Tock is the stronger shortlist option for fine dining restaurants that rely on tasting menus, ticketed experiences, and prepaid reservations. Resos is the lower-cost choice for standard reservations, starting with a permanent free tier. Payments and Experiences are optional paid add-ons on Resos.
Key takeaways
- Tock: Four published plans from $249 to $399 per month, with 3% or 2% fees on prepayments on two plans
- Resos: Transparent pricing, $0-149/month, free tier available, best for independent and casual restaurants
- Cost difference: Tock Platform is $2,988 per year; Resos Plus is $1,176 per year at its regular US monthly price
- Tock strength: Prepaid and ticketed dining tools for experience-led concepts
Tock vs Resos at a glance
| Tock | Resos | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Fine dining, ticketed events | Independent restaurants |
| Pricing | $249-399/mo, with prepayment fees on two plans | $0-149/mo before add-ons |
| Free tier | No | Yes (25 bookings/mo) |
| Per-cover fees | None | None |
| Payment fees | 3% on Essential, 2% on Premium prepayments, plus processing | Payment processing applies when the payments add-on is used |
| Contracts | Confirm with Tock | Pause or cancel monthly plans |
Quick verdict
Tock is the right shortlist choice if you operate a fine dining restaurant, offer tasting menus, or run ticketed culinary experiences where prepayment is important. Its published Essential and Premium plans combine reservations with events and prepayments.
Resos is the right choice if you are an independent restaurant or casual dining establishment where standard reservations meet your needs. It has a permanent free tier and lower regular paid prices. Payments and Experiences can be added when needed.
Tock vs Resos pricing comparison 2026
Tock plans and fees
Tock uses tiered subscription pricing with transaction fees on prepaid bookings:
| Plan | Monthly fee | Prepayment fee | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | $249/mo | Not listed | Reservations, table management, POS integrations |
| Platform 360 | $399/mo | Not listed | Platform plus advanced analytics and guest insights |
| Essential | $269/mo | 3% | Reservations, events, customization, and prepayments |
| Premium | $399/mo | 2% | Essential plus integrations, support, and lower prepayment fees |
All four published plans include reservations. Standard payment processing applies in addition to the listed prepayment fees. See Tock’s published plans (verified August 11, 2026).
Resos pricing
| Plan | Regular price | Promo price | Bookings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | 25/month |
| Basic | $47/mo | $24/mo | 350/month |
| Plus | $98/mo | $49/mo | 750/month |
| Unlimited | $149/mo | $75/mo | Unlimited |
No cover fees. Monthly plans can be paused or cancelled. The temporary promotion is 50% off the first three months. Paid plans carry a 90-day money-back guarantee. Payments, Experiences, and other add-ons cost extra or can be bundled through All-Access.
Cost comparison: standard reservations
For a restaurant processing 500 reservations per month with no prepaid experiences:
| Factor | Tock (Platform) | Resos (Plus) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $249 | $98 regular price |
| Payment fees | $0 when no payment is collected | $0 when no payment is collected |
| Cover fees | $0 | $0 |
| Monthly total | $249 | $98 |
| Annual subscription | $2,988 | $1,176 |
Annual subscription difference at regular prices: $1,812
Cost comparison: prepaid/ticketed dining
For a fine dining restaurant doing 200 prepaid reservations per month at $250 average ticket:
| Factor | Tock (Essential) | Tock (Premium) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $269 | $399 |
| Prepayment fees | $1,500 (3%) | $1,000 (2%) |
| Monthly total before processing | $1,769 | $1,399 |
| Annual total before processing | $21,228 | $16,788 |
At $50,000 in monthly prepayments, Premium’s lower fee more than offsets its higher subscription. Premium breaks even with Essential at $13,000 in monthly prepayments before standard payment processing.
Resos offers payments and Experiences as paid add-ons. Their pricing and feature model differs from Tock, so subscription-only comparisons do not represent the complete cost of an event or prepaid booking workflow.
Annual cost comparison (standard reservations)
| Plan level | Tock | Resos | Annual savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry subscription | $2,988 (Platform) | $0 (Free) | $2,988 |
| Lower paid plan | $2,988 (Platform) | $564 (Basic regular) | $2,424 |
| Mid-tier | $3,228 plus fees (Essential) | $1,176 (Plus regular) | Not comparable without payment volume |
| Highest published plan | $4,788 plus fees (Premium) | $1,788 (Unlimited regular) | Not comparable without add-ons and payment volume |
Tock vs Resos features compared
Booking and reservations
| Feature | Tock | Resos |
|---|---|---|
| Online reservations | Yes | Yes |
| Table management | Yes | Yes |
| Guest profiles | Yes | Yes |
| Waitlist management | Yes | Yes |
| Email confirmations | Yes | Yes |
| SMS communication | 2-way SMS | Yes |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Self-service signup | Yes | Yes |
| Contract terms | Confirm with Tock | Monthly plans available |
Tock’s unique capabilities
| Feature | Tock | Resos |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketed/prepaid dining | Yes | Experiences and payments are separate add-ons, not an equivalent full ticketing model |
| Tasting menu management | Yes | No |
| Dynamic pricing | Yes | No |
| Deposit collection | Yes | Paid add-on |
| Credit card holds | Yes | Paid add-on |
| Event ticketing | Yes | Experiences add-on |
| No-show protection tools | Yes | Paid add-ons available |
| Takeout ordering | Yes | No |
This is where Tock genuinely stands apart. Its prepaid dining model was built for restaurants where every seat matters and no-shows are financially damaging. If you offer a fixed tasting menu, Tock lets you sell seats like tickets and collect payment upfront, protecting prepaid revenue according to your cancellation policy.
Prepayments increase guest commitment, but the effect varies by restaurant and policy. This comparison does not assign a universal no-show reduction without a reproducible study.
Standard reservation features
| Feature | Tock | Resos |
|---|---|---|
| Online booking widget | Yes | Yes |
| Guest notes and preferences | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing tools | Yes | Basic |
| Reporting and analytics | Yes (varies by plan) | Yes |
| POS integration | Yes (varies by plan) | Yes (varies by plan) |
| Multi-location support | Yes | Yes (Unlimited) |
| API access | Yes (Premium+) | Yes (Unlimited) |
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.
- Missed reservations put high-value revenue at risk. Prepayment protects the amount covered by your cancellation policy. 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 prepayment fees. Premium’s 2% fee offsets its $130 subscription premium over Essential at $13,000 in monthly prepayments.
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 a lower subscription. Resos charges no cover fees, while payment processing applies only when you use its paid payments tools.
- You value month-to-month flexibility. No annual contracts. Scale up or down as your needs change.
- You are budget-conscious. Compare the $47 regular Basic price with Tock’s $249 Platform entry price, then add only the tools your restaurant needs. See our guide on how to choose a booking system for more factors.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Tock cost per month?
Does Tock eliminate no-shows?
Is Tock worth it for a casual restaurant?
Can I use Tock without prepaid reservations?
What is the cheapest alternative to Tock?
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: Tock vs OpenTable | Tock pricing | Resy vs Resos | OpenTable vs Resos | SevenRooms vs Resos
Sources
- Tock plans and pricing (verified August 11, 2026)
- Tock for restaurants
- Resos pricing