OpenTable vs TheFork: what each costs, and what each brings
Two marketplaces, two ways to charge for the guests they bring.
ResOlio gives your restaurant its own booking page and an embed for your website, for one flat price with no fee per cover. OpenTable and TheFork work another way: they are marketplaces that bring you guests through their networks, and charge for each guest they bring. Here is how the two compare, from their own pages.
The short answer
OpenTable publishes a price, and TheFork does not. Both bring guests through a network, and both charge for each guest who books that way.
| At a glance | OpenTable | TheFork |
|---|---|---|
| Where guests come from | Its own site, app and partners | TheFork, Tripadvisor and its partners |
| Monthly price | Core €169 a month (Irish page) | On request: no price published |
| Fee for each guest it brings | €1.50 a network cover | A share of the average bill: about €2 a cover, our estimate |
| Bookings from your own website | €0 | No commission, nor from Instagram or Facebook |
| Also on its page | No charge for no-shows or cancellations | A €400 setup fee (French page) |
How each charges
OpenTable
OpenTable brings new guests through its own site, app and partners, and does not charge for no-shows or cancellations. For each guest it brings, it charges a fee: on its Irish page, Core is €169 a month plus €1.50 a network cover. Bookings from your own website cost €0 there. ResOlio vs OpenTable.
TheFork
TheFork brings guests from TheFork, Tripadvisor and its partners, and bookings from your own website, Instagram or Facebook carry no commission. For each guest it brings, it takes a percentage of the average bill, at a rate it does not publish: we estimate about €2 a cover, our estimate, not TheFork’s price. Every plan is priced on request, and its French page lists a €400 setup fee. ResOlio vs TheFork.
A month at 100, 500 and 1,500 covers
Say every cover in the month came through the network. Here is what each would cost.
| Covers from the network | OpenTable Core | TheFork, our estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | €319 | about €200 |
| 500 | €919 | about €1,000 |
| 1,500 | €2,419 | about €3,000 |
What each brings
The fee pays for reach. OpenTable shows your restaurant on its own site, app and partners. TheFork shows it on TheFork, Tripadvisor and its partners.
Guests who already know you can book on your own website instead. OpenTable charges €0 for those bookings, and TheFork takes no commission on them.
When each fits
- OpenTable fits a restaurant that wants guests from its site and app, and a price it can read before it calls.
- TheFork fits a restaurant that wants guests from TheFork and Tripadvisor, and is ready to ask for a quote.
A third way: your own booking page
ResOlio gives you a booking page of your own and an embed for your website, for one flat price: free for 50 bookings a month, then €39, €59 or €99. No plan charges a fee per cover, and your guests never pay. Every plan speaks English, French and Arabic.
What a fee per cover would cost.
Marketplaces charge for every guest who books through them, €1.50 a cover on OpenTable; Plus costs the same however busy the month.
500covers / month
Move the slider to compare the monthly cost.
Monthly cost estimate
Based on 500 covers a month
OpenTable
Core: €169 a month + €1.50 a cover
€919
/ month
TheFork
About €2 a cover (our estimate; TheFork does not publish its rate)
≈ €1,000
/ month
SevenRooms
From $499 a month, as Software Advice lists it; by quote, plus a setup fee
≈ €443
/ month
ResOlio Plus · Recommended
One price, whatever the covers
€59
/ month
OpenTable: as published on opentable.ie, read 16 October 2026. TheFork: our estimate of about €2 a cover; TheFork does not publish its rate. SevenRooms: from $499 a month as listed on softwareadvice.com, read 16 October 2026, in euros at the ECB rate of that day (1 EUR = 1.1253 USD); sevenrooms.com prices by quote and charges no reservation fees.
Read how ResOlio compares with each: ResOlio vs OpenTable and ResOlio vs TheFork.
Questions
Should I choose OpenTable or TheFork?
If you want no fee per cover, choose ResOlio: your own booking page for one flat price, free for 50 bookings a month, and guests who never pay. If you want guests from a network, OpenTable publishes its price and TheFork prices on request, so compare both for your own covers.
Which is cheaper, OpenTable or TheFork?
It depends on how many guests each brings. At 500 network covers a month, OpenTable Core comes to €919 and TheFork to about €1,000 by our estimate. TheFork publishes no price, so ask for its quote.
Do OpenTable and TheFork both charge per cover?
Yes, for the guests their network brings. OpenTable charges €1.50 a network cover on its Irish page, and TheFork takes a share of the bill, about €2 a cover by our estimate. Neither charges a fee for bookings from your own website.
Is TheFork the same as OpenTable?
No. They are separate companies with their own networks: OpenTable brings guests through its own site, app and partners, and TheFork through TheFork, Tripadvisor and its partners.
Can I use OpenTable and TheFork at the same time?
A restaurant can list on more than one marketplace. Read each agreement first, as each one charges for the guests it brings.
Is there an option with no fee per cover?
Yes. ResOlio charges one flat price per restaurant, from €0, with nothing per booking, per cover or per guest. You get your own booking page and an embed for your website.
Sources
- OpenTable Ireland: restaurant plans opentable.ieread on
- TheFork Manager: prix du logiciel (French) theforkmanager.comread on
ResOlio wrote this article, and is not affiliated with any other company it names; each name is a trademark of its owner. Prices change: check each company’s own page before you decide.
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