Tock vs Resos: Complete comparison 2026

Tock is the better choice for fine dining restaurants that rely on tasting menus, ticketed experiences, and prepaid reservations to eliminate no-shows. For everyone else, Resos delivers the core reservation features at a fraction of the cost, starting at $0/month with transparent pricing and no transaction fees.

Key takeaways

• Tock: Ticketed dining pioneer, $79-769/month, 2-3% prepayment fees on lower tiers, best for fine dining and experiential concepts
• Resos: Transparent pricing, $0-149/month, free tier available, best for independent and casual restaurants
• Cost difference: Most restaurants save $1,800-7,000+ annually choosing Resos
• Unique to Tock: Prepaid/ticketed dining that virtually eliminates no-shows

Tock vs Resos at a glance

Quick verdict

Tock is the right choice if you operate a fine dining restaurant, offer tasting menus, or run ticketed culinary experiences where prepayment is essential. Its ability to let guests pay for their entire meal at the time of booking virtually eliminates no-shows, which is critical when a single empty table on a $300+ tasting menu represents a significant revenue loss. Tock was built by Alinea Group founder Nick Kokonas specifically for this use case, and it shows.

Resos is the right choice if you’re an independent restaurant, casual dining establishment, or any concept where standard reservations meet your needs. You get professional reservation management without paying for ticketed dining capabilities you won’t use, saving $1,800-7,000+ annually.

Tock vs Resos pricing comparison 2026

Tock pricing

Tock uses tiered subscription pricing with transaction fees on prepaid bookings:

Important: The Base plan does not include reservations. You need Essential ($199/month) or higher to accept online reservations. Prepayment transaction fees apply on top of the monthly subscription on all plans except Premium Unlimited. See Tock pricing for current rates (as of February 2026).

Resos pricing

No transaction fees. No cover fees. No contracts required. 50% off promotional pricing for first 6 months.

Cost comparison: standard reservations

For a restaurant processing 500 reservations per month with no prepaid experiences:

Annual savings with Resos: $1,212-$1,800

Cost comparison: prepaid/ticketed dining

For a fine dining restaurant doing 200 prepaid reservations per month at $250 average ticket:

For restaurants doing significant prepaid volume, the Premium Unlimited plan’s 0% transaction fee saves money over the Essential plan. This is a genuine value proposition that no other platform matches in the same way.

Resos does not currently offer ticketed or prepaid dining features, so this comparison only applies to standard reservation functionality.

Annual cost comparison (standard reservations)

Tock vs Resos features compared

Booking and reservations

Tock’s unique capabilities

This is where Tock genuinely stands apart. Its prepaid dining model was built for restaurants where every seat matters and no-shows are financially devastating. If you offer a fixed tasting menu at $200+ per person, Tock lets you sell those seats like tickets, collect payment upfront, and eliminate the risk of an empty table.

According to Tock, even a nominal deposit of $5 can decrease no-shows to under 3% of bookings. For fine dining restaurants where the average no-show rate sits between 10-20%, that reduction translates directly to revenue.

Standard reservation features

For standard reservation management without prepaid capabilities, both platforms cover the essentials. Tock’s advantage narrows significantly when you remove ticketed dining from the equation.

Who should choose Tock?

Tock makes sense if:

• You offer tasting menus or prix fixe dining. Selling seats as tickets with prepayment is Tock’s defining feature. If your concept involves a fixed menu at $150-500+ per person, Tock’s model is purpose-built for you.
• No-shows are destroying your revenue. A single no-show on a 12-seat omakase counter can wipe out 8% of that evening’s revenue. Prepayment eliminates this risk. Read more about how to use prepayments and deposits to protect your revenue.
• You run ticketed culinary experiences. Wine dinners, chef’s table events, pop-ups, and multi-course collaborations all benefit from Tock’s event ticketing system.
• You operate a winery or experiential venue. Tock extends beyond restaurants to wineries, bars, and other hospitality concepts where ticketed experiences are the norm.
• You have the volume to justify transaction fees. If you process enough prepaid reservations, the Essential plan’s 2% fee may still be worthwhile. At very high volumes, the Premium Unlimited plan’s 0% fee becomes the better value.

Who should choose Resos?

Resos makes sense if:

• You’re an independent restaurant without ticketed dining. If your guests order from a menu and pay after their meal, you don’t need Tock’s prepaid infrastructure. Resos handles standard reservations at a fraction of the cost.
• You want to start free. The free tier lets you accept up to 25 bookings per month with no financial commitment. Test digital reservations before spending anything.
• You prefer transparent, predictable costs. Flat monthly pricing with no transaction fees means you know exactly what you’ll pay. No surprises when prepaid volume increases.
• You value month-to-month flexibility. No annual contracts. Scale up or down as your needs change.
• You’re budget-conscious. Saving $1,800-7,000+ annually lets you invest in your kitchen, staff, or marketing instead. See our guide on how to choose a booking system for more factors to consider.
• You run a casual or mid-range restaurant. The vast majority of restaurants don’t need ticketed dining capabilities. Resos delivers everything else you need.

The bottom line

Tock and Resos serve fundamentally different restaurant concepts with different needs.

Tock is the gold standard for fine dining and experiential hospitality. Its ticketed dining model was a genuine innovation that solved the no-show problem for high-end restaurants, and it remains the best platform for tasting menus, prix fixe experiences, and culinary events. If your restaurant concept relies on prepaid experiences, Tock is worth the premium. The platform is featured in our guide to the best fine dining reservation systems for good reason.

Resos is for the majority of restaurants that operate with standard reservations. Independent operators, casual dining, bistros, and neighborhood restaurants get professional reservation management at transparent pricing without paying for capabilities designed for Michelin-starred tasting menus. The free tier removes all risk from getting started, and even the top-tier Unlimited plan costs less per year than Tock’s entry-level Essential plan.

The decision comes down to your service model. If guests prepay for a fixed experience, choose Tock. If guests order from a menu and pay after their meal, choose Resos and save thousands annually.

Related comparisons: Resy vs Resos | OpenTable vs Resos | SevenRooms vs Resos | Eat App vs Resos

Sources

• Tock pricing
• Tock for restaurants
• Resos pricing
• Tock review and features