Cafe app buyer's guide
ChowNow alternatives for coffee shops
ChowNow sells restaurants a website, ordering, app and marketing suite from $249 a month, plus a setup fee. If your coffee shop mostly wants regulars ordering from its own app, here are five options, with prices and fees taken from each vendor's own site.
The short answer
- Crate is $80/month for up to five locations, with rewards included, no setup fee and no fee on your guests' orders. It is our product, so we list it first and say where it does not fit.
- Owner.com is the closest like-for-like bundle. Per Diem, Craver and Gegsy are app-first and connect to Square, priced per location with a fee on orders.
- ChowNow may still be right if you want marketplace discovery, a website and email and text marketing in one suite, or you are on a POS other than Square.
Why coffee shops look for a ChowNow alternative
ChowNow is built for restaurants that want one suite: an SEO website, online ordering, a branded mobile app, loyalty, email and text marketing, and more than 30 POS integrations (ChowNow pricing). That is a lot to pay for if you already have a website and mostly want your regulars ordering ahead.
- A restaurant-sized price. Launch starts at $249 a month, or $229 billed annually, and ChowNow calls its prices a starting rate, with additional fees possible (ChowNow). For a coffee shop, that is a restaurant-sized bill for an app.
- Fees before the first order. ChowNow lists a $119 to $499 setup fee, a $99 yearly Apple developer fee for branded apps, and a $250 to $420 printer (ChowNow).
- Fees around the edges. Orders on the ChowNow app or eat.chownow.com carry a 7.5% Support Local Fee for the diner (ChowNow), and you can turn on a $0.99 service charge on direct orders that ChowNow splits with you 50/50 (ChowNow).
ChowNow alternatives side by side
| Option | Monthly price | Fee on orders | POS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crate | $80 for up to 5 locations, no setup fee | None from Crate | Square |
| Owner.com | $249 Flexible, $499 Flat Rate, setup included | Flexible: 5% restaurant fee. Both: 5% guest fee | Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed |
| Per Diem | $99 per location (20% off yearly) | $0.50 per pickup, $1 per delivery, passed to customers | Connects to Square |
| Craver | $99 per location | 5% guest fee, capped at $2 | Square; a tablet app for other POS |
| Gegsy | $69 per location ($59 yearly), no setup fees | $0.40 per pickup, $1.00 per delivery | Square only |
| ChowNow | $249 Launch ($229 yearly), plus $119 to $499 setup | None listed on direct orders; optional $0.99 charge; 7.5% diner fee on ChowNow's app | 30+, including Square |
What it costs at 500 orders a month
| Option | Your monthly cost | What guests pay on top |
|---|---|---|
| Crate | $80 | Nothing from Crate |
| ChowNow Launch | $249, or $229 billed yearly, plus a one-time $119 to $499 setup | Nothing listed, or $495 if you turn on the $0.99 charge |
| Owner.com Flexible | $249 + $250 in restaurant fees = $499 | About $250 in 5% fees |
| Per Diem Starter | $99 | About $250 in pickup charges |
| Craver Core | $99 | About $250 in 5% fees |
| Gegsy Starter | $69 + $200 in pickup fees = $269 | Not listed |
The five alternatives
1. Crate: your own app on Square, one flat price
Crate puts your Square menu in your own iOS and Android app, designed around your brand, plus a web ordering page you can put on your own domain for guests who do not want to download anything. It is $80/month for up to five locations, with no setup fee, and Crate adds nothing to your guests' orders, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
- Keep your website. Link the app and the ordering page from the site you already have.
- Rewards included. Crate stamps or points come with the plan, so you do not need a Square Loyalty subscription.
- Orders land in Square. Each app order is a real Square order with its pickup time, and the menu and hours you set in Square apply in the app.
- Pickup and shipping. Ship beans and merchandise to US addresses from the same app. For delivery, the app can link to your DoorDash store.
- Square gift cards. Once we switch them on, customers buy, add and pay with real Square gift cards in the app, and the same card works at your register.
Where Crate does not fit: Crate does not build you a new website, run email or text campaigns, list you on a marketplace, or take catering orders, and the cafe app works with Square only. If you need those, ChowNow or Owner.com may suit you better.
2. Owner.com: the closest bundle to ChowNow
Owner.com lists Flexible at $249 a month plus a 5% restaurant fee per order, and Flat Rate at $499 with no restaurant fee. Guests pay a 5% order support fee on both. Every plan includes a new website with SEO pages, online ordering, a branded app, loyalty, and email and text marketing, with setup included and month-to-month terms (Owner.com pricing).
Where it may still fit: Owner.com may still fit if you want a new website and marketing run for you, or you are on Toast or Lightspeed. Crate vs Owner.com, or Owner.com alternatives.
3. Per Diem: lower monthly start, a charge on each pickup
Per Diem Starter is $99 per location per month, Pro Plus $199 and Premium $499, with 20% off yearly. Starter lists $0.50 per pickup and $1 per delivery, passed to customers; Premium has no usage fees (Per Diem).
Where it may still fit: Per Diem may still fit if you want web, QR, catering and group ordering from one vendor. Crate vs Per Diem, or the full Per Diem alternatives guide.
4. Craver: a coffee-shop app with a guest fee
Craver Core is $99 per location per month with a custom-branded app and web ordering site, and it lists a 5% guest fee capped at $2 per order. Square is its only POS integration for app orders (Craver).
Where it may still fit: Craver may still fit if you want paid coffee-club memberships. Crate vs Craver, or Craver alternatives.
5. Gegsy: built for Square, lower monthly start
Every Gegsy plan includes a branded iOS and Android app and a web storefront. Starter is $69 and Pro $119 per location per month, or $59 and $99 yearly, with no setup fees. Pickups cost $0.40 on Starter and $0.20 on Pro, and deliveries $1.00 (Gegsy).
Where it may still fit: Gegsy may still fit if you want a website builder and your own domain from the same vendor, both on Pro. Crate vs Gegsy.
How to choose
- 01Decide whether you need a new website. If yours works, pay for an app, not a website and marketing suite.
- 02Ask where your orders come from. If they come from regulars, you do not need a marketplace; if new diners find you through one, keep it in the mix.
- 03Count your orders. Multiply a month of online orders by each vendor's fee, and decide whether you or your regulars should pay it.
- 04Check your POS. ChowNow lists more than 30 POS integrations; Crate and Gegsy run on Square only.
- 05Ask each vendor for the full first-year cost, including setup, printer and app store fees, in writing.
ChowNow sends orders to Square POS and printers (ChowNow Square integration). For a closer look at one vendor, see Crate vs ChowNow, all cafe app comparisons, or how a branded ordering app works with your Square menu.
Questions
- What are the best ChowNow alternatives for a coffee shop?
- If you mainly want your own ordering app on Square, look at Crate, Per Diem, Craver and Gegsy. If you want another website, marketing and app bundle, look at Owner.com. Crate is $80/month for up to five locations with rewards included, no setup fee and no Crate fee on orders. Per Diem and Craver start at $99 and Gegsy at $69 per location. Owner.com starts at $249 a month plus a 5% restaurant fee.
- How much does ChowNow cost?
- ChowNow lists Launch at $249 a month, or $229 billed annually, Grow at $349 ($319) and Elevate at $449 ($409), as starting rates. It adds a one-time setup fee of $119 to $499, processing at 2.95% plus $0.29 per transaction, and a $99 yearly Apple developer fee for branded apps.
- Does ChowNow charge customers a fee?
- ChowNow lists a 7.5% Support Local Fee on orders placed in the ChowNow app or on eat.chownow.com. On your own website and branded app there is no diner fee unless you turn on an optional $0.99 service charge, which ChowNow and the restaurant split 50/50. Crate adds no fee to your guests' orders.
- Is there a ChowNow alternative with no setup fee?
- Yes. Crate has no setup fee and is $80/month for up to five locations. Gegsy lists no setup fees, and Owner.com includes setup in its plans. ChowNow lists a setup fee of $119 to $499.
- Do I need ChowNow's marketplace to get new customers?
- Not if your shop runs on regulars. A branded app is for people who already know you and want to reorder quickly. If you depend on new diners finding you through an ordering marketplace, ChowNow's marketplace may be worth keeping.
- What does a ChowNow alternative cost at 500 orders a month?
- At 500 orders of $10 a month, one location: Crate is $80. ChowNow Launch is $249, or $229 billed yearly, plus a one-time setup fee. Owner.com Flexible is $249 plus $250 in restaurant fees, about $499. Per Diem Starter is $99 plus $250 in pickup charges passed to customers, Craver $99 with about $250 in guest fees, and Gegsy Starter $69 plus $200 in pickup fees.
Sources
- 1. ChowNow: plans and additional fees
- 2. ChowNow: Support Local Fee for diners
- 3. ChowNow: optional service charge on direct orders
- 4. ChowNow: Square POS integration
- 5. Owner.com: US pricing, restaurant and guest fees
- 6. Per Diem: plans and usage charges
- 7. Craver: pricing and guest fee
- 8. Gegsy: plans and order fees
Vendor pages read November 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on each vendor's site before you sign.
See your coffee shop in its own app
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