Know the number

How much does restaurant online ordering cost per month?

Short answer: as of 2026, anywhere from $0/mo to about $500/mo, plus standard card processing of ~2.6–3%. A free tier like Square Online costs nothing; a fully branded commission-free platform runs roughly $45–500/mo flat. Either way you skip the 15–30% cut the delivery apps take. Here's the honest breakdown by tier, the hidden fees, and how to pick the one you actually need.

For independent & family-run restaurants · ~6 min read

The one-line answer, then the nuance

There's no single sticker price, because "online ordering" spans everything from a free button bolted onto your existing site to a fully branded website and mobile app with loyalty built in. The more polish and the more it does, the more it costs. But the important number isn't the monthly fee — it's the all-in cost per order once you add processing and any per-order fees, and how that compares to the 15–30% a marketplace like DoorDash takes on every ticket.

Below are the typical costs we see across the ordering platforms in our online-ordering section of the toolbox, grouped by tier. Treat every figure as a ballpark as of 2026 — vendors change plans constantly, so always confirm the current rate on a live quote before you sign.

Pricing by tier (typical 2026 ranges)

Tier	Typical monthly	On top of that	Best for
Free / DIY — Square Online, GloriaFood basic	$0/mo	~2.6–3% card processing; optional add-ons ~$30–100/mo	Low volume, testing, budget-conscious shops
Low-cost subscription — 247waiter, Slice (pizza)	~$40–70/mo	Small flat per-order fee and/or processing	Single-location takeout wanting a cheap flat rate
Commission-free platform — ChowNow, Owner.com, BentoBox, Popmenu	~$150–500/mo	One-time setup ~$119–499; ~2.6–3% processing; per-order or guest fee on some plans	Steady direct volume; wants a branded site + app
Custom / enterprise — bespoke build, multi-location	$500/mo+ or one-time $2k–10k+	Hosting, maintenance, integrations, per-location fees	Groups and chains with specific workflow needs

To make those bands concrete: Square Online starts at $0/mo with no commission on direct orders (paid tiers ~$29–79+/mo add features). 247waiter sits around $45/mo. ChowNow is roughly $149–199/mo per location plus a one-time setup fee. Owner.com runs $249/mo plus a small per-order fee, or $499/mo flat with 0% restaurant commission. BentoBox and Popmenu land around $150–500/mo depending on add-ons. Free and freemium tiers are real and a smart place to start — just expect less brand polish than a premium platform.

The fees hiding under the monthly

The subscription is rarely the whole story. Four line items decide your true cost:

Payment processing. Even "commission-free" platforms charge standard card processing — usually around 2.6–3% plus a per-transaction fee (commonly ~$0.10–0.30). That's the cost of accepting a card, not a marketplace cut, and it applies on every tier including the free ones.

Setup / onboarding. Self-serve tools often onboard free in a day. Higher-touch platforms charge a one-time fee — frequently $119–499 — to build your menu, branding and integrations.

Per-order fees. Some plans keep the monthly low but add a flat fee per order (a dollar or two), or pass a small "order support" fee to the guest. On high volume that adds up, so model it at your real order count.

Add-ons. A branded mobile app, loyalty, email/SMS marketing, online catering, or each extra location can each run $30–300/mo. Buy only what maps to how your guests actually order.

What actually drives the price

Two restaurants can pay very differently for "online ordering." Here's what moves the meter:

Order volume. Flat subscriptions reward volume — the more orders you push through, the cheaper each one gets. At low volume a free or per-order model is often smarter than a $300/mo plan.

Brand polish and features. A plain ordering button is cheap. A designed, branded website with a mobile app, loyalty and marketing baked in is where you cross into the $200–500/mo range.

Locations. Most platforms price per location, so multi-unit operators multiply the monthly — though some offer group discounts.

Delivery. Pickup-only has no driver cost. If you want delivery on your own orders, white-label dispatch (DoorDash Drive, Uber Direct) charges a flat per-delivery fee you can pass to the guest — still far below a marketplace commission.

How to keep it cheap

You don't have to overspend to escape the apps. Start on a free or low-cost tier — Square Online or a ~$45/mo plan — and prove the channel works before paying for polish. Keep it pickup-first where you can, since delivery is where fees stack. Watch processing rates, not just the headline monthly, and negotiate the setup fee (it's often waivable). Then drive customers to your own link — off your Google Business Profile, receipts and bag inserts — so the flat fee spreads across more orders and the per-order cost falls. Full playbook: how to accept online orders without DoorDash.

Is it cheaper than the delivery apps?

Almost always, once you have steady direct volume. Say you do $10,000/mo in orders. On a marketplace at 15–30%, that's roughly $1,500–3,000/mo gone in commission before you've paid for food. Move even part of it to a commission-free platform at $45–500/mo flat plus ~3% processing, and you're paying a few hundred to keep well over a thousand. At very low volume the gap narrows, so run your own numbers with our free delivery-commission calculator before you commit. The strategy for shifting orders off the apps is in cut DoorDash & delivery commissions.

Where we come in: the price on a vendor's page isn't the real cost — the real cost is a plan that's oversized for your volume, or a "free" tool that quietly bleeds you on processing. We're tool-agnostic: we help you pick the tier that fits how you actually sell, wire it into your POS and menu so nothing gets re-keyed, and prove the savings against your current app fees. You get the plan that fits — not the longest feature list.

Frequently asked questions

How much does restaurant online ordering cost per month?

As of 2026, a free tier like Square Online or GloriaFood costs $0/mo plus standard card processing (~2.6–3%). A commission-free branded platform runs roughly $45–500/mo flat — ChowNow around $149–199/mo plus a one-time setup fee, Owner.com $249–499/mo, BentoBox and Popmenu roughly $150–500/mo — with add-ons of about $30–100/mo. Always confirm current pricing on a live quote.

Is commission-free online ordering really free?

Commission-free means no 15–30% marketplace cut on the food, but you still pay standard card processing of roughly 2.6–3% plus a per-transaction fee, and usually a flat monthly subscription. Some platforms also pass a small per-order fee to the guest. It is far cheaper than the apps on steady volume, but it is not literally $0.

What extra fees should I watch for?

Watch four things beyond the monthly fee: a one-time setup or onboarding fee (often $119–499), payment processing of about 2.6–3% plus per-transaction cents, per-order fees on some plans, and add-ons like a branded app, loyalty, marketing, or extra locations that can each run $30–300/mo. Ask for the all-in monthly at your volume.

Is a flat monthly fee cheaper than paying DoorDash commission?

Almost always, once you have steady direct volume. A restaurant doing $10,000/mo in orders pays roughly $1,500–3,000 in marketplace commission at 15–30%, versus a flat $45–500/mo plus processing on a commission-free platform. At very low volume the gap narrows, so run your own numbers with a break-even calculator first.

Do I need to pay for delivery drivers too?

Only if you offer delivery on your own orders. White-label dispatch like DoorDash Drive or Uber Direct picks up orders placed on your site for a flat per-delivery fee, which you can pass to the guest. Pickup-only ordering has no driver cost at all beyond the platform fee and processing.