Shopify alternative for restaurants · 2026
Menuthere vs Shopify
Shopify is the better store for shipping products; Menuthere is built for a restaurant's food orders. Shopify Basic is $39 a month ($29 billed yearly) with 2.9% + 30¢ per online card, plus 2% extra if you use another payment provider, and apps for delivery time slots and add-ons. Menuthere has a free plan with 50 orders a month, Lite at $17 a month with pickup slots and card payments on your own Stripe account, and QR table ordering on every plan, with 0% commission.
Quick verdict
Menuthere
Recommended- Free plan with 50 orders a month; Lite $17 a month for unlimited orders
- Priced add-ons, sold-out switches and menus by the hour on every plan
- Pickup slots and pre-orders on Lite, no scheduling app needed
- QR table ordering on every plan, Free included
- WhatsApp order updates, loyalty and your own riders on Pro ($39)
Best for: restaurants, cafés and bakeries whose orders are for pickup, delivery or dine-in today, not for shipping.
Shopify
- A full ecommerce store: product catalogue, shipping labels, themes and a blog
- Local delivery by up to 10 zones and in-store pickup built in
- In-person selling included, with POS Pro at $89 a month per location
- Delivery and pickup time slots need an app, such as Zapiet from $49.99 a month
- 2% extra on Basic when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments
- No restaurant modifiers, menu schedules or table QR ordering on Shopify's pricing page
Best for: food brands that ship packaged products, such as sauces, coffee or gift boxes, across the country.
Shopify vs Menuthere, feature by feature
Shopify figures come from its own pricing, help and app store pages, read 20 October 2026.
| Feature | Menuthere | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (US)Key | Free, $17, $39 or $99 | $39, $105 or $399 ($29, $79 or $299 billed yearly) |
| Commission on orders | 0% | 0% with Shopify Payments |
| Fee when you use another payment providerKey | None | 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced |
| Online card payments | Your own Stripe account (2.9% + 30¢ in the US), Lite and up | Shopify Payments: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic |
| Menu from a photo or PDF | Yes | No |
| Sizes and priced add-ons | Every plan | Product options and variants; add-ons through apps |
| Dishes shown only at set hours | Every plan | Not published |
| Pickup and delivery time slotsKey | Lite | Through apps, such as Zapiet from $49.99 a month |
| QR table ordering for dine-inKey | Every plan, Free included | Through apps |
| Delivery area and fee | Fee by distance, by zone drawn on a map, or flat | Up to 10 zones by radius or postal code, a price per zone |
| Your own delivery riders app | Pro | Not published |
| WhatsApp ordering and order updates | Send Order to WhatsApp on every plan; updates on Pro | Not published |
| 14 allergens and calories per dish | Every plan | Not published |
| Kitchen tickets on a thermal printer | Yes | Through apps |
| Shipping products nationwide | No: built for local pickup, delivery and dine-in | Yes |
| In-store POS | Basic POS add-on, $10 a month | Included; POS Pro $89 a month per location |
= not published on Shopify's website
Pricing side by side
What each plan costs a month in the US. Neither charges commission on your own orders; card fees are paid to the payment provider.
Menuthere
- Free (50 orders a month)$0
- Lite (unlimited orders, pickup slots, own domain)$17/mo
- Pro (WhatsApp, loyalty, riders app)$39/mo
- Branded App (your own app)$99/mo
Shopify
- Basic$39/mo ($29 billed yearly)
- Grow$105/mo ($79 billed yearly)
- Advanced$399/mo ($299 billed yearly)
- Scheduling app (Zapiet Essential)+$49.99/mo
List prices from each company's website, read 20 October 2026. Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 a month. In the UK, Shopify Basic is £25 a month (£19 billed yearly), with 2% + 25p per online card. Menuthere bills in US dollars everywhere; yearly billing costs 10 months: Lite $170 a year, Pro $390 a year.
Where each one wins
Shopify and Menuthere solve different problems. Shopify sells products; Menuthere takes a kitchen's orders.
Where Shopify wins
- Shipping: product catalogue, shipping labels and rates for orders sent across the country. Menuthere is built for local pickup, delivery and dine-in.
- Design and content: themes, a blog and thousands of apps.
- In-person retail selling included on every plan, with POS Pro for stores at $89 a month per location.
- A big retail catalogue with stock across locations, if you sell packaged goods.
Where Menuthere wins
- Restaurant ordering on day one: priced add-ons, sold-out switches, dishes at set hours and a menu read from a photo.
- Pickup slots and pre-orders included in Lite at $17 a month; on Shopify, a scheduling app such as Zapiet starts at $49.99 a month.
- QR table ordering on every plan, Free included, and delivery fees that grow with distance.
- No extra fee for your payment provider, and WhatsApp order updates and loyalty on Pro.
Moving food orders from Shopify to Menuthere
Import your menu
Upload a photo or PDF of your menu. Menuthere's AI reads dishes, prices and sizes for you to check. There is no direct import from Shopify.
Set ordering and payments
Draw your delivery area, set your fees and pickup slots, print table QR codes, and on Lite connect your own Stripe account.
Link it from your store
Add an Order food button to your Shopify store, Google Business Profile and social pages. Keep Shopify for products you ship.
The bottom line
Pick Shopify if most of your sales are products you ship: sauces, coffee beans, cookie tins. Its checkout, shipping and themes are built for that; Menuthere is built for local orders, not shipping.
Pick Menuthere if your orders are for today, for pickup, delivery or the table. Add-ons, menu hours, pickup slots and QR table ordering come ready, with 0% commission, from $0, or $17 a month for unlimited orders.
Many food businesses run both: Shopify for shipped products and Menuthere for the kitchen's orders. Menuthere has no kitchen display screen or delivery-app integration, and its in-store POS is a basic $10 a month add-on. See the other options on our Shopify alternatives page.
Keep readingShopify alternativesShopify for restaurantsWhy Shopify charges an extra feeBest website builder for restaurants
Common questions
Also compare:All comparisons
Sources (6) · Checked 20 October 2026
- Shopify (official): Shopify pricing (US), read 20 October 2026
- Shopify (official): Shopify pricing (UK), read 20 October 2026
- Shopify Help Center (official): Setting up local delivery for online orders, read 20 October 2026
- Shopify App Store (official): Zapiet ‑ Pickup + Delivery, read 20 October 2026
- Stripe (official): Stripe pricing (US: 2.9% + 30¢ per online card payment), read 19 October 2026
- Menuthere (official): Menuthere pricing, read 20 October 2026
Restaurant ordering, from $0
Join 1,306 restaurants taking orders on their own website and QR codes, with 0% commission on every plan and no apps to add.