Commission-free online ordering systems, compared by who pays the fee

Of the 14 systems below, 6 charge the guest a per-order fee by design or by default (Ser.vi, Ginger Direct, MyOrdering, TruePlatter, Selflane, Upserve), and TapThru lets the restaurant choose who pays. Owner.com charges the guest too, on top of a monthly plan. The rest put the whole cost on the restaurant through processing, a flat per-order fee, or a subscription.

• For the guest, Ser.vi's 5% is not the cheapest. On a $35 order, Ginger Direct ($1), Upserve ($1.05), TapThru ($1.25) and Selflane ($1.40) charge the guest less. A percentage fee grows with the order and a flat fee doesn't. Against TapThru's $1.25, Ser.vi's 5% costs the guest more on any order above $25.
• For the restaurant, Ser.vi is $0. The 5% covers card processing and the platform, so nothing comes out of the restaurant's deposit and there's no monthly bill for ordering. Most flat-fee systems still leave card processing with the restaurant.
• Combined cost is where it evens out. Against TapThru with the guest paying, Ser.vi's combined cost is lower up to roughly a $74 order and higher above that. Against Ginger Direct at its best published rate, the two are even at $35, and Ginger is cheaper above that.
• Processing-only systems (DoorDash Online Ordering, Square Online Free) charge the guest nothing extra but cost the restaurant about $1.30–$1.50 on a $35 order. Square's paid plans and ChowNow add a monthly bill.

Ser.vi. 0% commission and no monthly fee for online ordering. The guest pays a 5% convenience fee at checkout, which covers card processing and the platform, so the restaurant pays nothing out of pocket. Same menu as the Ser.vi POS. Staff-entered POS orders are 3.0% + 20¢, paid by the restaurant by default; you can pass that to customers with a cash discount program. Delivery runs through a delivery provider, starting at $6.50 plus tip, paid to the provider. Hardware is separate. Marketing plans are optional ($249, $449 or $749 a month) and are not an ordering fee. See pricing.

Ginger Direct. An ordering site that runs beside your existing POS and prints to your existing network printers. $0 a month, 0% commission, no contract. The customer pays $1 an order, or 5% for high-volume, small-ticket shops. Box and iPad included for eligible restaurants.

TapThru. $1.25 flat per order, no commission, no monthly fee, setup fee or contract. The restaurant decides whether the customer pays the $1.25 or the restaurant covers it. The restaurant pays standard card processing.

MyOrdering. No setup, monthly or cancellation fees. Online guests pay a $1.75 convenience fee per order. Its homepage doesn't say who pays card processing.

TruePlatter. No commission and no monthly cost. Customers pay a $1.99 convenience fee plus a processing fee. The page gives 3.5% in one place and 2.99% in another, so ask which applies. Website, menu setup and ordering hardware are included.

Selflane. No commission. Guests pay a fee starting at 4% per order (minimum $0.60). Processing is 3.4% + 30¢ per transaction. No monthly fee if you only use its app to take online orders.

Upserve (Lightspeed U-Series). The online ordering service fee is 2.99% of the order total. By default the guest pays all of it, and the restaurant can absorb it or split it by any percentage. It's charged on cash, card and gift card orders. Upserve POS plans and processing apply.

Owner.com. Two plans: Flexible at $249/month plus a 5% restaurant fee per order, or Flat Rate at $499/month with no restaurant fee. On both, guests pay a 5% order support fee. Owner.com alternative.

OrderOrBook. First 30 days free, then $1 per order on orders of $20 or more, paid by the restaurant. No commission, monthly fee or contract. Card processing is separate. Optional $50 menu build.

Menufy. $149/month on a 12-month agreement (with equipment) or $179/month month-to-month, with "no per-order commissions". The pricing page we read doesn't list a per-order guest fee or a processing rate, so ask for both in writing.

Online Ordering by DoorDash. Commission-free direct orders with no monthly fee. The restaurant pays payment processing (2.9% + 30¢ on Boost and Pro, 3.3% + 30¢ on Starter), and customers pay delivery fees. Marketplace orders in the DoorDash app are a different product: 15%, 25% or 30% commission. DoorDash alternative.

Square Online. Square's online ordering profile is commission-free. Square for Restaurants is $0, $49 or $149 per location per month, and online card payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. Square for Restaurants alternative.

ChowNow. Plans start at $229 (Launch), $319 (Grow) and $409 (Elevate) a month. The page also lists 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction, a $119–$499 setup fee, a $250–$420 printer, $99/year for a branded Apple app, and $7.98 per Flex Delivery order. ChowNow alternative.

GloriaFood. Free core online ordering with optional paid add-ons. GloriaFood's site says it will reach end of life on April 30, 2027, and Oracle doesn't offer a direct replacement. If you're on GloriaFood, start comparing now: GloriaFood alternative and our news story, GloriaFood is shutting down.

We included systems that (1) market commission-free direct online ordering to US restaurants and (2) publish their fees on their own website. We read each vendor's pricing or product page on October 18, 2026 and quote it as written. Where a page didn't say something, we wrote "not stated" instead of guessing. We didn't score or rank vendors. Negotiated rates, promotions, hardware, taxes, tips and chargebacks aren't included. Ser.vi publishes this page and is one of the systems in it.