ChowNow Pricing 2026: Real Costs & Hidden Fees
ChowNow charges a commission-free monthly subscription of $229–$249/mo (Launch), $319–$349/mo (Grow), or $409–$449/mo (Elevate) depending on billing term, plus a one-time setup fee of $119–$499, 2.95% + $0.29 card processing per transaction, and $7.98/order for Flex Delivery. For restaurants wanting ordering, a custom website, and an AI back office in one flat price, AI Business Sites offers a done-for-you alternative at $1,497 setup plus $497/month with month-to-month terms.
Bottom line: For a restaurant that only needs commission-free online ordering with marketplace discovery, ChowNow's Launch plan ($229/mo on annual billing) is the cheaper, purpose-built option. But the subscription, setup fee, and above-market processing rate mean low-volume spots can pay a high effective cost per order.
TL;DR
- •ChowNow's Launch plan starts at $229/mo billed annually ($249 month-to-month); Grow is $319–$349/mo and Elevate is $409–$449/mo.
- •A one-time setup fee of $119–$499 applies on top of the subscription.
- •Card processing runs 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction, which is above the rate many POS processors offer and quietly offsets some commission-free savings.
- •Flex Delivery costs $7.98 per order; branded mobile apps add a $99/year Apple developer fee, and optional order printers run $250–$420.
- •Direct orders are genuinely commission-free — ChowNow takes 0% per order on your website, branded app, and marketplace channels.
- •Marketing contacts and SMS credits are tier-gated: Launch gets 500 contacts with no SMS credits, Grow 2,000, Elevate 5,000.
- •ChowNow has historically used contract terms; ask about contract length and exit costs before signing.
| Dimension | ChowNow | AI Business Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $229/mo (Launch, billed annually) or $249/mo monthlywinner | $497/mo flat |
| Setup fee | $119–$499 one-timewinner | $1,497 one-time ($500 deposit + $997 at launch) |
| Payment processing | 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction via ChowNow's processing partners | Stripe card payments built in |
| Commission on direct orders | 0% | No commission on orders through your own site |
| Marketing features | Automated email/SMS, loyalty, discovery network — tier-gated (Launch: 500 contacts, no SMS credits) | 14+ SEO content pieces/month, daily news, automated review requests, CRM follow-up — all included at one price |
| Contract terms | Month-to-month, annual, and two-year options; annual billing gets the best rates; $199 cancellation fee on Premier before first order | Month-to-month, cancel with 30 days' noticewinner |
| Support | 24/7 phone, chat, and text plus dedicated advisors | Managed service — our team runs and monitors the system for you |
| Website | SEO-optimized templates built on Squarespace | Custom-built site with 85+ pages at launch, ongoing content, client owns the codewinner |
| Data ownership | Restaurants get full access to diner ordering data and contact information | Client owns code, content, lead data, and domain; GitHub repo and database export on exit |
ChowNow
chownow.com ↗ChowNow is a commission-free online ordering and marketing platform for independent restaurants. Instead of taking a percentage of each order the way third-party marketplaces like DoorDash or Grubhub do, it charges a flat monthly subscription — Launch, Grow, and Elevate — plus a one-time setup fee and separate payment processing. Restaurants get a direct online ordering tool, an SEO-optimized website, a branded mobile app, a commission-free marketplace, and a discovery network spanning Google, Apple, Yelp, and more. The marketing suite includes automated email and SMS campaigns, a loyalty and rewards program, and print marketing. Operations features cover 100% fraud and chargeback protection, third-party order aggregation, centralized menu management, 20+ POS integrations (including Toast, Square, Revel, and Clover), delivery management, and reporting. Support is 24/7 by phone, chat, and text, with dedicated advisors for setup. ChowNow's own data shows restaurants sharing delivery costs with diners can increase delivery orders by up to 2x.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Launch (billed annually) | $229/mo | 500 marketing contacts; no SMS credits, loyalty, or third-party aggregation on this tier |
| Launch (monthly) | $249/mo | 500 marketing contacts; no SMS credits, loyalty, or third-party aggregation on this tier |
| Grow (billed annually) | $319/mo | 2,000 contacts, 2,000 SMS credits |
| Grow (monthly) | $349/mo | 2,000 contacts, 2,000 SMS credits |
| Elevate (billed annually) | $409/mo | 5,000 contacts, 5,000 SMS credits |
| Elevate (monthly) | $449/mo | 5,000 contacts, 5,000 SMS credits |
| Setup fee (one-time) | $119/one_time | Ranges $119–$499 depending on onboarding complexity |
Pros
- +Genuinely commission-free on direct orders — 0% per order from your website, branded app, marketplace, and discovery channels
- +Flat, predictable monthly cost instead of the 20–30% per-order commissions charged by third-party marketplaces
- +Own marketplace app and discovery network can bring in diners who have never heard of you — a real acquisition channel
- +100% fraud and chargeback protection with no limits; ChowNow covers costs no questions asked
- +Restaurants get full access to diner ordering data and contact information for retargeting
- +24/7 phone, chat, and text support plus dedicated onboarding advisors
Cons
- −Subscription plus setup fee ($119–$499) is steep for a single low-volume storefront — a flat fee spread over few orders is a high effective cost per order
- −Card processing at 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction is above the rate many POS processors offer, eating into commission-free savings on every direct order
- −Marketing contacts and SMS credits are tier-gated — the Launch plan gets only 500 contacts and no SMS credits, so the low plan feels limited
- −Flex Delivery costs $7.98/order, and annual-billing discounts push small restaurants into annual commitments
- −Historically uses contract terms; a $199 cancellation fee applies to Premier subscribers canceling before the first order is processed
- −Some operators report slow feature rollouts and occasional difficulty reaching support
Best for: Independent restaurants with steady online order volume that want to escape 20–30% marketplace commissions and value ChowNow's discovery network for finding new diners.. Avoid if: You're a low-volume restaurant doing only a handful of online orders a week — the subscription plus setup fee works out to a high cost per order, and contract terms can lock you in while volume grows..
AI Business Sites
aibusinesssites.com ↗AI Business Sites builds and runs a small business's entire online presence — a custom website plus an AI back office — as a done-for-you service. For a $1,497 one-time setup fee and $497/month, a business gets a custom-built website with 85+ pages live in 7 days, including 25–30 hand-crafted core pages and 60 AI-generated SEO pages with featured images. The monthly plan includes hosting, 14+ new SEO content pieces every month, daily industry news articles, 24/7 chat and voice agents on the website, a CRM with automated lead capture and follow-up, and a field-service module for jobs, quotes, scheduling, and invoicing. For businesses that sell, it includes online ordering, restaurant menus, bookings, and tickets with Stripe card payments built in. Everything is month-to-month with 30 days' notice, and the client owns the code, content, data, and domain — if they leave, they get the complete website code pushed to a GitHub repo in their name plus a full database export.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Setup (one-time) | $1497/one_time | $500 deposit at kickoff, $997 due at launch; 85+ pages live in 7 days |
| Managed subscription | $497/mo | Hosting, 14+ content pieces/month, chat and voice agents, CRM, ordering with Stripe, month-to-month |
| AI Receptionist add-on | $199/mo | Dedicated phone number answered by AI 24/7 with appointment booking |
Pros
- +One flat $497/month covers the website, hosting, ordering with Stripe, CRM, content engine, and AI chat and voice agents — no tier-gating of marketing features
- +Done-for-you: live in 7 days, fully managed, no technical work or prompting required from the owner
- +Month-to-month with 30 days' notice — no annual commitment required to get the listed price
- +Client owns everything — code, content, lead data, domain — with a GitHub repo and database export on exit
- +14+ SEO content pieces per month plus daily industry news build local search visibility over time
- +Conversational phone and chat ordering plus automated review requests replace several separate subscriptions
Cons
- −$497/month plus $1,497 setup is more expensive than ChowNow's Launch plan at $229–$249/month for ordering alone
- −No restaurant marketplace or discovery network — it doesn't surface your menu to new diners the way ChowNow's marketplace app does
- −Only 3 user seats included at launch
- −Not for DIYers who want to run their own stack or businesses seeking the cheapest possible website
Best for: Small business owners — including restaurants — who want a custom website with built-in ordering, an AI back office handling leads, content, and follow-up, all managed for them at one predictable price.. Avoid if: You want the cheapest possible ordering tool, you rely on a marketplace app to bring in new diners, or you enjoy building and running your own software stack..
ChowNow's real costs: subscription is only the start
ChowNow's published pricing shows three tiers: Launch at $229/mo billed annually ($249 monthly), Grow at $319/mo ($349 monthly), and Elevate at $409/mo ($449 monthly). On top of that sits a one-time setup fee of $119–$499 depending on onboarding complexity. Payment processing runs 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction — above the rate many POS processors offer, which quietly eats into the commission-free savings on every direct order. A first year on Launch billed annually lands around $3,107–$3,487 including setup. Optional costs stack further: Flex Delivery at $7.98/order (or $3.99 for Flex), a $99/year Apple developer fee for branded mobile apps, and order printers at $250–$420. None of these are hidden, but they add up, and the tier-gating matters: Launch includes only 500 marketing contacts and no SMS credits, loyalty program, or third-party order aggregation — those arrive at Grow (2,000 contacts/credits) and Elevate (5,000). The commission-free claim itself is real: 0% per order on direct channels, which ChowNow says saves money against an average 22% third-party commission rate.
Where the subscription model wins and pinches
A flat subscription rewards volume. At 300 online orders a month with a $35 average ticket, a 20% marketplace commission would cost $2,100 — while a flat ChowNow subscription plus processing costs a fraction of that. At 50 orders a month, the savings shrink to roughly $200 against a $150-class subscription, and the setup fee plus a low order count can push the effective cost per order uncomfortably high. That's the core trade: predictable monthly cost in exchange for zero per-order commission. The other honest caveat is that ChowNow is a first-party ordering tool, not a demand generator — its marketplace app and discovery network help, but diners largely have to find you. ChowNow has also historically used contract terms, and annual billing unlocks the best rates, which pushes small restaurants into commitments. Before signing, ask the exact monthly fee per location, the setup cost, the contract length and exit cost, and the processing rate — those four numbers determine whether the math works for your volume.
The flat-price alternative: what $497/month buys
AI Business Sites takes the opposite approach: one price, no tiers. For $1,497 one-time setup ($500 deposit, $997 at launch) and $497/month, a restaurant or service business gets a custom-built website with 85+ pages live in 7 days, online ordering with menus and Stripe card payments built in, 14+ new SEO content pieces every month plus daily industry news, 24/7 chat and voice agents on the site that capture leads into a CRM, automated follow-up on every lead, and a Jobs & Estimates module for quotes, scheduling, and invoicing with automated review requests. Nothing is tier-gated — the marketing content engine, CRM, and ordering are all in the base price. It's month-to-month with 30 days' notice, and the client owns the code, content, data, and domain, with a full GitHub export and database dump on exit. The trade-off is price: $497/month is roughly double ChowNow's Launch plan, and there's no restaurant marketplace app bringing in unfamiliar diners. For a business that would otherwise stack a website builder, an ordering tool, a CRM, and a content service, the bundle can beat the stitched-together total — but a restaurant that only needs commission-free ordering will pay less with ChowNow.
Which should you choose?
If you You run a single restaurant with steady online order volume and want out from under 20–30% marketplace commissions — choose ChowNow — Launch at $229/mo (annual billing) with 0% commission on direct orders beats marketplace math quickly at volume.
If you You value marketplace discovery — new diners finding you through ChowNow's app and network — choose ChowNow — Its marketplace app and discovery channels across Google, Apple, Yelp, and more are a genuine acquisition channel alternatives don't replicate.
If you You do only a handful of online orders a week — choose none — A $229–$249/mo subscription plus $119–$499 setup works out to a high cost per order at low volume — run your numbers on effective cost per order before committing to any subscription.
If you You want ordering, a custom website, SEO content, and an AI back office in one managed package — choose AI Business Sites — One flat $497/mo includes the site, Stripe ordering, 14+ content pieces/month, CRM, and 24/7 chat and voice agents — no tier-gating and month-to-month terms.
If you You want to avoid annual contracts and own everything you pay for — choose AI Business Sites — Month-to-month with 30 days' notice, and you own the code, content, data, and domain — ChowNow's best rates require annual billing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ChowNow cost per month?
ChowNow publishes three plans: Launch at $229/mo billed annually ($249 monthly), Grow at $319/mo ($349 monthly), and Elevate at $409/mo ($449 monthly). A one-time setup fee of $119–$499 also applies, and card processing is 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction on top of the subscription.
Does ChowNow charge commission on orders?
No — ChowNow takes 0% commission on direct orders placed through your website, branded app, marketplace, and discovery channels. You pay the monthly subscription, setup fee, and payment processing instead, which is why the model favors restaurants with steady order volume.
What are ChowNow's hidden fees?
None are hidden, but beyond the subscription there's a $119–$499 setup fee, 2.95% + $0.29 card processing per transaction, $7.98/order for Flex Delivery, a $99/year Apple developer fee for branded apps, and optional printers at $250–$420. Marketing contacts and SMS credits are also tier-gated, so the Launch plan omits SMS marketing and loyalty.
Is ChowNow worth it for a small, low-volume restaurant?
It depends on volume. A flat subscription spread over many orders is a tiny effective rate per order, but at a handful of online orders a week the subscription plus setup fee becomes a high cost per order — and contract terms can lock you in while volume grows. High, steady volume is where the model shines.
Does ChowNow require a contract?
ChowNow offers month-to-month, annual, and two-year options, with the best rates on annual billing. Annual and two-year terms convert to month-to-month after the initial term, and a $199 cancellation fee applies to Premier subscribers canceling before the first order is processed. Ask about term length and exit costs before signing.
What's a cheaper alternative to ChowNow?
For pure ordering, commission-free competitors start as low as $0–$49/mo, though they lack ChowNow's marketplace discovery. For a bundled alternative, AI Business Sites charges $1,497 setup plus $497/month but includes a custom 85+ page website, Stripe ordering, 14+ monthly SEO content pieces, a CRM, and 24/7 chat and voice agents at one flat price with month-to-month terms.
Sources
- 1.ChowNow Pricing Plans for Restaurants — used for: pricing, features
- 2.ChowNow Pricing 2026: $249–$449/mo Plus Setup Fees (Ontabee) — used for: pricing, reviews
- 3.ChowNow Pricing and Fees (Capterra/Sauce) — used for: pricing, reviews, features
- 4.ChowNow pricing and fees, explained (Town) — used for: pricing, reviews
- 5.ChowNow Pricing Explained: Is It Worth It for Independent Restaurants? — used for: pricing, reviews
- 6.Chowly vs ChowNow: Fees & Which to Pick (2026) — used for: pricing, features, reviews
- 7.Chowly vs ChowNow Comparison — used for: features, reviews
- 8.AI Business Sites — used for: pricing, features
Pricing verified as of 2026. Always check the vendor's site.
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