ChowNow alternatives for restaurants: what each costs and who it fits
The ChowNow alternatives worth comparing are Owner.com ($249 a month plus 5% of orders, or $499 flat), Square Online (free plan, about 3.3% + 30¢ a card), Toast online ordering (no commission, about 3.5% + 15¢ a card plus a POS), GloriaFood-style free systems, and a free menu page with pickup ordering. ChowNow itself is reported at $229 to $449 a month, a $119 to $499 setup fee and 2.95% + 29¢ a card [1] [2]. On $7,500 of online sales in a month, those options come out between about $250 and $625 plus card fees, and the right one depends on how many orders you take and what else you need.
If you want the cheapest way out, build a free menu site with pickup ordering from a photo of your menu. Below: why restaurants look for an alternative, a table of the options, a month worked out for each, the catch of each, and a test for whether to stay.
Why restaurants look for a ChowNow alternative
Four reasons come up in the sources and in the numbers:
- The monthly plan is a fixed cost. At $200 to $330 a month, it is a small share of sales at 300 orders and a large one at 100 (we worked it in ChowNow pricing).
- The price is hard to pin down. Two sources give different plan names and numbers, so a quote is needed before comparing [1] [2].
- Ordering alone does not bring in orders. A rival's page makes this point: an ordering page needs diners sent to it [2]. That is a fair point and it applies to every option below too.
- A POS or website bundle may already include ordering, so a separate subscription pays twice for the same job.
ChowNow alternatives compared
| Option | Monthly fee | Per-order cost | Includes | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChowNow (for reference) | $229 to $449 (reported) | 2.95% + 29¢ card [1] [2] | Ordering page, app, marketing options | Steady online volume |
| Owner.com | $249 + 5% of orders, or $499 flat [3] | Card fees extra | Site, ordering, app, loyalty, marketing | Restaurants that want everything done |
| Square Online | $0 on Free [4] | about 3.3% + 30¢ card | Basic site, ordering | Small places, Square POS users |
| Toast online ordering | POS plan $0 or $69 plus an ordering add-on | about 3.5% + 15¢ online card [5] | Ordering tied to Toast POS | Toast customers |
| BentoBox takeout | $49 add-on + site plan from about $119 | 99¢ + 3% card [6] | Site, reservations, events | Full-service, brand-led places |
| Free menu site with pickup | $0 | None online (pay at counter) | Menu page, order form | Small places testing online orders |
Sources: [1] [2] for ChowNow; [3] for Owner.com's pricing page as read in our Owner.com alternatives guide; [4] and [5] worked in our Toast vs Square guide; [6] from BentoBox pricing. Chowly, Sauce and Lunchbox are also named as alternatives by Chowly's page, which publishes no price for them [2]; ask each for a written quote.
One month, same sales, each option
300 online orders at $25: $7,500 in sales, all on your own page. Card fees on top of each line: where the card rate is 2.95% + 29¢ the month's card fees are $308.25; at 3.3% + 30¢ they are $337.50 [4].
| Option | Plan or order fee | Card fees | Total | Share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChowNow, Pro-range plan ($199 to $229) | $199 to $229 | $308.25 | $507 to $537 | 6.8% to 7.2% |
| Owner.com Flexible | $249 + 5% ($375) = $624 | Card fees not quoted here | $624 + | 8.3% + |
| Owner.com Flat | $499 | Card fees not quoted here | $499 + | 6.7% + |
| Square Free | $0 | $337.50 | $337.50 | 4.5% |
| BentoBox takeout add-on only | $49 + $297 | 3% = $225 | $571 | 7.6% |
| Free pickup page | $0 | $0 online | $0 | 0% |
Read the table fairly. Owner.com's lines leave out its card fees because we do not have a published rate, so they are floors. The free page costs nothing online because diners pay when they collect, which also means no prepayment and some no-shows. Square is the cheapest paid-card route at this volume because it has no plan fee. ChowNow and Owner.com cost more in return for the app, marketing and done-for-you setup. Whether that is worth $200 to $300 a month is the question only your own orders can answer.
Owner.com vs ChowNow
Owner.com sells a full bundle (site, ordering, app, loyalty and marketing) at $249 a month plus 5% of orders on its Flexible plan, or $499 flat [3]. The Flexible plan costs the same as the flat one at $5,000 of monthly online sales and more above it, so a restaurant above that level takes the flat plan. ChowNow's fee structure is a plan plus a card rate, with no per-order percentage; marketing is optional [1]. At 300 orders of $25 the two are close: ChowNow about $507 to $537 with card fees, Owner.com $499 plus card fees. See our Owner.com alternatives guide for what Owner includes.
Square Online vs ChowNow
Square Online has a Free plan with ordering included and charges the card rate [4]. For a restaurant that already uses Square at the counter, ordering lands in the same dashboard and the same reports. It has fewer marketing tools than ChowNow. We went through it in Square online ordering for restaurants.
Toast online ordering vs ChowNow
Toast's ordering is built for Toast POS users; you pay the online card rate and the ordering add-on and take no commission [5]. If you are not on Toast, switching your POS to get ordering costs far more than a ChowNow plan. If you are, Toast online ordering and Toast pricing show the totals.
A free page instead of a subscription
For a restaurant with fewer than about 100 online orders a month, a subscription is the biggest cost on the page. A free menu page with an order form for pickup, paid at the counter, tests whether diners order at all before you pay for a platform. Our free restaurant website guide and free online ordering systems cover the options. If volume grows, you can move to a paid system with your menu already online.
Should you stay on ChowNow?
A quick test with your own last month:
- Count online orders on your ChowNow page and divide the plan fee by that count. Under $1.50 an order is cheap; over $3 is worth a second look.
- Add up everything ChowNow charged: plan, card fees, printers, add-ons.
- Price the same month on Square's free plan: 3.3% + 30¢ per order.
- List what ChowNow does that you would miss: app, marketing emails, delivery arrangements.
- If the difference is under about $100 a month and you use those features, stay. If you do not use them, move.
Before you leave, check who owns your customer emails and your domain, and give notice in writing; see the contract notes in ChowNow pricing.
Mistakes to avoid when you switch
- Cancelling before the new page works. Run both for a week. Put the new ordering link on your Google listing and your site first, then give notice.
- Losing your diners. Ask ChowNow whether you can export customer emails, and check the terms you agreed to before you contact them.
- Forgetting the domain. If ChowNow registered your domain, ask how to move it. Register any new one in your own name.
- Leaving the old link live. Old links on Facebook, Instagram and your Google profile keep sending orders to a page you no longer check. Update every one, starting with your Business Profile.
- Comparing headline prices. Compare a whole month: plan, setup fee, card fees, delivery fees and printer.
Questions
What is the best alternative to ChowNow?
It depends on volume. Square Online is the cheapest paid route at 300 orders a month, Owner.com is the fullest bundle, and a free pickup page costs nothing while you test demand.
Is there a free alternative to ChowNow?
Yes: Square Online's Free plan, free systems such as those in our free ordering guide, and a free menu page with pickup orders.
Which alternative has no commission?
All of the above take no commission on orders from your own page; they charge a plan, a card fee or both. Commission-free online ordering lists them.
Is Owner.com cheaper than ChowNow?
Owner.com's flat plan is $499 a month and ChowNow's reported plans are $119 to $449; the real totals depend on card fees and setup [1] [3].
Can I move my menu from ChowNow?
Your menu text and photos are yours; ask ChowNow for an export, and keep a copy before you cancel.
Where can I compare more?
The best online ordering systems for restaurants and all our guides.
Sources
- ChowNow Pricing and Fees, Sauce, read Nov 10, 2026 (a rival).
- ChowNow alternatives, Chowly, read Nov 10, 2026 (a rival; reads ChowNow's plans as $229 to $449).
- Owner.com pricing, Owner.com, read Nov 10, 2026.
- Square's Free plan and card rate: worked in our Toast vs Square guide from Square's pages.
- Toast's online card rate: reported in our Toast online ordering guide.
- BentoBox Pricing and Fees, Sauce, read Nov 10, 2026 (a rival).