Carbonara App vs NextMe
Carbonara App
carbonaraapp.comNextMe
nextmeapp.comSide by side
| Figure | Carbonara App | NextMe |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9.99/mo | $4.17/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 10 |
| Spec score · Restaurant Waitlist Software | 8.7 (#3) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Headquarters | Oslo, Norway | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Security | Carbonara says it uses encryption in transit, access controls, role-based permissions, authentication controls, logging, and need-to-know production access restrictions. | NextMe's privacy policy says subscriber data is encrypted at rest and that the company does not sell personally identifiable information or protected health information. |
| Support | Carbonara directs users to contact its support team by email at [email protected]. | Custom plan customers receive one to one onboarding and product training, while event support packages can include guaranteed response times and after hours coverage. |
Plans
Carbonara App
- FreeFree
- Starter$9.99 a month
- Light$19.99 a month
- Advanced$29.99 a month
- VIP$42.99 a month
- PX$56.99 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
NextMe
- FreeFree
- Starter (annual)$49.99 a year
- Starter (annual billing)$49.99 a month
- Starter (monthly)$59.99 a month
- Starter (monthly billing)$59.99 a month
- Business (annual)$79.99 a year
- Business (annual billing)$79.99 a month
- Business (monthly)$99.99 a month
- Business (monthly billing)$99.99 a month
- CustomPriced on request
In their own words
Carbonara App
Carbonara App provides waitlist and reservation software for restaurants and other hospitality businesses. Staff can add customers to a digital queue, send customizable confirmation and ready-by-text messages, and plan seating for waiting or reserved guests. Reservations can be accepted by phone, email, web form, or online booking form, including through Reserve with Google on Maps and Search. Online reservations have no additional per-booking fee. Customers can join a waitlist by QR code at no charge. Messaging includes two-way SMS and WhatsApp, phone-call notifications, and email. A drink-ordering flow sends a menu link by text so guests can order and pay, with orders delivered to the app. It runs on Android, iOS, and the web. The Free plan includes 50 bookings/month; Starter is $9.99/mo, and a 14-day trial is listed. SMS and WhatsApp are billed by usage. An optional AI chatbot is provided through Botpress; Carbonara says conversations are not used to train AI models.
NextMe
NextMe is a virtual waiting room and digital waitlist for businesses organizing guest flow and physical lines. Guests can join a branded waitlist form through a QR code, kiosk tablet or business website. The waitlist includes predictive wait times, repeat guest recognition, custom fields and queues, real-time status updates and two-way SMS. Businesses can manage appointments alongside walk-ins, with booking confirmations and appointment reminders sent by text. Its analytics dashboard reports guest volume, wait times, peak periods and queue performance, and supports CSV or Excel exports. NextMe is available on Android, iOS and web, with integrations and a private API; a public API is described as coming soon. Plans include a free option with 100 SMS per month and one user. Starter costs $49.99 a year billed annually or $59.99 a month, and includes 3,000 SMS monthly and five users. Business costs $79.99 a year billed annually or $99.99 a month, with 5,000 SMS monthly and 10 users. A 14-day free trial is also offered. Use cases listed include retail, hospitality, healthcare and events.