Restaurant Online-Ordering Alternatives, Compared

The main restaurant online-ordering platforms fall into a few groups: POS-tied systems (Toast, Square, Clover), commission-free but subscription-based ordering (ChowNow, Restolabs), premium website platforms (BentoBox), and hosted order pages funded by a diner fee (Menufy). Almost all of them are something you rent monthly or pay per order. The alternative is a site you own outright for a one-time price.

Updated August 31, 2026

The landscape, by model

Platform	Model	Recurring cost
Toast	POS-tied online ordering	Monthly POS plan + hardware + online ordering add-on
Square	POS + free online store	Processing per order; features thin out
Clover	POS-tied, app-market add-ons	Monthly plans + hardware
Menufy	Hosted order page	~$1.75 diner fee per order
ChowNow	Commission-free ordering	$249-$449/mo + setup + per-order processing
BentoBox	Premium website platform	Premium monthly subscription
Restolabs	Commission-free ordering	$69-$199/mo, site/app extra
App2Food	Commission-free ordering	~$0.49 diner fee per order
Starvega	Owned site + ordering	One-time price, no platform fee

How the common platforms actually charge

The question that sorts them

Every one of these can take an online order. The real difference is who ends up owning the site and the customer data, and whether you're paying for it forever. Ask two questions of any option: do I own this if I stop paying, and does someone take a cut of every order? For most of the list, the answers are 'no' and 'yes.'

Compare a specific platform

Each comparison below is written for that platform specifically - Toast's per-order fee, Square's feature ceiling, Menufy's diner fee, ChowNow's subscription, and so on. Pick the one you're weighing.

Go deeper

A Toast Online Ordering Alternative Without the Per-Order Fee →
Toast's online ordering is part of its POS plans and hardware. Here's what that means for cost and ownership, and an owned alternative with no per-order fee.
A Square Online Ordering Alternative for Restaurants →
Square Online is easy to start but thins out on catering, scheduling and real restaurant ordering as you grow. Here's where a purpose-built, owned site differs.
A Clover Online Ordering Alternative Without the Monthly Stack →
Clover's online ordering is tied to its POS hardware, plans and app-market add-ons. Here's a one-time-cost, hardware-independent alternative you actually own.
A Menufy Alternative You Own Outright →
Menufy builds you a site but keeps it on their platform with a per-order fee to diners. Here's the difference when the site and ordering are yours with no recurring cut.
A ChowNow Alternative Without the Monthly Subscription →
ChowNow removes commission but charges a recurring monthly (and setup) fee to do it. Here's a one-time-cost alternative with the same commission-free promise.
A BentoBox Alternative at a Fraction of the Monthly Cost →
BentoBox makes beautiful restaurant sites on a premium monthly subscription. Here's a comparable owned site for a one-time price instead of an ongoing bill.
A Restolabs Alternative You Own, Not Rent →
Restolabs is a monthly-subscription online-ordering platform. Here's how an owned, one-time-cost restaurant site with its own ordering compares.
An App2Food Alternative Without the Per-Order Diner Fee →
App2Food runs commission-free online ordering funded by a $0.49 convenience fee charged to your diner on each order, on its platform. Here's an owned alternative with no per-order fee and a site you keep.
Toast Online Ordering vs. Your Own Website →
What Toast's online ordering costs and who owns it, compared with a website you own outright. Facts with sources, no hype.
Owner.com Alternatives: What It Costs and What Else Is Out There →
Owner.com's public pricing, what it includes, and how a one-time-price website compares over three years. With sources and dates.