Comparison

OpenTable for Restaurants vs PreShifter

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

Head to head
About

OpenTable for Restaurants

This app helps restaurants manage reservations, optimize operations, and enhance guest experiences. It allows for remote access to key metrics, reservation editing, and marketing campaign initiation. The iPad version offers comprehensive front-of-house and shift planning tools.

Highlights
  • Fill more seats
  • Deliver remarkable hospitality
  • Optimize operations
  • Check cover trends and stats
  • Make and edit reservations
  • Start marketing campaigns
  • Front-of-house guest and table management
Features
Read full description

The OpenTable app is a robust restaurant management and marketing solution that helps fill more seats, deliver remarkable hospitality, and optimize operations. It is available for download for all OpenTable customers. From an iPhone, OpenTable customers can stay connected to their restaurant from anywhere. The Owner app on iPhone lets you check cover trends and stats, make and edit reservations, start a marketing campaign, receive VIP push notifications, and more. Additionally, OpenTable customers should use the iPad app for cloud-based front-of-house guest and table management, shift planning, and more. Note: This app is for restaurants using OpenTable. If you want to book a reservation, please download the OpenTable diner app or go to https://www.opentable.com/mobile.

About

PreShifter

This app streamlines restaurant operations by providing real-time updates, menu management, and team communication. It helps managers plan shifts, share information instantly, and foster better team collaboration for smoother service and increased profitability.

Highlights
  • Pre-shift planning and updates
  • Real-time communication
  • Dynamic menu management
  • Two-way team messaging
  • Organized team chat
Features
Read full description

Every system in your restaurant records the shift. POS records what sold. Scheduling records who worked. Payroll records what it cost. Nothing runs the shift itself. PreShifter does. PreShifter is the real-time operating system for restaurant service. It replaces the printed pre-shift sheet, the group text, the whiteboard, and the "did anyone tell the closers?" with one app the entire team actually opens. Built by New York hospitality veterans with decades on the floor, not by a software company guessing what a Friday night feels like. BUILD THE PRE-SHIFT IN MINUTES The PreShift Builder turns your daily briefing into a living document. Add new items, specials, 86s, item counts, sections and table assignments, reservation counts, prep lists, side work, POS updates, events and announcements. Tap Publish and every team member gets a push notification with the full brief on their phone. When the night changes, update one entry and the whole team sees it instantly. Archive past PreShifts for reference. KEEP THE MENU CURRENT, ALWAYS Menu Manager is the single source of truth for every dish and drink. Ingredients, allergens, recipes, availability, and photos, searchable and sortable from any station. A new special goes in once and shows up for every server before the first table sits. No more allergen guesses at table 12. ONE CHAT FOR THE WHOLE TEAM Team Chat keeps service communication in one thread the entire staff can see. Text and photos, real-time, with admin controls to keep it clean and professional. No personal numbers, no lost group texts, no "I never got that message." TWO-WAY, NOT TOP-DOWN Staff can submit menu items and PreShift updates directly from the floor. Managers approve with one tap and the update goes live for everyone. The bartender who noticed the last bottle of mezcal, the server who caught the typo on the special: their intel makes the whole team better. BUILT FOR HOW RESTAURANTS ACTUALLY WORK - Roles that make sense: managers run the restaurant, staff join the team - Invite staff by name or approve their join requests - Staff can hold memberships at multiple restaurants and switch between them - Push notifications for new PreShifts, approvals, and messages - Sign in with Apple, Google, or email - Light and dark mode - Works on iPhone and iPad WHO IT'S FOR Full-service restaurants, bars, cafes, and small groups. GMs and owner-operators who are tired of repeating themselves. Chefs who want the floor to know what's 86'd before a guest orders it. Servers and bartenders who want to walk in already knowing the plan. WHY IT WORKS Pre-shift is the highest-leverage twenty minutes in a restaurant, and most places run it on paper and memory. PreShifter makes it consistent, instant, and impossible to miss. Fewer mistakes at the table. Faster alignment across FOH and BOH. Managers get their time back. Guests get a team that knows the menu. PreShifter sits on top of the tools you already use. It does not replace your POS, scheduling, or reservations. It runs the part of the day they don't touch. FREE FOR STAFF. MANAGERS SUBSCRIBE. Team members always use PreShifter free. Managers who create a restaurant choose a plan sized to their team: - Core: up to 25 team members - Pro: up to 60 team members - Pro Max: unlimited team members Monthly and annual plans available. Annual plans include two months free. Subscriptions are billed to your Apple ID and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.preshifter.com/preshifter-privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.preshifter.com/preshifter-terms-of-service/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Questions or want a walkthrough for your team? support@preshifter.com

Screenshots

OpenTable for Restaurants4 screens
PreShifter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PreShifter at 5.0 against OpenTable for Restaurants's 4.0. OpenTable for Restaurants's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (weekly vs every 19 months). On price, ads, 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. PreShifter sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per month. OpenTable for Restaurants asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PreShifter holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenTable for Restaurants has 414 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenTable for Restaurants ships an update weekly, PreShifter every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
OpenTable for Restaurants versus PreShifter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenTable for RestaurantsPreShifter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (414 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings414 — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 19 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB41 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperOpenTable, Inc.PreShifter LLC

Customer experience

OpenTable for Restaurants

All ratings414 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative23.4%
Written reviews193 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral11.9%
Negative63.7%

PreShifter

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

OpenTable for Restaurants

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Reservations not syncing across devices
  • Guest info not displaying correctly
  • Inability to update reservation details
  • Crashing and freezing issues
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Floor plan view on mobile
  • Ability to customize tags/courses
  • Waitlist functionality improvements
  • More control over reservations on mobile
  • Better guest management tools
Show 1 more
  • Ability to respond to reviews in-app

PreShifter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

OpenTable for Restaurants

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

PreShifter

Subscriptions10
  • Starter Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$49.991 Month
  • Standard Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$79.991 Month
  • Pro Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$109.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Pro+ Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$149.991 Month
  • Enterprise Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$229.991 Month
  • Starter Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$529.991 Year
  • Pro+ Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$799.996 Months
  • Standard Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$849.991 Year
  • Enterprise Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$999.996 Months
  • Pro Plan: Full Access14 Days trial$999.991 Year

Questions

Is OpenTable for Restaurants free?
OpenTable for Restaurants is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PreShifter free?
PreShifter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OpenTable for Restaurants or PreShifter?
PreShifter is rated higher. OpenTable for Restaurants averages 4.0 out of 5 from 414 ratings, while PreShifter averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do OpenTable for Restaurants or PreShifter have ads?
Neither OpenTable for Restaurants nor PreShifter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenTable for Restaurants or PreShifter?
OpenTable for Restaurants ships an update weekly, and PreShifter every 19 months. Most recently, OpenTable for Restaurants was updated on October 3, 2026 and PreShifter on September 25, 2026.

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