Cafe ordering
Crate vs Per Diem
A lower starting subscription, without pickup usage fees.
Crate Cafe ordering costs $80/month with no Crate per-order fee. Per Diem Starter costs $99 per location on monthly billing, plus a $0.50 pickup usage fee passed to customers by default. Crate keeps the price predictable for cafes that want branded iOS and Android ordering on their existing Square setup.
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 for a branded iOS and Android app, the Square menu you already maintain and built-in stamps or points rewards, without a usage charge on every pickup.
When Per Diem may fit better
Choose Per Diem if web ordering or existing Square Loyalty support is essential. Those are listed in its Starter plan.
Compare the details.
Compare the workflows, limits and costs that matter to your business.
What both offer: Both offer branded ordering, a Square connection and loyalty options. Crate offers a lower starting subscription and no pickup usage fee.
| Topic | Crate | Per Diem |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | Cafe ordering: $80/month, including ordering and built-in loyalty. | Starter: $99, Pro Plus: $199, Premium: $499 per location/month on monthly billing. Source |
| Built-in loyalty subscription | Crate loyalty is included at $80/month. No Square Loyalty subscription needed. | Per Diem Loyalty starts with Pro Plus at $199/month. Starter supports Square Loyalty, which requires an active Square Loyalty subscription. Source 1Source 2 |
| Pickup usage fee | No Crate per-order fee. Processing is separate. | Starter: $0.50/pickup; Pro Plus: $0.25/pickup. Passed to customers by default. Premium has no usage fees. 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 $19/month less in subscription charges than Per Diem Starter on monthly billing. At 500 pickup orders, Per Diem Starter's listed usage charges add up to $250, passed to customers by default; Crate's platform order charge remains $0. This is not a total-cost comparison: processing and package differences still apply.
Check it against your business.
- Do you need iOS and Android on your first day?
- Will existing Square Loyalty balances and rewards behave as expected?
- Who pays the usage fee, and what does the checkout display?
- Which CRM, email, SMS and push features are included in your selected plan?
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.