Guide
Commission-free online ordering, explained
“Commission-free” is one of the most used phrases in restaurant tech, and one of the most misunderstood. It does not mean free, and it does not always mean cheaper. This guide explains what commission-free actually means, the models hiding behind it, and how to tell whether it genuinely saves your restaurant money.
By Town · Reviewed July 2026 · ~9 min read
What commission-free means, precisely
Commission-free means the platform does not take a percentage of each order the way a marketplace does. That is a real and meaningful difference, marketplace commissions of 15% to 30% are the single biggest ordering cost most restaurants face. But commission-free tells you what the platform does not charge. It says nothing about what it does charge, which is where you have to look.
The models behind commission-free
- Flat subscription. A fixed monthly fee regardless of orders. Cheap per order at high volume, pricey per order at low volume.
- Flat per-order fee. A small, fixed amount per order rather than a percentage, predictable and volume-friendly.
- Checkout surcharge. A "service fee" added to the customer's total, which quietly raises your prices and can shrink orders.
- Data monetization. Truly free tools that recover cost by owning and using your customer data.
The real question
Not "is it commission-free?" but "what is my all-in cost per order, and who ends up paying it, me or my customer?" Run your real volume against the model before you believe the headline.
How to tell if it actually saves you money
Add every cost for a normal month: subscription, per-order fees, payment processing, and any checkout surcharge (which is your customers paying, and can cost you orders). Compare that total to what you would pay in marketplace commission for the same orders. For most restaurants with steady volume, a low flat model beats both a percentage and a surcharge, but only the math on your numbers settles it.
Where Town lands
Town is a 0% commission $300/mo, no long contract, and it does not bolt a surcharge onto your guests. You also get your own site, delivery on the same DoorDash and Uber drivers, listings, and marketing, so the low fee covers the whole system, not just a checkout button. See Free Online Ordering and Do free ordering systems cost you? for the deeper comparison.
Key takeaways
- Commission-free means no per-order percentage, but it does not mean free or always cheaper.
- The models behind it: flat subscription, flat per-order fee, checkout surcharge, or data monetization.
- A checkout surcharge shifts the cost to your customers and can shrink orders.
- The real question is your all-in cost per order and who pays it, so run your own numbers.
- Town is 0% commission $300/mo with no customer surcharge and the whole system included.