Alternatives
ChowNow alternative: what to compare before you switch
ChowNow sells online ordering on a flat monthly subscription: published plans run $229 to $449 per month plus a one-time setup fee, with no percentage taken on direct orders. Delitero does the same core job, ordering on your own site with your own customers, but with the opposite pricing shape: no monthly fee, pay only when you sell. Which one is cheaper depends entirely on your volume, and the math is below.
What ChowNow is
ChowNow is an established online ordering platform for independent restaurants. It gives you ordering on your website, a branded mobile app option, and delivery fulfillment through DoorDash or Uber without needing your own drivers. It comes with a sales and onboarding team that sets things up with you. Restaurants are also listed in the ChowNow Marketplace (the diner-facing ChowNow app and website, included in every plan) and can turn on ChowNow's Discovery Network, which pushes ordering onto Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, and other channels. Discovery Network orders carry a 15.5% marketing fee on the subtotal; marketplace and own-site orders do not.
That is a real, mature product. If you want someone to set it up for you and you want delivery without hiring drivers, ChowNow does things Delitero does not.
What ChowNow costs
Verified 2026-07-11 against ChowNow's own published pricing page.
- Plans (each "Starting At", per location): Launch $229 per month billed annually or $249 month to month · Grow $319 billed annually or $349 month to month · Elevate $409 billed annually or $449 month to month
- One-time setup fee: $119 to $499
- Payment processing: 2.95% + $0.29 per order
- Delivery: Flex Delivery, dispatched through Uber or DoorDash, at a flat $7.98 per order; ChowNow suggests splitting it $3.99 restaurant / $3.99 diner
- Branded mobile app: requires the $99 per year Apple developer fee
- A $0.99 diner-paid service charge applies on direct orders by default; restaurants can opt out. Discovery Network orders carry the 15.5% marketing fee noted above.
Where Delitero differs
- Your own Stripe account. Payments settle directly into your Stripe account through Stripe Connect. Delitero never holds your money. If Delitero disappeared tomorrow, your Stripe account keeps working.
- Your own customer data. Orders and customer contact details are yours, on your own site, not inside a vendor network.
- Your own site. Embed the ordering widget on the website you already have, or use the hosted ordering page if you have none.
- Pay only when you sell. 5% per order, only when you sell. No subscription, no setup fee, no contract. Nothing else. Card processing is Stripe's standard rate (2.9% + $0.30, varies by card), paid to Stripe, not us.
The honest math
Assuming ChowNow Launch at $229 per month billed annually: 5% of $4,580 is $229. If your direct online sales are steadily above roughly $4,600 a month, ChowNow's flat fee is less than Delitero's 5% on fees alone (processing rates are nearly identical on both). Below that, Delitero is cheaper, and in a month with zero online orders Delitero costs zero.
The full percentage-versus-subscription math, with assumptions stated, is in what online ordering actually costs; how the wider field compares is in the best online ordering systems.
Who should pick ChowNow
- Restaurants with steady direct online sales well above roughly $4,600 a month, where a flat fee beats 5%
- Restaurants that want delivery without their own drivers. ChowNow dispatches DoorDash or Uber at flat per-order fees. Delitero only supports delivery with your own drivers.
- Owners who want a branded mobile app and a team that handles onboarding
- Anyone who wants marketing tools bundled in. Delitero has no email marketing, loyalty, or customer accounts.
Who should pick Delitero
- Restaurants that do not want a monthly bill in slow months, seasonal operations, or anyone starting online ordering from zero
- Owners who want the money in their own Stripe account rather than flowing through a platform
- Restaurants with their own website that want ordering embedded in it, set up self-serve in an afternoon
- Anyone below the volume where a $229 to $449 subscription pays for itself
Side by side
| ChowNow | Delitero | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $229 to $449 | $0 |
| Per-order platform fee | None on direct orders ($0.99 diner-paid service charge by default; 15.5% marketing fee on Discovery Network orders) | 5% per order, only when you sell |
| Setup fee | $119 to $499 one time | $0 |
| Contract | Month to month, or annual billing for lower rates | None |
| Card processing | 2.95% + $0.29 | Stripe's standard rate (2.9% + $0.30, varies by card), paid to Stripe |
| Where money settles | ChowNow-managed Stripe Connect account (you sign Stripe's Connected Account Agreement); payouts land 1 to 2 business days after an order | Your own Stripe account |
| Delivery | Flex Delivery via Uber or DoorDash at a flat $7.98 per order, splittable with the diner; self-delivery supported but no driver app | Your own drivers, courier app included |
| Branded mobile app | Yes, $99 per year Apple fee | No |
| Marketing tools | Yes | No |
| POS required | No | No |
Pricing above was verified on 2026-07-11 against ChowNow's own published pricing page and Restaurant Agreement (via archive.org snapshots). Vendors change pricing; check chownow.com for current terms. Delitero is not affiliated with ChowNow.