Shokken vs TablesReady

Shokken is a restaurant waitlist service that lets staff manage parties while guests follow their place in line. Guests can join from a browser using a QR code, without installing an app or creating an account, then share a live tracker with the rest of their party. Staff can manage multiple waitlists, run a tablet in kiosk mode, let guests leave the list, and clear finished parties overnight. Restaurants can publish a public menu at an assigned Shokken URL and make printable QR cards and signs. Guest pages support English, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Tagalog; the host app is in English. The free plan includes manual entry, QR self-join, browser tracking, core waitlist tools, and public menus. Founding Pro is $19.99 for the first month, then $99.99/month while continuously active; its regular rate is $200/month. The service is available to U.S. restaurants and needs internet access to sync lists and send texts.

TablesReady manages digital waitlists, reservations, and guest messaging for restaurants and other businesses handling queues or appointments. Guests can join through staff, a kiosk, SMS, a TablesReady page, a business website, or Reserve with Google. Customizable notifications and two-way SMS let guests confirm, cancel, or reply. Staff can use a visual floor plan to view party statuses, move parties with drag and drop, and track table turns in real time. Listed integrations include Square POS, Reserve with Google, Stripe, Zapier, an API, and webhooks. TablesReady offers a native iOS app, a web app for Android, and browser access on desktop and laptop. The free plan costs nothing and includes 150 messages per month and up to 100 parties. Starter is listed at $39 a year and Business at $79 a year, both billed monthly with annual billing. A 14-day trial is listed. Message quantities apply to the US and Canada; other international destinations receive one-tenth of those quantities. The company says its team has worked on the service since 2011.