Tock vs OpenTable vs TableHelm: Which Fits Your Restaurant?
A direct comparison of Tock, OpenTable and TableHelm on pricing, ticketed dining, no-show fees and contract terms, to find the right fit for your format.
July 6, 2026 · 9 min read
Photo by Arthur Swiffen on Pexels
These three platforms solve genuinely different problems, which is why comparing them head to head only gets you so far without knowing your format first. Tock was built for prepaid, ticketed dining; OpenTable for diner discovery at scale; TableHelm for flat-fee, no-per-cover operations for independent restaurants. Here's how they actually stack up, and which one fits your room.
Side by side
| Tock | OpenTable | TableHelm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | ~$199/mo | ~$189/mo | Free, unlimited reservations |
| Extra fees | 2-3% on prepaid/ticketed bookings | 2% on no-show/deposit transactions | None, ever |
| Core strength | Ticketed, prepaid tasting menus and events | Diner discovery network scale | Flat-fee floor plan, guest book, no-show protection |
| Contract | Monthly | Often annual | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| 2026 development | Merging into Resy (Amex, Feb 2026) | Rolled out 2% fee across most US restaurants | N/A |
Tock: built for the ticketed-dining format
If your restaurant runs prepaid tasting menus, chef's counter seatings, or ticketed pop-up events, Tock's depth here is genuinely unmatched among general-purpose platforms; it was built specifically for that use case rather than adding it as a feature. The trade-off is a 2-3% fee on those prepaid and ticketed transactions, which is a real cost on a format where the average check is often high. Following Amex's February 2026 announcement that Tock is merging into Resy, expect the product to consolidate into Resy's broader platform over the coming months.
OpenTable: scale and discovery, at a cost
OpenTable remains the largest diner-discovery network in many US markets, which is real, measurable value for a restaurant that depends on new-diner traffic rather than an established following. The 2026 2% service fee on no-show charges, deposits and prepaid transactions, layered on top of existing subscription tiers, has drawn criticism as a fee on money the restaurant, not OpenTable, is collecting for its own policy.
“OpenTable begins adding a 2% service fee to some transactions, including no-show fees, deposits and prepaid dining experiences such as special events.”
TableHelm: flat fee, no format lock-in
TableHelm doesn't try to be a ticketed-dining specialist or a diner-discovery network; it's built for the more common case of an independent restaurant running standard reservations, a walk-in waitlist and no-show protection, at a flat cost that doesn't move with covers, deposits or transactions. The free House tier covers unlimited reservations with no card required; the £29-a-month Pro tier adds deeper guest CRM and multi-user access, still with no per-cover or transaction fee of any kind.
Which one actually fits your restaurant
- Chef-driven tasting menu, prepaid seatings, ticketed events: Tock (or its post-merger Resy successor) is purpose-built for this format.
- Restaurant genuinely dependent on diner-discovery traffic from a large existing network: OpenTable's reach may justify its cost and fee structure.
- Standard walk-in-and-reservation dining room wanting predictable costs and no per-cover charge: TableHelm's flat-fee model is the direct fit.
- Running a mixed format (standard covers plus occasional ticketed events): worth checking whether one platform's add-on ticketing feature covers the occasional event well enough, rather than paying for a dedicated ticketing platform year-round.
See what your current no-show and deposit fees are actually costing across a month and a year.
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Start free on TableHelmCommon questions
Is Tock only for fine dining?
Its strongest fit is chef-driven, prepaid or ticketed formats specifically, which are more common in fine dining but not exclusive to it; a casual restaurant running occasional ticketed events could still find it useful for those.
What's happening with Tock and Resy?
Amex announced in February 2026 that Tock is merging into Resy, with the merger expected to complete over the following months, folding Tock's ticketed-dining strength into the Resy product.
Does TableHelm handle ticketed or prepaid events?
TableHelm's core focus is standard reservations, walk-in waitlists and no-show protection for everyday dining rooms; restaurants running frequent ticketed prepaid events specifically should weigh that use case against a dedicated ticketing-focused platform.