Every online ordering platform says it saves you money compared with delivery apps. Most do. But they price in very different ways, and the cheapest one for a restaurant doing $3,000 a month online isn't the cheapest for one doing $20,000. This guide uses each provider's published prices, as listed in October 2026, so you can run the numbers for your own sales.
Three ways platforms charge
- Per order: a percentage of every online order. Cheap when you're small, more expensive as you grow.
- Flat subscription: a fixed monthly fee and no per-order charge. Expensive when you're small, cheap at high volume.
- Both: a smaller monthly fee plus a smaller percentage.
Published prices
- Owner.com lists a Flexible plan at $249/month plus a 5% fee per order, and a Flat Rate plan at $499/month with no per-order fee (owner.com/pricing).
- ChowNow lists its Launch plan starting at $229–$249/month depending on billing, a $119–$499 setup fee, and 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction among its additional fees. Direct orders are commission-free (get.chownow.com/pricing). It also advertises a limited-time Launch Lite plan at $99/month.
- NEAPES is $45/month plus a 4% platform fee per online order, with the ScomsPOS point of sale included and no setup fee (our pricing).
Worked example: monthly platform cost
Platform fees only, card processing excluded for everyone:
| Monthly online sales | $5,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEAPES ($45 + 4%) | $245 | $445 | $845 |
| Owner.com Flexible ($249 + 5%) | $499 | $749 | $1,249 |
| Owner.com Flat Rate | $499 | $499 | $499 |
| ChowNow Launch | $229–$249 | $229–$249 | $229–$249 |
What the table shows, honestly: a per-order fee is cheapest at low volume, and a flat fee wins as sales grow. On platform fees alone, ChowNow Launch costs less than NEAPES somewhere around $4,600 to $5,100 a month in online sales, and Owner.com's Flat Rate does above about $11,350. NEAPES costs less than Owner.com's Flexible plan at every level in the table.
Costs that aren't on the headline price
- Setup fees. Some platforms charge them, some don't.
- Card processing. Everyone pays it somewhere. Check whether it's included, listed separately, or charged by your own processor.
- Hardware. Tablets and printers for the kitchen, if the platform doesn't send orders to your existing POS.
- Your POS. If the ordering platform is separate, add your POS subscription to the total.
- Delivery. Your own drivers, a courier service, or a per-order delivery fee.
How to choose
- Take your real monthly online sales, or a realistic target
- Add up platform fee, setup, POS and hardware for each option
- Look at the features you'll actually use, not the whole list
- Check the provider's current pricing page; these figures change
Compare delivery-app commissions with our fee calculator, or see the side-by-side pages for Owner.com and ChowNow.
Frequently asked questions
Which online ordering platform is cheapest?
It depends on your sales. Per-order pricing is cheapest at low volume and flat subscriptions win at high volume. Add setup, POS, hardware and processing before comparing.
Are commission-free platforms free?
No. Commission-free usually means no percentage on direct orders, but there is a monthly subscription and often setup or transaction fees.
Do these prices include card processing?
The comparison here excludes card processing for every provider. Check each provider's pricing page for how processing is charged.
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