Free Restaurant Ordering Apps in 2026: What's Actually Free

Short answer: Four restaurant ordering options have a free plan in October 2026. GloriaFood takes unlimited commission-free orders, but Oracle says it reaches end of life on 30 April 2027. Square's free plan charges card fees on every online order, MENU TIGER's free plan stops at 75 orders a month, and the WhatsApp Business app is free for manual orders by chat. None is free to run: you pay through card processing, order caps or add-ons.

Key takeaways

• "Free" usually means no subscription, not no cost. Card processing typically takes a few percent of every online order.
• GloriaFood's core ordering is free with no commission, but its own homepage says it will reach end of life on 30 April 2027. Export your data and plan a move.
• Square's free plan carries a higher online card rate than its paid plans: 3.3% + 30¢ per online transaction in the US, against 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium (Square's pricing page, October 2026).
• MENU TIGER's free plan covers 1 store and 75 orders a month (October 2026).
• If your staff take orders at the table, you may not need an ordering app at all. A free digital menu may cover what guests need.

In this guide

1. What "free" means for ordering apps
2. Free restaurant ordering apps compared
3. App-by-app notes
4. How to check if a free plan is really free
5. When you don't need an ordering app
6. FAQ

What "free" means for restaurant ordering apps

Ordering software vendors earn money in five ways. A free plan removes one or two of them, not all five:

1. Subscription: removed on free plans
2. Card processing: almost always charged per transaction
3. Commission per order: charged by marketplaces and some platforms
4. Limits: order caps, locations or features, pushing you to upgrade
5. Paid add-ons: online payments, POS, marketing, branding

Compare total monthly cost at your real order volume, not plan names.

Free restaurant ordering apps compared

Prices and limits from each vendor's own pricing page, checked 14 October 2026. Always check the current page before signing up.

App-by-app notes

GloriaFood

GloriaFood, owned by Oracle, offers free online ordering with no commission and no monthly fee. Paid add-ons include online card payments (US$29 a month), a POS (US$49 a month per location on a 2-year commitment) and Advanced Promo Marketing (US$19 a month).

Important: GloriaFood's homepage says "GloriaFood will reach end of life on April 30, 2027." If you use it:

• export your menu, customer list and order history now
• plan a replacement well before the busy season
• update the ordering links on your website, Google profile and social pages

Square

Square's US restaurant pricing has a free plan with online ordering synced with Square's POS. You pay card processing on each online sale: 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan, against 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus (US$49 a month per location) and Premium (US$149). Dine-in QR ordering needs Square Online Plus or Premium. Square also operates in several European countries, including Spain and France, where rates and plans differ. Check the rates for your country.

Best for: venues already using Square POS, or starting from scratch with low online volume.

MENU TIGER

MENU TIGER's free plan covers one store with an online menu and ordering, capped at 75 orders a month. Paid plans are Regular at US$17 a month (500 orders), Advanced at US$46 (2,000 orders) and Premium at US$119 (unlimited orders), billed monthly, with a 14-day trial. Add-ons include a cloud POS (US$30 a month).

Best for: small venues testing QR ordering at low volume. See Menumigo vs MENU TIGER if you're choosing a menu platform.

WhatsApp Business app

The WhatsApp Business app is free. It lets you create a business profile, publish a product catalogue and chat with customers. Many small takeaways in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Turkey take orders this way. It works at low volume, but orders are handled manually: no kitchen tickets, no payment processing and no order history reports.

Best for: very small takeaways, home bakers and food trucks taking pre-orders.

Delivery marketplaces

Uber Eats, Glovo, Just Eat, Deliveroo, DoorDash, Yemeksepeti and similar apps usually cost nothing to join, but charge a commission on every order. Rates depend on the country, the contract and whether the platform delivers. They bring customers you wouldn't otherwise reach. The trade-off is margin, and the customer relationship stays with the platform.

Best for: reaching new delivery customers, alongside your own direct ordering.

How to check if a free plan is really free

Before signing up, get answers to these questions in writing:

• Card processing: what percentage and fixed fee per online and in-person transaction?
• Limits: is there a cap on orders, locations, menu items or staff accounts?
• Payments: can guests pay online on the free plan, or is that a paid add-on?
• Hardware: do I need a specific tablet, printer or card reader?
• Branding: does the free plan show the vendor's logo or ads to my customers?
• Contract: is there a minimum term or cancellation fee on add-ons?
• Data export: can I export menu, orders and customer data at any time?
• Compliance: does it meet invoicing and fiscal rules in my country, and GDPR in the EU?
• Allergens and languages: can guests see all 14 EU allergens and read the menu in their language?
• Future: how long has the free plan existed, and what happens if the product closes?

Quick cost check:

Monthly cost = subscription + add-ons + (online orders × average order value × card %) + (online orders × fixed card fee) + (marketplace orders × average order value × commission %)

When you don't need an ordering app

Many restaurants search for a free ordering app when what they actually need is a free digital menu:

• Your servers already take orders at the table.
• You want guests to read the menu in their language and see allergens.
• You want to stop reprinting menus when prices change.
• You don't do takeaway or delivery, or it's a small share of sales.

In that case, a QR menu plus your existing POS or notepad is cheaper and simpler than an ordering system. Guests still get a server, and the kitchen keeps its routine.

How Menumigo fits

Menumigo does not take orders or payments. It is a digital menu platform. We include it here because it's the free option when a menu, not ordering, is what you need:

• Free plan, no card required: one venue, unlimited dishes, one menu QR code, 2 menu languages, 5 AI menu imports and 10 AI translations a month, and allergen tags for all 14 EU allergens
• Every new restaurant gets 7 days of Pro, then keeps the free plan unless it subscribes
• Pro (€19/month, or €180/year) shows up to 6 menu languages at a time (you can swap which ones), and adds per-table QR codes, analytics, loyalty and brand colours
• Works alongside any ordering app or POS

Create a free menu, or compare free digital menu alternatives.

FAQ

What is the best free app for restaurant ordering?

It depends on your volume and plans. GloriaFood offers unlimited commission-free orders, but reaches end of life on 30 April 2027. Square suits venues using Square POS. MENU TIGER's free plan suits low QR-order volumes. WhatsApp Business works for very small takeaways. Compare total cost including card fees.

Is GloriaFood shutting down?

Yes. GloriaFood's own homepage says the service will reach end of life on 30 April 2027. If you use GloriaFood, export your menu, customers and order history and plan a replacement before then.

Are free restaurant ordering apps really free?

Usually not entirely. Free plans remove the subscription but still charge card processing on online payments, cap orders, or sell essential features such as online payments as add-ons. Delivery marketplaces are free to join but charge commission on every order.

Can I take restaurant orders on WhatsApp for free?

Yes. The WhatsApp Business app is free and supports a business profile, a product catalogue and customer chat. Orders are managed manually, with no kitchen tickets, payments or reports, so it suits small volumes. The WhatsApp Business Platform (API) charges per message.

How do I make a food ordering website for free?

Use a free plan from an ordering provider such as Square, which includes online ordering at no monthly cost. You'll still pay card processing on online orders. Check that you can export your data and use your own domain before committing.

Do I need an ordering app or a digital menu?

If guests order with a server at the table, a digital menu is usually enough. It shows the menu in their language with allergens and current prices. You need an ordering app when guests should order and pay without staff, or when takeaway and delivery are a significant part of sales.

Sources

• GloriaFood homepage ("GloriaFood will reach end of life on April 30, 2027", checked 14 October 2026). https://www.gloriafood.com/
• GloriaFood pricing page (checked 14 October 2026). https://www.gloriafood.com/pricing
• MENU TIGER pricing page (checked 14 October 2026). https://www.menutiger.com/pricing
• Square for Restaurants pricing, US (checked 14 October 2026). https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/pricing
• Square Online QR code ordering (checked 14 October 2026). https://squareup.com/us/en/online-store/qr-code