ResDiary vs resOS: depth, or a free tier?
Both of these are commission-free on bookings and both publish their prices, so the comparison comes down to depth against simplicity. ResDiary is the established operations system: table management, yield rules, a long EPOS integration list, and plans from £109 to £295 + VAT a month by booking volume. resOS is self-serve and cheaper, starting with a free tier.
Side by side
| ResDiary | resOS | |
| Headline price | £109–£295 + VAT a month by booking volume, plus a £99 set-up fee | Free up to 25 bookings a month, then roughly £38–£105 a month |
| Per-cover commission | No on bookings — but 1.2% on deposits and payments, and 3% on gift vouchers | No |
| Contract | Set in your order; the standard terms default to 36 months, with 90 days' notice | Rolling monthly |
| Free trial | Not stated | Free tier |
| SMS reminders | Paid add-on (£10 a month, plus SMS fees) | Paid per-message add-on |
| Gift vouchers | Paid add-on (£35 a month) | Not a standard feature |
| Diner marketplace | Yes — Dish Cult, plus DesignMyNight | No |
ResDiary
Established, operations-led and group-friendly, built around table management, yield rules and floor flow. Genuinely commission-free on bookings and it publishes its UK prices, but they step up with booking volume (a venue over its limit is moved up a plan automatically), payments carry a surcharge, and several capabilities other systems bundle (SMS, pre-orders, events, vouchers) are paid add-ons.
resOS
Transparent and self-serve, with a real free tier and every feature included on each paid tier except SMS. Priced in euros and dollars, so the pound figure moves with exchange rates.
So which should you choose?
If you are running several rooms, complex sittings or a group, ResDiary's depth is the reason it costs what it costs, and resOS will feel thin — that is a fair trade rather than a flaw in either. If you are one site that mostly needs bookings to land reliably, the case for £109 + VAT a month or more, a £99 set-up fee and a contract whose standard term is 36 months is much weaker, and resOS lets you start free and leave monthly. Watch two things whichever way you go: both bill SMS separately, and ResDiary adds 1.2% on deposits and payments and 3% on gift vouchers, which is easy to leave out of a comparison that looks like it is only about the monthly fee.
Full disclosure: we make a third option
This comparison is published by NomNom, a UK restaurant booking system, so you should know we have a horse in this race. We have kept our own product out of the grid above because the question you asked was about ResDiary and resOS. For completeness: NomNom is £29.99 + VAT a month per venue, with no per-cover fee, no contract and a 14-day free trial. We do not run a diner marketplace.
See what NomNom does, or read the full seven-way pricing comparison.
Common questions
Do ResDiary or resOS charge commission on bookings?
Neither takes a per-cover commission, and neither runs a marketplace that would charge one. ResDiary does add 1.2% on deposits and payments and 3% on gift vouchers, so a venue taking deposits on most bookings is not quite paying a flat fee.
How much does ResDiary cost?
ResDiary publishes four UK plans by booking volume: £109 + VAT a month for up to 150 bookings, £145 for up to 450, £205 for up to 1,000 and £295 for unlimited, plus a £99 set-up fee. Several things other systems bundle are paid add-ons — SMS at £10 a month and gift vouchers at £35 a month — and its standard terms default to 36 months with 90 days' notice unless your order says otherwise.
Which is better for a single independent restaurant?
On cost shape, resOS: you can read the price, start free and leave monthly. On capability, ResDiary, which is built for complex sittings, yield rules and multi-room operations and has a much longer EPOS integration list. A single site that mostly needs bookings to land reliably rarely uses enough of that depth to justify its price and contract term.
Keep reading
- All booking system comparisons
- Restaurant booking system pricing compared (seven systems)
- Commission-free restaurant booking systems in the UK
- Switching booking system without the stress
Prices and features were accurate to the best of our knowledge on 25 September 2026, summarised from each vendor's own published information and from third-party trackers. Where a vendor does not publish pricing we say so rather than quoting an estimate as though it were a list price. Booking system pricing changes often — always confirm the current figure with the vendor before you sign anything.