An OpenTable alternative with no cover fees

OpenTable is the reservation system most American restaurants know, and it brings something no small tool can match: millions of diners looking for a table on its app. You pay for that reach twice, with a monthly subscription and a fee for every guest who books through its network. Plate takes the opposite route. Guests book from your own menu, your website or your Google profile, and you pay a flat monthly price whatever the number of covers.

OpenTable prices checked on November 3, 2026 at opentable.com/restaurant-solutions/plans · Published by Plate

Good to know: this page is written by Plate, one of the two products compared. We give no score or ranking. Everything we say about OpenTable comes from its own plans and pricing page, read on the date above. Its feature grid uses check marks we could not read reliably, so we only quote what the page says in words. Where OpenTable does more than Plate, we say so. Always check current prices with OpenTable before deciding.

Side by side

	Plate	OpenTable (checked 11/03/2026)
Monthly price	$49.99/month (Essential) or $99.99/month (Complete)	$149 (Basic, US only), $299 (Core) or $499 (Pro)
Table booking included	In both plans	In all three plans
Fee per guest booked through the network	None, Plate has no diner network	$1.50 per cover on Basic after 30 days, $1 per cover on Core and Pro
Fee per guest booked on your website	None	Included on Core and Pro; $0.25 per cover or $49 a month on Basic
Commitment	Monthly, cancel anytime	One-year contract that renews automatically unless you cancel 30 days before
Diner network and app	No. Guests book from your menu, website or Google profile	Yes, OpenTable's diner app and its affiliate sites
Floor plan and table management	Included	Listed on its plans page
Waitlist	Included	In-house and online waitlist, listed on its plans page
Card hold and deposits	Included, paid into your own Stripe account	Listed on its plans page
Prepaid experiences	Included, no service fee from Plate	2% service fee
Guest profiles and notes	Included	Listed on its plans page
Review request after the visit	An email the day after, with a link to your Google reviews	Review management and post-dining surveys, listed on its plans page
Text messages to guests	No, confirmations and reminders go by email	Premium SMS listed as an add-on
QR codes for your tables	Thirty QR codes, made and shipped to you	Not on its plans page
Digital menu with photos, ordering and payment at the table	Included (ordering and payment in Complete)	Not on its plans page
Owner app	iPhone and iPad	Mobile app with floor plan, listed on its plans page

What the cover fees add up to

Take a restaurant on OpenTable Core that seats 400 guests a month through the OpenTable network. At $1 per cover, that is $400 on top of the $299 subscription, so $699 for the month. A busy Saturday costs more than a quiet Tuesday, and the bill grows with your success.

OpenTable only charges for seated guests, not for no-shows or cancellations, and phone bookings and walk-ins are free. On Core and Pro, bookings made on your own website are free too. The fee applies to guests who found you through OpenTable, which is exactly what the network is for.

With Plate the price stays at $49.99/month or $99.99/month whether you seat 50 guests or 5,000. There is no per-cover fee because there is no network to pay for.

When OpenTable is worth it

If many of your guests discover you on the OpenTable app, the cover fee is the price of those new tables and it can pay for itself. Tourist areas, big cities and restaurants that rely on first-time visitors often fall into that case.

If most of your bookings come from regulars, from your Google profile or from your own website, you are paying a monthly subscription and a one-year contract for a network that brings you few guests. That is the restaurant Plate is built for.

What switching to Plate looks like

You open your services, your tables and your floor plan in the Plate app, on iPhone or iPad. Guests book from a page linked to your menu, which you can also add to your website and your Google profile. Confirmations, reminders and the thank-you email after the visit go out in the guest's language.

Plate also does what OpenTable does not list: your menu in photos behind a QR code, ordering and payment at the table, loyalty and stock, in the same app. Check that your end date with OpenTable allows you to leave before you move your bookings, since its contract renews for a year.

Which one fits you

Stay with OpenTable if…

a large share of your guests find you on the OpenTable app;
you need text messages to guests;
you run several locations from one account;
you want a direct connection to an American POS.

Choose Plate if…

most bookings come from regulars, Google or your website;
you want a flat monthly price with no per-cover fee;
you don't want a one-year contract;
you also want a photo menu, ordering at the table and loyalty in one app.
you want your QR codes made and shipped for you.

Frequently asked questions

How much does OpenTable cost?

On November 3, 2026, its plans page listed Basic at $149 a month (US only), Core at $299 and Pro at $499. On top of that, OpenTable charges per guest booked through its network: $1.50 per cover on Basic after a 30-day free period, $1 per cover on Core and Pro. Prepaid experiences carry a 2% service fee.

Does OpenTable charge for no-shows?

No. Its pricing page says you only pay for seated diners, and that phone bookings and walk-ins are free.

Can I leave OpenTable at any time?

Its standard contract is one year and renews automatically unless you tell OpenTable 30 days before the renewal date. Check your own contract for the exact date.

Does Plate charge per cover?

No. Table booking is included in both plans, $49.99/month and $99.99/month, billed monthly in US dollars with no commitment. There is no fee per guest.

Will Plate bring me new diners like OpenTable does?

No. Plate has no diner app. Guests book from your menu, your website or your Google profile. If you depend on OpenTable's network for new guests, keep that in mind.

Is this comparison up to date?

OpenTable's prices were read on its plans page on November 3, 2026. Prices change without notice, so check with OpenTable before deciding.