Disclosure: we earn a referral fee from some of the tools on this page if you sign up through our links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, and every figure links to its source so you can check our picks.
How we make moneyRestaurant online ordering
The best online ordering for restaurants, compared honestly.
Delivery apps take a cut of every order. These tools let guests order straight from you — we read each one’s pricing page so you can see the real monthly cost and the per-order fees.
Updated September 2026Prices checked on each vendor’s own site
The short answer
Our top pick
Owner
Independent restaurants that want one system for website, ordering and marketing
Flex $249/mo + 5% restaurant fee per order, or Flat Rate $499/mo with no restaurant fee. Guests pay a 5% order support fee on both plans.
See OwnerSide by side
What each one really costs
Starting prices, staff fees, card rates and the fine print, from each vendor’s own pricing page.
Owner
Top pick- Monthly price
- Flex $249/mo; Flat Rate $499/mo
- Restaurant fee per order
- Flex: 5% per order. Flat Rate: none
- Fee charged to guests
- 5% order support fee on both plans
- Setup
- Setup & migration included
- Contract
- Month-to-month, no cancellation fees
ChowNow
- Monthly price
- From $229–$249/mo, depending on billing
- Restaurant fee per order
- Commission-free; 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction
- Fee charged to guests
- Not stated
- Setup
- $119–$499 setup fee
- Contract
- Not stated
Square Online
- Monthly price
- $0 on Square Free; $49 or $149 per location
- Restaurant fee per order
- Commission-free; online card rate 3.3% + 30¢ on Free
- Fee charged to guests
- Not stated
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Contract
- Cancel or switch plans anytime
Menufy
- Monthly price
- $149/mo on a 12-month agreement; $179/mo month-to-month
- Restaurant fee per order
- No per-order commissions
- Fee charged to guests
- Not stated
- Setup
- Dedicated onboarding specialist
- Contract
- 12 months (annual) or none (flexible)
Toast Online Ordering
- Monthly price
- Add-on to Toast POS; price not published
- Restaurant fee per order
- Not published
- Fee charged to guests
- Not stated
- Setup
- By quote
- Contract
- Not stated
The picks
Pros, cons and our verdict
In the order we’d recommend them. Every figure links to its source.
01Independent restaurants that want one system for website, ordering and marketingTop pick
Owner
Flex $249/mo + 5% restaurant fee per order, or Flat Rate $499/mo with no restaurant fee. Guests pay a 5% order support fee on both plans.
What it does well
- Website, online ordering, a branded mobile app, SEO pages, loyalty and marketing in one plan
- Setup and migration, chargeback protection and 24/7 support included
- Month-to-month with no cancellation fees
- Flat Rate removes the per-order restaurant fee once your volume justifies it
Watch out for
- Guests pay a 5% order support fee on every order, on both plans
- The Flex plan adds a 5% restaurant fee per order
- Card-processing rates aren’t stated on the pricing page
Verdict. The most complete package for a restaurant that wants direct orders and repeat guests without stitching tools together. On our math, Flat Rate costs less than Flex once your online orders pass about $5,000 a month (5% of $5,000 is the $250 difference).
02Restaurants that want commission-free ordering with lots of integrations
ChowNow
Launch $229–$249/mo, Grow $319–$349/mo, Elevate $409–$449/mo, depending on billing. $119–$499 setup fee. 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction.
What it does well
- Commission-free ordering with a website, branded app and marketplace
- Email and SMS marketing, loyalty and 500 complimentary flyers
- 20+ POS integrations and third-party order aggregation
- Fraud and chargeback protection and 24/7 phone and chat support
Watch out for
- A one-time setup fee of $119–$499
- Per-transaction fee of 2.95% + $0.29, and $7.98 per Flex Delivery order
- The pricing page doesn’t state contract terms
Verdict. A strong alternative to Owner if you want a lower starting price and three plan sizes. Ask which price applies to monthly billing before you sign.
03Starting online ordering for $0 a month
Square Online
Square Free $0/mo per location with a branded online ordering page; online card rate 3.3% + 30¢. Plus $49/mo and Premium $149/mo per location lower it to 2.9% + 30¢.
What it does well
- A branded, commission-free ordering page on the $0 plan
- Pickup and local delivery included
- 30-day free trial on Plus and Premium; cancel or switch anytime
Watch out for
- Online card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan
- The kitchen display and kiosk apps aren’t available on Free ($30 and $50 per device on Plus)
Verdict. The cheapest way to start taking direct orders, especially if you already use Square at the counter.
05Restaurants already on Toast POS
Toast Online Ordering
Part of Toast’s Digital Storefront add-on for Toast POS customers. Pricing is by quote.
What it does well
- Orders go straight into your Toast POS
- Digital Storefront Essentials adds online ordering, Toast Delivery Services and the Local by Toast app
- Digital Storefront Pro adds a Toast website and SEO features
Watch out for
- Only works with Toast POS
- Prices aren’t published
Verdict. The natural choice if Toast already runs your counter and kitchen. If it doesn’t, it isn’t a reason to switch POS on its own.
How we chose
- 01We read every price on the vendor’s own pricing page on 30 September 2026.
- 02We counted every fee on an order: the monthly price, the restaurant’s per-order fee, any fee charged to guests, setup and delivery fees.
- 03Where a vendor doesn’t publish a number, we say so instead of guessing.
- 04Owner and ChowNow may pay us a referral fee if you sign up through our links. That never changes the facts above, and every number links to its source.
- 05Prices change often. Check the vendor’s page before you sign anything.
Questions owners ask
What’s the cheapest way to take online orders?
Square Free costs $0 a month and includes a branded online ordering page; you pay 3.3% + 30¢ per online card payment. Menufy is $149/mo on a 12-month agreement with no per-order commissions.
Do these tools charge commission?
ChowNow, Square and Menufy say they are commission-free. Owner’s Flex plan charges the restaurant 5% per order, its Flat Rate plan doesn’t, and on both plans guests pay a 5% order support fee.
Owner or ChowNow?
Owner bundles website, app and marketing from $249/mo plus 5% per order (or $499/mo flat). ChowNow starts at $229–$249/mo with a $119–$499 setup fee and 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction. Price out your monthly order volume on both.
Can I keep using DoorDash and Uber Eats?
Yes. ChowNow lists third-party order aggregation, and Menufy uses DoorDash Drive and Uber Direct for delivery. Direct ordering is usually added alongside the apps, not instead of them.
Your next step
Pick your ordering tool. Then answer every question about it.
Whatever you choose, the AI Front Desk answers website chats 24/7 — hours, menu, allergens — and sends guests to your ordering link.