Comparison
A TheFork and CoverManager alternative,
with the numbers in plain sight.
Three different ways of paying to take bookings. None of them is right for everyone: it depends on whether you need new diners or margin.
- taula.ai
- From €9.99 + VAT a month
- TheFork
- Per-guest commission
- CoverManager
- Fee not published
- taula.ai lock-in
- None
Point by point
What actually changes
| taula.ai | TheFork | CoverManager | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Flat fee: from €9.99 + VAT (€12.09) a month | Commission per guest arriving through the portal, plus a software fee | Software subscription; prices not published on its site |
| What happens if you fill more | No commission: up to 60 online bookings a month on Basic, unlimited on Pro | Your cost rises with every extra guest | The fee does not move |
| Where bookings come from | Your site, your Google listing, your WhatsApp | The TheFork portal, and your own channels too | Your own channels |
| Brings new diners | No | Yes: that is what the commission buys | No |
| QR menu included | Yes, up to four languages | Not included | Not included |
| Restaurant website included | Yes, hosting paid; your own domain on Pro | Not included | Not included |
| Minimum term | None: stop any month | Per contract | Per contract |
| Trial | A full month free, no card | Per commercial terms | Demo on request |
Public pricing models checked in 2026-08. Third-party rates may have changed: check them on their own site before deciding anything.
Sources: public pricing pages of TheFork and CoverManager, checked in 2026-08.
The part that does not favour us
When TheFork suits you better than we do
- If what you need is new diners — because you have just opened, because you are in a heavily touristed area, or because nobody knows you — a portal puts you in front of people who were not looking for you. taula.ai does not do that: it serves the guest who is already looking for you.
- If your volume is low, commission can work out cheaper than a flat fee. The maths is simple: if a month of commission would cost you less than €9.99 + VAT, the portal is the better deal.
- If the portal already brings you good business and the cost does not bother you, switching is not urgent. What is worth doing is not depending on it entirely: having a direct channel too is what turns the commission into a choice rather than an obligation.
The middle road
Running both is an option
taula.ai does not ask for exclusivity. Many restaurants keep the portal to reach new diners and move the rest — regulars, their Google listing, their WhatsApp — to the direct channel, where no commission is paid. The booking lands in the same place and the monthly bill ends up lower.
Questions
TheFork, CoverManager and taula.ai: frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to TheFork for a restaurant?
- It depends what the restaurant wants. To stop paying per guest and take bookings through its own channels, the alternative is a direct booking system on a flat fee, such as taula.ai: from €9.99 + VAT (€12.09) a month with website and QR menu included, or €24.99 + VAT (€30.24) on the Pro plan, with unlimited bookings and your own domain. If the goal is the portal as a way to reach new diners, that is something a direct system does not do.
How much does TheFork cost a restaurant?
- TheFork works on a commission model: the restaurant pays for each guest who arrives through the portal, usually alongside a software fee, so the total cost rises with booking volume. taula.ai does the opposite: a flat fee from €9.99 + VAT a month that does not rise with the number of guests.
Can a restaurant use taula.ai and TheFork at the same time?
- Yes. Many restaurants keep the portal to reach new diners and move the bulk of their bookings — regulars, their Google listing, their WhatsApp — to the direct channel, where no commission is paid. taula.ai does not ask for exclusivity.
What does a restaurant lose by leaving a booking portal?
- It loses visibility inside the portal, which genuinely brings new and visiting diners. What it keeps is the direct relationship: the guest record, the phone number and the booking history belong to the restaurant, and every booking through its own site or Google listing pays no commission.
Run the numbers on your own volume
Try taula.ai free for a month, with no card, and compare the bill with what you pay now.