TheFork is a marketplace — a Tripadvisor company whose published pricing model charges a commission on the covers its app and partner channels send, based on your average bill per guest. TableTango™ runs the bookings you already attract — start free forever, or try Pro free for 30 days, then £89 a month — no commission, and your guest data stays yours.
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Hi, I'm Graham — I built TableTango. Here's the honest split. TheFork is a marketplace: a Tripadvisor company running one of Europe's biggest diner apps. Per its published pricing model, bookings that arrive through TheFork, Tripadvisor and its partner channels carry a commission based on your average bill per guest — though, to be fair, bookings through your own website widget don't. That app's reach is genuinely valuable when you need brand-new discovery.
The catch is quieter. Once a guest starts booking you through the app, they tend to keep booking through the app — so over time, regulars can drift into commissioned covers. And TheFork's discount programmes — Yums loyalty rewards and its seasonal festival promotions — are part-funded by the restaurant, which can teach diners to shop on discount. TableTango is the other model: a flat monthly fee (or nothing at all), no commission on a single cover, no discount programmes, and a guest list that stays 100% yours — never sold, shared, or used to market other restaurants to your diners.
We've led with the pricing model rather than exact competitor figures, because TheFork's plans are quoted by its sales team and vary by market and contract. The shape of it is what matters.
| TableTango | TheFork | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly model | Free forever, or Pro £89 — flat (first 30 days of Pro free) | Subscription plans quoted by sales — pricing on request |
| Per-cover / commission fees | None, ever — on either plan | Commission on marketplace bookings (TheFork app, Tripadvisor & partner channels), based on your average bill per guest |
| Bookings from your own website | Commission-free — like everything else | Also commission-free via its widget — the commission applies to marketplace channels |
| Discount programmes (loyalty points, festivals) | None — your menu, your prices | Yums loyalty discounts & festival promotions, part-funded by the restaurant |
| Who owns the diner relationship | You — 100%, never sold or shared | Diners book as TheFork users; the marketplace typically owns discovery & the relationship |
| Email confirmations & reminders | Included free | Check your plan |
| Guest texts (confirmations, reminders, waitlist offers, review invites) | On Pro — every text to your own guests included, no per-text charge or credit bundles | Reconfirmation SMS listed as included; check your plan for the rest |
| 24/7 AI chat booking | Included free | Not a core feature |
| Setup | Self-serve, ~5 minutes | Sales-led — ask for pricing, then onboarding |
| Contract | None — cancel anytime, one email | Subscription commitment — check your contract |
TheFork details reflect its published pricing model on theforkmanager.com as of mid-2026; plans are quoted by sales and vary by market and contract — always check your TheFork contract for current terms.
That's the bit that stings on a busy month. A commission based on your average bill per guest means the busier — and the pricier — your service, the more you pay. On a marketplace it falls on the covers the platform books, including regulars it re-books to you, not just brand-new diners. Add loyalty discounts that are part-funded from your side of the invoice, and a strong month can cost noticeably more than a quiet one. With TableTango there's no per-cover fee on either plan: run the essentials free forever, or go Pro at a flat £89 whether it's a packed December or a quiet February.
It's not only cheaper plumbing — it's a better book. Free, you get 24/7 AI chat booking in plain English plus a fast stepped form, smart table assignment that prevents conflicting bookings, no-show risk scoring that flags risky bookings, and a guest book that remembers usual tables, allergies and VIPs. Go Pro and add confirmation, reminder, waitlist-offer and review-invite texts (every guest text included, no per-text charge), a waitlist that auto-texts the next matching guests a tap-to-claim link when someone cancels, commission-free bookable events on your own page, and optional card-secured no-show fees (by request — limited release). Worried about no-shows specifically? See our guide to reducing restaurant no-shows.
If TheFork's app reliably fills seats you couldn't fill yourself, that discovery is doing real work and you should keep it. TableTango is for running the bookings you already attract, commission-free. You can run both: TheFork purely for net-new discovery, TableTango for everything direct.
Looking at the wider market? OpenTable runs a marketplace model too — our OpenTable comparison covers it. If you're on Quandoo, it's closing in 2026 and our free migration offer is the faster read. And if you're weighing the free route instead, our free booking tools comparison lays out where Google links, Square and forms fall short.
Genuinely commission-free. There is no per-cover fee and no commission on any booking — direct, repeat or otherwise — on either plan. You can start free forever with no card: AI chat booking, the booking form, floor plan, guest book, no-show risk flags and email confirmations and reminders are all included. Pro is £89 a month per restaurant and adds all the guest SMS — confirmation, reminder, waitlist-offer and review-invite texts — with no per-text charge, plus events and optional card-secured no-show fees (by request — limited release). Prices exclude VAT — none is added while we're not VAT-registered, and most restaurants reclaim it if it ever applies.
Whatever suits your covers. TheFork's diner app has real discovery value, so if it's reliably bringing you brand-new guests, keep it for that. You can run both: TheFork purely for net-new discovery, and TableTango — commission-free — for everything direct, like your website, Instagram link, Google profile and regulars. If you do decide to leave TheFork entirely, check your contract for notice terms first, and set TableTango up alongside before you switch your booking links so there's no gap. The honest line is: stop paying a finder's fee on guests who already know you.
No — and that's deliberate. TableTango has no consumer marketplace, so there are no loyalty points, no festival promotions and no co-funded money-off deals. Your menu and your prices stay entirely yours, and your brand never sits in a discount listing next to the restaurant down the road. If TheFork's promotions genuinely fill quiet shifts at a margin that works for you, you can keep running them — TableTango simply takes care of your direct bookings, commission-free, alongside.
Setup is self-serve and takes about five minutes — no sales call and no quote to wait for. You sign up with an email and password, verify your UK mobile with a 6-digit text code, name your venue, then a guided checklist (with an AI helper) walks you through your tables, hours and details. Nothing goes live until you tap 'Go live', so you can set it up calmly alongside TheFork and switch when you're ready.
Completely. Names, numbers and visit history belong to your restaurant — never sold, shared, or used to market other restaurants to your diners. TableTango is UK-made, UK-hosted and GDPR-friendly, with one-tap guest export and erasure for subject requests. Your guest list stays a list you own, not a marketplace's audience.
There isn't one — no contract and no card up front. The free plan is free forever and covers the essentials: AI chat booking, smart table assignment, no-show risk flags, email confirmations and reminders, and the guest book. When you want texting, Pro is £89 a month per restaurant — and your first 30 days of Pro are free — adding all the guest SMS — confirmations, day-before reminders, the auto-filling waitlist and review invites (no per-text charge) — plus events and optional card-secured no-show fees (by request — limited release). Downgrade to free anytime and keep going; we'd never cut you off mid-service.
Free forever, no card, no contract — set it up yourself in minutes and take commission-free bookings tonight. Upgrade to Pro anytime for guest texts, the auto-filling waitlist, review invites and events — your first 30 days of Pro are free, then £89/mo.
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