are to use. We did not include a ranking, because the right choice depends on your POS, website, order volume and how much marketing help you want. The list is not exhaustive; many regional and specialist vendors exist.
Prices are the figures shown on the vendor's page for a new US customer unless noted, and they change. Treat the table as a starting point for questions, then confirm on the vendor's page and in a written quote.
Three ways ordering systems charge
Almost every price in this market falls into one or more of three buckets. Knowing which one you are looking at makes quotes comparable.
- Commission or per-order platform fee. A percentage of each order goes to the vendor. Marketplace delivery apps work this way. Among direct-ordering platforms, Owner.com's Flex plan states a 5% restaurant fee per order, and both Owner.com plans state that guests pay a 5% order support fee.
- Flat subscription. A fixed monthly fee, with the vendor saying it takes no per-order commission. ChowNow, Menufy, UpMenu and Owner.com's Flat Rate plan are examples. Subscriptions can still come with setup fees, contract terms or order caps, so read the details.
- Payment processing and add-on fees. Card processing is a separate cost with almost every system, and some vendors earn mainly through it. Square, for instance, publishes its online card rate by plan. Hardware, apps, printers and third-party delivery fees are further add-ons.
"Commission-free" therefore describes only one of the three buckets. A system can be commission-free and still cost more than a system with a small per-order fee, depending on your volume. Compare total monthly cost at your own order volume, not the headline price.
Comparison table
Figures are from each vendor's own page, checked 2026-10-11. "Not published" means we could not find the number on the page we read. Check the linked source before relying on any figure.
| Option | How it charges (as published) | Best for | Notable limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChowNow | Flat plans starting at $229 (Launch), $319 (Grow), $409 (Elevate) per month; page also shows $249 / $349 / $449 alongside. Additional fees: $119 to $499 setup, 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction, $99 annual Apple developer fee for the branded app. | Independent restaurants wanting ordering plus marketing, a branded app and Google/Yelp/Apple discovery. | Setup fee and per-transaction fee on top of the plan; higher tiers add marketing credits and contacts. | ChowNow pricing |
| Owner.com | Flexible: $249/month + 5% restaurant fee per order. Flat Rate: $499/month, no restaurant fees. Guests pay a 5% order support fee on both plans. Month-to-month. | Restaurants wanting a done-for-you website, app and marketing with no long-term contract. | Guest fee at checkout; Owner states you give up some control over how your presence looks. | Owner.com pricing |
| Menufy | $149/month on a 12-month agreement or $179/month month-to-month. States no per-order commissions. | Independents wanting website, ordering, loyalty and email/text marketing for one flat fee. | Chargeback protection is not available to restaurants using Clover POS. Card processing terms are not on the pricing page. | Menufy pricing |
| Toast (Online Ordering) | Toast states "No commissions. No hidden fees." and flat delivery fees. Online ordering plan prices not published on the pages we could read. | Restaurants already running Toast POS. | Toast says its services work only on approved Toast hardware, so ordering is tied to the POS. | Toast online ordering; Toast pricing |
| Square (Online ordering profile) | Available with any Square plan. Plans: Free $0, Plus $49, Premium $149 per location per month. Online card fee 3.3% + 30¢ (Free) or 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus, Premium). States no marketplace commissions. | Restaurants already on Square POS, or starting with minimal fixed cost. | Delivery partner (DSP) fees apply to Square-fulfilled delivery; ordering runs through a hosted ordering profile or Square Online site. | Square online ordering; Square pricing |
| Wix Restaurants Orders | App is free to install and described as commission-free. Wix says a paid site plan is needed to accept online payments; Core is $29/month billed annually (US). Payment processing fees apply separately. | Restaurants whose website is already built on Wix. | Works on a Wix site only; the app's own reviewers have asked for more modifier and pizza-builder options (3.4 average from 37 reviews at time of checking). | Wix Restaurants Orders; Wix premium plans |
| UpMenu | Modular flat fees per location per month: web ordering $49 (75 orders), $89 (210 orders) or $169 (unlimited); mobile app $49; marketplace integrations $9; extra orders over a cap $1.90 each. Online payments priced separately. Month-to-month, no setup fee. | Restaurants wanting to pick only the modules they need, including multi-location. | Order caps on lower tiers; each module adds cost; price is per location. | UpMenu pricing |
| CloudWaitress | Free plan limited to 100 orders and bookings per month; paid Standard and Enterprise plans (prices not visible on the page we read). Mobile apps: one-time build fee plus monthly service fee. States no contracts or additional fees beyond the plan. | Small operators who want to start free and have reseller/white-label options. | Free plan stops new orders at the cap; Windows PC or tablet is recommended for receipt printing. | CloudWaitress pricing |
| Olo | Not published. | Large multi-location restaurant brands (Olo cites 800+ brands). | Enterprise platform; likely not aimed at a single independent restaurant. | Olo |
| FoodOrderingSystem (us) | Quote-based; we do not publish prices. See our pricing page. | Restaurants wanting direct ordering from their website, link and QR codes, plus white-label options for agencies. | No published pricing; we are not a POS. We confirm integrations case by case rather than listing them. | Our features |
Each option in more detail
ChowNow
ChowNow's pricing page lists three tiers and says its customers can take unlimited commission-free orders from their website, branded app, ChowNow's marketplace app and discovery channels "with Profit Protector enabled". The tiers include a branded mobile app, an SEO-optimized website and a loyalty program, with marketing contact and credit allowances rising by tier. The page lists additional fees: a $119 to $499 setup fee, 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction, a $99 annual Apple developer fee for branded apps, $250 to $420 for a printer, and $7.98 per order for Flex Delivery. ChowNow also states its orders integrate with POS systems including Toast, Square, Revel and Clover. Source: ChowNow pricing, checked 2026-10-11.
Owner.com
Owner.com sells one platform: AI-optimized website, online ordering, a branded app, loyalty, marketing and a dedicated setup specialist, included on all plans. The Flexible plan is $249 per month plus a 5% restaurant fee per order; the Flat Rate plan is $499 per month with no restaurant fees and is described as best for restaurants at $5k+ per month in online sales. On both plans guests pay a 5% order support fee, and Owner states there are no long-term contracts. Owner's own page says that partnering means "giving up some control over how your digital presence looks and feels". Source: Owner.com pricing, checked 2026-10-11.
Menufy
Menufy publishes a single feature set at two prices: $149 per month on a 12-month agreement (which it says includes free equipment) or $179 per month month-to-month. It lists direct ordering on your own branded site, Google ordering and SEO, automated email and text marketing, loyalty and coupons, a dedicated success manager, chargeback protection and DoorDash Drive / Uber Direct for delivery, with no per-order commissions. Chargeback protection is not available for restaurants using Clover POS. Source: Menufy pricing, checked 2026-10-11.
Toast Online Ordering
Toast is a POS platform, and its online ordering is designed to work with it. Toast's page says "No commissions. No hidden fees.", offers delivery from your own site with a flat fee per order, and lists real-time menus, Order with Google, loyalty and push notifications through a branded app. A higher "embedded" tier puts ordering on your own domain with design templates and pixel tracking. We could not read any online ordering price on Toast's pages, and Toast's pricing FAQ states its services may only be used through devices Toast identifies as compatible, with services that may only be used on approved Toast hardware. Ask Toast for a written quote. Sources: Toast online ordering; Toast pricing, checked 2026-10-11. See our Toast alternative page.
Square online ordering
Square describes an online ordering profile you can launch with any Square plan, with menus synced from Square POS and orders flowing to your Square POS and kitchen printer or KDS. Square states you pay no marketplace commissions on orders placed on your profile. Square's pricing page shows Square Free at $0, Square Plus at $49 and Square Premium at $149 per location per month, with online card processing at 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. Delivery through Square's partners carries a separate delivery service provider fee. Sources: Square online ordering; Square pricing, checked 2026-10-11.
Wix Restaurants Orders
Wix's restaurant ordering is an app for Wix sites. The App Market listing says it takes pickup, delivery and dine-in orders, including QR code ordering, with a back office, live order tracking and a built-in CRM, and calls it commission-free and free to install. Wix says a free site can be built but accepting online payments requires a paid plan; its premium plans article lists Core at $29 per month billed annually. It only makes sense if your website is already on Wix. Sources: Wix Restaurants Orders; Wix premium plans, checked 2026-10-11.
UpMenu
UpMenu prices in modules per location per month: web ordering at $49, $89 or $169 depending on whether you need 75, 210 or unlimited orders, plus optional modules such as a branded mobile app ($49), marketplace integrations ($9), loyalty ($19) and reservations ($9). It states there is no contract or setup fee, a 7-day free trial with no credit card, and a free setup service. The module approach keeps the entry price low but means your real price depends on what you switch on. Source: UpMenu pricing, checked 2026-10-11.
CloudWaitress
CloudWaitress offers a free plan that works like a paid account but is capped at 100 orders and bookings per month; once reached, customers cannot start new orders. Paid Standard and Enterprise plans list unlimited orders and bookings, an online ordering website, promo codes and API access (we could not read the monthly prices on the page). Mobile apps are a one-time build fee plus monthly subscription, and a reseller or white-label program is offered. Source: CloudWaitress pricing, checked 2026-10-11.
Olo
Olo describes a unified platform for restaurant brands covering online ordering, payments, delivery, catering, loyalty and marketing, and says it is trusted by 800+ top restaurant brands. It does not publish pricing, and its positioning is enterprise. A single-location restaurant will likely find other options on this list a closer fit. Source: Olo, checked 2026-10-11.
FoodOrderingSystem
We provide online ordering from your own website, link and QR codes, pickup and delivery, menu management, promotions, kitchen printing and display and reporting, with white-label and partner options. We do not publish prices; request a quote and we give costs and terms in writing. We do not list POS integrations on our site that we cannot confirm, so tell us what you use and we will say plainly what is possible.
A worked cost illustration
To show why headline prices mislead, take an imaginary restaurant with 300 online orders a month averaging $25, so $7,500 in monthly online sales. Using only the published figures above, here is what the platform and card fees would add up to. This is an illustration, not a quote: it leaves out setup fees, hardware, taxes, tips, delivery fees and anything not published, and real card rates depend on the processor and card mix.
| Option | Arithmetic from published figures | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| Owner.com Flexible | $249 + 5% x $7,500 ($375) | $624 (guests also pay a 5% order support fee) |
| Owner.com Flat Rate | $499, no restaurant fees | $499 (guests also pay the 5% fee) |
| ChowNow Launch | $229 + 2.95% x $7,500 ($221.25) + $0.29 x 300 ($87) | $537.25, plus $119 to $499 one-time setup |
| Square Plus (one location) | $49 + 2.9% x $7,500 ($217.50) + $0.30 x 300 ($90) | $356.50 |
| Square Free | $0 + 3.3% x $7,500 ($247.50) + $0.30 x 300 ($90) | $337.50 |
| UpMenu | Unlimited web ordering tier ($169), since 300 orders exceeds the 210-order tier; payments priced separately | $169 plus payment fees |
| Menufy | $149 (12-month) or $179 (monthly); card terms not on pricing page | $149 to $179 plus card fees |
Two things stand out. First, flat monthly plans and per-order fees cross over as volume changes. At 60 orders a month (still $25 each), the same Square Free arithmetic gives $67.50, against Owner.com's $499 minimum; at a much higher volume the comparison can reverse. Second, whether a figure is a platform fee or a card fee matters less than the total, which is why you should ask every vendor for a one-page, all-in estimate at your volume. Toast, Olo and Wix are not in this table because we could not find comparable published figures.
What about GloriaFood?
GloriaFood was long the default free option and still ranks for many of these searches, but it is being discontinued and Oracle says it is no longer accepting sign-ups, so it is not an option for a new setup. The dates are not consistent between sources: GloriaFood's own site says end of life is April 30, 2027, while Oracle's food and beverage page says full end of service is scheduled for March 31, 2027. If you are on GloriaFood now, see our GloriaFood shutdown hub for a verified timeline and a migration checklist.
How to choose: a checklist
Work through these in order. Each one removes options quickly.
- Start with your POS and website. If you already run Square or Toast, price their ordering first, then ask whether a separate platform integrates with your POS. If your site is on Wix, Wix Restaurants Orders is an obvious candidate. If you have no site, favor vendors that include one.
- Pick your charging model for your volume. Estimate monthly online orders and average ticket, then compute total cost for each shortlisted vendor as in the table above, including card processing.
- Ask for every fee in writing. Setup, hardware, printer, app store accounts, per-order or per-transaction fees, guest-facing fees, delivery fees, extra locations and order caps.
- Check the contract. Month-to-month or 12 months? Cancellation notice? What happens to your menu, customer data and ordering link if you leave? Owner.com and UpMenu state month-to-month terms on their pages; Menufy's lower price needs a 12-month agreement.
- Confirm the order types you need. Pickup, delivery with your own drivers or a third-party courier, scheduled orders, catering and QR table ordering are not equally supported everywhere.
- Test the kitchen workflow. Place real test orders with your hardest modifiers, and check that a ticket prints or appears on a screen the way your line needs it.
- Look at discovery. Can guests order from your Google Business Profile? Some vendors list this explicitly (for example Order with Google at Toast, Square and Menufy's Google ordering).
- Check data portability. You should be able to export your menu, customer list and order history. If a vendor will not say how, treat that as a warning.
- Judge support, not just features. Who sets up your menu? Is there phone support during your busiest hours? Ask for a reference restaurant of your type.
- Run a short trial and switch links last. Only change the links on your website, Google profile and social bios once test orders work end to end.
Our longer guide, How to choose an online ordering system, expands on each step, and the compare hub lists other comparisons.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best online ordering system for restaurants?
There is no single best system. A restaurant already on Square or Toast POS may do best with that vendor's own ordering, a restaurant that wants a done-for-you website and marketing may prefer a flat-fee platform such as ChowNow, Owner.com or Menufy, and a restaurant with a Wix site may add Wix Restaurants Orders. Start from how you take orders today, then compare total monthly cost and contract terms.
Do online ordering systems charge commission?
Most of the direct-ordering platforms in this guide say they do not charge a marketplace-style commission on orders from your own website. But the picture is not uniform: Owner.com's Flex plan charges a 5% restaurant fee per order and guests pay a 5% order support fee on both of its plans, and every system that takes card payments has card processing fees. Always ask for the full list of fees in writing.
Is there a free online ordering system for restaurants?
Some options have no monthly fee, but not necessarily no cost. Square's online ordering profile is available on any Square plan including Square Free, with card processing fees applying. CloudWaitress lists a free plan limited to 100 orders and bookings per month. GloriaFood was free but is being discontinued and is closed to new sign-ups. Free tools usually trade monthly fees for processing fees, limits or add-on charges.
How much does online ordering cost per month?
Among published prices in this guide, monthly fees range from $0 (Square Free, plus processing fees) to $499 per month (Owner.com Flat Rate), with ChowNow starting at $229 per month and Menufy at $149 to $179 per month. Setup fees, hardware, card processing and per-order fees can change the total. Some vendors, such as Toast and Olo, do not publish prices in the pages we could read.
Should my online ordering system connect to my POS?
If you run a POS, ask whether orders flow into it automatically. Re-typing orders from a tablet into a POS causes mistakes. Square and Toast sell ordering that is part of their own POS. ChowNow's pricing page says its orders integrate with several POS systems including Toast, Square, Revel and Clover. Always test your exact POS with real orders before you sign.
Can I own my customer data and my ordering link?
Ask this directly. Several vendors in this guide say the restaurant keeps access to customer order data, but terms differ. Before signing, ask what you can export (menu, customers, orders), in what format, and what happens to your ordering link if you leave. The GloriaFood shutdown is a recent reminder of why this matters.
How long does it take to switch online ordering systems?
It depends on menu complexity and whether you need a new website. Owner.com says many restaurants can launch within a week, and UpMenu offers a free setup service. Allow time to rebuild modifiers, delivery zones and printer setup, run test orders, and then change every link on your website, Google Business Profile and social profiles.
Is FoodOrderingSystem on this list objective?
We are one of the options listed and we say so. We took prices and features from each vendor's own public pages on 2026-10-11, linked them, and left out anything we could not verify. Vendor pricing changes, so check the linked page before you decide.
Sources
All pages read on 2026-10-11 (checked 2026-10-11). Vendor prices and terms change, so confirm on the vendor's page.
- ChowNow pricing
- Owner.com pricing
- Menufy pricing
- Toast online ordering and Toast pricing
- Square online ordering and Square pricing
- Wix Restaurants Orders and Wix premium plans
- UpMenu pricing
- CloudWaitress pricing
- Olo
- gloriafood.com and oracle.com/food-beverage (GloriaFood status)
Written by the FoodOrderingSystem Team. Trademarks belong to their owners; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.