ChowNow is a restaurant order management platform built around online ordering, branded ordering channels, customer engagement, and restaurant operations.
If you’re looking for a ChowNow alternative, don’t just choose a feature-rich platform. Instead, select the one with the features you need. A restaurant focused on direct online ordering can have different requirements from one without table management, reservation capability or a simple digital menu.
The five platforms below cover different parts of that spectrum. Use the comparison table as a starting point, then check the plan-level details before making a decision.
The top 5 ChowNow alternatives: A feature breakdown
| Feature | MENU TIGER | UpMenu | StoreKit | Menubly | Menujo |
| Commission-free online ordering | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| AI–powered menu import | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| SEO-optimized Web builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Customizable QR code menu | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kitchen Display System (KDS) | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Table management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| POS integrations | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Limited | Limited |
| Multilingual menu | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Limited | Limited |
1. MENU TIGER
MENU TIGER is an all-in-one online menu ordering system that combines digital menus, online ordering, customer engagement, advanced sales reporting, and selected restaurant-management features.
Something that this software has over ChowNow is its AI menu maker, a feature that converts menu items from a PDF or image into a fully digital menu.
Additionally, MENU TIGER offers a kitchen display system, table management features, multilingual support, and basic sales and tax reporting, further supporting your restaurant operations and management.
Key features:
- AI menu maker
- Commission-free online ordering
- Website builder
- QR code ordering
- KDS
- Table management
- Restaurant POS integrations
- Multi-language digital menus
- Customer engagement tools
- Sales analytics
- Multiple payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, and Adyen
- Accounting
| Pros | Cons |
| AI-powered menu importation. Comprehensive restaurant management tools in one place. Suitable for restaurants of various sizes.Commission-free online orders. | More advanced features require subscriptions. Understanding all of its features can take time. |
| Best For: |
| Dining establishments of any size looking for a comprehensive but straightforward ordering and restaurant management solution. |
2. UpMenu
UpMenu also provides restaurants with a website that enables online orders. It also develops apps for its users, offering another channel for taking in orders.
It combines web ordering with optional modules for websites, mobile apps, marketplace integrations, QR code menus, a delivery and driver network, customer engagement and management, a restaurant reservation system and marketing solutions.
What sets UpMenu apart is its customizable subscription plans. Instead of bundling features into fixed paid plans, the platform uses a modular approach that lets restaurants select the tools they need to build a system tailored to their specific requirements.
Key features:
- Commission-free online ordering
- Website builder
- QR code ordering
- Table management
- Mobile and driver app development
- Delivery app integrations
- Inventory management
- Restaurant POS integrations
- Multi-language digital menus
- Customer engagement tools
- Restaurant analytics
- Multiple payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, and Adyen
- Accounting
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers modular subscription plans. Develops mobile and driver apps. | Subscription cost increases with every location you manage Cheaper plans limit the number of orders and reservations you can take Additional orders and reservations cost $1.90 |
| Best For: |
| Independent, small and medium-sized establishments looking for a customizable ordering system. |
3. StoreKit
StoreKit is an online ordering platform with a free starter plan and paid tiers aimed at growing and established hospitality businesses.
While the platform supports table-specific QR ordering and payments, the downside for restaurants is that it is only available on their most expensive fixed-price plan.
To offset this required cost, StoreKit offers integrations with numerous delivery, customer relationship management (CRM) and POS systems. On the technical side of things, restaurants get access to guided onboarding and menu setups as well as a named account manager.
Key features:
- Commission-free online ordering
- Website builder with custom domain
- QR code ordering
- Table planning
- KDS
- Kiosks
- Mobile app development
- Delivery, POS, marketing and CRM integrations
- Multi-language digital menus
- Restaurant analytics
| Pros | Cons |
| Includes a KDS and a custom domain under its free plan. Integrates with several top software platforms like Uber Direct and Square | Only offers QR code ordering with its premium plan. Creation of meal courses and table plans aren’t part of its basic paid plan. |
| Best For: |
| Establishments looking for an online ordering platform that allows for custom branding under its most affordable plan |
4. Menubly
Menubly is a cloud-based solution that primarily focuses on digital menus and online ordering capabilities. As such, it helps users create digital menus and restaurant websites, making it easy for businesses to accept pickup and delivery orders online.
It focuses on simple restaurant websites, digital menus, QR menus, and direct ordering for pickup and delivery.
Key features:
- Digital menu builder
- QR code menus
- Commission-free online ordering
- Website builder
- Online ordering for pickup and delivery
- Basic analytics
| Pros | Cons |
| User-friendly and intuitive setup.Allows for quick updates to digital menus. Offers affordable prices for small and independent restaurants. | Not suitable for restaurant management requirements. Lacks KDS or table management features. Can require additional integrations for payment processing and advanced operational features. |
| Best For: |
| Independent dining establishments and startups looking for an affordable and online ordering platform. |
5. Menujo
Menujo is better treated as a digital-menu platform than a ChowNow-style online ordering replacement. Its current site describes menus, QR codes, branding tools and menu analytics, and explicitly states that Menujo doesn’t accept orders or payments.
With these features available even on its free plan, Menujo happens to be a great platform for smaller restaurants and startups.
Unfortunately, Menujo doesn’t come with a website builder, but it does offer digital menu customization with multilingual support.
Key features:
- Digital menu builder
- QR code menu generation
- Commission-free online ordering
- Custom branding and themes
- Mobile-optimized menus
- Menu analytics
- Social media and Google Business Profile sharing
| Pros | Cons |
| User-friendly and intuitive setup.Allows for quick updates to digital menus. Offers multilingual support for menus. Social media branding and marketing opportunities.Basic analytics with its free plan | Not suitable for restaurant management requirements. Lacks KDS or table management features. Absence of a restaurant website builder can require additional integrations for payment processing and advanced operational features. Only offers 90-day analytics. |
| Best For: |
| Establishments looking for a user-friendly digital menu solution with QR code ordering, real-time updates and simple menu management. |
Pricing comparisons of ChowNow alternatives
| Plan | MENU TIGER | UpMenu | StoreKit | Menubly | Menujo |
| Free | YES (All basic online ordering features + AI menu builder) | NONE | YES (Pickup and delivery + Uber Direct and Shipday + Kitchen display + Own domain + Deliverect integration) | YES (Mini website + Unlimited links on mini website) | YES (Mobile-optimized menu + 7-day analytics + PNG QR downloads + branded logo + CSV menu import) |
| Entry | $17/mo (Everything in free + add on POS +Unlimited food menu items) | $49/mo per restaurant (75 orders and reservations) | $108.45/mo (Everything on the Free plan +Pedal Me, Nash and Orkestro delivery + Toast, Square, Lightspeed and Stream EPOS Integration + Cross-site reporting + Klaviyo, Leat, Como and Glu integrations) | NONE | $7/mo (Everything on the Free plan + custom branding + 60 days of menu analytics + SVG QR downloads + priority email support) |
| Mid-tier | $46/mo (Everything on the Entry level plan + KDS+ up to 5 stores management) | $89/mo per restaurant (210 orders and reservations) | NONE | $ 9.99/mo (Everything on the Free plan + built-in online menu + QR code menu + online ordering + full menu customization + PDF menu conversion) | NONE |
| Premium | $119/mo (Everything on the mid-tier plan + table management + fully included POS + unlimited stores management) | $169/mo per restaurant (Unlimited orders and reservations) | $219.54/mo (Everything on the Entry plan + QR order & pay, pay-at-table and digital tabs + Coursing, table plans and split payments + Syrve, Tissl and 3S POS + Airship, Toggle and Acteol integrations) | NONE | $12/mo (Everything on the Entry level plan + 90 days of menu analytics + priority support) |
| Discount | 15% off all paid plans | Negotiable for restaurant chains after contacting Sales | NONE | 20% off all paid plans | 2 months free |
| Commission fees | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Processing fees for card payments | Free | Free | Free | Free | No payment processing |
| Additional offers | Menu Tiger POS free 6-month access across all plans | Modular paid plans that include mobile apps, third-party integrations, and more | Custom plan with everything on the premium plan, integrations built to your stack, kiosks and app development | Custom plan for special feature requests as well as custom domains and menu design | Custom plan with everything in the Premium plan along with a custom domain, white-label, API access, team accounts, and a named contact |
What you should look for in your online menu ordering system
The right alternative depends on the workflow you need to replace. Start with these five criteria.
Fast and straightforward setup
An online ordering platform allows customers to purchase their meals digitally, but one that is quick and easy to set up allows you to start taking in orders as soon as you need to.
Whether you are shifting to digital menus or starting a whole new restaurant, the system you choose shouldn’t be complicated to use. Instead, it should simplify menu creation, either through drag-and-drop building or through AI-powered importation of your dishes.
Built-in support for restaurant management
Having your orders done online is a big boon to your business, but why not have a system that supports you in other aspects of restaurant management?
Your ordering system shouldn’t just process orders, but it should also help you run your restaurant. This includes, but is not limited to, handling front-of-house and back-of-house operations, accounting support and table management.
Optimization for online searches
Most online ordering platforms can provide restaurants with their own branded website. However, if you’re going to subscribe to one of them, it’s better to get the most bang for your buck and pay for one that optimizes websites for search engines.
Your chosen platform should be able to make SEO-optimized websites for better visibility online. This way, you can attract more customers to your restaurant and build your credibility on the Internet.
Choose the digital ordering platform that supports your restaurant the most
Each ChowNow alternative serves a different need. MENU TIGER offers all-in-one ordering and management tools. UpMenu provides customizable plans, mobile apps, and marketing features. StoreKit focuses on branded ordering and third-party integrations.
Menubly suits smaller restaurants needing affordable digital menus and online ordering, while Menujo caters to businesses looking for customizable QR code menus.
Before choosing, assess your restaurant’s needs, budget, and required features. Consider whether you need better marketing tools, table management, or kitchen operations support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer: MENU TIGER is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with ChowNow, Upmenu, Menubly, Menujo, Storekit or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates.