Cafe ordering
Crate vs Owner.com
Your cafe app, without the $249 starting subscription.
Crate gives Square cafes a branded iOS and Android app from $80/month, with loyalty and no Crate per-order fee. Owner starts at $249/month for a broader website and marketing bundle. If your priority is an app for your regulars, Crate has the lower starting subscription.
Written by Crate. Reviewed September 19, 2026. Based on our product and the providers' published information, not a hands-on test of their services.
Why choose Crate
Choose Crate to add branded ordering to the Square menu you already maintain. Pickup, customer accounts and stamps or points rewards are included in the $80/month plan.
When Owner.com may fit better
Choose Owner when you also want a new restaurant website, SEO and automated email and SMS marketing in one subscription.
Compare the details.
Compare the workflows, limits and costs that matter to your business.
What both offer: Both offer branded ordering and loyalty, and both connect with Square. Crate offers a lower starting subscription and no platform order fee.
| Topic | Crate | Owner.com |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | Cafe ordering: $80/month, including ordering and built-in loyalty. | Flexible: $249/month. Flat Rate: $499/month. Both include website, app and marketing. US monthly pricing. Source |
| Merchant order fee | No Crate per-order fee or revenue share, with the Cafe ordering plan. | Flexible: 5% per order. Flat Rate: no restaurant order fee. Source |
| Guest order fee | Crate adds no per-order platform fee to your customer's checkout. Payment processing is separate. | Both plans charge guests a 5% order-support fee. Source |
Prices are in USD, checked September 19, 2026. Advertised subscription prices are not all-in quotes. Confirm processing, delivery, setup, app-store and customer-facing charges with each provider. Crate pricing and plan details.
The difference on your monthly bill.
Crate Cafe ordering is $169/month less than Owner Flexible in subscription charges alone. Owner includes a broader website and marketing service; its Flexible plan also adds a 5% restaurant fee. Processing and other applicable charges are separate.
Check it against your business.
- Do you need a new website, an ordering app, or both?
- How does your full drink order appear on the Square ticket?
- What does the guest pay, and what does the cafe pay?
- Can you keep your domain, app listing and customer records if you leave?
Included with Crate
An app that feels like your business.
- Designed around your brand.
- Your colors, typography, photography and menu shape the app. We tailor the design to your business, so customers recognize your cafe from the first screen.
- Loyalty included, in the app and at the counter.
- Crate has its own loyalty program, included from $80/month. No separate Square Loyalty subscription needed. With stamp rewards, customers earn on qualifying app and Square counter purchases. At the counter, staff add the customer's rewards code or phone number to the order.
- Pickup and shipping, in one app.
- Let customers order drinks for pickup and have beans, merchandise and other eligible goods shipped, all from your app. Shipping is available for enabled products and US addresses.
Want help getting set up?
Book a demo
See Cafe ordering on your menu.
We’ll walk through the live demo and rebuild it with your cafe’s menu and brand on the call.
Sources and approach
This comparison is published by Crate. Buyer-fit recommendations are our assessment. We link to official product and pricing pages so you can check the details. An unverified capability is not treated as an unavailable one. Product names identify the services being compared; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.