# Best Restaurant Booking Systems UK 2026 — 7 Platforms Compared > Source: https://restaurantbookingsystem.com/best/restaurant-booking-systems-uk/ > Published: 2026-05-12 · Updated: 2026-05-12 We compared 7 restaurant table booking systems used by UK restaurants and pubs. Real pricing in GBP, commission terms, and the best fit by venue. **The best restaurant booking system in the UK depends on what you're optimising for.** For commission-free table bookings with the lowest cost of entry, Resos wins on price (free tier, then £19/month). For UK-built workflows and strong pub/group coverage, ResDiary remains the homegrown standard. For maximum diner reach via a marketplace, OpenTable still leads but charges per-cover fees on top of subscription. Below we compare seven platforms used by UK restaurants on real pricing, commission terms, and fit. ## Key takeaways - **Best value:** Resos — free tier, no commission, paid plans from £19/month - **Best UK-built:** ResDiary — homegrown platform, flat pricing, strong pub/group coverage - **Best for diner network:** OpenTable — biggest UK marketplace, but per-cover fees apply - **Best for pubs and bars:** DesignMyNight — built around deposits, events, and late-night - **Best for very small restaurants:** SimpleERB — flat monthly fee from £39/month - **Avoid:** Quandoo — shutting down December 2026, [migration needed](/compare/quandoo-alternatives/) ## Best UK restaurant booking systems at a glance 2026 | Platform | Best for | Starting price (GBP) | Commission / cover fees | |---|---|---|---| | Resos | Independents, commission-free | Free tier, then £19/month | None | | ResDiary | UK pubs and groups | ~£109/month | None | | OpenTable | Diner network reach | ~£149/month | £0.20–£1.20 per cover | | TheFork (UK) | Marketplace discovery in Europe | Commission-based | Per-cover commission | | DesignMyNight | Pubs, bars, late-night | Custom (mid-tier) | Mixed (direct vs marketplace) | | SimpleERB | Smallest independents | £39/month | None | | Quandoo | ⚠️ Shutting down Dec 2026 | n/a | n/a | Prices shown are best-available public information at time of writing — confirm with the vendor before committing. ## How we evaluated We compared on the criteria that actually move the needle for a UK operator: **Commission structure.** Marketplace platforms charge per-cover fees that can add £500–£2,000+ a month at decent volume. Flat-fee platforms protect margin. **UK fit.** Some platforms are built around UK workflows — VAT handling, GBP-native pricing, UK card processors, opening hours patterns common to UK pubs. Others have been retrofitted from US-first products. **Pub and group coverage.** UK hospitality has a strong pub/group segment that needs late-night-friendly workflows, deposit collection for big tables, and multi-site management. **Real cost of entry.** Per-cover fees, contract length, set-up fees, and migration cost from a previous platform. **No-show protection.** Deposit collection, card-hold, cancellation policies — increasingly essential as UK no-show rates climbed above 20% in 2024–25. ## 1. Resos — best value, commission-free Resos offers a free tier for restaurants doing up to 25 bookings per month, with paid plans from £19/month. There are no per-cover fees and no annual contracts. For UK independents that don't need a marketplace, it's the cheapest credible option. **Key features:** - Online booking widget with deposit collection - Visual table management and waitlist - Automated SMS reminders and confirmations - No-show tracking and guest notes - GBP-native pricing and UK card payments **Pricing:** Free (25 bookings/month), Basic £19/month, Plus £39/month, Unlimited £59/month. No commission. No contracts. **Best for:** Independents, cafés, bistros, and small groups that want predictable costs and don't depend on a marketplace for new diners. **Trade-offs:** Resos doesn't operate a diner marketplace — you bring your own customers via your website, Google, and social. If marketplace discovery is your strategy, OpenTable or TheFork will deliver more new diners (at a price). ## 2. ResDiary — the UK-built homegrown choice ResDiary is a UK-built platform with deep coverage among independent restaurants and pub groups. It runs on flat monthly pricing with no per-cover fees, which is unusual in the marketplace category. **Key features:** - Powerful table management and pacing controls - Pre-payment and deposit collection - Integrations with most UK POS systems - Group and multi-site management - API access on higher tiers **Pricing:** Approximate plans start around £109/month and scale with venue size and feature set. No per-cover fees. **Best for:** Mid-sized UK restaurants and pub groups that want UK-native workflows and don't need marketplace exposure. **Trade-offs:** Pricier than Resos or SimpleERB at the entry point. Interface feels more enterprise than consumer. See the head-to-head: [ResDiary vs Resos](/compare/resdiary-vs-resos/). ## 3. OpenTable — biggest UK diner network OpenTable has the largest restaurant marketplace in the UK and remains the default for restaurants that want inbound covers from a brand-name discovery platform. The trade-off is per-cover fees on top of subscription. **Key features:** - Largest diner network in the UK (millions of monthly active diners) - Strong reporting and pacing tools - Email marketing and guest CRM - Multi-site management **Pricing:** UK plans start around £149/month plus per-cover fees of £0.20 (your-website covers) to £1.20 (network covers). Higher tiers reach £400+/month. **Best for:** Restaurants where marketplace discovery is a meaningful share of bookings, or that want the brand association with OpenTable's UK presence. **Trade-offs:** Per-cover fees compound quickly. A pub doing 800 network covers a month on the Basic plan pays roughly £149 + £960 = £1,109/month. Compare carefully against flat-fee options. See the head-to-head: [OpenTable vs Resos](/compare/opentable-vs-resos/) | [OpenTable alternatives](/compare/opentable-alternatives/). ## 4. TheFork (UK) — European marketplace exposure TheFork (TripAdvisor-owned) operates across Europe with strong coverage in France, Italy, Spain, and growing UK presence. It's a marketplace-first platform, so commercial terms revolve around per-cover commission. **Key features:** - TripAdvisor-backed diner discovery - Pan-European reach - Promotional discount tools (sometimes mandatory) - Integrated reviews from TripAdvisor **Pricing:** Commission-based, typically per-cover fees in the €2–€4 range plus tiered subscriptions. **Best for:** UK restaurants targeting European tourist traffic or wanting TripAdvisor-driven discovery. **Trade-offs:** Discounting pressure — TheFork's growth has historically come from promotional bookings that ask for 20–50% discounts. Margin impact can be significant. See: [TheFork alternatives](/compare/thefork-alternatives/). ## 5. DesignMyNight — built for UK pubs and bars DesignMyNight is purpose-built for the UK pub, bar, and late-night venue market. Deposit collection, event bookings, and large-group workflows are first-class features rather than add-ons. **Key features:** - Deposit collection on every booking - Event and ticketed bookings (Christmas, NYE, brunch packages) - Marketing tools for promoting venues - Mix of direct and marketplace bookings **Pricing:** Custom — typically positioned mid-market alongside ResDiary. Mix of flat fee for direct bookings and commission for marketplace. **Best for:** Pubs, cocktail bars, late-night venues, and any operator where deposits and events are core revenue. **Trade-offs:** Overkill for a quiet bistro. Pricing is less transparent than competitors. ## 6. SimpleERB — cheapest flat-fee option SimpleERB is exactly what the name suggests — a simple, no-frills electronic reservation book aimed at the smallest UK independents. Flat monthly pricing, no marketplace, no add-ons. **Key features:** - Online booking widget - Basic table management - Confirmation and reminder emails - No commission, no contracts **Pricing:** From £39/month. **Best for:** Tiny independents that want the simplest possible setup at the lowest flat-fee price. **Trade-offs:** Limited feature depth — no advanced CRM, basic reporting, no marketplace. If you outgrow it, you'll need to migrate. ## 7. Quandoo — ⚠️ shutting down December 2026 **Quandoo is closing.** New bookings end 30 September 2026 and the platform fully shuts down 31 December 2026. Any UK restaurant currently on Quandoo needs to migrate to a new platform before the deadline. If you're on Quandoo, see our full [Quandoo migration guide](/compare/quandoo-alternatives/) covering the best replacements (Resos, ResDiary, OpenTable depending on your needs) and a step-by-step switchover plan. ## How to choose: by venue type **Independent café or bistro (small volume):** Start on Resos free tier or SimpleERB if you outgrow it. **Mid-size restaurant or small group:** ResDiary or Resos depending on whether you need UK-native enterprise features (ResDiary) or commission-free affordability (Resos). **Pub, bar, or late-night venue:** DesignMyNight if events and deposits drive revenue. ResDiary if you want a more general-purpose platform. **Marketplace-dependent for discovery:** OpenTable for UK-focused reach, TheFork if European tourist traffic matters. **Currently on Quandoo:** Don't delay — start your migration now. See the [Quandoo alternatives guide](/compare/quandoo-alternatives/). ## Bottom line For most UK independents in 2026, the choice is between **Resos** (cheapest, commission-free, simplest) and **ResDiary** (UK-native, enterprise-ready, mid-priced). **OpenTable** still wins when marketplace discovery is a meaningful share of your bookings, but the per-cover fees mean you should run the numbers before committing. If you're on Quandoo, you don't have a choice — you need to migrate before 31 December 2026. [See our migration guide.](/compare/quandoo-alternatives/) **Related guides:** [Best restaurant booking system 2026](/best/restaurant-booking-systems-2026/) | [Best free restaurant booking software](/best/free-restaurant-booking-software/) | [Commission-free booking systems](/best/commission-free-booking-systems/) | [Best table management software 2026](/best/table-management-software/) | [Quandoo alternatives](/compare/quandoo-alternatives/) | [ResDiary vs Resos](/compare/resdiary-vs-resos/) ## Sources - [OpenTable UK pricing](https://www.opentable.co.uk/restaurant-solutions/plans/) - [ResDiary plans](https://resdiary.com/) - [TheFork Manager](https://www.theforkmanager.com) - [DesignMyNight](https://www.designmynight.com/) - [SimpleERB](https://www.simpleerb.com/) - [Resos pricing](https://resos.com) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the best restaurant booking system in the UK? For most UK independents, Resos is the best value — free tier with no commission and no per-cover fees, with paid plans from £19/month. ResDiary remains the dominant homegrown choice for pubs and groups thanks to its UK-built workflows. OpenTable still wins on diner network reach but charges per-cover fees on top of subscription. ### Which UK booking systems charge no commission? Resos, ResDiary, and SimpleERB all run on flat monthly subscriptions with no per-cover commission. OpenTable and TheFork (formerly Bookatable) charge per-cover fees or commission on network bookings. DesignMyNight is commission-based for marketplace bookings but flat-fee for direct bookings. ### What is the cheapest table booking system for a UK restaurant? Resos offers the only true free tier with up to 25 bookings per month and full table management included. SimpleERB starts at £39/month. ResDiary's entry plan starts around £109/month. OpenTable starts at £149/month plus per-cover fees. ### Is Quandoo still available in the UK? No. Quandoo is shutting down — new bookings end 30 September 2026 and the platform fully closes 31 December 2026. UK restaurants on Quandoo need to migrate to a new platform before the deadline. We've written a [Quandoo migration guide](/compare/quandoo-alternatives/) covering the best alternatives and a step-by-step switch. ### What is the best booking system for UK pubs? DesignMyNight is built specifically for pubs, bars, and late-night venues with deposit collection and event bookings as core features. ResDiary has strong pub coverage too. For smaller independent pubs wanting a simple, commission-free option, Resos and SimpleERB both work well. ### Is ResDiary or OpenTable better in the UK? ResDiary is the homegrown UK choice with flat pricing and no per-cover fees — better for cost control and pub/group operators. OpenTable has the bigger diner network and is better if marketplace discovery is the priority. ResDiary handles complex group operations more naturally; OpenTable drives more inbound covers from its network. --- Read this article in your browser: https://restaurantbookingsystem.com/best/restaurant-booking-systems-uk/ This page is part of [Restaurant Booking System](https://restaurantbookingsystem.com/) — independent comparisons of restaurant booking software, written and maintained by the Resos editorial team.