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Tablez vs ResDiary
ResDiary is a proper front of house system: table plans, yield management, deposits, integrations. Tablez is a booking system. If you are paying for the whole of ResDiary and using the booking widget and the diary, this page is for you.
| Tablez | ResDiary | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free up to 60 bookings a month, then £5 or £15 a month paid yearly (£60 or £180 a year), no per cover fees | Monthly subscription, from around £89 a month |
| Per cover fees | Never | No on the core subscription; some marketplace channels may charge |
| Contract | Free: none. Paid: 12 months, paid up front, cancel before renewal | Varies, check current terms |
| Booking page and website embed | Yes, all plans | Yes |
| Instant, staff approved and live check | Yes, all plans | Instant, with enquiry options |
| Staff app with push alerts | Yes, Starter and above | Yes |
| Turn times, pacing and cover caps | Yes | Yes, more granular |
| Table plan and floor layout | No | Yes |
| Deposits and card holds | Coming soon | Yes |
| EPOS and PMS integrations | No | Yes |
| Reserve with Google | On the roadmap | Yes |
| Set up | Self serve, about ten minutes | Onboarding |
ResDiary's pricing and features change and vary by plan and region. Prices change, check their site. Ours are on the pricing page.
What ResDiary does well
ResDiary is a serious operational system. It manages table plans and seating, yield and timing rules in fine detail, deposits and card holds, guest profiles, integrations with tills and hotel systems, and reporting. Restaurants with a reservations manager, multiple sittings a night and a real revenue management problem get value from it. It does not charge per cover on its core subscription, which we respect.
Where it is more than an independent needs
The starting price of around £89 a month, over a thousand pounds a year, buys a lot of capability that a 40 cover independent will not use. If your reality is that you take bookings on your website and Instagram, want a phone to buzz when one comes in, and want the kitchen not to be slammed at 7:30, you are paying for a floor plan editor you open twice a year and integrations you do not have.
There is also the matter of set up. ResDiary is configured, onboarded and, sensibly for its size, takes time to learn. Tablez is set up in about ten minutes by whoever is behind the bar.
What Tablez gives you for £5
A booking page customers finish in under a minute. An embed for WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or anything else. Three confirmation modes, including live check with a countdown. A staff app with push alerts and big buttons. Tables as groups with turn times by party size, cover caps per service and pacing per 15 minutes. Confirmation, reminder and manage emails. Spam protection. Export of your data. Free up to 60 bookings a month, £5 a month up to 150, £15 up to 500, paid yearly.
What you give up
No graphical table plan; Tablez assigns by table group, not by a specific table on a map. No deposits yet, though they are coming soon. No EPOS or PMS integrations. No Reserve with Google yet. No reporting beyond a spreadsheet export. If you run two sittings a night at 90 covers and need to squeeze every table, ResDiary's timing rules are more sophisticated. Be honest with yourself about whether you use those things.
The £1,000 a year question
The gap between ResDiary's starting price and Tablez Starter at £60 a year is roughly £1,000 a year, more if you are on a higher ResDiary tier. That is a part time wage for a few weeks, a new fridge, or a good chunk of your marketing. If you are using ResDiary's advanced features, it is money well spent. If you are using it as a diary with a widget, it probably is not.
Switching from ResDiary
Sign up to Tablez free and set up your tables and hours while ResDiary carries on. Swap the widget on your website for the Tablez embed and update the link on Google and social. Enter upcoming bookings by hand in the staff app, or export them and send us the file. Give notice to ResDiary according to your contract. Most venues do the whole thing in an afternoon; the set up guide walks through it.
FAQ
ResDiary questions
Does Tablez have a table plan?
No. You set up tables as groups by size, plus named tables, and Tablez works out what fits. Staff see the list of bookings, not a map. Most independents find the list is what they actually use.
Does Tablez do deposits like ResDiary?
Not yet. Deposits and card holds are coming soon. Our article on deposits vs card holds explains what we are building and why.
Can I keep ResDiary's history?
Export it from ResDiary before you leave. Tablez does not import history, but you can keep the export for your records and add upcoming bookings by hand.
I have several venues on ResDiary
Multiple venues under one Tablez login is coming soon on Pro. In the meantime, groups can talk to us and we will arrange one invoice for all your venues.
Is there a contract?
Free has no term at all. Paid plans run for 12 months, paid up front, and renew yearly. You can cancel before renewal from your dashboard. A year up front is what keeps the price at £5 a month, and it means no card on file every month.