Quick verdict — which to pick
You own your traffic
- Most bookings come from your own website, Instagram, Google, word-of-mouth
- You want flat predictable pricing — no per-cover ever, no commission
- You want monthly billing with no contract
- You're an independent or small-group restaurant that doesn't need a premium-dining marketplace
- You want full white-label branding on the booking widget and confirmation emails
The Resy network is genuinely active in your market
- You're a premium-dining or fine-dining restaurant where Resy's app actively brings new diners
- You're in a Tier-1 Resy market (Manhattan, LA, Miami, central London) and can verify the network is incremental
- You value Amex-cardholder discovery as a customer-acquisition channel
- You can afford and justify £200+/month in software at typical indie volumes
- You need ResyOS-specific table-management features
Pricing — what each one actually costs
Resy's main selling point against OpenTable is "no per-cover fee on direct bookings" — bookings made via the Resy widget on your own site don't carry a commission. Bookings made through the Resy network (the app, resy.com, partner integrations) do incur a per-cover fee, similar to OpenTable's network model.
| What you pay | Postonero | Resy (ResyOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | £20 | From ~£198 |
| Per-cover (direct widget bookings) | £0 | £0 |
| Per-cover (network bookings via Resy app) | N/A — no marketplace | Yes — varies by plan |
| Setup fee | £0 | Varies |
| Contract minimum | None — month to month | Typically annual |
| Annual cost (entry tier, no network bookings) | £240 | ~£2,376+ |
Resy pricing converted from USD at approximate current rates. ResyOS plan tiers and per-cover rates vary by region and contract terms — contact Resy directly for current quotes.
Even at Resy's most-favourable comparison (zero network bookings, entry tier), Postonero is roughly 10× cheaper monthly. The gap widens once Resy network bookings are factored in, since those carry per-cover fees on top of the monthly.
Features — what each gives you
| Feature | Postonero | Resy |
|---|---|---|
| Embeddable booking widget | Yes — one script tag | Yes |
| Branded confirmation emails | Yes — your colours, your name | Resy-branded by default |
| Guests cancel themselves (no phone calls) | Yes | Yes |
| Staff dashboard (web) | Yes | Yes |
| Add walk-ins / phone bookings to dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Diner-discovery marketplace | No | Yes — Resy app |
| Floor-plan / table management | Yes — drag-from-palette editor, zones, joins, auto-assign smallest fit, drag-to-reassign on Floor + Timeline | Yes — strong |
| Multiple layouts + server sections + reflow suggestions | Yes | Yes |
| Guest CRM / VIP tags / staff notes | Yes — VIP / Regular / Allergy / Big spender tags, staff notes, kitchen email VIP prefix | Yes |
| POS integrations | None currently | Several |
| Amex cardholder cross-promotion | No | Yes — owned by Amex |
| Get push-notified when bookings come in | Yes — PWA | Yes |
| Guest data ownership | 100% restaurant | Shared with Resy |
| Setup time | Same day | 1–3 weeks typical |
What Resy offers — and where the value lives
Resy is positioned as the premium alternative to OpenTable. Its strongest cards:
- Premium diner-network in major US cities. Resy genuinely drives diner discovery in Manhattan, Brooklyn, LA, Miami, San Francisco — markets where booking-on-Resy is a habit for the kind of diner who eats out often at independent restaurants.
- Amex integration. Resy is owned by American Express. Premium Amex cardholders see Resy promotions, "ResyHub" early-access reservations, and Amex-card-holder priority booking at certain restaurants. Real value if your guest profile skews Amex-affluent.
- Stronger diner-facing UX than OpenTable. The Resy app and booking widget are widely considered better-designed than OpenTable's, particularly the date/time selection and the per-restaurant page.
- No per-cover fee on direct widget bookings. Unlike OpenTable Basic, bookings made through Resy on your own website carry no per-cover charge.
The same caveat that applies to OpenTable's "diner network" attribution applies to Resy's, though to a less acute degree — the platform claims credit for any booking made via Resy infrastructure, and that includes diners who arrived from Google, Instagram, or your own marketing and happened to convert through the Resy widget. See the operator-perspective on network claims on the OpenTable page for the broader argument.
When Resy is genuinely the right answer
Resy is the right call for restaurants in these specific situations:
- Premium-dining or fine-dining venues in Tier-1 Resy markets. If you're a serious restaurant in central NYC, LA, Miami, San Francisco, or central London, and the Resy app habit is common among your target diners, the network value can outweigh the cost.
- Restaurants targeting Amex-cardholder diners. The Amex Platinum / Centurion crowd genuinely uses Resy for early-access bookings, and the cross-promotion can drive meaningful diner discovery.
- You need a specific POS integration only Resy supports. Resy has solid integration with several major restaurant POS systems; Postonero currently has none.
For everyone else — independent restaurants whose bookings come from their own website, Instagram, Google Maps, and word-of-mouth — paying ~£200/month for Resy when Postonero is £20/month is hard to justify on the booking-system function alone.
Switching from Resy to Postonero
Technically straightforward. Postonero installs via one script tag added to any existing website (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, custom HTML). Same-day go-live. The longer pieces:
- Existing Resy contract. If you're mid-annual-term, you'll either complete the term or negotiate an early exit. Both systems can run in parallel during transition.
- Guest data export. Resy lets you export your guest list — get the data out before cancelling. Format may need cleanup before re-importing.
- In-flight Resy bookings. Reservations made on Resy continue to flow through Resy until the diner's actual visit. Plan a 30–60 day overlap.
- Resy app listing. If you were getting genuine net-new diners through the Resy app, that channel disappears the day you cancel. Consider whether to backfill with paid ads on Google Maps and Instagram.
Frequently asked questions
Is Postonero cheaper than Resy?
What does Resy do that Postonero does not?
Is Resy worth it for independent restaurants?
Can I switch from Resy to Postonero without rebuilding my website?
Does Resy have a contract?
Related guides
The £20 flat-rate alternative
Postonero is £20/month flat. No per-cover. No commission. No contract. Cancel any time.
Tell us about your restaurant — typical reply within one business day. We set up your site account, send the pre-configured embed script, and walk you through the first booking. Live the same afternoon.
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