This comparison comes down to one structural difference: ResDiary charges a flat monthly fee, OpenTable charges a flat fee plus a fee for every cover it sends you. Everything else is detail. For a UK venue with steady trade, ResDiary is materially cheaper and gets cheaper the busier you get. OpenTable is worth its premium only when its diner network delivers guests you would not otherwise have had, and that is something you can actually measure rather than assume.
Key takeaways
- ResDiary: flat monthly subscription, zero commission on any booking channel, UK market leader, quote-based pricing with no published rates
- OpenTable: $149-499/month plus $1.00-1.50 per network cover, the largest diner network in the category, no published UK pricing
- The crossover: OpenTable’s total cost passes ResDiary’s at a low volume and keeps climbing. At 1,000 network covers a month the gap is roughly ten times the subscription itself
- Neither publishes prices in the UK. Both quote after a sales conversation, so get two written quotes before deciding anything
ResDiary vs OpenTable at a glance
| ResDiary | OpenTable | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | UK pubs, restaurants and groups | Discovery-driven venues in major metros |
| Pricing model | Flat subscription | Subscription plus per-cover fees |
| Published prices | No | US only |
| Per-cover fees | None | $1.00-1.50 per network cover |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Diner network | DesignMyNight, Reserve with Google | Largest in the category |
| UK presence | Market leader | Strong in London and major cities |
| Plans differ by | Booking volume only | Features and volume |
Quick verdict
ResDiary is the right choice if your covers come from your own website, your regulars and Google, you want a bill that does not move when you have a good month, and you value UK-native pacing and yield controls. That describes most British pubs and independent restaurants.
OpenTable is the right choice if you can demonstrate that its network brings you diners who did not know you existed, and that those covers are worth $1.00-1.50 each. In practice that means city-centre restaurants competing for visitors and tourists rather than neighbourhood venues serving a local trade.
Neither is right if you are a small single site that just needs a booking widget and a floor plan. Both will quote you more than that job is worth. See ResDiary alternatives for lighter options.
How each one charges
ResDiary plans and fees
ResDiary names five plans: Evo, Connect, Express, Pro and Ultimate. In ResDiary’s own words, the higher tiers “offer the same core features as the standard ResDiary Evo, with the only difference being the number of bookings per plan”. You are buying capacity, not capability.
There are no per-cover fees on any tier, and no commission regardless of where the booking originates, including your website, social channels, Reserve with Google and DesignMyNight.
ResDiary publishes no prices. Reported figures put Connect around GBP 89/month, Express around GBP 119, Pro around GBP 169 and Ultimate around GBP 245, but these are customer-reported rather than official. POS integration, PMS integration and SMS are billed as add-ons rather than included. Our ResDiary pricing guide covers the add-on list in full.
OpenTable plans and fees
OpenTable does publish prices, but only for the US. Verified August 2026:
| Plan | Subscription | Per network cover | Website reservations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $149/month | Free 30 days, then $1.50 | $0.25 each or $49/month flat |
| Core | $299/month | $1.00 | Included |
| Pro | $499/month | $1.00 | Included |
Prepaid experiences carry a 2% service fee on all plans; prepaid ticketing adds 2% on Core and Pro. Full detail in our OpenTable pricing guide.
The UK site does not show a price list at all, routing you to a demo request instead. Treat the table above as the shape of the deal rather than the rate you will be quoted.
What you actually pay at UK volumes
This is the comparison that matters, and it is the one neither vendor puts in front of you. The figures below use ResDiary’s reported prices and OpenTable’s published US rates, with all covers assumed to arrive through OpenTable’s network.
| Monthly network covers | ResDiary (flat) | OpenTable Basic | OpenTable Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | ~GBP 119 | $149 + $300 = $449 | $299 + $200 = $499 |
| 500 | ~GBP 169 | $149 + $750 = $899 | $299 + $500 = $799 |
| 1,000 | ~GBP 169 | $149 + $1,500 = $1,649 | $299 + $1,000 = $1,299 |
| 2,000 | ~GBP 245 | $149 + $3,000 = $3,149 | $299 + $2,000 = $2,299 |
Two things fall out of this.
ResDiary’s line goes nearly flat while OpenTable’s climbs in a straight line. Doubling your covers roughly doubles OpenTable’s bill. It barely moves ResDiary’s, because the only reason to change tier is passing a booking cap.
Core beats Basic sooner than you would expect. The $1.00 cover fee against $1.50 means Core’s higher subscription pays for itself at around 300 network covers a month. If you are on Basic and doing more than that, you are paying extra for a cheaper plan.
The caveat that keeps this honest: not every OpenTable cover is a network cover. Bookings from your own website are $0.25 each on Basic and free on Core and Pro. A venue where 80% of bookings come from its own site has a very different bill from the table above. Which leads directly to the only question that settles this comparison.
The question that decides it
How many of your covers would you not have had without OpenTable?
OpenTable reports network covers separately from website covers. That number is the entire value of the network, and it is sitting in your dashboard.
- If network covers are a large share of your total, OpenTable is doing real work and the per-cover fee is a customer acquisition cost, not overhead. Keep it.
- If network covers are a small share, you are paying marketplace prices for what is functionally a booking system, and ResDiary or a flat-fee alternative will cost less for the same operational job.
Almost every venue we see agonising over this comparison has the answer already and has not looked. Run the report before you renew either contract.
Features compared
| Feature | ResDiary | OpenTable |
|---|---|---|
| Online reservations | Yes | Yes |
| Table management and floor plan | Yes | Yes (Core and above) |
| Waitlist | Yes | Yes |
| Pacing and yield controls | Strong | Yes |
| Guest profiles and CRM | Yes (CRM is an add-on) | Yes |
| POS integration | Add-on | Included |
| Hotel PMS integration | Add-on | Limited |
| Reserve with Google | Yes | Yes |
| DesignMyNight distribution | Yes | No |
| Diner marketplace | No | Yes, the largest |
| Group central reservations | Add-on | Yes (Pro) |
Worth noting the asymmetry in that table: ResDiary charges extra for POS integration where OpenTable includes it, and OpenTable charges per cover where ResDiary does not. Each one gives away what the other sells.
| Feature | ResDiary | OpenTable |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Contact | $149/mo |
| Cover Fees | - | - |
| Free Tier | No | No |
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes |
| Online Reservations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Table Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waitlist Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Guest Profiles | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best For | UK and European restaurants seeking a well-established local reservation platform | Large restaurants seeking maximum exposure and willing to pay premium fees for the largest diner network |
Where ResDiary wins
Predictability. You know in January what you will pay in December. For a business with thin margins and seasonal swings, that is worth more than most feature comparisons.
UK-native operations. Pacing, yield management and pub-shaped trading patterns are built in rather than adapted. The DesignMyNight relationship matters for UK late-night and events trade in a way no US-built platform replicates.
Commission-free on every channel. Reserve with Google bookings cost nothing extra. On OpenTable, a cover is a cover.
Group tooling. Central reservations and multi-site controls are mature, which is why ResDiary holds so much of the UK group market.
Where OpenTable wins
The network, when it works. Nothing else in this category puts your restaurant in front of diners who have never heard of you at the moment they are choosing where to eat.
Published pricing. Only for the US, but that is still more than ResDiary offers anywhere.
POS integration included. No add-on line, which for some venues closes most of the headline price gap.
Free 30 days of network covers on Basic, which is a genuinely low-risk way to measure exactly the thing you need to measure.
Who should choose which
Choose ResDiary if you run a UK pub, restaurant or small group; your trade is local and repeat; you want flat, predictable costs; you need hotel PMS or serious yield controls; or you already sell through DesignMyNight.
Choose OpenTable if you are in a city centre competing for visitors; you can show that network covers are a meaningful share of your bookings; POS integration matters and you would rather it were included; or you want to run the 30-day free network trial to find out.
Choose neither if you are a single site doing modest covers who wants published pricing and a system you can set up yourself this afternoon. Both of these are quote-based in the UK, and both will size you for more than you need. Our ResDiary alternatives guide and best restaurant booking systems UK 2026 cover the lighter end properly.
What to ask for in either quote
Both of these are sold by a salesperson rather than a price page, which means the quote is negotiable and the comparison is only as good as the questions you ask. Get these five answers in writing from both before you compare anything.
1. What is the minimum term, and what happens at renewal? Quote-based deals frequently carry a 12-month minimum and an uplift at renewal. A cheap year one that becomes an expensive year two is the most common trap in this category.
2. Which integrations are included and which are add-ons? With ResDiary, POS and PMS integration are add-ons. Ask for them itemised. With OpenTable, POS integration is included, which can close most of the headline gap.
3. What does SMS cost at my volume? ResDiary meters SMS separately. Multiply by your actual booking count, not the number they suggest.
4. On OpenTable, what counts as a network cover? This is the single line that determines your bill. Get the definition in writing, and ask how a guest who finds you on OpenTable but books on your site is classified.
5. What are the exit terms? Specifically, can you export your guest data and upcoming reservations, in what format, and is there a fee. A system you cannot leave cleanly is more expensive than its invoice suggests.
If a salesperson will not put any of these in writing, that is itself an answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ResDiary cheaper than OpenTable?
Does OpenTable's diner network actually bring in new customers?
Which is better for UK pubs?
Does OpenTable publish UK pricing?
Can I use both ResDiary and OpenTable?
The bottom line
ResDiary and OpenTable are not really competing for the same job. ResDiary sells you an operating system for your diary at a fixed price. OpenTable sells you an operating system plus a marketing channel, and charges you for the channel every time it works.
For most UK venues, the flat model wins, and it wins by more as volume grows. The exception is real and worth taking seriously: if OpenTable’s marketplace genuinely fills tables you could not have filled, the per-cover fee is the cheapest customer acquisition in hospitality.
The mistake is deciding that on instinct. Both platforms report exactly where your bookings came from. Pull that number first, and this comparison mostly answers itself.
Related: ResDiary pricing | OpenTable pricing | ResDiary alternatives | ResDiary vs Resos | OpenTable alternatives | OpenTable vs Resos | Best restaurant booking systems UK 2026 | Direct vs third-party booking
Sources
- ResDiary pricing (plan names, add-on list and quote-based model verified August 2026)
- OpenTable plans and pricing (US rates verified August 2026)
- ResDiary GBP figures are customer-reported from G2 and Capterra, not published rates. OpenTable publishes no UK pricing. Get written quotes from both before deciding.