Comparison

Eater vs DinnerElite

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Eater

Discover top restaurant and bar recommendations curated by expert editors. Find new places in any city, get personalized suggestions, and easily make reservations. Never have a bad meal again with trusted insider picks.

Highlights
  • Editor-curated restaurant picks
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Insider community connection
  • Smart search functionality
  • Create and share custom lists
  • Direct table reservations
Read full description

The Eater app is the most trusted way to find great restaurants. Our editors have spent years eating at the best restaurants and bars so you always know where to go next. Get instant access to all of Eater’s restaurant picks in every major city, whether you're exploring a new neighborhood, planning a trip, or need a quick rec on the go. With the Eater app, you’ll never have a bad meal. What you’ll love about the Eater app: - Curated by editors: Trusted recommendations and reviews from people who know restaurants - Insider to insider: Follow and connect with editors, chefs, and friends, and be part of the Eater community - Ask anything: Smarter search that finds the places you actually want - Recommended for you: Eater’s take on restaurants near you and wherever you travel - Create and share: Browse Eater lists, make your own, and share your favorite spots with friends - Browse to book: Reserve tables directly in the Eater app so you’re one step closer to a great meal With the Eater app, the next great place to eat or drink is in the palm of your hand, no matter where the day (or night) takes you. Download the Eater app to find your next great meal.

About

DinnerElite

This app monitors hard-to-book New York City restaurants for table availability. Users select desired restaurants, dates, times, and party sizes to receive instant alerts when matching reservations open up. You then book the table yourself.

Highlights
  • Watchlist for 224 NYC restaurants
  • Customizable date and time windows
  • Party size filtering
  • Real-time table availability alerts
  • Direct booking link
  • Covers Resy, OpenTable, Tock reservations
Features
Read full description

Getting a table at New York's hardest restaurants is a timing problem. Tables open at odd hours, cancellations land without warning, and by the time you look the slot is gone. DinnerElite watches for you. Pick the restaurants you care about. Tell us which days work, what time window you want, and how many people you are feeding. When a table matching your rules appears, you get an alert. Then you book it yourself. HOW IT WORKS 1. Browse 224 hard-to-book NYC restaurants. 2. Add the ones you want to your watchlist. 3. Set your days, your time window, and your party size. 4. Get an alert the moment a matching table opens. 5. Tap through and book it. WHAT YOU CAN WATCH 224 New York City restaurants across the neighborhoods that book out fastest. The East Village is our densest coverage at 28 venues. We track rooms that take reservations through the major booking platforms, including Resy, OpenTable, and Tock. FILTERS THAT MATCH REAL LIFE Choose the days of the week you can actually go. Set a time window, so a 5:15pm table does not wake you at midnight. Set your party size, because a two-top and a six-top are different problems. Tell us whether you will take a short-notice table or whether you need a few days of warning. PLANS Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. You are not charged during the trial. Cancel inside 3 days and you pay nothing. Premium, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Watch unlimited restaurants, set the dates, times and party size you want on each, and cancel anytime. Expert, $28.99 a month or $289.99 a year. Everything in Premium, plus a human team that books tables for you on request, plus priority human support. Annual plans cost two months less than paying month to month. Browsing all 224 restaurants is free and needs no card. 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE If DinnerElite does not send you a single table alert in your first 30 days, email us and we refund you in full. WHAT DINNERELITE DOES NOT DO DinnerElite does not book tables automatically. There is no bot and nothing runs against your reservation account. We send you an alert and you book the table yourself. The one exception is the Expert plan, where a real person on our team books on your behalf when you ask. WHO IT IS FOR People who check Resy at 9am and find the table already gone. Anniversary and birthday planners who need one specific night. Visitors who get a single shot at dinner in New York. Anyone who gave up on a restaurant because the calendar was always grey. NEW YORK ONLY, FOR NOW DinnerElite covers New York City today. That is the whole catalog. We would rather cover one city properly than five badly. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Premium and Expert are auto-renewable subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://dinnerelite.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://dinnerelite.com/privacy Questions: support@dinnerelite.com DinnerElite is not affiliated with or endorsed by Resy, OpenTable, Tock, or any other reservation platform. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Screenshots

Eater4 screens
DinnerElite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DinnerElite at 5.0 against Eater's 4.1. DinnerElite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Eater's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (62 vs 1). On price, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. DinnerElite sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Eater asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DinnerElite holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Eater has 62 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Eater ships an update weekly, DinnerElite every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Eater versus DinnerElite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEaterDinnerElite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (62 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings62 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#191 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB6 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperVox Media, Inc.LIMED

Customer experience

Eater

All ratings61 ratings
Positive75.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative21.3%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive41.1%
Neutral7.8%
Negative51.1%

DinnerElite

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Eater

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Search and account icons smushed on main map page
  • Location settings get stuck after disabling tracking

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add filters and sorting for map/list view
  • Allow sharing of restaurant lists
  • Improve font size and layout on map view

DinnerElite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Eater

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

DinnerElite

Subscriptions4
  • Premium3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Expert3 Days trial$28.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Expert Yearly3 Days trial$289.991 Year

Questions

Is Eater free?
Eater is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DinnerElite free?
DinnerElite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Eater or DinnerElite?
DinnerElite is rated higher. Eater averages 4.1 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while DinnerElite averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Eater or DinnerElite have ads?
Eater shows ads; DinnerElite does not.
Which is updated more often, Eater or DinnerElite?
Eater ships an update weekly, and DinnerElite every 3 days. Most recently, Eater was updated on October 24, 2026 and DinnerElite on October 24, 2026.

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