Captain vs Cartwheel

Captain provides end-to-end delivery management software for restaurant chains, coordinating operations from kitchen to customer. Its Dispatch App displays driver locations and order status, and supports batching and assignment. Dispatch can run manually, suggest groupings through Copilot, or use Autopilot to group and send orders according to business rules. FleetShare lets restaurants review local fleet quotes and automate dispatch to outside delivery providers. The Driver App handles delivery tasks, preferred GPS selection, mileage, and completed-order records. Customers can follow branded live tracking for in-house or outsourced deliveries, with updates by SMS or through a company website or app. Restaurants can also send a post-delivery questionnaire and customize its questions. Captain KDS uses driver arrival estimates and dispatch sequencing to guide kitchen preparation timing. The Manager Portal reports delivery and cook times, deliveries per hour, orders per route, and customer feedback. Integrations cover POS, online ordering, aggregators, and white-label fleets; named partners include CloudWaitress, SpotOn, Oracle GloriaFood, Syrve, Revel, Auphan, and KitchenHub. Captain runs on web, iOS, Android, and API; apps support English, French, Spanish, and more. The maker says it handles over 500,000 deliveries monthly across five continents. Pricing is on request.

Cartwheel is delivery management software for restaurant chains and catering brands. It coordinates in-house drivers and third-party delivery providers, with automated routing and live delivery tracking. Operators can set dispatch rules for time of day, order size, driver availability, per-driver order limits, and delivery areas. Catering tools include scheduled dispatch, pre-delivery checklists, photo or signature proof, branded tracking, and vehicle-type routing. The driver app includes route planning, order checklists, ID verification, and proof of delivery. Cartwheel says one connection reaches Uber Direct, DoorDash Drive, Grubhub, Skipcart, and more than 50 local fleets; named integrations include Toast, PAR, Olo, Qu, ChowNow, and ezCater. Store and Dispatch tools are available on iOS and Android, alongside the web platform. Cartwheel says it operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. The listed Cartwheel plan is $99 a month, billed monthly, for 400 deliveries, then $0.25 per order.