Square Online is a reasonable place to start taking orders if you already run Square POS. It is free to turn on, the menu syncs itself, and everything lands in the same dashboard you use for the register. For a lot of restaurants that is exactly enough.

The reason operators go looking for an alternative is rarely that Square Online stopped working. It is that their needs grew past what an included ordering page is designed to do: the online processing rate on Square’s Free plan (3.3% + 30¢ per Square’s pricing page), no restaurant-branded mobile app, marketing and loyalty sold as separate subscriptions, and no built-in discovery channels to put your ordering in front of new diners.

This guide covers the five best alternatives to Square Online for restaurants, what each is best for, and how to keep Square POS while running ordering somewhere else.

Why restaurants add an alternative to Square for online ordering

Most restaurants that leave Square Online keep Square POS. They are not replacing the register; they are replacing the ordering layer that sits on top of it. Four reasons come up most:

Processing rates on online orders. Square Online is included in Square’s plans. Online transactions process at 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus ($49 per month per location) and Premium ($149 per month per location), according to Square’s pricing page. If online ordering is a meaningful share of sales, that gap adds up.

Diner reach. Square Online gives you an ordering page for the customers you already have. Reaching new diners through a marketplace or listing sites is a separate job.

Marketing is a separate subscription. Square Marketing and Square Loyalty are sold as add-ons. Restaurants that want email, SMS and rewards bundled with ordering often prefer one plan that includes them.

No branded app. Square Online does not offer a restaurant-branded iOS and Android app. The platforms below that build one for you charge a monthly fee, but the app comes with the plan.

None of these are knocks on Square, which remains an excellent POS. They are signs your ordering layer has different priorities than your register, and the two can be handled by different tools that work together.

The 5 best alternatives to Square for online ordering

Platform Best for Commission on direct orders Customer data ownership Website included Branded app Marketing tools Works with Square POS
ChowNow Independents that want commission-free ordering plus diner reach 0%, flat monthly fee Yes, every order adds a contact you own Yes, SEO-optimized Yes, included Email, SMS option, rewards included Yes, direct integration
Toast Online Ordering Restaurants moving fully onto Toast Flat fee, tied to Toast POS Yes, inside Toast Yes Toast TakeOut (shared app); branded app as an add-on Toast Marketing add-on No, requires Toast POS
BentoBox Design-forward websites with ordering attached Varies by plan Yes Yes No Email and gift cards Limited
Popmenu Interactive menus and review-driven marketing Varies by plan Yes Yes No 0%, flat monthly fee Limited
GloriaFood Free starting point Free ordering, paid add-ons Yes Basic Paid add-on Basic promos No direct integration

Pricing and features for third-party platforms are from each provider’s public site as of September 2026 and change often. Confirm current terms with each vendor.

1. ChowNow: best for independents that want commission-free ordering plus built-in diner reach

ChowNow runs commission-free online ordering on a flat monthly fee, with plans starting at $229 per month on an annual term and card processing at 2.95% + 29¢ per transaction (see pricing). Every plan includes an SEO-optimized website, a branded mobile app, email and SMS marketing, a rewards program, and fraud and chargeback coverage.

What sets it apart from Square Online is reach. ChowNow’s Discovery Network puts your ordering link on Google, Yelp and Apple Maps, and the ChowNow Marketplace app lists your restaurant for local diners. Orders from those channels are commission-free with Profit Protector enabled, and every one of them adds a contact to a list you own.

ChowNow is a Square integration partner, and the two are designed to work together. The ChowNow and Square integration imports your Square item library, sends every ChowNow order (and aggregated DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub orders) straight to your Square POS and kitchen printers, and works with a standard Square account with no extra POS-side license. The Square integration guide walks through the setup and the two things to plan for: a cleanup pass on old items during import, and scheduled orders not appearing in Square’s own scheduled-orders view.

Proof point: De Babel in Scottsdale used this model to drive $1.1M in commission-free sales.

Consider it if: you are an independent with one to five locations, online orders are 15% or more of revenue, and you want ordering, marketing and diner reach from one vendor while keeping Square at the counter.

Skip it if: an included ordering page covers your current volume and you do not need an app or bundled marketing yet.

2. Toast Online Ordering: best if you are moving fully onto Toast

Toast’s online ordering is built into Toast POS, which means you get one menu, one reporting view and one support line. It is a strong option if you have already decided to leave Square as your POS. It is not an option if you want to keep Square, because Toast Online Ordering requires Toast POS.

If you are weighing the two POS systems themselves rather than just the ordering layer, our Toast alternatives guide covers the same question from the other side.

Consider it if: you are switching POS anyway.

Skip it if: the point is to keep Square and improve ordering.

3. BentoBox: best for design-forward websites with ordering attached

BentoBox started as a restaurant website builder and still leads with design. Ordering, gift cards and events sit on top of the site. It is a good fit for restaurants whose website is a core part of the brand and who want ordering to feel native to it.

Consider it if: your site matters as much as your order volume.

Skip it if: you need a branded app, diner discovery channels, or a deep Square POS integration.

4. Popmenu: best for interactive menus and review-driven marketing

Popmenu’s interactive menu format (photos, reviews and likes on each dish) is its differentiator, with marketing automation built around it. Ordering is included but it is the menu experience that customers buy Popmenu for.

Consider it if: your menu is the marketing.

Skip it if: you want a straightforward ordering platform with a Square integration.

5. GloriaFood: best free starting point

GloriaFood offers free online ordering with paid add-ons for things like a branded app and payment processing. For a brand-new restaurant that needs a button on the site this week, it does the job. It does not integrate directly with Square POS, so orders are handled on a separate device or by hand.

Consider it if: you have no budget yet and low volume.

Skip it if: you need orders in your POS or plan to grow online sales.

Can you keep Square POS and use a different online ordering platform?

Yes. This is the most common setup among restaurants that leave Square Online. Square stays as the register and back office, and a dedicated ordering platform handles the website, app, marketing and discovery on top of it. With ChowNow, the integration sends orders into Square automatically, so nothing changes for the kitchen.

The online ordering platforms that integrate with your POS roundup compares integration depth across platforms if POS fit is your deciding factor.

Want to see what commission-free ordering alongside Square could look like for your restaurant? See how ChowNow fits with Square or book a demo.

FAQ

Is Square Online free for restaurants?

Square Online is included in Square’s Free plan with no monthly fee. Online transactions on the Free plan process at 3.3% + 30¢, per Square’s pricing page. Square’s paid plans (Plus at $49 per month per location, Premium at $149 per month per location) lower the online rate to 2.9% + 30¢ and add site customization.

Do I own my customer data with Square Online alternatives?

On ChowNow, yes: every order adds a contact to a list you own, and you can use it for email, SMS and rewards inside the platform. Ownership terms vary on other platforms, so check before you switch.

How long does it take to switch from Square Online?

With ChowNow, a dedicated onboarding specialist connects the Square integration and imports the menu. Most of the work is a cleanup pass on old or inactive items during the import. Support is available 24/7 once you are live.

Will switching away from Square Online break my Google listing?

No. Your Google Business Profile stays the same. ChowNow’s Discovery Network connects your ordering link across Google, Yelp, Apple Maps and other listing sites from one setup.