Softwr

Restaurants · head to head

7shifts vs Lunchbox

7shifts logo

7shifts

Restaurants

Restaurant team management made easy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lunchbox logo

Lunchbox

Restaurants

First party ordering websites, apps and loyalty for growing multi unit restaurant brands

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only 7shifts has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 7shifts pro plan pricing not published on the website; Lunchbox the fee is charged per location per month regardless of how many direct orders you generate, so brands that do not fund marketing pay for a channel that stays quiet.
  • They diverge on capability: 7shifts covers Employee scheduling, Lunchbox covers Branded ordering web and apps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 7shifts and Lunchbox actually diverge.

Attributes where 7shifts and Lunchbox differ
Attribute7shiftsLunchbox
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 7shifts

  • Employee scheduling
  • Time clocking
  • Team communication
  • Tip pooling
  • Labor compliance
  • Hiring
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Lunchbox

  • Branded ordering web and apps
  • Loyalty and rewards
  • Guest data platform
  • Marketing automation
  • POS and delivery integrations
  • Catering and group ordering

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

7shifts

  • Point of Salenot Lunchbox
  • Order Managementnot Lunchbox
  • Inventory Controlnot Lunchbox
  • Staff Schedulingnot Lunchbox

Lunchbox

  • A fast casual chain of ten to thirty units trying to shift volume away from delivery marketplacesnot 7shifts
  • A brand that wants its own iOS and Android apps without commissioning a bespoke buildnot 7shifts
  • An operator who needs guest order history for retention campaigns rather than anonymous marketplace ordersnot 7shifts
  • A group launching catering that needs a separate ordering flow from standard checkoutnot 7shifts

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

7shifts

  • Pro plan pricing not published on the website
  • No feature comparison details between free and Pro tiers shown

Lunchbox

  • The fee is charged per location per month regardless of how many direct orders you generate, so brands that do not fund marketing pay for a channel that stays quiet.
  • Moving customers off marketplaces requires sustained discounting and advertising that the restaurant funds, and none of that cost appears in the software quote.
  • The company has been through substantial restructuring since its peak funding, so integration maintenance and roadmap continuity are fair questions to put in writing before signing.
  • Native app launches involve app store review, brand assets and a build fee, so time to first order is measured in weeks rather than days.
  • The integration list is narrower than that of the large enterprise ordering vendors, and a group on an uncommon POS may find order injection limited or unsupported.

Pricing, plan by plan

7shifts

Free
  • CompFree
    • Basic scheduling
    • 1 location
  • Appetizer$29.99/month
    • Scheduling
    • Time clocking
  • Entree$69.99/month
    • Tip pooling
    • Labor compliance
  • The Works$135/month
    • Full features
    • Task management

Lunchbox

On request
  • Lunchbox$undefined/year
    • Priced per location per month with modules for ordering, loyalty and marketing
    • One time build and launch fee for web and mobile apps
    • App store submission and brand design handled during onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose 7shifts if

  • You need employee scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time clocking.
7shifts review

Choose Lunchbox if

  • You need branded ordering web and apps.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want loyalty and rewards.
Lunchbox review

Questions people ask

Is 7shifts or Lunchbox better?
Neither clearly leads. 7shifts starts at Free and Lunchbox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 7shifts or Lunchbox?
7shifts has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for 7shifts and On request for Lunchbox.
Does 7shifts or Lunchbox run on more platforms?
7shifts runs on Web, Ios, Android. Lunchbox runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use 7shifts for free?
Yes. 7shifts has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lunchbox starts at On request.
What is 7shifts best used for?
7shifts is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what Lunchbox is typically brought in for.
What can 7shifts do that Lunchbox cannot?
7shifts covers Employee scheduling, Time clocking, Team communication, Tip pooling. Lunchbox covers Branded ordering web and apps, Loyalty and rewards, Guest data platform, Marketing automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

7shifts: What does 7shifts' free plan include?

The free plan includes basic scheduling and communication features. No credit card is required, and users can trial all features free for 14 days with no upfront commitment.

Source
Lunchbox: Does it stop me paying delivery commission?

Only on orders that move to your own channels. Orders still placed on DoorDash or Uber Eats carry their usual commission.

7shifts: Is there flexibility in billing between monthly and annual plans on 7shifts?

Yes, 7shifts allows you to choose between monthly and annual plans with no up-front commitment required. You can switch between billing frequencies as your business needs change.

Source
Lunchbox: Do I get my own branded mobile app?

Yes, native iOS and Android apps under your brand, built and submitted during onboarding for a one time fee on top of the subscription.

7shifts: How do I upgrade from the free plan to the Pro plan?

7shifts offers a Pro plan as an upgrade from the free version, but specific pricing and features are not published on the main website. Contact their sales team or book a demo to learn about Pro plan costs and capabilities.

Source
Lunchbox: Who owns the customer data?

The restaurant. That is the central argument for first party ordering over marketplace ordering.

Lunchbox: What size of brand is it aimed at?

Multi unit groups, broadly five to fifty locations. Single sites usually do better with a cheaper ordering product.

Share

Related pages

More on 7shifts

More on Lunchbox

Keep looking

Other head to heads