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OpenTable vs Square for Restaurants

OpenTable logo

OpenTable

Software

Restaurant reservation and management platform

From
$39/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Software

Restaurant POS system that works for you

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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); Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: OpenTable covers Online reservations, Square for Restaurants covers Menu customization.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenTable and Square for Restaurants actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenTable and Square for Restaurants differ
AttributeOpenTableSquare for Restaurants
Starting price$39/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded19982018

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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
  • Guest profiles
  • Waitlist
  • Marketing tools
  • Reviews
  • Toast
  • Square
  • Lightspeed

Only in Square for Restaurants

  • Menu customization
  • Split checks
  • Offline mode
  • Real-time reporting
  • Kitchen display
  • Caviar
  • DoorDash
  • Postmates

Both cover

  • Table management
  • 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

Square for Restaurants

  • 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)

Square for Restaurants

  • The Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • KDS and Kiosk are billed per device per month on top of the plan, so cost scales with terminals rather than locations
  • Restaurants processing over $250,000 a year are moved to custom pricing rather than the published rates

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

Square for Restaurants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • POS
    • Menu management
    • Basic reporting
  • Plus$60/month
    • Advanced features
    • Live sales
    • Seat management
  • PremiumFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenTable if

  • You need online reservations.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want guest profiles.
OpenTable review

Choose Square for Restaurants if

  • You need menu customization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want split checks.
Square for Restaurants review

Questions people ask

Is OpenTable or Square for Restaurants better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenTable starts at $39/month and Square for Restaurants at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenTable or Square for Restaurants?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $39/month for OpenTable and Free for Square for Restaurants.
Does OpenTable or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OpenTable starts at $39/month.
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 Square for Restaurants cannot?
OpenTable covers Online reservations, Guest profiles, Waitlist, Marketing tools. Square for Restaurants covers Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode, Real-time reporting. Both handle Table management, Web support, Ios support, Android support.
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Related pages

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