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Restaurants · head to head

Resy vs Square for Restaurants

Resy logo

Resy

Restaurants

Premium reservation platform for restaurants

From
$289/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Restaurants

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: Resy platform & Essential tier (289 USD/month) lacks advanced analytics and POS integrations (Premium required); Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Resy covers Online reservations, Square for Restaurants covers Table management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Resy and Square for Restaurants differ
AttributeResySquare for Restaurants
Starting price$289/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20142018

Identical on both: 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 Resy

  • Online reservations
  • Table optimization
  • Guest CRM
  • Waitlist
  • Marketing
  • AmEx integration
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Square for Restaurants

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

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Resy

  • Restaurant reservation and table managementnot Square for Restaurants
  • Waitlist and walk-in managementnot Square for Restaurants
  • Event ticketing and experience management for restaurantsnot Square for Restaurants
  • Guest CRM and personalised communicationnot Square for Restaurants
  • Real-time analytics and revenue reportingnot Square for Restaurants
  • Premium dining inventory managementnot Square for Restaurants

Square for Restaurants

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

Where each one falls short

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

Resy

  • Platform & Essential tier (289 USD/month) lacks advanced analytics and POS integrations (Premium required)
  • Platform tier lacks Premium features such as priority phone support and advanced experience management
  • Essential tier charged with 3% prepayment fees on events (Premium reduced to 2%)

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

Resy

$289/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Resy review.

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 Resy if

  • You need online reservations.
  • You also want table optimization.
Resy review

Choose Square for Restaurants if

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

Questions people ask

Is Resy or Square for Restaurants better?
Neither clearly leads. Resy starts at $289/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, Resy or Square for Restaurants?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $289/month for Resy and Free for Square for Restaurants.
Does Resy or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
Resy runs on Web. Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Resy starts at $289/month.
What is Resy best used for?
Resy is most often used for restaurant reservation and table management, waitlist and walk-in management, event ticketing and experience management for restaurants, guest crm and personalised communication. Of those, restaurant reservation and table management and waitlist and walk-in management are not what Square for Restaurants is typically brought in for.
What can Resy do that Square for Restaurants cannot?
Resy covers Online reservations, Table optimization, Guest CRM, Waitlist. Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Square for Restaurants: What are Square's main pricing plans for restaurants?

Square offers a free tier and Square Plus. The Free plan has $0 cost with standard processing fees. Square Plus is described as the best value tier and includes lower card processing rates than the free plan.

Source
Square for Restaurants: Does Square have locked-in contracts or can I cancel anytime?

Square explicitly states no hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Customers can cancel or switch anytime. The pay-as-you-go model means you only pay when you take a payment.

Source
Square for Restaurants: Does Square Plus include a free trial period?

Yes, Square Plus offers a free trial, though the specific trial duration is not clearly displayed on the pricing page.

Source
Square for Restaurants: What features does Square Plus add compared to the free plan?

Square Plus includes all free plan features plus advanced POS tools, a loyalty program, email and text marketing (500 free texts, then 3 cents per text), and staff management tools.

Source
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Related pages

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