CoverManager does not publish its prices: you have to request a demo to find out what it costs. That is the first reason many restaurants look for alternatives. The second is that its range is designed for groups with several venues, a CRM and a front-of-house team. A bar with 20 tables often pays for features it never opens.
This article compares 4 ways of managing reservations by how they charge and what they do about no-shows, which is what really affects the result. Third-party information reflects what each company published on its website in October 2026; if a figure has changed, use the one on its website.
What you actually pay: a subscription, a per-cover fee or both
Reservation systems charge in 3 ways. A fixed monthly subscription, which does not change with the number of bookings. A per-cover fee, paid for each diner who comes through a third-party app. Or a combination: a subscription for the software and a fee for the bookings the channel brings in.
The per-cover fee is the easiest to underestimate. Third parties quote €2 to €4 per diner for reservations made through TheFork app. A table of 4 that would have booked by phone anyway then costs €8 to €16, and the customer was yours before they used the app.
The worst combination is paying commission for regular customers. If most bookings come from people who already know you, you need your own channel, not a shop window.
CoverManager: the broadest feature set, with pricing on request
It is a leading option in Spain for high-volume restaurants: reservations, a waiting list, CRM, AI replies to reviews and no-show prediction. It works well for groups with several venues that want a single customer database and have a team to use it.
Before the demo, check 2 things. First, in October 2026 the card guarantee, the main defence against no-shows, appeared only in its Performance plan, not the entry-level plans. The second point comes from reviews. In software directories, including a GetApp review from July 2026, unclear pricing is a recurring complaint.
It is worth considering when a venue takes hundreds of bookings a week and someone on staff will use the CRM. If nobody will open it, it is the most expensive of the 4 options for doing the same job as the others.
TheFork Manager: visibility charged per diner
TheFork Manager is the reservation software behind TheFork app. Its value lies less in the software than in the exposure: new customers who find you in the app, often drawn by a discount.
Reservations through your own widget do not incur the per-cover fee; those through the app do. At the quoted €2 to €4 per diner, a dinner for 2 booked through the app costs €4 to €8 before you serve the first course. That makes it useful in tourist areas and for new venues that need to be discovered, but expensive in a neighbourhood with regular customers. The app's promotions carry another risk: teaching customers not to come without a discount.
Bookline: an AI assistant answering the phone
Bookline is not a reservation book. It is an assistant that answers calls and WhatsApp messages 24 hours a day in several languages and enters bookings in the system you already use: CoverManager, TheFork Manager, Zenchef and around 20 others. According to its website, it works with more than 1,200 venues.
It solves a specific problem: the phone ringing during service with nobody available to answer. It sits on top of a reservation system rather than replacing it, so its cost comes on top of another subscription. It does not request a card guarantee either, so it does nothing about no-shows on its own.
Bookings through the digital menu: WMenu Pro
The fourth route is to put reservations where customers are already looking: in the venue's digital menu, the same one they open from Google or a QR code. WMenu offers this in its Pro plan for €45 a month including VAT, with no fee per booking or diner.
It includes reservations with time slots that end before closing, a waiting list for walk-ins, a card guarantee charged only for a no-show or late cancellation, no-show statistics for the last 30 days, and prepaid events such as a tasting or New Year's Eve dinner.
What it does not offer matters too. There is no app bringing new customers, so it cannot replace TheFork if you depend on people discovering you there. There is no phone assistant. Capacity is managed through a number of seats per time slot, not the no-show predictions offered by larger systems.
It suits a small or medium-sized neighbourhood venue where bookings already come through Google, Instagram or the phone, and what is missing is a link that works at any hour and a way to reduce no-shows.
How to choose
| How it charges | Card guarantee | Brings new customers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoverManager | subscription, price on request | in the higher-tier plan | no |
| TheFork Manager | per-cover fee for app bookings | yes | yes, through the app |
| Bookline | subscription, price on request | no | no |
| WMenu Pro | €45/month including VAT, no commission | yes | no |
The deciding question is where your bookings come from today. If more than half come through TheFork, the commission savings are unlikely to make up for the tables you would lose. If almost all come from people who already know you, paying per cover means paying for something you already had: your own channel with a card guarantee delivers more for less.
Combining channels is common and makes sense: your own widget for regulars, and the app only for seasonal customer acquisition.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch systems without losing future reservations?
Yes, but choose a quiet week. Keep handling bookings already confirmed in the old system there until their dates, and switch the links on your website and Google profile to the new system from day 1.
Does a card guarantee put customers off?
It can deter some last-minute bookings, particularly for a weekday lunch. Request it only where no-shows hurt: in WMenu you can activate it above a set party size or on specific dates, such as New Year's Eve, with a free cancellation window that defaults to 24 hours.
Do I need a reservation system if I have few tables?
Not if the phone is enough and you do not lose tables to no-shows. A system starts earning its keep when you stop answering calls during service or when Friday's empty tables are becoming a familiar pattern.
To see how reservations work inside the menu, visit online reservations; prices for all plans are on the pricing page.
