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Reservation system review

OpenTable

The largest diner network in the US, with three published plans from $149 a month per location plus a fee for each guest who books through OpenTable; table management, waitlist and POS integration start with the Core plan.

By OpenTableParent company: Booking Holdings Inc.

RTC SCORE

6.4

#11 of 14 with enough data

Our verdict

The biggest source of new diners, at a published price per guest. Count on Core if you need table management or the waitlist, and read the one-year term before you sign.

What we like

  • The largest diner network of the catalog, plus a booking widget and more than 100 booking partners on every plan.
  • Published prices for its three plans, and you only pay for seated guests, never for no-shows or cancellations.
  • Live support 24/7.
  • Deposits and credit card holds on every plan.

What to watch

  • A one-year contract that renews for another year, and leaving early means paying the rest of the term.
  • Basic has no floor plan, waitlist or POS integration: they start with Core at $299 a month.
  • Each guest from the network costs $1.50 on Basic, and the bill grows with your bookings.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score6.4out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness100%

We could verify 100% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month cost (reference restaurant), POS systems it connects to, Published pricing
Weakest point
12-month cost (reference restaurant)

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 22%StrongestWeakest3.8 out of 10

    $4,176 over 12 months

  • Table managementWeight 8%4.0 out of 10
  • WaitlistWeight 7%4.0 out of 10
  • POS systems it connects toWeight 7%Strongest7.1 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Where guests can bookWeight 5%6.0 out of 10
  • Guest profilesWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Deposits and prepaymentsWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Card guarantee and no-show feeWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • POS integration in the planWeight 5%4.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 5%7.5 out of 10
  • Texting with guestsWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • No charge per guest from your own websiteWeight 3%5.0 out of 10
  • Diners from the provider's own appWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Email campaigns to your guestsWeight 3%4.0 out of 10
  • Early termination feeWeight 3%2.5 out of 10
  • Live support hours a weekWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
Monthly fee$149/moSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Basic plan, US only. Core is $299 and Pro $499 a month.
Per guest from the provider's network$1.50Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Basic plan; the first 30 days without network fees are a promotion. Core and Pro charge $1 per network guest. Only seated guests are charged, never no-shows or cancellations.
Per guest from your own website$0.25Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Basic plan: $0.25 per guest booked on your website, or a $49 flat fee a month (the cost calculator uses the flat fee, cheaper above 196 guests a month). Phone bookings and walk-ins are free. Core and Pro include website bookings.
Published pricingPublishedSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Bookings includedUnlimitedSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)No cap on bookings is published; each guest from the network or your website has its fee on Basic.
Free planNoSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Setup feeNot publishedSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)The agreement allows one-time setup and activation fees set in each order; the plans page does not publish an amount.
Platform fee on prepayments2%Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)On every plan, before card processing.
Other fees and add-onsPremium SMS messaging is an add-on on Core and included on Pro. Prepaid ticketing (Core and Pro) has a 2% service fee. Digital advertising is sold apart.Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Reservations and guests
Data pointValue
Where guests can bookYour website, The provider's diner app, Partner apps and sitesSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Every plan has the OpenTable listing, a booking widget for your website and booking integrations with more than 100 sites and apps. The plans page does not name Google or Instagram, so they are not counted.
Diners from the provider's own appYes, it has its own diner appSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Guest profilesIn the reference planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Guest database, tags, notes and 360 guest profiles on every plan; automated guest tags on Pro.
Texting with guestsIn the reference planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Basic includes direct messaging with guests, but not for the waitlist; premium SMS is an add-on on Core and included on Pro.
Email campaigns to your guestsIn a higher planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Automated email campaigns are on the Pro plan only.
Tables and waitlist
Data pointValue
Table managementIn a higher planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Customizable floor plans and table management start with Core ($299 a month).
WaitlistIn a higher planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)The in-house and online waitlist starts with Core.
Deposits and no-shows
Data pointValue
Deposits and prepaymentsIn the reference planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Card guarantee and no-show feeIn the reference planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Credit card holds are on every plan; the plans page does not publish how the no-show charge is set.
POS integration
Data pointValue
POS systems it connects toToast, Square, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed, SpotOn, OthersSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Documented by each POS maker on 17-oct-2026: Toast (partner directory), Square (help center, needs Square for Restaurants Plus or Premium), Shift4 POS (integrations page), Lightspeed (Restaurant U-Series and K-Series) and SpotOn (integrations page). Clover and Heartland were not found.
POS integration in the planIn a higher planSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)POS integration starts with Core; Square's help center confirms Basic accounts are not eligible because they have no floor plan.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial term12 monthsSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Unless your order says otherwise. The plans page also says the standard contract is one year.
Automatic renewal12 monthsSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Notice to avoid renewal30 daysSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Early termination feeFees left in the termSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Early termination clauseYou can end the agreement with 30 days' notice if you pay, within those 30 days, 100% of the subscription fees left in the initial term (at list price, without discounts) and 100% of the remaining cover fees; in a renewal term, 50% of the remaining subscription fees and 100% of the remaining cover fees (Client Agreement, section 14.2).Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesAfter the initial term OpenTable may change the fees in your order at its discretion, using reasonable efforts to give 60 days' written notice (Client Agreement, section 12.1).Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Your guest data when you leaveYou can download them yourselfSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)You can export your data during the subscription and for 30 days after it ends.
Support
Data pointValue
Support 24/7YesSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Live support hours a week168Source: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)
Language
Data pointValue
Restaurant app in SpanishPartlySource: OpenTable, Inc. (App Store) (opens in a new tab)The US iPad app for restaurants lists Spanish among its languages; OpenTable does not document the web dashboard in Spanish.
Booking page and messages in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)We didn't find a page where OpenTable documents the booking widget or guest messages in Spanish for US restaurants.
Help center in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)Not checked in a Spanish help center for US restaurants.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: OpenTable (opens in a new tab)The US restaurant site is in English; its language menu offers other countries, not Spanish for the US.

More about OpenTable

How we score