Freeheld vs OpenTable
An OpenTable alternative with no cover fees
OpenTable charges a monthly fee plus a fee on every network cover, and it counts bookings from Google as network covers. Freeheld costs $1,000 once and nothing per cover. The real question is how many of your guests actually come from OpenTable's app.
What you pay
OpenTable's published plans, checked October 2026, at 400 network covers a month.
| Plan | Monthly | Per cover | Year one | Five years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenTable Basic | $149 | $1.50 network; $0.25 website (or $49 a month flat) | $8,988 plus website covers | $44,940 plus website covers |
| OpenTable Core | $299 | $1.00 network; website free | $8,388 | $41,940 |
| OpenTable Pro | $499 | $1.00 network | $10,788 | $53,940 |
| Freeheld | $0 | None | $1,000 | $1,000 |
Against Core, Freeheld pays for itself in about 44 days. Texting on Freeheld is passed through at cost (about $150 a year at 1,000 texts a month). OpenTable also added a 2% service fee on no-show charges, deposits and prepaid experiences in 2025; Freeheld takes nothing from those.
The Google detail
OpenTable bills reservations that come through Google at its network rate. A guest who searched your name on Google Maps, saw your Reserve button and booked is a diner who was already looking for you, and you pay a cover fee for them. With Freeheld, your Google Business Profile reservation link points at your own booking page. Same button, no toll.
Where OpenTable is stronger
- A diner network. OpenTable says 33 million diners use it each month. Some of them browse the app for somewhere to eat and will not find you elsewhere. Freeheld has no marketplace app, on purpose.
- Size. Integrations with almost everything, a large support team, and features for big groups and hotels.
- Prepaid experiences and deposits. OpenTable sells them. Freeheld holds cards for no-show fees but does not take prepayments yet.
Where Freeheld is different
- No toll on your own regulars. A cover costs nothing, wherever the guest found you.
- Your guests stay yours. Export everything any day. No network shows your diners other restaurants.
- Owned by restaurants. OpenTable belongs to Booking Holdings. Freeheld is open source and being formed as a cooperative of the restaurants that use it. How that works
- Your reports settle the argument. Freeheld shows where every cover came from, so after a month you know what share was ever OpenTable's to charge for.
Who should stay, who should switch
Stay if a large share of your covers come from people browsing the OpenTable app who would not otherwise find you, or if you depend on prepaid experiences. Check your OpenTable cover report: it separates network, website and Google covers.
Switch if most of your guests find you on Google, Instagram, your website or by word of mouth, which is true for most neighborhood restaurants. You are paying a toll on diners who were already yours.
Not sure? Run both for a month. The switching guide shows how to move without losing a booking.
Sources
- OpenTable plans and per-cover pricing: opentable.com/restaurant-solutions/plans, checked October 2026.
- Google bookings billed at the network rate: OpenTable help center article on cover reports, checked October 2026.
- 2% service fee on no-show charges, deposits and prepaid experiences: The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 2026.
- 33 million monthly diners: OpenTable's own published figure.
Keep the cover fees.
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