Resy and OpenTable are two of the most widely used restaurant reservation apps on the market. Both help you manage your floor plan, track guest profiles, handle online bookings, and communicate with diners. But the platforms have drifted in very different directions. And for restaurant owners trying to make the right call, the differences matter more than ever.
Whether you're evaluating for the first time or wondering if it's time to switch, here's an honest look at where each platform stands today.
Resy vs OpenTable Comparison at a Glance for Restaurant Owners
What's Changed Since 2023: The Reservation Wars
The reservation software space looks nothing like it did a few years ago. Three major acquisitions have completely reshuffled the competitive landscape, and the players now include some of the biggest names in travel and finance.
- American Express acquired Tock (2024) for $400 million, folding it into the Resy ecosystem. This added more than 7,000 restaurants and Tock's ticketing capabilities to the Resy platform, bringing its total to over 25,000 venues.
- DoorDash acquired SevenRooms (2025) for $1.2 billion, signaling that the delivery giant wants a seat at the table. Restaurants already using DoorDash for delivery may eventually have a path to add reservations through the same ecosystem.
- OpenTable partnered with Visa (2024), giving Visa Infinite cardholders access to exclusive prime-time reservations at 500+ restaurants (a direct mirror of the Amex/Resy playbook).
Beyond the acquisitions, the market share picture has shifted too.
According to reservation market data compiled by BistroChat, OpenTable dropped from 51% to 46% market share between 2022 and 2024, though it still leads in 13 of the top 15 US cities. Resy dominates Brooklyn with 53% market share and has grown strongly in Miami (up 39%) and Los Angeles (up 20%). And a handful of newer platforms (Toast Tables, Yelp, Eat App) are starting to capture real ground.
The bottom line: choosing a reservation platform now means choosing a credit card ecosystem, too. Which high-spending cardholders do you want walking through your door?
About Resy: Software Overview
About Resy
Resy is a table management and reservation system now owned by American Express. It's popular in New York and major East Coast cities and has cultivated a reputation as the platform for cool, food-forward restaurants.
Since the Tock acquisition in 2024, Resy's restaurant count has grown to approximately 25,000 venues.
Being part of the American Express ecosystem is Resy's biggest differentiator. Through its Global Dining Access program, AmEx cardholders get exclusive reservations and special experiences at Resy restaurants. This can be a real draw if your target diner is an Amex cardholder – a demographic that tends to have higher spending habits and is actively seeking out premium dining experiences.
Who Is Resy Best For?
Resy works best for full-service restaurants that already have an established following and want clean, flat-rate pricing without per-cover fees. It's especially strong if you're in a major metro, want two-way SMS with guests, or plan to offer ticketed dining events through the Tock integration.
Key Features
Reservations & Table Management
- Customizable floor plan: Build out your dining room layout digitally and assign tables, sections, and covers. Changes sync across all devices in real time, so your floor staff always has an accurate picture of the room.
- Capacity management: Set covers limits by time slot, section, or party size, which is useful during peak hours when you want to pace the kitchen or spread covers across seatings rather than stacking them all at 7pm.
- Waitlist with mobile app: Guests can join the waitlist from their phone and receive automated text updates on their wait time, reducing the awkward lobby crowd and the "how much longer?" questions.
- Automated confirmation texts: Resy sends automatic booking confirmations and reminders, which it credits with helping restaurants achieve a claimed 3% no-show rate, which is considerably lower than the industry average.
Guest Communication
- Two-way SMS: Unlike OpenTable, Resy lets you have actual back-and-forth text conversations with guests. That means you can handle last-minute requests, dietary notes, or seating preferences without the guest ever needing to call the restaurant.
- Exclusive reservation links: You can generate private booking links to give VIP guests or regulars access to reservations before they open to the public – handy for special events or high-demand nights.
- Direct email marketing campaigns: Send targeted campaigns to past guests to drive return visits. You can promote new menus, seasonal events, or special occasions directly to your own diner list.
- Guest intel across locations: For multi-location operators, guest notes and preferences are shared across all venues so a regular at your downtown location gets recognized at your uptown one too.
Events & Revenue
- Ticketed dining events via Tock: Resy operators can now sell prepaid, ticketed experiences (tasting menus, chef's table dinners, wine pairing nights) directly through the platform. Guests pay upfront, which dramatically cuts no-shows and guarantees revenue for your highest-margin events. Tock charges up to 3% per transaction for this feature.
- Pre-payments and deposits: Collect a deposit at booking to protect against no-shows on standard reservations (particularly useful on busy weekends or for large-party bookings).
- Amex Global Dining Access: American Express cardholders get access to exclusive reservations and experiences at Resy restaurants. This surfaces your restaurant to a high-spending segment of diners actively looking for premium dining options.
Reporting & Integrations
- Analytics and reporting: Basic analytics are available on all plans. The advanced analytics dashboard, which covers deeper performance metrics and automated guest insights, is only available on Platform 360 and above.
- POS integration: Included on Platform, Platform 360, and Premium plans. The Essential (Tock) plan does not include POS integration.
- Facebook, Instagram & Google integrations: Accept reservations directly from your social profiles and Google Business listing, so guests can book without leaving whatever app they're already in.
- Customizable guest communications: Automated, branded messaging to guests is available from Platform 360 and above – not included on the base Platform plan.
- Booking API: Available on the Premium plan only, for operators who need to build custom integrations.
Note: Resy still doesn't have a built-in CRM. Deposits are only available on Tock-powered plans (Essential and Premium). Customizable guest communications and advanced analytics require Platform 360 or higher.
Resy Pricing (2026)
Following the Tock integration, Resy now offers four plans: two powered by Resy, two powered by Tock. All are charged as a flat fee per month with no per-cover charges.
Additional costs to note:
- Prepayments on Resy plans: included at no extra fee
- Prepayments on Essential (Tock): 3% transaction fee
- Prepayments on Premium (Tock): 2% transaction fee
Pros
- Flat monthly pricing – no per-cover fees
- You own your customer data
- Amex cardholder access & Global Dining Access
- Two-way SMS with guests
- Strong in NYC and major metros
- Ticketed events via Tock plans
- Claims 3% no-show rate
Cons
- No built-in CRM on any plan
- Deposits only available on Tock-powered plans
- Advanced analytics requires $399/mo tier
- Customizable guest messaging not on base plan
- Smaller diner network than OpenTable
- Booking API only on Premium
Are you looking to easily manage your private dining & events alongside table reservations? Check out Perfect Venue to easily organize your events in one place - it even integrates with OpenTable.
About OpenTable: Software Overview
Founded in the late 1990s, OpenTable remains the largest reservation platform in the world. It operates both as a consumer-facing discovery platform and as a table management system for restaurants.
According to their website, 10 covers are processed on their network every second. That adds up to around 25 million diners a month across about 60,000 restaurants globally.
OpenTable has positioned itself as a technology partner for restaurants, not just a booking marketplace.
Under CEO Debby Soo, the platform has invested heavily in modernizing its software and recently won back acclaimed restaurants like Estela, Vetri, and SingleThread that had previously moved to Resy.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, which means your restaurant also gets visibility on sites like Priceline and Kayak – helpful for drawing in travelers booking from out of town or staying at a nearby hotel.
For a while, OpenTable had a reputation problem. As one chef-owner, Ian Graye, who recently switched put it, the platform "seemed like not really the platform for nice restaurants to be on." But that’s changing.
OpenTable has been luring buzzy restaurants back across the country with enhanced features, deep discounts, and its Visa cardholder perks program.
Who is OpenTable Best for?
OpenTable works well for restaurant owners who want maximum reach – especially those running neighborhood restaurants or destination spots that rely on drawing in guests who haven't already heard of them.
It's also a strong fit if your target diners are Visa cardholders, you want a built-in CRM and loyalty program, or you operate in a suburban market where OpenTable dominates discovery.
Key Features
Reservations & Table Management
- Customizable floor plans: Build and manage your dining room layout digitally, with sections, table configurations, and server assignments. Available on Core and Pro.
- Smart Assign (table management): Automated table assignment that optimizes seating to maximize covers and reduce gaps. Core and Pro only.
- In-house and online waitlist: Add walk-ins to a digital waitlist, estimate wait times, and notify guests when their table is ready. Core and Pro only.
- Advanced inventory controls and Access Rules: Set granular booking rules by party size, time slot, or table type – useful for managing large-party bookings or protecting prime-time tables. Core and Pro only.
- Online booking widget: Embed a reservation button on your own website. On Core and Pro, website reservations are included at no extra charge. On Basic, it costs $0.25 per cover or a $49/month flat fee — still cheaper than the $1.50 network cover fee.
- Automated reservation messages: Send automatic confirmation and reminder messages to guests on all plans.
Guest Management & CRM
- Guest database with tags and notes: Every guest who books through OpenTable gets a profile with visit history, dietary preferences, special occasions, and staff notes. Available on all plans – this is one of the clearest advantages OpenTable has over Resy, which has no built-in CRM. The catch: OpenTable holds the customer data, not you.
- 360 guest profiles: A fuller picture of each guest that pulls in spending behavior and preferences across visits.
- Pre-shift report: A summary of the night's reservations, VIP guests, and special notes so your team walks into service prepared.
- Direct messaging: Send pre-arrival messages directly to guests. Basic includes automated messages but no direct messaging for waitlist guests.
- Premium SMS messaging: Two-way SMS communication with guests.
- Custom post-dining surveys: Send automated feedback requests after every visit to gather reviews and catch issues before they land on Yelp or Google.
Marketing & Discovery
- OpenTable profile and listing: Your restaurant appears on opentable.com and the OpenTable app, putting you in front of 25M+ monthly diners.
- Experiences: Create and list special dining events like prix fixe menus, chef's table dinners, seasonal tastings, directly on OpenTable's platform.
- Ticketing: Sell prepaid tickets to dining events through OpenTable. Available on Core and Pro (not Basic), with a 2% service fee.
- Automated email campaigns: Build and send targeted campaigns to your guest list, with tracking on revenue and covers generated. Pro only.
- Automated guest tags: Automatically segment guests based on behavior (first-timers, regulars, lapsed guests) so your outreach is relevant without manual work. Pro only.
- Digital advertising and ad tracking: Promote your restaurant through OpenTable's digital ad network. Digital advertising is available on all plans; ad tracking (to measure ROI) is Core and Pro only.
- Booking integrations (100+ sites and apps): Your reservation availability syncs across 100+ partner platforms, including Google, Facebook, Instagram, and travel sites.
- Visa cardholder perks: Through the 2024 Visa partnership, Visa Infinite cardholders get exclusive access to prime-time reservations at participating restaurants. This puts your venue in front of a premium diner segment in the same way Resy does through Amex.
- Booking Holdings network: OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the same parent company as Priceline, Kayak, and Booking.com. That means your restaurant can surface to travelers researching trips in any country, not just locals. A real advantage for restaurants near convention centers, tourist districts, or hotels.
Analytics & Reporting
- Analytics dashboard: All plans include reporting on reservations, covers, and guest activity. Core and Pro add real-time guest spend alerts, which flag high-value guests mid-service so your team can prioritize accordingly.
- 360 guest insights: Deeper behavioral data on your guests (spending patterns, visit frequency, preferences) available on Pro with expanded insight depth.
Integrations
- POS integration: Available on Core and Pro. Connects with major POS systems to sync reservation and transaction data – useful for tracking spend per cover and building richer guest profiles.
- Review management: Manage and respond to diner reviews from within the platform.
OpenTable Pricing (2026)
OpenTable charges a monthly subscription fee plus per-cover fees for reservations that come through the OpenTable network. Website reservations are included on Core and Pro.
Additional fees on all plans: prepaid experiences carry a 2% service fee. Prepaid ticketing (Core and Pro only) also carries a 2% service fee.
Watch the fees: Per-cover charges add up fast. A restaurant doing 200 network covers per month on the Core plan pays $299/mo + $200 in cover fees – roughly $5,990 per year before any add-ons. Routing bookings through your own website widget (included on Core and Pro) avoids those charges entirely.
Pros
- Largest diner network with 25M+ monthly users
- Strong brand recognition
- Built-in CRM and guest profiles on all plans
- Deposits and credit card holds on all plans
- Robust analytics and reporting
- Visa cardholder perks
- Ticketing and experiences available
- Visibility on Priceline, Kayak, and Booking.com
Cons
- Per-cover fees add up quickly on Basic
- You don't own guest data
- Customizable floor plans and waitlist not on Basic
- Automated email campaigns and SMS Pro only
- POS integration Core and Pro only
- Competitors can advertise against you on the platform
So, Which Reservation Platform Is Right for You?
There's no one-size-fits-all answer here, but these general guidelines hold up:
Choose Resy if you…
- Want a flat fee each month with no per-cover charges
- Are in a major metro (especially NYC or Brooklyn)
- Want to reach Amex cardholders
- Value owning your customer data
- Plan to offer ticketed dining events or take deposits (Essential or Premium plans)
- Already have a strong following and don't need to rely on a marketplace to fill seats
Choose OpenTable if you…
- Want maximum discovery reach
- Run neighborhood restaurants or operate in suburbs and smaller cities
- Need a built-in CRM and loyalty program
- Want robust marketing automation
- Want integration with Booking Holdings travel platforms
- Are OK with per-cover fees in exchange for more network exposure
As Resy co-founder Ben Leventhal put it: restaurants should make choices based on "does this speak to how I run my restaurant, does this speak to how I serve my customers?"
That's still the right question to ask.
Conclusion
In our comparison of Resy vs. OpenTable, the right answer really depends on where your restaurant is and how you fill seats.
Resy is the stronger fit for established, full-service restaurants in major metros that already have a loyal following and want predictable flat-fee pricing.
OpenTable makes more sense if you're still building your audience, operate outside a major city, or want the widest possible discovery reach (and are willing to pay per-cover fees for the exposure that comes with it).
Both platforms have meaningfully upgraded their offerings in the last two years, so neither is the obvious default it once was.
If you’re looking to manage your private dining and event business, you may want to check out Perfect Venue. It's purpose-built for managing events alongside your reservations – digital proposals, automated reminders, and a full analytics dashboard – and connects with both platforms so owners can keep everything running in one place.
Our knowledgeable sales and support team is readily available to take you through a step-by-step tour of Perfect Venue’s intuitive and easy-to-use functionality.
