Most reservation software isn't expensive because of the price tag. It's expensive because it charges you more every time you have a good night. The genuinely low-cost option is the one that doesn't bill you per guest: bavoli charges a flat monthly fee with $0.00 per-cover fees on every tier, so your bill stays the same whether you seat 50 covers or 5,000. Paid plans start at $20 a month. There's also a free forever tier, and no credit card is required to start.
Here's the honest version. bavoli has four tiers: Free at $0/mo, Starter at $20/mo, Professional at $50/mo, and Premium at $100 per location/mo. None of them add a per-reservation or per-cover fee. Every plan is month-to-month with no contract, so you can cancel anytime. Compare that to OpenTable, which (as of June 2026) runs $299/mo for Core or $499/mo for Pro plus roughly $1 per seated cover through its network, or Resy at $249 to $899/mo.
If you've never used reservation software before and you're booking guests in a notebook or a Google Form, this is built for you too. You don't need to be leaving another system. Start on Free, and every new account also gets 30 days of Pro free with no card. A card is only needed when you decide to subscribe to a paid plan.
What "cheap" really means for reservation software
Low-cost reservation software comes in two shapes, and they're not the same thing. The first is a low flat fee. The second is a low headline price that hides a per-cover charge. The second one is the one that gets expensive.
A per-cover fee means you pay every time the software seats a guest. It scales with your success: the busier your dining room, the bigger your bill. A flat fee does the opposite. It stays put, the number you pick is the number you pay, whether you have a quiet Tuesday or a packed Saturday.
bavoli is flat by design. $0.00 per cover, always, on Free, Starter, Professional, and Premium. The number on your invoice is the number you picked.
- Free $0/mo: 50 reservations/month, 1 floor plan with up to 10 tables, 1 staff account, 50 guest profiles, email waitlist, no-show tracking, basic analytics, and a "Powered by bavoli" badge.
- Starter $20/mo: for restaurants that have outgrown the Free limits and want more headroom without per-cover fees.
- Professional $50/mo: for higher-volume rooms and teams that need more capacity.
- Premium $100 per location/mo: for multi-location operators billed per location.
The hidden cost of per-cover pricing: a 500-cover example
Run the math on a real month. Say you seat 500 covers through your reservation system, which is a modest week-plus-weekend pace for a small independent dining room.
On OpenTable's network pricing (as of June 2026), roughly $1 per seated cover adds about $500 in per-cover fees on top of the $299/mo Core subscription. That's around $799 for the month, and it climbs every time you get busier. At 1,000 covers it's closer to $1,299. Toast Tables starts at $50/mo but layers POS processing on top at 2.49% plus $0.15 per transaction. Yelp Guest Manager starts at $129/mo and up.
On bavoli's Starter plan, 500 covers costs $20. So does 1,500. The per-cover fee is $0.00, so the busy months don't punish you. That gap, $20 versus several hundred dollars, is the whole argument for flat pricing.
- 500 covers on OpenTable Core: about $299 + ~$500 in per-cover fees = roughly $799/mo.
- 500 covers on bavoli Starter: $20/mo, flat. $0.00 per cover.
- The more you grow, the wider the gap gets.
Cheap shouldn't mean missing the basics
Low cost is only worth it if the software still does the job. The features that protect your covers, your floor, and your guest relationships shouldn't sit behind the most expensive tier.
Even the Free plan includes no-show tracking, an email waitlist, guest profiles, a floor plan, and basic analytics. Paid plans add room as you grow, not a different product. You're paying for capacity and depth, not unlocking the ability to take a reservation.
- No-show tracking on every tier, including Free.
- Guest profiles so regulars and their preferences follow them across visits.
- Floor plan and table management to run the room, not just a list.
- Waitlist and analytics so you can see what's actually happening at the door.
No contract, no card to start, no surprises
Cheap software that locks you into an annual contract isn't cheap, it's a commitment you can't undo. bavoli is month-to-month on every plan. Cancel anytime.
You also don't need a credit card to start or to run a trial. That's a hard promise, not a teaser. Open an account on Free, get 30 days of Pro free with no card, and only enter payment details if and when you choose to subscribe to a paid plan.
The point of transparent pricing is that you can predict it. Pick a tier, know the number, and watch it stay put.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest restaurant reservation software?
bavoli has a genuinely free forever tier ($0/mo) that handles 50 reservations a month, a floor plan, no-show tracking, a waitlist, and guest profiles. When you outgrow it, paid plans start at $20/mo flat with $0.00 per-cover fees. The cheapest option isn't just the lowest sticker price, it's the one that doesn't bill you per guest as you get busier.
Is there free restaurant reservation software?
Yes. bavoli's Free plan is $0/mo forever and includes 50 reservations per month, 1 floor plan with up to 10 tables, 1 staff account, 50 guest profiles, an email waitlist, no-show tracking, and basic analytics. No credit card is required to start. Every new account also gets 30 days of Pro free with no card.
How much does restaurant reservation software cost per month?
It depends on the model. bavoli is flat: Free $0, Starter $20, Professional $50, and Premium $100 per location, all with $0.00 per-cover fees. By contrast, OpenTable runs $299 to $499/mo plus roughly $1 per seated cover, and Resy runs $249 to $899/mo (both as of June 2026), so their real monthly cost rises with your volume.
Why are per-cover reservation fees more expensive than they look?
A per-cover fee charges you every time the system seats a guest, so your bill grows with your success. At 500 covers a month, roughly $1 per cover adds about $500 on top of a subscription. A flat $20/mo plan costs $20 whether you seat 500 covers or 1,500. The busier you get, the wider that gap becomes.
Do I need a credit card to try bavoli?
No. You can start and run a trial without a credit card. That's a firm promise. Every new account gets 30 days of Pro free with no card, and you only enter payment details when you choose to subscribe to a paid plan.
Is cheap reservation software a good fit if I've never used one before?
Yes. If you currently take bookings in a notebook, by phone, or through a Google Form, bavoli is built for you, not just for restaurants leaving another platform. Start on the Free plan, keep your costs at $0, and move to a paid tier only when you need more capacity.