Free online ordering systems in the UK: what “free” really costs

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We make Chefzi, so read this as a provider's view. Every competitor figure below comes from that company's own website, with the date we checked it, and links are in the sources table at the end.

Six ways a “free” ordering system pays for itself

Software, hosting, support and SMS alerts all cost money to run. If the restaurant isn't paying a monthly fee, the money comes from one of these places:

None of these models is wrong. A free tier with a 100-order cap can be ideal for a café that does a handful of collection orders a week. A flat fee suits a busy takeaway, because the price stays the same however many orders come in. The point is to know which model you're signing up to.

The cost no ordering system removes: card processing

If customers pay by card online, a payment provider charges a fee on each payment. This is separate from any commission or subscription.

• Stripe (UK, standard pricing, 20 Oct 2026): 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, 2.8% + 20p for premium UK cards, 2.5% + 20p for EEA cards.
• Square Online (UK, 20 Oct 2026): 1.4% + 25p for UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for non-UK cards per online payment.

The same Square plan is set beside Chefzi on Chefzi vs Square Online.

On a £20 order with a standard UK card, Stripe's fee is 50p and Square's is 53p. Cash on collection or delivery carries no processing fee, which is why Chefzi has a lower £19 plan for restaurants that take cash or don't take card payments online.

A worked month: 300 orders at £20

To make the models comparable, here's one illustrative month: 300 orders at an average of £20 (£6,000 of orders), every one paid online with a standard UK card. These are round numbers to show the arithmetic, not figures from a real restaurant.

Illustrative only. Commission rates vary by contract, card fees vary by card type, and Chefzi's prices exclude VAT. Use your own figures in the commission calculator.

Two honest takeaways from the table. First, any direct ordering system costs a fraction of marketplace commission at this volume. Second, Chefzi isn't the lowest-cost option on the list: a genuine £0 plan with standard card fees comes in under Chefzi's £29 plan. What the flat fee buys is covered below, so you can decide whether it's worth it to you.

Eight questions to ask any “free” provider

1. Is there an order limit? Check your busiest month, not your average.
2. Can customers pay by card on the free plan? If not, what does switching it on cost?
3. Who pays the per-order fee: you or your customer? A fee added to the customer's basket still affects whether they order.
4. Can I use my own domain name? Or is it a sub-address on the provider's site, and is the domain an add-on?
5. How will the kitchen know an order has arrived? An app that keeps ringing, a printer, an email?
6. What happens when I outgrow the free plan? Get the next price in writing.
7. Is there a contract or notice period? And can you export your menu and customer list?
8. Will the product still exist? GloriaFood's free plan was popular for years, and Oracle is now retiring it on 30 April 2027. If that affects you, see our list of free GloriaFood replacements.

Where Chefzi fits

Chefzi isn't a free-forever plan, and we won't pretend it is. It's a flat monthly fee designed for UK takeaways, restaurants and cafés that want a fixed bill and someone to set it up with them:

• 0% commission and no setup fee. No Chefzi fee is added to your customer's order. (What commission-free should mean.)
• Two prices after the free period: £19 a month for cash or no-card ordering, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe (card payments on the £29 plan). Per location, excluding VAT. Standard Stripe fees apply to card orders.
• Menu move included, including a move from GloriaFood.
• The Chefzi app on your phone or tablet that rings until someone accepts or rejects; if the tablet drops offline, Chefzi sends an SMS and then makes a phone call.
• Your own domain for the ordering site, a generated restaurant website or an embed for the site you already have, delivery zones with their own fee and minimum, promo codes, pre-orders and QR table ordering.
• Month to month. Cancel during the free period and you pay nothing.

What Chefzi doesn't include: a till or POS, a kiosk, a branded app-store app, a loyalty scheme or courier integrations. The full list is on Chefzi facts, and every price is on Chefzi pricing.

Choose a free plan if your volume sits under its cap, you're happy to set it up yourself and you can live with its limits. Choose Chefzi if you'd rather pay one fixed fee from the start, with the menu moved for you and a kitchen alert that's hard to miss. For a wider comparison of paid platforms, see the best online ordering systems in the UK.

If the shop itself is still on paper, the registration, planning and first-menu steps are in how to start a takeaway business.

Start with the free period

Early Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deal: new sign-ups get 3 months free, with no setup fee. The deal ends at 23:59 on 1 December 2026. Book a short call and we'll set up your ordering page with you.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a completely free online ordering system in the UK?

A few UK providers advertise a £0 monthly plan with 0% commission. Each one recovers its costs somewhere: an order cap, cash-only payments, a flat per-order rate, paid add-ons or card processing. Card processing applies to almost every system if you take online card payments.

Is Chefzi free?

Chefzi is free for the introductory period in its current offer, shown on this page. After that it is £19 a month for cash or no-card ordering, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe, per location and excluding VAT. There is no setup fee and 0% commission. Standard Stripe processing fees apply to card orders.

What is the catch with free online ordering systems?

Usually one of five things: a monthly order limit, no online card payments on the free plan, a per-order fee charged to you or your customer, paid add-ons for basics such as your own domain, or a provider that can close the product. GloriaFood's free plan ends on 30 April 2027.

Do I still pay card fees on a free ordering system?

Almost always, yes. Card processing is charged by the payment provider, not the ordering system. Stripe's standard UK rate on 20 October 2026 was 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, which is 50p on a £20 order. Cash orders carry no processing fee.

Are Just Eat and Uber Eats free for restaurants?

They have no monthly fee, but they charge commission on each order. Uber Eats' UK pricing page lists 13% for self-delivery or pick-up and 30% when Uber delivers, excluding VAT, plus a £650 activation fee. Just Eat's partner page is reported to show 14% + VAT with your own drivers and 30% + VAT when Just Eat delivers. See what Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats charge.

Can I cancel Chefzi during the free period?

Yes. Chefzi is month to month. If you cancel during the free period, you pay nothing.

Sources