Ordering.co vs ChowNow
ChowNow gives independent restaurants a commission-free storefront. Ordering.co gives you that same direct-ordering foundation plus the operational layer around it: kiosk, AI ordering agents, your own delivery fleet, and a platform you can extend with API, MCP, and frontend source code. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps.
| Capability | Ordering.co | ChowNow |
|---|---|---|
| Self-ordering kiosk | Included | Not listed |
| AI ordering agents | Included | Not listed |
| Call center console | Included | Not listed |
| MCP for AI tools | Included | Not listed |
| Frontend source code license | Every plan | Not listed |
Ordering.co at a glance
- years building ordering technology
- 12+
- of orders a month, on auto-scaling infrastructure
- Millions
- products across ordering channels, operations, and delivery
- 20+
- features, from catalog to dispatch
- 1,500+
Enterprise brands running on Ordering.co technology
Why restaurants choose Ordering.co over ChowNow
Four reasons that come up when independent and multi-location restaurants compare the two.
Enterprise-grade
The same foundation that runs enterprise groups
Ordering.co runs ordering for enterprise groups such as Alsea, which operates Domino's, Starbucks, Burger King, and seven more brands on one platform across more than 4,000 locations. Its auto-scaling infrastructure can process millions of orders a month, so the same foundation scales from one location to a multi-brand group.
Guided evaluation
Guided evaluation
Prove Ordering.co on your own menu, store, and order paths before you commit. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps.
20+ products, 1,500+ features
One platform for ordering, operations, and delivery
Websites, branded apps, self-ordering kiosks, AI ordering agents, store operations, delivery with your own drivers, marketing, and loyalty run on the same catalog and order flow. More than 20 products and 1,500 features come from one provider, so a new channel is a configuration, not another add-on to buy.
API, MCP, source code
An open platform your team can build on
Connect any system through the Ordering.co API and webhooks, plug AI tools in through MCP, and build on the frontend source code included with every plan of the storefront and apps. Your team can change the ordering experience without waiting on a vendor roadmap.
Side by side
Every row is something your restaurant can run on Ordering.co.
| Capability | Ordering.co | ChowNow |
|---|---|---|
| Cost and commitment | ||
| Published pricing | Review Ordering.co pricing with our team for your locations, order volume, integrations, and agreed scope. Usage and third-party costs remain separate. | Launch Lite: $99/month, limited-time offer. Starting monthly rates for Launch, Grow, and Elevate are $229/$319/$409 on annual billing or $249/$349/$449 on monthly billing. Processing is 2.95% + $0.29 per order; additional charges vary by plan and service. |
| Ordering channels | ||
| Web ordering and branded apps | Ordering Web and branded iOS and Android apps on your domain and developer accounts, with frontend source code included in every plan. | A direct ordering website; Launch, Grow, and Elevate also include a branded mobile app. Launch Lite does not include the branded app. |
| Self-ordering kiosk | Ordering Kiosk: customers order and pay from tablets or large screens in the store, managed from the dashboard. | Not listed |
| AI ordering agents | AI Ordering Agents take orders through voice, WhatsApp, chat, and web conversations on your catalog. | Not listed |
| Call center console | A call center console lets agents take and manage phone orders on your catalog. | Not listed |
| Store and delivery operations | ||
| Driver app for your own fleet | Driver App and delivery dashboard: automatic assignment, order batching, a live map, and proof of delivery. | Supports in-house drivers alongside Flex Delivery; no driver app listed. |
| Courier partners | Connected delivery partners with per-store selection and fallback rules, alongside your own drivers. | Flex Delivery dispatches orders across Uber Direct and DoorDash Drive at a flat delivery fee per order; no driver app of its own. |
| Kitchen and pickup displays | Send accepted orders to a kitchen display and show customers which orders are ready for pickup. | Through POS and kitchen-display partner integrations, such as Fresh KDS. |
| Build and extend | ||
| API and webhooks | The Ordering.co API and webhooks, included in every plan. | POS and delivery integrations through its published integration directory; no public developer API listed. |
| MCP for AI tools | Connect compatible AI tools to your Ordering.co account through MCP. | Not listed |
| Frontend source code license | Frontend source code for the web storefront, customer apps, Merchant App, and Driver App, included in every plan. | Not listed |
| Reseller or white-label program | Build a white-label ordering business on Ordering.co as a reseller. | Not listed |
“Not listed” means the capability does not appear in ChowNow's product lineup. Confirm scope and terms with each provider.
Where ChowNow stops
What restaurants run into on ChowNow.
No free pilot
ChowNow sells its plans through a sales demo or direct purchase, including the limited-time $99-a-month Launch Lite plan. It lists no free trial or pilot.
Delivery built around third-party couriers
Flex Delivery dispatches orders across Uber Direct and DoorDash Drive at a flat fee per order. ChowNow lets you use in-house drivers but lists no driver app for them.
No kiosk, and kitchen display through partners
ChowNow lists no self-ordering kiosk of its own, and kitchen-display support runs through POS and KDS partner integrations such as Fresh KDS rather than a first-party kitchen display.
No public developer platform
ChowNow publishes a POS and delivery integration directory but lists no public API, webhooks, MCP connection, or source code license for restaurants to build on.
Proven with enterprise brands.
The platform you would run on already runs ordering for Alsea, a multi-brand restaurant group with more than 4,000 locations.
Alsea runs WOW+ and ten restaurant brands on one ordering platform.Domino's, Starbucks, Burger King, Vips, and six more brands share one app, one website, call centers, and a delivery operation that assigns drivers automatically.10 brands on WOW+4,262 locationsMexico and ColombiaRead the Alsea storyRun Ordering.co in your own cloud.
Every plan runs on infrastructure Ordering.co manages for you. Organizations that need the platform inside a cloud account they control can install it on AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, or Railway with an enterprise package.
- The whole backend: API, webhooks, and real-time.
- One contract at a fixed rate, with no charges per store or by transaction volume.
How to move from ChowNow to Ordering.co
A ChowNow move is more than a storefront change. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps.
What moves
Menus and catalogs
Products, categories, modifiers, prices, and images, checked on one representative store before the full import.
Stores and teams
Store records, hours, service areas, handoff modes, and the roles and access levels your team uses to run the day.
Customers and order history
Customer and order records that your ChowNow exports contain and that your data rights and retention rules allow you to move.
Domains and apps
Your ordering domain points to the new storefront. With the same developer accounts and app listing, the new build can ship as an update under the existing icon.
POS, payments, and delivery
POS, payment, delivery, loyalty, and analytics connections, reconfigured against your existing provider accounts where the provider supports it.
How the move runs
Guided evaluation
Bring your menu, the order paths your guests use, and the systems that must stay connected, so the pilot tests the operation you actually run.
Trace one real order
Follow an order from menu to payment, fulfillment, support, and reporting. That path shows which decisions the new setup must keep and which ones you want to change.
Build the move map
List each domain, channel, and menu to replace; the menu, store, customer, and order data that matters for launch; who handles each order handoff; and the credentials and callbacks every connected system needs.
Configure and test
Agree on the scenarios that must work before traffic moves: a guest orders and gets a confirmation, the team accepts and completes the order, and every connected system has an owner and a fallback.
Switch store by store
Point your domain and apps to Ordering.co once the checks pass, and keep ChowNow live until the new setup has proven itself. Check your ChowNow agreement's term and notice period before you set the date.
Duration depends on store count, menu complexity, POS and payment connections, delivery, and app-store access, so the scope, responsibilities, and timing are set in your project plan. Apple and Google decide app review and approval.
Questions from ChowNow customers
Why choose Ordering.co over ChowNow?
ChowNow gives you a commission-free storefront. Ordering.co gives you that direct-ordering foundation plus kiosk, AI ordering agents, your own delivery fleet, and an open platform with API, webhooks, MCP, and frontend source code included in every plan, all on the same catalog and order flow. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps.
How much does ChowNow cost?
As of November 9, 2026, ChowNow advertised Launch Lite at $99/month for a limited time, with no long-term commitment and no branded app. Launch, Grow, and Elevate start at $229, $319, and $409 per month on annual billing, or $249, $349, and $449 month to month. ChowNow lists $119–$499 in setup fees for those three plans. Card processing is 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction, including on Launch Lite. Budget separately for any Flex Delivery, printer, or Apple developer fees that apply.
Which ChowNow orders are commission-free?
ChowNow advertises 0% commission on direct website orders; the subscription and card processing still apply. On Discovery Network, Profit Protector can adjust menu prices to offset channel fees. Reach has separate terms: it lists a 15.5% charge on Discovery Network orders with no diner fee on that channel, and no Marketplace commission during the introductory period. ChowNow separately describes a Support Local Fee for diners who order on its shared app or eat.chownow.com. Check which terms apply to your plan.
Can we try Ordering.co before we switch?
Yes. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps. ChowNow's published path does not list a free trial or pilot.
Can Ordering.co grow with us from one location to many?
Ordering.co runs the same foundation from a single restaurant to enterprise groups such as Alsea, which operates ten brands across more than 4,000 locations on auto-scaling infrastructure that can process millions of orders a month.
Can we deliver with our own drivers instead of a courier network?
Yes. The Driver App and a live delivery dashboard handle assignment, batching, and proof of delivery for a fleet of your own, alongside connected courier partners. ChowNow's Flex Delivery dispatches through Uber Direct and DoorDash Drive, with no driver app of its own.
Can we keep our POS, payment, and delivery providers?
Ordering.co connects with POS, payment, delivery, loyalty, and analytics systems. Each connection you want to keep is confirmed against your provider accounts in the move plan.
Can our developers build our own ordering experience?
Yes. The Ordering.co API and webhooks are included in every plan, MCP connects compatible AI tools, and every plan includes the frontend source code of the storefront and apps. ChowNow publishes a POS and delivery integration directory but no public developer API.
How long does a move from ChowNow take?
It depends on store count, menu complexity, POS and payment connections, delivery, and app-store access. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps.
What is included in a ChowNow branded app, and how is Marketplace different?
ChowNow describes restaurant-branded iOS and Android ordering apps with the restaurant name, logo, colors and menu. Its product page also describes menu updates from the Dashboard and repeat-order tools; confirm the exact rewards, notifications and selected plan in the current offer. Marketplace is the shared discovery channel where diners find participating independent restaurants, rather than your own separate app. Evaluate the contact fields and permissions received from each channel and keep their fee terms separate. Provider pages reviewed November 10, 2026.
ChowNow or Square Online: which order flow should we compare?
Compare ChowNow’s restaurant ordering and discovery services with Square’s online ordering connected to its commerce and POS ecosystem. If you already run Square, demonstrate the native order-to-register path beside the proposed ChowNow connection. Check required modifiers, pickup/delivery, payment reconciliation, refunds, customer exports and any branded-app requirement. Existing POS fit and the services you must retain matter more than the word commission-free.
ChowNow versus Owner.com or Toast: what matters for apps and loyalty?
ChowNow and Owner both publish branded customer-app offers, while Toast publishes online ordering and a separate branded-app setup path tied to its restaurant ecosystem. Compare app identity and developer-account access, menu updates, rewards earning/redemption, messages and the POS handoff on the proposed configuration. A branded app, a shared marketplace app and a merchant staff app serve different users. Request the full quote without treating product marketing as proof of identical entitlements.
ChowNow and every other product name on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. Ordering.co is not affiliated with ChowNow.
Run ordering, kiosk, and your own delivery on one platform.
Bring your ChowNow plan, your location count, and your monthly orders. Book a guided demo with Ordering.co to review your operation and agree the next steps.