ChowNow alternatives: what ChowNow costs and where we differ

ChowNow has three plans: Launch, Grow and Elevate. Its pricing page shows each as “starting at” two prices: $229 and $249, $319 and $349, $409 and $449 a month. The page does not label which is monthly and which is billed annually, so ask. Contract terms are not stated on that page either.

On top of the plan, the page lists a setup fee of $119 to $499 and processing at 2.95% plus $0.29 per transaction. It also lists a $99 yearly Apple developer fee for the branded app and a printer at $250 to $420. Flex Delivery, which uses third-party couriers, is $7.98 an order.

ChowNow says orders from your website, branded app, its marketplace app and discovery channels are commission-free.

ChowNow gives you more than we do in several places, and for some restaurants that is worth the fee.

• Reach: a ChowNow Marketplace app and a discovery network that lists you on Google, Apple Maps, Yelp and more.
• A branded mobile app for your restaurant, which pickup.kitchen does not offer. Our guests order in the browser, with no app to install.
• Marketing: email and SMS campaigns and a loyalty and rewards program, depending on the plan.
• Connections: 20+ POS integrations. pickup.kitchen runs its own counter and kitchen screen instead.
• Safety and help: chargeback and fraud protection, and 24/7 phone and chat support.
• Customer data: ChowNow says you get full access to diner ordering data and contact details.

There is no monthly fee for ordering and onboarding is free. We charge 10% per order, and on card orders the guest pays that at checkout. You pay Stripe's card fee, as you would with any card checkout.

ChowNow's pricing page lists no meal plans. pickup.kitchen has them: weekly menus, start and end dates, the days you pack, skips and pauses, packing lists and labels. If you sell Monday-to-Friday lunch boxes as well as tonight's plates, that matters.

For delivery, ChowNow lists Flex Delivery with third-party couriers at $7.98 an order. It does not list a driver app for your own drivers. pickup.kitchen includes routes, Send to driver, a driver app and photo proof of delivery for orders from pickup.kitchen. We supply no couriers.

pickup.kitchen also runs the kitchen. Tickets arrive with a sound, and the cook starts and finishes them. Walk-in and phone orders go in at the counter on the same menu.

Compare the fees before processing, since both of us pass on a card fee. ChowNow's Launch plan costs $229 to $249 a month. pickup.kitchen costs 10% of your orders. Those are equal at about $2,290 to $2,490 of online sales a month, roughly 57 to 62 orders of $40.

At $1,500 a month, 10% is $150, below ChowNow's cheapest plan. At $5,000 a month, 10% is $500, above it. If your online sales are steady and high, a flat monthly fee costs less. If they are small, or they swing with the seasons, 10% costs less.

Two more things shift the sum. On card orders the guest pays our 10%. Your menu price stays yours, but guests see a higher total than on a site that charges nothing per order. And ChowNow's setup fee, printer and app fee come before your first order.

Pick ChowNow if you are a US restaurant with steady online sales. It suits you if you want a branded app, loyalty, texting and 24/7 support, and prefer a flat fee to a share of orders.

Pick pickup.kitchen if your sales are small or uneven, you sell meal plans, or you run your own drivers. It suits you too if you want the site, kitchen, counter and delivery in one login with no monthly bill.

Check your contract first. ChowNow's pricing page does not state a term, so read yours. Then send us a photo or PDF of your menu. We read the dishes and prices into a list, you check each one, and your site goes up at yourname.pickup.kitchen. Put a test order through before you change a single link. Look at where your ChowNow orders come from before you leave: your website, the marketplace app or Google. Orders that arrive from your own link move with you. Orders that come from ChowNow's marketplace do not, so keep your free listing on pickup.kitchen and give regulars the new link.