The best restaurant booking systems in the UK (2026): what they cost and who each one suits

We sell a booking feature ourselves (Chefzi table reservations), so read this with that in mind. We've tried to make it useful anyway: every price below comes from the provider's own UK page, checked on 20 October 2026, and where a provider doesn't publish a price we say so instead of guessing. The order is alphabetical after the table, not a ranking.

The comparison table

"Not stated" means we couldn't find it on the provider's public pages, not that it doesn't exist. Ask before you sign.

The systems, one by one

Access Collins Evo (and DesignMyNight)

Collins is The Access Group's booking system. Access's page prices it from £149 a month per site, with the full price depending on "site type, size and the features you need". It handles reservations, enquiries, deposits and pre-orders, and Access sells an AI phone-booking add-on (Collins Call Evo). The main reason to choose it is DesignMyNight, Access's discovery site, which Access says reaches up to 3.9 million monthly visitors. Access also says bookings carry 0% commission. Phone support is 9am to 5.30pm.

Choose Collins if you take a lot of large-party enquiries and private hire and want a UK supplier with a discovery site attached.

Chefzi

Chefzi is an online-ordering platform for UK restaurants and takeaways, and a simple restaurant booking system comes with every plan. A guest requests a date, time and party size on your website and you confirm it. There's no per-cover fee, and the same site handles online ordering for collection and delivery and QR table ordering at the table.

Be clear on what it doesn't do: no card deposits on bookings, and no diner network. Chefzi won't find you new diners the way OpenTable or DesignMyNight can. After the free period it's £19 a month (cash or no-card ordering) or £29 with Stripe card payments, per location, excluding VAT, month to month. See Chefzi facts for everything it does and doesn't do.

Choose Chefzi if you're an independent that takes both bookings and takeaway orders and you'd rather run one system and one bill.

OpenTable

OpenTable's UK plans page lists two plans, Core and Pro, with no prices; you fill in a form. Its FAQ is clear about the cover-fee model: you pay cover fees only for diners who discover you through OpenTable's website, app or affiliate network, only for seated diners (not no-shows or cancellations), and nothing for bookings through your own website or by phone. The standard contract is one year and auto-renews; to stop it renewing, tell OpenTable 30 days before the renewal date. Both plans include table plans, deposits and card holds, a booking widget and Google's "Reserve a table" button. Pro adds deeper guest profiles and automated email campaigns. Premium SMS is a £19-a-month add-on on Core.

Choose OpenTable if a meaningful share of your covers comes from people who don't know you yet, such as tourists or visitors to a city centre, and the network fees are worth it.

ResDiary

ResDiary says it powers 9,000+ venues in 60 countries, with a regional team in the UK. Its pricing page doesn't list plan prices; you fill in a form to see packages. It explains that its plans (Express, Pro, Connect and Ultimate) share the same core features and differ by how many bookings you can take each month. It says it charges no commission on bookings from anywhere, including Reserve with Google and its own diner site, Dish Cult (a free listing comes with every account). Add-ons such as pre-orders, gift vouchers, an event manager and SMS are priced separately; they showed in US dollars to our connection, so ask for sterling prices. A surcharge of about 1% applies to deposits and payments, and 3% to gift vouchers. On data, ResDiary says the venue is the data controller and ResDiary is the processor.

Choose ResDiary if you want a mature, white-label system with deposits, pre-orders and integrations, and your booking volume is predictable enough to pick a tier.

SevenRooms

SevenRooms now describes itself as "a DoorDash company". Its pricing page lists three packages (Starter, Growth and Premium) with "Get a quote" rather than prices. The Starter package includes CRM and guest profiles, branded reservations and waitlist, table management, and access to DoorDash and Deliveroo reservation marketplace users "with No Cover Fees". Email marketing and event management are add-ons.

Choose SevenRooms if guest data, marketing automation and a presence on Deliveroo Reservations matter more to you than a published price.

Tablein

Tablein publishes prices per restaurant, billed monthly. To our connection they showed in euros: Starter €67 (50 bookings included, then €0.67 each), Growth €117 (150 included, then €0.37 each) and Success €177 (unlimited). It offers card guarantees and deposits for busy days, a free basic website and no commission on bookings via Google. Check the sterling price on their site before comparing.

Choose Tablein if you want published, self-serve pricing and a simple white-label widget.

Quandoo: closed

Quandoo's UK site now says it "has now completed its planned and orderly closure" and that the platform "is no longer available". If you still have a Quandoo button on your website or Google profile, replace it now.

How to choose: six questions

1. Where do your bookings come from today? Count a typical month: phone, walk-in, your website, Google and any network. If almost everything is direct, you're paying for a network you don't use.
2. Do no-shows actually hurt you? If you lose real money on no-shows, you need deposits or card holds (OpenTable, ResDiary, Tablein, Collins). If not, a clear confirmation and an easy way to cancel may be enough.
3. How long is the contract? A one-year auto-renewing term is fine if you're sure; month to month is safer if you're not.
4. Who controls the guest data? Ask whether you're the data controller, whether the provider also markets to diners who booked through its app, and how you export your list.
5. How complex is your room? Floor plans, table combining and turn times matter in a 120-cover restaurant, much less in a 30-cover café.
6. Do you also sell takeaway online? If you do, one system for bookings and orders, on one website, saves a second bill and a second login.

Working out the real monthly cost

Most providers won't publish a single number, so build your own from your quotes:

Monthly cost = subscription + (network covers × cover fee) + add-ons + payment surcharges

As an illustration only (the cover fee here is a placeholder, not any provider's rate): if a quote includes a £1.50 network cover fee and the network seats 200 guests a month, that's £300 on top of the subscription. At 40 network covers it's £60. Put your own numbers in, and remember that bookings through your own website shouldn't carry a cover fee on any of the plans above.

Getting bookings from Google

Google can show a booking option on your Business Profile. ResDiary connects to Reserve with Google, OpenTable lists Google's "Reserve a table" button, and Tablein mentions Google Reserve bookings. With Chefzi, you add your booking link to your Google Business Profile yourself, or we can do it as part of our help ranking higher on Google in your area. Whatever you choose, make sure there's only one live booking link per platform, so guests don't book through an old system.

Moving from GloriaFood or Quandoo

GloriaFood offers a free table reservations widget and paid reservation deposits (US$0.50 per guest on its pricing page). Both end when GloriaFood closes on 30 April 2027. See our GloriaFood alternative guide for the dates.

When you move from any system:

1. Export future bookings and the guest list (with marketing consent recorded).
2. Re-enter future bookings in the new system, then confirm them with guests.
3. Replace the booking button on your website, Google, Instagram and Facebook on the same day.
4. Contact past guests only where you have their permission, for example with email campaigns to past guests who opted in.

Take bookings and orders in one place

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.

After the free period, Chefzi is £19 a month or £29 with Stripe card payments, per location, excluding VAT, with reservations included. No setup fee, no commission, month to month. See Chefzi pricing.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best restaurant booking system in the UK?

There isn't one best system for every restaurant. A diner network such as OpenTable or DesignMyNight suits places that need new guests to discover them. A white-label system such as ResDiary or Tablein suits places whose guests already know them and book direct. If you also take online orders, a system that does both, such as Chefzi, saves running two tools.

Is there a free restaurant booking system?

Some systems are free for a trial period or include bookings in another product. Chefzi includes table reservations in its online-ordering plan, with no per-cover fee, at £19 or £29 a month after the free period. GloriaFood's free reservations widget ends when GloriaFood closes on 30 April 2027.

Does OpenTable charge per cover in the UK?

OpenTable's UK plans page says that on its Core and Pro plans it charges cover fees only for diners who find you through OpenTable's website, app or affiliate network, and only for seated diners. Bookings through your own website or by phone are free. The page doesn't publish the plan prices or the cover fee.

Is Quandoo still available in the UK?

No. Quandoo's UK site says it has completed its closure and the platform is no longer available. Restaurants that used it need a replacement booking system and should update any old booking links.

Who owns the guest data in a booking system?

It depends on the provider and your contract. ResDiary says the venue is the data controller and ResDiary is the processor. Marketplace-style networks also have their own relationship with diners who book through their apps. Ask each provider who controls the data and how you can export it.

Can guests book a table from Google?

Several systems connect to Google's booking feature, including ResDiary (Reserve with Google), OpenTable (Google's "Reserve a table" button) and Tablein. With Chefzi, you add your booking page link to your Google Business Profile.

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