Toast Tables alternative
Toast Tables Alternatives for Restaurants (2026)
Toast Tables puts the waitlist and reservations inside your Toast account, and it's the better fit if you want table status to follow each check. If you're on Toast but the waitlist is the job, TablesReady runs in any browser next to Toast. You can set it up yourself tonight on the free plan, and texts are included in every plan. Toast publishes no price for Tables.
By Mike Errecart · Updated · Toast Tables pricing details and features as of October 2026
We make TablesReady. This page also says when Toast Tables is the better choice.
Which fits your business: TablesReady or Toast Tables?
Pick Toast Tables
You run Toast POS and want table status to follow each check
For example: a full-service restaurant whose servers ring every order into Toast
Toast Tables marks a table Ordered and Paid from POS order data, can open a held check for the assigned server when you seat a party, and puts guest notes on a digital chit at the terminal. TablesReady has no POS table-status sync, so on Business your hosts change table status by hand on the floor plan. If that sync matters on your floor, Toast Tables is the better fit.
Pick TablesReady
You're on Toast, but the waitlist is the job
For example: a pizzeria or brunch spot with a weekend line
You need guests texted and the line moving, and table status from checks matters less. Set it up yourself on the free plan tonight, with no add-on to arrange through Toast. The host stand needs its own device either way: Toast's support FAQ, updated September 21, 2026, says the Tables app shouldn't run on Toast hardware because it hasn't passed the required PCI audit.
Pick TablesReady
You ring up sales on a different POS, or none
For example: a café on Square, or a bar running another POS
Every route to Toast Tables that Toast documents runs through a Toast account: staff sign in with Toast Web logins, and the floor plan comes from the POS setup. TablesReady runs on its own in any browser, next to whatever POS you use, and you can sign up and set it up yourself on the free plan. On Business, Square orders can also land on the waitlist and send the order-ready text when they're completed in Square.
Pick TablesReady
Your guests mostly walk in and then wait for a text
For example: a café or burger counter with a lunch line
TablesReady starts on the free plan, with texts included in every plan. Guests check themselves in from a QR code, hosts page them by text or an automated voice call, and an iPad kiosk and a live list for a lobby TV come with Free. We didn't find a kiosk or a lobby-screen list for Toast Tables.
Pick Toast Tables
You want one Toast login, one bill and phone help at any hour
For example: a restaurant group already running Toast POS at every location
Toast Tables signs in with your Toast Web logins and sits on your Toast bill, and Toast Care answers by phone or web messaging 24/7. Its Guestbook carries each guest's POS spend and visit history across the restaurant group. TablesReady support is email on weekdays, with phone support on Enterprise, and each location keeps its own guest list with visit counts (Free) and no spend data.
Toast Tables pricing and setup vs. TablesReady
Toast Tables pricing details are from its website.
What each plan covers
Compared with TablesReady Starter
| Guest parties a month* | TablesReady Starter, monthly (billed annually) |
|---|---|
| 500 | $39 ($34)1,000 messages |
| 1,250 | $69 ($59)2,500 messages |
| 2,500 | $99 ($84)5,000 messages |
| 5,000 | $159 ($129)10,000 messages |
Compared with TablesReady Business
| Guest parties a month* | TablesReady Business, monthly (billed annually) |
|---|---|
| 500 | $79 ($69)1,000 messages |
| 1,250 | $109 ($94)2,500 messages |
| 2,500 | $139 ($119)5,000 messages |
| 5,000 | $199 ($164)10,000 messages |
Toast Tables: Not published. At launch in April 2023, Toast told Restaurant Dive the base tier cost $50 a month (25 reservations a month) and Plus $199. Tables is an add-on to a Toast POS plan.
*Assumes 2 text messages per party, the median across TablesReady restaurants. TablesReady counts 160-character segments; Toast publishes no text allowance for Tables.
Texting pauses at your monthly limit. You get alerts at 80, 90 and 100%, and can add messages in one click.
Toast doesn't publish a price for Tables, so the line under the table gives the 2023 launch prices Toast told Restaurant Dive. Its base tier allows 25 reservations a month, and whichever app you pick, the host stand needs its own device.
Toast Tables
Toast doesn't publish a Toast Tables price. When Tables launched in April 2023, Toast told Restaurant Dive the base tier cost $50 a month (unlimited waitlist, 25 reservations a month) and Plus $199 a month (unlimited waitlist and reservations). Those are launch prices, and no current Toast page confirms or updates them. Tables isn't on Toast's pricing page or its own product page, and the Toast Shop listing where existing customers add it needs a login. Tables is an add-on to a Toast POS account, and Toast's POS plans start at $0 (the Starter Kit: 1 location and up to 2 terminals, for new single-location customers) or from $69 a month (Point of Sale). The base tier still caps reservations at 25 a month, and Plus now adds unlimited reservations and Experiences. Tables needs its own iPad, Android tablet or computer, because it isn't supported on Toast POS hardware.
Getting started: Through Toast. Restaurants new to Toast start with a Toast POS demo. Existing US customers add Tables in Toast Shop; in Canada, the UK and Ireland, it's bought through Toast's Customer Care team. Moving up to Plus starts with Get a Demo, after which a Toast representative calls, and subscription terms depend on the account.
TablesReady
Free $0
The waitlist, guest self check-in by QR code or link, a website embed and basic reservations; the list stays in sync live on every device. Ready texts and automated voice calls, plus automatic confirmation and next-in-line texts. 150 messages a month (US and Canada; a tenth elsewhere) and up to 100 parties a month for each location, with up to two Free locations per account.
Unlimited users on every plan, each with their own login and an Admin, Manager or User role, or one shared login if your team prefers.
Starter from $39/mo, or from $34/mo billed annually
Everything in Free, plus two-way texting (US and Canadian numbers), AI-predicted wait times that learn overnight from your location's own history (turn them off if you'd rather quote waits yourself), and detailed analytics. From 1,000 messages and 2,000 parties a month, with higher tiers raising both; outside the US and Canada, messages are a tenth.
Business from $79/mo, or from $69/mo billed annually
Everything in Starter, plus online bookings, table management on a floor plan, Reserve with Google (bookings and waitlist joins), Square order sync, and Stripe deposits (2% fee plus Stripe's).
Custom properties to track VIPs, email addresses, allergies or anything else about a guest; saved replies for quick canned answers in chat; SMS automations (guests join by text, or reply with a keyword to cancel, confirm, check in or say they're running late); geofencing that limits check-in and booking to guests nearby; the to-go list, data exports, and an API and webhooks.
Enterprise Contact us
For groups: a dedicated account manager, custom terms, invoice billing, onboarding with set-up help and data migration, and phone support.
Texts are included in every plan, with no overage fees.
Getting started: Sign up yourself and start on the free plan, or try paid features free for 14 days with no credit card.
Why restaurants look for a Toast Tables alternative
Toast Tables has no listing of its own on Capterra or G2, so the ratings in the table below are for Toast POS. On the App Store, the host app has 3.4 out of 5 from 58 ratings (App Store). Of the 27 App Store and Google Play reviews of its host app that we found, five call it easy to use or say it has improved, the newest from July 2026, and two thank Toast for the Mac app, the newest from September 2026 (App Store reviews). At least six came from diners who installed the host app by mistake (App Store and Google Play reviews), so the store ratings say little about how restaurants rate it.
It comes through a Toast account. US restaurants add Toast Tables in Toast Shop, and restaurants in Canada, the UK and Ireland through Customer Care. Staff sign in with Toast Web logins, and the tables and dining areas come from the POS setup (Toast support). Toast doesn't say outright that Tables needs its POS, but we found no Toast page that sells it on its own.
No published price. Toast's pricing page lists its POS plans with no line for Tables, and the Toast Shop listing where existing customers add it needs a login (Toast pricing). The pricing section above sets out what Toast does publish.
A device of its own. Toast's troubleshooting FAQ, updated September 21, 2026, says the Tables app shouldn't run on Toast hardware because it hasn't passed the required PCI audit.
Reservation tools some operators find thin. Four App Store reviews, the newest from November 2025, find the reservation tools thinner than the system the restaurant used before, including two from former OpenTable users; the gaps they name include daily totals and editing future bookings (App Store reviews). The base tier also caps reservations at 25 a month, and more takes Toast Tables Plus (Toast support).
One restaurant group's wait quotes. In a July 2025 Toast Community thread, one restaurant group reported the smart wait-time estimator quoting 0 minutes. It said the problem came back after Toast's update, and it went back to quoting waits by hand.
A cut-down phone app. On a phone, the Toast Tables app shows only its Home and More tabs, and the host stand runs on an iPad, an Android tablet, a Mac or a Windows computer (Toast support). One 2024 review comes from an owner who could check reservations on the restaurant's iPad but not from an iPhone (App Store reviews).
Where Toast Tables does more than TablesReady
For a restaurant on Toast POS, Toast Tables means one vendor, one login and one bill, with POS order data at the host stand. It goes further than we do in five areas:
- Ordered and Paid come from POS order data, a table turns Dirty when the party leaves, and kitchen-display icons show which courses have fired. Seating a party can open a held check for its server, with guest notes on a digital chit at the terminal. TablesReady has no POS table-status sync and no Toast integration. On our Business floor plan, hosts set table status themselves.
- A rotation strip ranks servers by last seated or by current or total covers, and each server's tables carry their colour. TablesReady Business has colour-coded sections and round-robin seating, which spreads parties across tables; it has no server rotation.
- In the US, a card can be held at booking and charged only for a no-show or a late cancellation, and Experiences sell bookings with their own prices, tiers and add-ons. TablesReady takes Stripe deposits on Business, and a guest who cancels inside your cancellation window doesn't get the deposit back. It doesn't hold cards or sell experiences.
- Guestbook profiles carry each guest's POS spend, tips and favourite items across the restaurant group. Each TablesReady location keeps its own guest list with visit counts (Free), and VIP tags work through custom properties (Business). There's no spend data.
- Toast Care answers by phone or web messaging around the clock. TablesReady support is email, Monday to Friday 9am–6pm ET, with phone support on Enterprise. TablesReady runs in any browser, including Chrome on Android tablets and phones, and our native app is for iPhone and iPad.
Where TablesReady does more than Toast Tables
- It runs next to any POS, or none. You sign up yourself, start on Free and open the waitlist in any browser. The waitlist and reservations both work in a phone browser; the floor plan needs a tablet or computer screen.
- Texts are included in every plan, with no overage fees. Texting pauses at your monthly limit. You get alerts at 80, 90 and 100%, and can add messages in one click. We found no text allowance in Toast's material for Tables.
- Texts that send themselves. On every plan, a guest gets a text near the front of the line, a text confirming a cancellation and a follow-up after the visit, such as a review link. Any text a guest sends gets an automatic reply, and hosts can page by automated voice call. Business adds joining by text, saved replies, and reply keywords that check a guest in or push their quoted time back when they're running late. Toast documents a join confirmation, the table-ready text, and reservation confirmations and reminders. Its guests can text back in the US and Canada, and fixed replies cancel (9) or, on templates that support it, confirm (1).
- Every text shows whether it's sending, sent or failed, with a reason staff can act on, such as a landline or a wrong number (Free). We also retry texts that hit a temporary carrier error. Toast's help center doesn't document delivery status; its FAQ tells staff to recheck the number and look at Twilio's status page.
- TablesReady texts guests in any country and offers WhatsApp for numbers outside the US and Canada (Free). Toast documents texts to the US, Canada and four US territories, though it sells Tables in the UK and Ireland. On both, two-way texting works with US and Canadian numbers only (on TablesReady, from Starter).
- An iPad kiosk mode and a live waitlist for a lobby TV come with Free, and geofencing, an API, webhooks and Zapier come with Business. We didn't find a kiosk, a lobby-screen list or geofencing for Toast Tables, and Toast's developer guide says it has no reservation API.
The details: TablesReady vs. Toast Tables
Key differences
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Table status from the POS | Set by hosts on the floor plan (Business). No POS table-status sync and no Toast integration; Square (Business) brings orders onto the list but doesn't set table status. | Toast POS: Ordered and Paid are set from POS order data, seating a party can open a held check for its server, and guest notes show on a digital chit at the terminal (source) |
| POS account needed | Any POS or none: TablesReady runs on its own in any browser, starting on the free plan | A Toast account: every setup path Toast documents runs through one, with Toast Web logins, and dining areas, tables and the server roster taken from the POS setup (source) |
| Host stand device | iPhone and iPad app, plus any browser: runs in Chrome on Android tablets and phones. No native Android app. | Native host apps for iPad, Android tablets, Mac and Windows; on a phone the app shows only its Home and More tabs. Managers use Toast Web in a browser. Not supported on Toast POS hardware. (source) |
| Support | Email, Mon–Fri 9am–6pm ET; phone support on Enterprise | Toast Care by phone or web messaging, 24/7/365, included in every Toast software subscription (source) |
Waitlist and texting
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Predicted wait times | AI-predicted from Starter, learned overnight from each location's own history (by party size, weekday and hour); you can turn it off and quote waits yourself. Free uses a default quote you set. | Yes, with no tier named: a manual estimate from average turn time, bookable tables and a buffer, or a smart algorithm that improves as more parties are seated in the app (source) |
| Two-way texting | Yes, from Starter (US and Canada numbers) | Yes, once switched on, for numbers in the US and Canada. Guest replies show in the host app; texts are for booking details only, not marketing. (source) |
| Saved replies | Business: canned replies picked from a list in the chat window, with merge fields such as the guest's name | Not listed on the Toast Tables website |
| Waitlist joins from Google | Yes, on Business (Reserve with Google) | Yes, a Join Waitlist button on the restaurant's Google Business Profile, on both Tables tiers (source) |
| Geofencing | Business: limit check-in, the live waitlist page and booking to guests within a distance you set, with your own message for everyone else | Not listed on the Toast Tables website |
Bookings and tables
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Online bookings | Basic reservations on Free; an online booking page on Business | Yes: an online booking link, a widget for your own website, Google and the Local by Toast app (US). The base tier allows 25 reservations a month; Plus is unlimited. (source) |
| Bookings from Google | Yes, on Business (Reserve with Google) | Yes, a Reserve a Table button, within the base tier's 25 reservations a month. Toast's help articles disagree on whether times that need a deposit show on Google. (source) |
| Table management / floor plan | Yes, on Business. No POS table-status sync. | Yes: tables and dining areas are laid out in Toast Web for the POS and flow into Tables, with live statuses from Available and Seated to Ordered, Paid, Dirty and Blocked (source) |
| Deposits | Stripe deposits on Business (2% TablesReady fee plus Stripe's fees) | Yes, on Toast payments rather than Stripe: deposits per booking or per person, prepayments and add-ons, posted to the POS check. In the US, a card can be held at booking for no-show or late-cancellation fees. (source) |
Guest details
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Custom guest fields and tags | Business: your own fields and tags on staff and guest forms (a VIP flag, email, allergies or anything else), shown as columns on the waitlist and reservations lists and, if you choose, kept on the guest's profile | A VIP toggle, notes by guest or by visit, special requests, occasions and allergens, plus custom guest tags made in Guestbook. Fields you define on the party form aren't listed. (source) |
Plans and pricing
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: waitlist, self check-in and basic reservations, 150 messages a month for US and Canadian numbers (a tenth elsewhere) and up to 100 parties per location, up to two Free locations per account, unlimited users | Toast Tables isn't on Toast's pricing page. Toast's POS Starter Kit is $0 (1 location and up to 2 terminals, for new single-location customers), and Tables is an add-on to a Toast POS account at a price Toast doesn't publish. (source) |
| Lowest paid plan | Free plan; paid plans from $39/mo, or from $34/mo billed annually | Not published for Toast Tables, which launched in April 2023 at $50 a month for the base tier (Toast's figure, reported by Restaurant Dive). It's an add-on to a Toast POS plan: Starter Kit from $0, Point of Sale from $69 a month, or Build Your Own by quote. (source) |
| How texts are billed | Included in the plan, with no overage fees: 1,000 a month on the entry Starter and Business tiers for US and Canadian numbers (a tenth elsewhere), counted in 160-character segments. Texting pauses at your monthly limit. You get alerts at 80, 90 and 100%, and can add messages in one click. | Not listed on the Toast Tables website |
| Per-cover fees | None | Not published for Tables; Toast's April 2023 launch announcement described a flat monthly price with no per-cover fees. (source) |
Platform and support
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple locations | Yes; each location needs its own subscription | Yes: staff switch restaurants in the app, and Guestbook profiles span the restaurant group (source) |
| Staff logins and access levels | Unlimited users on every plan, each with their own login (email or Google) and an Admin, Manager or User role per location; a shared login works too if you prefer. No SAML SSO. | Yes: any employee with Toast Web access and the booking permission can log in, on as many devices as needed, with no per-user charge mentioned. Host-app and setup permissions are set per job or per employee in Toast's permission system. (source) |
| HIPAA BAA | Not available | Not listed on the Toast Tables website |
Ratings
| Feature | TablesReady | Toast Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings (US) |
Toast Tables details come from its own website, help center and app store listings. Where we couldn't find a feature, the table says so rather than calling it missing. Capterra ratings checked October 2026; G2 ratings checked October 2026. See something out of date? Email support@tablesready.com.
Switching from Toast Tables
Most restaurants switch in an afternoon: import upcoming bookings by CSV, paste in your text wording, and run both side by side during the trial.
What carries over
- Upcoming reservations. Put them in a CSV with each booking's date, time, name, party size, phone and notes, and import it on any plan, Free included. Toast Web's Bookings report can be downloaded; check that it lists your upcoming bookings before you build the CSV from it.
- Your text wording. Toast Tables' templates are edited in Toast Web; paste each one into the matching TablesReady template and add merge fields such as the guest's name, quoted time and status link.
What you set up again
- Your floor plan and server setup. Toast lays out tables for the POS in Toast Web. In TablesReady you draw floor plans and colour-coded sections by hand on Business, and round-robin seating spreads parties across tables in place of a server rotation.
- Your guest list. TablesReady has no customer import, so each location's list fills in from phone numbers as guests come back. POS spend, tips and favourite items stay in Toast's Guestbook, which can export a CSV with contact details if you want a copy.
- Deposits and Google. Connect Stripe on Business, set your cancellation window, and turn on Reserve with Google (Business) in place of Toast's Join Waitlist and Reserve a Table buttons. Card holds for no-show fees have no TablesReady equivalent.
- Links on your website. Swap Toast's booking widget and waitlist link for our check-in page (Free) and booking page (Business), which can sit on your site as embeds or buttons.
Help with the move
Our email support walks you through setup on Starter and Business. You import reservations yourself by CSV, and data migration comes with Enterprise. Toast's subscription terms depend on the account, so check yours, then run TablesReady next to Toast Tables during our 14-day trial (no card, up to 150 texts) before you cancel anything.
Other Toast Tables alternatives worth a look
These are the other tools we'd shortlist, and who each one suits.
SpotOn Reserve
Restaurants on SpotOn POS, or switching to it, that want bookings, the waitlist and server rotation on the same table map as their POS and payments.
- Capterra: closest listing: 4.3/5 (371 reviews) SpotOn POS listing; reviews cover the POS, not Reserve.
- G2: closest listing: 4.4/5 (245 reviews) SpotOn POS and payments listing; reviews cover the POS, not Reserve.
Olo Host
Busy multi-location restaurant groups on Olo ordering or a POS that Olo Host connects to, who want table status from the POS and guest profiles on iPads.
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (11 reviews) Mostly 2020 reviews of Wisely's CRM, before it became Olo Host.
- G2: closest listing: 4.3/5 (2 reviews) Listing covers Wisely's customer-intelligence product, not Olo Host; only 2 reviews.
OpenTable
Restaurants and groups that want OpenTable's diner network and its full reservation and table system, and accept fees on network covers and a yearly contract.
Compare TablesReady with OpenTableResy OS
Full-service and fine-dining restaurants that want Resy's diner network, American Express reach and table status fed from the POS.
Read about Resy OS in our guideToast Tables alternative FAQ
What is the best Toast Tables alternative?
It depends on whether table status has to follow your checks. If it does and you run Toast POS, stay with Toast Tables. If you're on Toast but the waitlist is the job, or you run another POS or none, we'd pick TablesReady: start free, then add two-way texting (US and Canada numbers) and predicted waits on Starter, from $39/mo. For table status synced from a POS other than Toast, look at OpenTable or Resy OS, which document POS-linked table status with several POS systems on some plans. If you run SpotOn POS, SpotOn Reserve imports its tables and staff from the POS back office. TablesReady is our product, so read our pick with that in mind.
How much does Toast Tables cost?
Toast doesn't publish a price for Toast Tables. Its pricing page lists Toast POS plans with no Tables line, and the Toast Shop listing where existing customers add Tables needs a Toast login. Tables comes in two tiers: the base tier allows 25 reservations a month, and Plus adds unlimited reservations and Experiences. Both are add-ons to a Toast POS subscription. TablesReady publishes its prices: Free costs nothing, Starter is from $39/mo and Business from $79/mo, with texts included in each plan.
Can you use Toast Tables without Toast POS?
We found no way to. Toast doesn't say outright that Tables requires its POS, but every setup it documents runs through a Toast account. Staff sign in with Toast Web logins, tables and dining areas come from the POS setup, Tables is bought in Toast Shop or through Customer Care, and deposits post to a POS check. Both of its app store listings describe it as an app for Toast restaurants with a Toast Tables account.
Does TablesReady integrate with Toast POS?
No. TablesReady has no Toast integration and doesn't sync table status with any POS. The one POS we connect to is Square, on Business: Square orders land on the waitlist, and completing one in Square can send the order-ready text, but table status stays as your hosts set it. It runs in any browser next to Toast, and hosts mark tables seated by hand. For a restaurant on Toast POS that needs synced table status, Toast Tables is the better fit.
Does Toast Tables run on Toast POS hardware?
Toast says it shouldn't. Its support FAQ, updated September 21, 2026, says the Tables app hasn't passed the required PCI audit for Toast hardware, so the host stand needs its own iPad, Android tablet, Mac or Windows computer. TablesReady runs in any browser on the tablet, phone or computer you already have. TablesReady runs in any browser, including Chrome on Android tablets and phones, and our native app is for iPhone and iPad.
How do I move from Toast Tables to TablesReady?
Start the 14-day trial, which needs no card and includes up to 150 texts, and run TablesReady at the host stand next to Toast Tables. Import upcoming reservations from a CSV on any plan, Free included, and draw your floor plan by hand on Business. TablesReady has no customer import, so guest profiles build up again from phone numbers. On Starter and Business, our email support helps with setup; Enterprise adds data migration. Toast's subscription terms vary by account, so check your Tables term before you cancel.
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