Alternative

OpenTable alternative for small restaurants

OpenTable is a reservation network: diners discover your restaurant inside OpenTable and book there, and you pay a monthly fee plus a fee per cover the network brings. This page is for the restaurant that already has its guests — on Instagram, Google Maps, its own site — and wants to take their reservations without paying per seat.

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Updated 20 October 2026

Where OpenTable is better

Discovery. OpenTable has diners of its own; a new restaurant in a busy city gets bookings from people who have never heard of it.
Floor management. Table layouts, waitlists and turn times are built for a full-service restaurant running 200 covers a night.
Per-cover pricing suits high volume. If the network fills your room, the fee is the cost of those guests.

Where Answe is better

No per-cover fee. A reservation from your own link, QR code or website costs nothing on the free plan up to the monthly limit, and a flat monthly price after that.
One link for every request. The same page takes reservations, group bookings, menu questions and private-dining quotes, and every answer lands in one inbox and the app.
You can reply. A booking is a chat, so "can we have the window table?" is answered in the same thread, by a person.

Answe and OpenTable side by side

	Answe	OpenTable
Price	Free plan; Standard €9.99 a month.	Monthly subscription plus a fee per network cover; quoted on request.
Free plan	Yes: 25 bookings a month, 2 active widgets.	No.
Takes a reservation as an action	Yes, with capacity rules per table group and conflict detection.	Yes, with full floor management.
Replies land in one inbox and the app	Yes, every booking is a chat.	Guest messaging on higher plans.
Visitor free text	No: guests answer your structured question.	Special-request field.
Website embed	Yes, and a link for Instagram, Google and WhatsApp.	Yes, a booking widget.
Setup time	Minutes: pick the template, set tables and hours.	Onboarding with OpenTable.

OpenTable facts checked 29 October 2026 onOpenTable’s site; Answe figures are the ones onour pricing page. Check both before you decide.

Switch in 10 minutes

Open the restaurant reservation template and press Use this template.
Set your tables or seating groups, the hours and the party-size limits.
Put the link in your Google Business Profile, your Instagram bio and your website.
Keep OpenTable running for its diners if the network brings you covers; move your own guests to the link.

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What Answe costs

Free$025 bookings / mo · 2 widgets

Standard$9.99100 bookings / mo · 5 widgets

Premium$19.99500 bookings / mo · unlimited widgets

Pro$79.99Unlimited · leads · API

EnterpriseCustomUnlimited

Prices as of 20 October 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Can I take reservations without OpenTable?

Yes. A reservation link of your own takes table bookings with capacity rules and a confirmation, from your website, Instagram bio or Google Business Profile. You keep OpenTable only if its network brings you diners you would not otherwise get.

Does the free plan take real reservations?

Yes. The free plan takes 25 bookings a month with conflict detection and confirmations. Standard at €9.99 a month raises the limits.

Is there a per-cover fee?

No. Answe is a flat monthly price; a reservation from your own link costs nothing extra.

What does OpenTable do better?

Discovery inside its network and floor management for a large full-service room. If most of your covers come from OpenTable’s app, it is paying for itself.