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ChowNow alternatives · 2026
ChowNow starts from $229/mo. Menuthere gives your restaurant its own ordering website, QR menu and table ordering with 0% commission, free to start and $9 a month on Lite.
Menuthere vs ChowNow
ChowNow is a US online ordering platform for independent restaurants: a commission-free ordering website and widget, branded iOS and Android apps, a diner marketplace, catering, QR ordering, email and SMS marketing, and delivery-app order aggregation. It serves restaurants in the US and Canada, and its team sets up the menu, website and POS link. It charges a flat monthly subscription from $229 a month on an annual term ($249 billed monthly), plus a $119–$499 setup fee, 2.95% + $0.29 per card transaction and 5% on catering orders.
Price
ChowNow: From $229/mo
Menuthere: Free plan · from $9/mo
Commission per order
ChowNow: 0%
Menuthere: 0%
Contract
ChowNow: Annual term ($229 a month on Launch) or billed monthly ($249). ChowNow's refund policy says service can be cancelled at any time and is billed to the end of the current monthly cycle, with no refunds on service or product fees.
Menuthere: Month to month
Setup fee
ChowNow: $119–$499
Menuthere: None
Side by side
“—” means the company doesn't publish it. Menuthere's plan for each feature is shown next to it.
| Menuthere | ChowNow | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan · from $9/mo | From $229/mo |
| Commission per order | 0% | 0% |
| Contract | Month to month; 7-day free trial on Lite and Pro | Annual term ($229 a month on Launch) or billed monthly ($249). ChowNow's refund policy says service can be cancelled at any time and is billed to the end of the current monthly cycle, with no refunds on service or product fees. |
| Own ordering website | Yes | Yes |
| QR table ordering | Yes | Yes |
| Pickup | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery orders | Yes | Yes |
| Your own drivers | Yes · Pro | Yes |
| Scheduled orders | Yes · Lite | Yes |
| Online payments | No | Yes |
| POS | No | No |
| Loyalty | Yes · Pro | Yes |
| Marketing tools | Yes · Lite | Yes |
| WhatsApp ordering or updates | Yes | Not published |
| Branded app | Yes · Enterprise | Yes |
| Delivery-app integration | No | Yes |
| Multiple locations | Yes · Pro | Yes |
| Menu translation | Yes · Lite | Not published |
| Reservations | Yes · Lite | Not published |
Menuthere's online payments work in India today; elsewhere customers pay cash, on delivery or at pickup while card payments are being added.
Why restaurants look elsewhere
Recurring points from reviews, forums and the press, each from a source listed at the foot of the page.
Be fair to it
And Menuthere's limits
Other alternatives
| Menuthere | Square Online | Toast | Clover | Lightspeed Restaurant | DoorDash Online Ordering | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan · from $9/mo | Free plan · from $49/mo | From $69/mo | From $89.95/mo | From $69/mo | Free plan · from $99/mo |
| Commission per order | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Contract | Month to month; 7-day free trial on Lite and Pro | No locked-in contract; cancel or switch plans anytime (US pricing page and General Terms). Outside the US, paid Square Online plans are priced per month billed annually, with a different price if paid monthly, and plans can be switched at any time. | Toast's 10-K says contracts for its software generally run 12 to 36 months. NerdWallet reports contracts of two to three years. | US hardware subscriptions run 36 months and are non-cancelable and non-refundable (they can be paid off, bought out or upgraded) and continue month to month unless Clover is told 30 days before the end; the US hardware promotion requires a 3-year contract. Contract terms and termination fees vary by provider (Clover Direct or bank partners). | Not stated on the US or Australian pricing pages; the Norwegian price list says its price applies to a 12-month contract period | No contract: Boost was sold 'cancel anytime' (July 2026), Commerce Platform pages promise no cancellation penalties, and Marketplace plans can be changed at any time in the Merchant Portal. |
| Own ordering website | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| QR table ordering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published |
| Pickup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery orders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Your own drivers | Yes · Pro | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Not published |
| Scheduled orders | Yes · Lite | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published |
| Online payments | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| POS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Loyalty | Yes · Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing tools | Yes · Lite | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WhatsApp ordering or updates | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Branded app | Yes · Enterprise | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Delivery-app integration | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple locations | Yes · Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Menu translation | Yes · Lite | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Reservations | Yes · Lite | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes | Not published |
Restaurants and cafés already on Square POS in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, France or Spain that want a free, commission-free ordering page.
Free plan · from $49/mo
Square Online alternativesRestaurants in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland or Australia that want POS, online ordering and table QR ordering from one vendor and can sign a multi-year contract.
From $69/mo
Toast alternativesUS and Canadian restaurants that run, or want, a Clover POS and want online and QR table ordering with no extra fee on top.
From $89.95/mo
Clover alternativesFull-service and multi-location restaurants that want POS, online ordering and QR order-and-pay in one sales-led package.
From $69/mo
Lightspeed Restaurant alternativesRestaurants already on the DoorDash Marketplace that want commission-free direct orders on their own website and Google profile, delivered by Dashers.
Free plan · from $99/mo
DoorDash Online Ordering alternativesQuestions
How ChowNow ranks: Canada · US
Sources · checked 2026-09-26
Menuthere gives your restaurant an ordering website, QR menu and table ordering. Free to start, live in minutes.