Pricing & fees: HappyChef vs Zenchef
Every published number from both pricing pages, side by side — plans, contract conditions, payment fees and a one-year example.
Software price is only part of the bill. This page compares the published subscription prices, the contract conditions around them, and the transaction fees that apply when you take deposits or prepayments.
Published plans
HappyChef publishes two plans. Both include the table plan, reminder emails, gift vouchers and 7/7 support; the €79 plan adds one WhatsApp confirmation and one WhatsApp reminder per reservation.
Zenchef publishes three plans. Reserve covers the booking widget, table plan and 24/7 call assist; Manage adds the waitlist, re-confirmations, review publishing and Instagram booking; Grow adds AI review replies, API access, multi-location and the lowest payment fees.
Contract conditions
Payment & messaging fees
Both platforms let you secure reservations with deposits, prepayments or a credit-card guarantee. The structures differ: Zenchef publishes plan-tiered rates per payment method; HappyChef charges no fees on credit-card guarantees and prepayments — gift-card sales carry €2 administration plus transaction fees.
Zenchef published payment fees (per plan)
As published on the zenchef.com pricing page on 11 June 2026. SMS messages are billed per message with rates that vary per country and plan.
HappyChef charges no fees on credit-card reservation guarantees or prepayments: payments run through your own Stripe account and the money lands directly with you. On gift-card sales HappyChef charges €2 administration plus the transaction fees. WhatsApp confirmations and reminders are included in the €79 plan instead of per-message SMS fees.
One-year example
What one year of software costs at published list prices, billed yearly, excluding add-ons, usage and payment fees:
Add-ons compared
Both vendors sell optional modules on top of the base plans. HappyChef publishes a price for every add-on; Zenchef lists its add-ons (Website, Marketing Suite, Multi-Venue, automatic SMS, Meta Reserve) without public prices.
See HappyChef next to your current system
Try HappyChef for free — no credit card, cancel monthly. Or book a demo and bring your Zenchef questions.
Try HappyChef for freeThis comparison was compiled by HappyChef on 11 June 2026 (2026-06-11) using publicly available information from zenchef.com and happychef.cloud. Zenchef is a trademark of its respective owner; HappyChef is not affiliated with Zenchef. Prices, plans and features change — always verify current conditions with each vendor before deciding. Items marked “not published” could not be verified on the cited source at the date of comparison; their absence here does not mean the vendor does not offer them. Found a mistake? Email [email protected] and we will correct it quickly.