OpenTable vs. Resy: Reservation Systems Compared (with alternatives)

When it comes to choosing an online restaurant reservation system, the industry has transformed dramatically since 2023. What was once a two-horse race between OpenTable and Resy has evolved into a complex competitive battlefield involving credit card giants, delivery platforms, and powerful new entrants.

American Express now owns both Resy and Tock (acquired for $400 million in 2024), while DoorDash entered the arena with its $1.2 billion SevenRooms acquisition in 2025. Meanwhile, OpenTable has been aggressively winning back trendy restaurants with a new Visa partnership, and Toast Tables has captured 5% of the market. The stakes have never been higher for restaurants choosing between these platforms.

It's three very large, very ambitious, very well-resourced companies all vying for the same exact piece of real estate, which is high-demand restaurants.

- Ben Leventhal, Resy and Eater co-founder, via CNBC

Source: CNBC

To help you navigate this new reality, we're going to compare OpenTable and Resy in depth - covering features, pricing, and the critical market shifts that should inform your decision in 2026. We'll also look at some alternative options you might want to consider.

Quick Comparison: OpenTable vs. Resy (2026)

Feature	OpenTable	Resy
Commission-free online reservations	❌	✅
Own your customer data	❌	✅
FB, IG & Google Integrations	✅	✅
Reservation management	✅	✅
Table management	✅	✅
Pre-payments and deposits	❌	✅
Guest CRM	✅	❌
Analytics & reports	✅	✅
Credit card partnership	Visa	American Express
Restaurant count	~60,000	~25,000
Parent company	Booking Holdings	American Express
Cost/month	$249+ fees	$249-$899

The 2024-2026 market shakeup: what changed everything

Before diving into features, you need to understand the seismic shifts that have reshaped the reservation industry. These changes fundamentally alter the calculus of choosing a platform.

The acquisitions that redrew the map

Three major acquisitions have transformed the competitive landscape:

• American Express + Tock (2024): AmEx acquired Tock for $400 million, consolidating both Resy and Tock under one roof. This gives AmEx's reservation ecosystem approximately 25,000 restaurants after integrating Tock's 5,000+ venues.
• DoorDash + SevenRooms (2025): DoorDash's $1.2 billion acquisition of SevenRooms signals a major new competitor entering the reservation space, with the delivery giant looking to capture "the range of dining possibilities, whether it's delivery, takeout or table."
• OpenTable + Visa Partnership (2024): In response to AmEx's moves, OpenTable partnered with Visa to offer exclusive perks to Visa Infinite cardholders—directly mirroring the AmEx/Resy playbook.

Updated market share data (2024-2026)

According to Analytics.Restaurant, here's where things stand:

• OpenTable: Market share dropped from 51% to 46% (2022-2024), but still leads in 13 of 15 top US cities
• Resy: Dominates Brooklyn with 53% market share; grew 39% in Miami and 20% in Los Angeles
• Toast Tables: New entrant captured 5% market share by July 2024, with 68% of customers being first-time reservation platform users
• Yelp: Grew from 7% to 25% market share in San Diego alone

The credit card wars: How Amex and Visa changed the game

Restaurant reservations have become a battleground for credit card companies seeking to differentiate their premium offerings. This is perhaps the most important consideration for restaurants in 2026 that wasn't even a factor three years ago.

American Express owns both Resy (acquired 2019) and Tock (acquired 2024 for $400 million), giving cardholders exclusive access to hard-to-book tables at top restaurants through its Global Dining Access program. According to CNBC, credit card companies are looking for perks to differentiate their cards, especially for premium cardholders—and in the post-Covid era, experiential benefits have become even more important than traditional rewards.

Not to be outdone, OpenTable partnered with Visa in 2024 to offer similar perks for Visa Infinite cardholders. This creates a strategic question for restaurants: which credit card company's customers do you want to attract?

What this means for your restaurant:

• If your target customers are AmEx cardholders (often higher-spending diners), Resy gives you access to that ecosystem
• If you want to reach the broader Visa network (more cardholders overall), OpenTable's partnership may be more valuable
• Either way, being on a platform with credit card perks can drive premium diners to your restaurant

OpenTable Overview (2026)

Founded in the late 1990s, OpenTable remains one of the largest reservation software providers in the world. According to their website, 10 covers are processed on their network every second, adding up to around 25 million customers a month across approximately 60,000 restaurants globally.

We serve restaurants, that's it. We are trying to do what's best for our restaurants because if our restaurants thrive, we thrive as a business.

Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, via HerMoney Podcast

Source: HerMoney Podcast

OpenTable operates both as a consumer reservation platform at opentable.com and as a table management system for restaurants. The company's main pitch has evolved: while they still provide marketing reach through their diner network, they've increasingly positioned themselves as a technology partner for restaurants.

While we are a tech company, relationships matter. Even in the era of AI, restaurant owners still want to connect with the people they do business with—sometimes even over a meal—something no robot can replicate.

- Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, Stanford University Guest Lecture (2025), via LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

OpenTable features (2026)

• Customizable floor plan
• Table & Waitlist management
• Shift management and reporting
• Reservation and guests performance reports
• POS & Payment integration
• CRM & Guest Management tools
• Takeout support
• Online booking widgets
• Guest surveys
• Visa cardholder perks program

OpenTable pricing (2026)

OpenTable's pricing includes a monthly subscription fee and per-cover charges based on booking source:

• Basic: $39/month + $1.50/network cover & $0.25/booking widget cover
• Core: $249/month + $1/network cover
• Pro: $449/month + $1/network cover

Note: If you link your website's reservation button to your opentable.com profile, you'll pay $1.50 per cover. To pay $0.25, you must use the OpenTable booking widget directly.

OpenTable advantages

• Largest diner network with 25M+ monthly users
• Increased exposure through opentable.com
• Strong brand recognition among consumers
• Visa partnership for premium cardholder perks
• Robust reservation and guest management features
• Diner loyalty points system

OpenTable disadvantages

• Per-cover charges can quickly add up (estimated $6,500+/year for mid-tier)
• You don't own the customer data
• Competitor restaurants can advertise against your restaurant on the platform
• Requires iPad for table management

Resy overview (2026)

Resy, now owned by American Express, is a table management and reservation system with a consumer-facing platform that's particularly popular in New York and major East Coast cities. Since the Tock acquisition in 2024, Resy's restaurant count has grown to approximately 25,000 venues.

Resy's evolution: the AmEx advantage

Resy's position within the American Express ecosystem gives it unique advantages:

• Global Dining Access: AmEx cardholders get exclusive access to special reservations and events
• Tock integration: The acquisition brought Tock's ticketing expertise and 5,000+ restaurants into the Resy ecosystem
• Premium positioning: Resy has cultivated a reputation as the platform for "cool" and trendy restaurants

How do you make a choice on something other than pricing? Restaurants should make choices on: does this speak to how I run my restaurant, does this speak to how I serve my customers?

- Ben Leventhal, Resy co-founder, via Skift Restaurants Forum

Source: Skift Restaurants Forum

Why trendy restaurants are reconsidering

Despite Resy's "cool factor," some acclaimed restaurants have recently switched to OpenTable. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, OpenTable has been "luring buzzy restaurants across the country back to its site with enhanced features, deep discounts, and a newly launched credit card perks program backed by Visa."

OpenTable seemed like not really the platform for nice restaurants to be on. It seemed like more of the general run-of-the-mill places.

- Ian Graye, Chef-owner of Pietramala (who recently switched to OpenTable), via Philadelphia Inquirer

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

This perception is changing as OpenTable invests heavily in product improvements and competitive pricing.

Resy features (2026)

• Reservation and table management system
• Waitlist management
• AmEx Global Dining Access partnership
• POS integration (additional cost)
• Marketing and communication features
• Customizable floor plan
• Restaurant analytics and reporting
• Two-way SMS with guests
• Ticketed events and experiences (via Tock integration)
• Capacity management
• Guest surveys

Resy pricing (2026)

Resy offers flat monthly pricing without per-cover fees:

• Platform: $249/month
• Platform 360: $399/month
• Full Stack: $899/month

Additional costs to consider:

• Ticketing feature: up to 3% transaction fee
• POS integration: $100/month additional

Resy advantages

• Flat monthly pricing with no per-cover fees
• American Express partnership and cardholder access
• Two-way SMS communication with guests
• Strong presence in major metro areas (especially NYC)
• Claimed 3% no-show rate
• You own your customer data

Resy disadvantages

• Full feature access requires $399-$899/month
• Smaller diner network than OpenTable
• No built-in CRM
• POS integration costs extra ($100/month)
• Requires iPad for table management
• Limited marketing automation features

New player: DoorDash enters the reservation wars

In June 2025, DoorDash announced its $1.2 billion acquisition of SevenRooms, signaling a major new competitor in the reservation space. According to CNBC, DoorDash is looking to capture "the range of dining possibilities, whether it's delivery, takeout or table."

This creates an interesting dynamic: restaurants that already use DoorDash for delivery may now have a seamless path to adding reservations through the same ecosystem. While it's too early to evaluate DoorDash's reservation offering fully, it's worth watching as a potential alternative.

Platform Scale Comparison (2026)

Sources: CNBC, 6sense

Why consider Eat App?

• Cost-effective: Free plan available; paid plans from $129/month with no per-cover fees
• Cross-platform: Runs on iPad, web, iOS, and Android—no iPad required
• Own your data: Full guest data ownership with strong privacy policy
• AI-powered: No-show prediction, smart wait times, automated marketing
• Advanced POS integration: Algorithmic matching reduces manual work by 95%
• DIY setup: No sales calls required to get started

Pro tip

Restaurants spending $3,000+ per year on OpenTable's per-cover fees can often save significantly by switching to Eat App's flat-rate pricing while gaining AI features, CRM tools, and WhatsApp messaging that neither OpenTable nor Resy offer.

Compare More Reservation Software

• Yelp vs OpenTable
• Eat App vs Table Agent
• Tock vs OpenTable
• Eat App vs Tablein
• OpenTable Alternatives

Core Features

AI-Powered Capabilities

Integration Support

User Ratings (as of Q1 2026)

The Bottom Line: Choosing Your Platform in 2026

The reservation platform landscape has never been more competitive—or more complicated. Your choice now involves not just software features and pricing, but also which credit card ecosystem you want to align with and how you want to position your restaurant in the market.

Choose OpenTable if:

• You want maximum reach (60,000+ restaurant network, 25M monthly diners)
• Visa cardholder perks align with your target customers
• You value strong integration with travel booking platforms
• You don't mind per-cover fees for network bookings
• Brand recognition matters for your restaurant

Choose Resy if:

• You're in a major metro area (especially NYC or Brooklyn)
• You want access to AmEx cardholders
• You prefer flat-rate pricing without per-cover fees
• You value the "cool factor" positioning among food-forward diners
• You want ticketed events capability (via Tock integration)

Consider alternatives if:

• You already use Toast POS (Toast Tables offers seamless integration)
• You want direct booking control and full data ownership (Eat App)
• You're in a market where Yelp dominates discovery
• Budget is a primary concern (Eat App offers free and lower-cost plans)
• You need cross-platform flexibility beyond iPad
• Eat App also offers everything Resy and OpenTable have and MORE

Whatever you choose, the key insight from Resy founder Ben Leventhal still holds: restaurants should make choices based on "does this speak to how I run my restaurant, does this speak to how I serve my customers?"