Shokken vs Waitwhile

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.

Waitwhile is a platform for handling walk-ins, queues and appointments across service locations. Customers can join a queue remotely or on-site by QR code, web, kiosk, NFC tag or SMS, then receive live updates and AI-powered wait estimates. Appointment tools cover reminders, confirmations, booking rules and matching people with resources. LineSync places scheduled appointments and walk-ins in a shared queue. Connections include a REST API, webhooks, no-code options and Zapier, alongside named integrations such as Slack, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Google Sheets, Outlook, Google Calendar, Twilio, Zendesk and Square POS. It runs on Android, iOS and web, and offers an API. The free plan is free and covers one location and 50 visits/month. Starter is $31 a month billed annually; Business is $55 a month billed annually. Enterprise pricing is custom. Waitwhile lists retail, luxury retail, government, education and healthcare among its industries, and describes its enterprise offering for businesses with 10 to 600 service points and multiple networks.