Freeheld vs Tock
A Tock alternative for restaurants that take reservations, not tickets
Tock is built for prepaid experiences: tasting menus, ticketed dinners, events. If that is your business, Tock does something Freeheld does not. If you mostly take ordinary reservations, you are paying a subscription and prepayment fees for tools you do not use.
What you pay
Tock's published plans, checked October 2026.
| Plan | Monthly | Other fees | Year one | Five years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tock (base) | $289 | 2 to 3% of prepayments | $3,468 plus prepayment fees | $17,340 plus prepayment fees |
| Tock (upper plan) | $459 | 2 to 3% of prepayments | $5,508 plus prepayment fees | $27,540 plus prepayment fees |
| Freeheld | $0 | None | $1,000 | $1,000 |
Tock is folding into Resy during 2026 (both belong to American Express), so plans and prices may change. Texting on Freeheld is passed through at cost.
Where Tock is stronger
- Prepaid and ticketed experiences. Selling a tasting menu in advance, a winemaker dinner, a holiday seating with a set price. Freeheld does not take prepayments today. It holds a card and can charge a no-show fee, which is a different thing.
- Takeout and events tools alongside reservations.
Where Freeheld is different
- Built for the nightly book. Smart seating, pacing, a live floor timeline, walk-ins and a texting waitlist, without an experiences platform wrapped around it.
- No subscription and no percentage. Card holds run on your own Stripe account; we take nothing from them.
- Not part of a merger. Your reservation system will not change hands or change plans because of a corporate integration. Open source and being formed as a cooperative. How that works
Who should stay, who should switch
Stay if prepaid tasting menus or ticketed events are a large part of your revenue.
Switch if you mainly take regular reservations and walk-ins, and use card holds only to discourage no-shows.
The switching guide covers moving your guests and future bookings.
Sources
- Tock plans and prepayment fees: exploretock.com/join/pricing, checked October 2026.
- American Express acquisition of Tock (2024, about $400 million) and the 2026 move into Resy: company announcements and press coverage.