The ChowNow alternative built for Square
Both platforms exist to get you off marketplace commissions. The differences are in Square integration depth, the fees around the subscription, and what you pay each month.
What ChowNow is
ChowNow is a commission-free ordering platform that works across 20+ POS systems, adds a discovery marketplace of its own, and bundles email and SMS marketing. It publishes three plans — Launch at $249/month, Grow at $349 and Elevate at $449 ($229, $319 and $409 billed annually) — plus a $119–$499 setup fee, a $99 annual Apple developer fee for the branded app, and its own card processing at 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction.
Breadth is the trade. Supporting that many POS systems means integrating with each one at the level all of them share, and Square's catalog — modifiers with their rules, per-location menus, Loyalty and Gift Cards — goes deeper than that.
Why Square restaurants pick Gegsy
Gegsy is built only for Square, and the focus is the product:
- Catalog sync is total. Items, prices, modifiers with min/max rules, categories, locations, and hours sync in real time. Menu edits happen once, in Square.
- Payments stay in Square. Orders are charged through your own Square account at your Square rates and land in your Square reports and payouts — not a second processor with its own fee schedule.
- No setup fee. Your branded iOS and Android app and your web ordering storefront ship on every plan, and Gegsy publishes the app to the App Store and Google Play with no setup, onboarding or publishing fee.
- Lower monthly cost. Plans are $69 or $119 a month per location with flat per-order fees, listed on the pricing page.
- Delivery is dispatched, not resold. Orders go to Nash or DoorDash Drive couriers with live tracking. The courier quotes each delivery, and you decide who covers it.
Side by side
| Feature | ChowNow | Gegsy (recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $249, $349 or $449 ($229–$409 billed annually) | $69 or $119 per location ($59 or $99 billed annually) |
| Setup fee | $119–$499 | None |
| Apple developer fee | $99 a year for the branded app | None |
| Card processing | 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction | Your Square account’s rates |
| Commission | None | None |
| Branded mobile app | Every plan | Every plan |
| Ordering website | Yes | Yes |
| Square catalog sync | One of 20+ POS integrations | Real-time, incl. modifiers & locations |
| Square Loyalty & Gift Cards | Own loyalty program | Fully integrated, app & web |
| Marketing | Email; SMS from Grow | Push notifications; automations on Pro |
| Courier delivery | Yes | Nash + DoorDash Drive, live tracking |
Pricing as of . Competitor details are taken from each vendor's public website. Prices and features change, so confirm current terms with each vendor before you decide.
New to taking orders on Square? Start with online ordering for Square restaurants. For the wider field, see every comparison, the roundup of online ordering apps for Square restaurants, or run your numbers in the savings calculator.
Common questions
Neither charges commission, so the decision comes down to what surrounds the subscription. ChowNow adds a $119–$499 setup fee, a $99 annual Apple developer fee for the app, and its own card processing at 2.95% + $0.29. Gegsy has no setup or developer fee, and cards run through your own Square account.
ChowNow lists Launch at $249/month, Grow at $349 and Elevate at $449, or $229, $319 and $409 billed annually, plus a $119–$499 setup fee and a $99 annual Apple developer fee for the branded app. Gegsy is $69/month per location on Starter and $119 on Pro, with the app and website included and no setup fee.
Gegsy. The sync is the deciding factor: your menu, modifiers with their min/max rules, locations, hours, loyalty, and gift cards all flow live from the Square account you already manage, and payments stay in Square. That depth is only possible because Gegsy does one POS rather than twenty.
Your own app and ordering website, starting at $69/month per location
Don't let third-party apps take 30% of every order. Get your own branded mobile app and web storefront — powered by Square, managed from one dashboard.