Software · head to head
OpenTable vs Caviar
OpenTable
Software
Restaurant reservation and management platform
- From
- $39/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: OpenTable openTable for Restaurants charges a subscription fee on top of per-cover network fees: Basic is $149/month with covers free for the first 30 days then $1.50 per network cover, Core is $299/month at $1 per network cover, and Pro is $499/month also at $1 per network cover, so cost scales with both plan tier and diner volume rather than a flat seat price (archived plans page, 5 November 2025); Caviar limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas
- They diverge on capability: OpenTable covers Online reservations, Caviar covers Premium delivery.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which OpenTable and Caviar actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 OpenTable
- Online reservations
- Table management
- Guest profiles
- Waitlist
- Marketing tools
- Reviews
- Lightspeed
- Revel
Only in Caviar
- Premium delivery
- Curated marketplace
- Order management
- Quality-focused
- Analytics
- DoorDash
Both cover
- Toast
- Square
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
OpenTable
- Point of Sale
- Order Management
- Inventory Control
- Staff Scheduling
Caviar
- Point of Sale
- Order Management
- Inventory Control
- Staff Scheduling
Both are used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
OpenTable
- OpenTable for Restaurants charges a subscription fee on top of per-cover network fees: Basic is $149/month with covers free for the first 30 days then $1.50 per network cover, Core is $299/month at $1 per network cover, and Pro is $499/month also at $1 per network cover, so cost scales with both plan tier and diner volume rather than a flat seat price (archived plans page, 5 November 2025)
- On the Basic plan, reservations booked through the restaurant's own website are not free: they cost $0.25 per cover or a $49/month flat fee, a charge that is waived only on the higher Core and Pro tiers (archived plans page, 5 November 2025)
Caviar
- Limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas
- Service fee of 18 percent applied to all orders
- Not available in all regions as standalone service
Pricing, plan by plan
OpenTable
$39/month- Basic$39/month
- Reservations
- Table management
- Core$249/month
- Guest profiles
- Marketing
- Pro$449/month
- Full features
- Premium support
Caviar
$20/order- Standard$25/percent
- Premium delivery
- Curated placement
Which should you pick?
Choose OpenTable if
- You need online reservations.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want table management.
Choose Caviar if
- You need premium delivery.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want curated marketplace.
Questions people ask
- Is OpenTable or Caviar better?
- Neither clearly leads. OpenTable starts at $39/month and Caviar at $20/order, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, OpenTable or Caviar?
- OpenTable starts at $39/month and Caviar at $20/order.
- Does OpenTable or Caviar run on more platforms?
- OpenTable runs on Web, Ios, Android. Caviar runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- What is OpenTable best used for?
- OpenTable is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
- What can OpenTable do that Caviar cannot?
- OpenTable covers Online reservations, Table management, Guest profiles, Waitlist. Caviar covers Premium delivery, Curated marketplace, Order management, Quality-focused. Both handle Toast, Square, Web support, Ios support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Caviar: What does Caviar charge for delivery?
A service fee of 18 percent is applied to each Caviar delivery order. The delivery fee ranges from $1.99 to $8.99 depending on distance and demand. Customers ordering for pickup pay no order minimums, service fee or delivery fee.
SourceCaviar: Is Caviar available as a standalone service?
No. Caviar was acquired by DoorDash in October 2019 and now operates as part of the DoorDash platform. DoorDash members with DashPass enjoy waived delivery fees and reduced service charges on Caviar orders.
Source