Pricing & fees: HappyChef vs Zenchef
Every published number from both pricing pages, side by side — one-time purchase vs subscription, contract conditions, payment fees and the total cost after 1 and 3 years.
Software price is only part of the bill. This page compares two fundamentally different models: HappyChef you buy once and it is yours forever; Zenchef you rent per month. On top of that: the contract conditions and the transaction fees that apply when you take deposits or prepayments. The sharpest number: one year of renting Zenchef Reserve costs €1 548 — more than the €1 500 that buys HappyChef forever during the launch offer (until 1 December 2026).
Published plans
Launch offer: €1 500 instead of €3 000 (−50%), valid until 1 December 2026 — 50 spots.
HappyChef publishes one free plan and one one-time license. Start is free forever, with no setup fee: unlimited reservations, table plan, gift vouchers and confirmation, reminder and review emails. Owner is a single purchase of €1 500 one-time (instead of €3 000): everything in Start plus mobile access, waitlists, multiple user accounts, 7/7 support and updates included.
Multiple locations? One purchase for your whole group: 2 locations — €4 800 €2 400 · 3 locations — €6 300 €3 150 · 5 locations — €7 500 €3 750.
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 25 July 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 flat add-ons of €9/month each (exclusive to owners), instead of per-message SMS fees.
Total cost after 1 and 3 years
What the software costs in total at published list prices — HappyChef you pay once, Zenchef you pay again every year (yearly prices as published). Excluding add-ons, usage and payment fees:
Add-ons compared
With HappyChef you buy the software once and only pay monthly for services with ongoing costs — exclusive to owners, and you can switch them on or off at any time. Zenchef lists its add-ons (Website, Marketing Suite, Multi-Venue, automatic SMS, Meta Reserve) without public prices.
See HappyChef next to your current system
Start for free — no credit card, no subscription. Or book a demo and bring your Zenchef questions.
Try HappyChef for freeThis comparison was compiled by HappyChef on 25 July 2026 (2026-07-25) 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.