Catering software carries a caterer from enquiry to invoice: proposals, banquet event orders, menus, production sheets, staffing and payments.
This guide orders fourteen products by vendor independence, then setup effort, the monthly bill once users and add-ons arrive, data exit, and whether the product was built for caterers or for venues, hotels and restaurant ordering.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What catering software does
Catering software manages proposals, menus, banquet event orders, staffing and payments for caterers, so kitchen and event teams work from one schedule instead of separate spreadsheets and documents.
Ranking criteria for this catering tool list, applied top to bottom: effort to get started, cost in practice, data return, ability to leave, buyer fit. One rule sits on top of those tests: places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Reasons for the choice of tests, and for skipping a score out of ten, can be read on the how we work page.
Catering back office with BEOs, menu costing and published tiered plans
Ranked #1 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Total Party Planner's pricing page lists Nibble, Feast and Delicacy, with one, two and three included users and extra seats at $25 a month. Annual payment takes 10% off, and month-to-month billing exists.
The first-year bill is shaped by the $299 setup fee, the optional $500 data entry package for up to 2,000 items, and TPP Pay, which otherwise carries a $200 monthly fee. Instead of a trial there is a live demo with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What stands out
Menu costing
BEOs and invoices
User bundles per tier
Where it costs you
Online ordering through TPPorder costs extra on every tier.
A $299 one-time setup fee applies to each plan, and the optional data entry package costs $500.
Right for
Caterers who want costing, staffing and BEOs inside one subscription
Wrong for
Operators who need a hands-on trial before they pay
Not stated by the vendorThree published monthly tiers by included users, with a one-time setup fee and an optional online ordering add-on
Proposals, BEOs and recipe costing with a 30-day full-access trial
Ranked #2 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Better Cater lists Plus at $99 a month on monthly billing or $83 on annual billing, and Premium at $149 or $125. Both include unlimited events and clients with one user, and no setup or maintenance fees are stated.
The homepage covers proposals, contracts, menus and packages, BEOs, recipe costing, a CRM and calendar sync with Google, Outlook and Apple. A 60-day money-back guarantee backs the trial, and Premium extends the limit to three locations.
What stands out
30-day trial
Recipe costing
Calendar sync
Where it costs you
Plus caps e-signatures at ten a month and lead forms at three.
Premium covers up to three locations, the highest limit on the pricing page.
Right for
Single-kitchen caterers who want to test everything for 30 days
Wrong for
Caterers needing more than three locations under one account
Not stated by the vendorTwo published tiers billed monthly or annually, with extra users charged separately
Browser-based catering CRM with delivery manager and unlimited users
Ranked #3 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
CaterZen's pricing stacks features by plan: Pro at $179 a month, Pro Plus at $199 with a branded ordering site, Marketing Pro Plus at $229 with marketing systems, VoIP calling and a delivery manager, then Enterprise.
Every plan states unlimited users, orders and menu items, plus support and upgrades at no charge. Start-up support is $499 for up to five locations, extra locations cost $99 each, and Burq third-party delivery adds $15 a month per location.
What stands out
Unlimited users
Delivery manager
Branded ordering site
Where it costs you
Branded online ordering starts only on the second published plan.
The trial length is not stated on the pricing page.
Right for
Caterers with growing teams who want unlimited users at a fixed monthly price
Wrong for
Buyers wanting a stated trial length before committing
Not stated by the vendorPublished monthly plans in three steps plus an enterprise tier, one-time start-up support, trial without a card
Catering and events suite with calendar, kitchen display and e-signatures
Ranked #4 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Caterease prices Express, Standard and Professional at $99, $149 and $199 a month with annual billing, and states that no modules are included in the base plans. Modules and interfaces cost $25 a month each, covering Guest Rooms Manager, Prospect Manager, Document Builder, QuickBooks, DocuSign and Constant Contact.
Extra users cost $28 a month and each user pays a $200 launch fee. Mosaic payment processing is included, though processing fees apply, and the single-user Starter Pack needs a pricing enquiry.
What stands out
Kitchen display
Modular add-ons
Per-user launch fee
Where it costs you
Modules and interfaces such as QuickBooks add $25 a month each.
Each user pays a one-time $200 launch fee on top of the plan.
Right for
Caterers who need only a few modules and can price them one by one
Wrong for
Teams that want every module in one flat tier
Not stated by the vendorThree published monthly plans on annual billing; modules, interfaces and extra users priced separately
Restaurant and venue events with a free plan and 14-day trial
Ranked #5 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Perfect Venue publishes Professional at $199 a month and Premium at $299 on annual billing, rising to $239 and $339 when billed monthly, per location, with Enterprise handled by contact. Every plan has unlimited users.
The free plan keeps CRM, BEOs, proposals, payments and the events calendar but charges higher card fees. Paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 14-day trial needs no card. Payment fees, not seats, decide the long-run price.
What stands out
Free plan
Card processing fees
Unlimited users
Where it costs you
A platform fee of 0.5% on Professional sits on top of card processing.
The homepage feature list names no menu costing or kitchen production tools.
Right for
Restaurants and venues that host events and want to start at zero subscription cost
Wrong for
Off-premise caterers who need menu costing and production sheets
Not stated by the vendorFree plan with higher card fees, then published per-location tiers; processing fees and a platform fee apply
Venue management with floor plans, BEOs and bootstrapped ownership
Ranked #6 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Planning Pod's terms give the legal picture most vendors in this list leave blank: a Delaware corporation, principal office in Key Biscayne, Florida, Colorado governing law.
Monthly plans are charged to a card on a recurring basis and yearly plans can be paid by card or cheque, always in US dollars. An introductory trial may be offered, with no length given. Cancelling ends the subscription at the end of the paid term without a refund.
What stands out
Floor plans
Bootstrapped
Delaware corporation
Where it costs you
Terms require every payment in United States dollars.
A cancelled fee-based subscription earns no refund for the unused period.
Right for
Venue teams that want floor plans and BEOs from a bootstrapped vendor
Wrong for
Buyers who need published prices and a fixed trial length
United StatesNo plans or prices on the pages read; demo is the main call to action; introductory trial may be offered
Per-venue event and catering sales system with unlimited users
Ranked #7 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Tripleseat bills per venue per month and lists its packages as Tripleseat, Tripleseat + Direct Book, Tripleseat + Floor Plans and Tripleseat Hotels. The page promises unlimited users, integrations and full feature access without paywalled tiers, so cost rises with venue count and add-ons, not with seats.
Its story dates from 2008, when venues ran on spreadsheets and paper contracts. The Master Service Agreement is governed by Delaware law; country and parent company are not stated.
What stands out
Per-venue billing
Unlimited users
Demo only
Where it costs you
Pricing is per venue, so every added location adds a subscription.
Prices for Floor Plans, Direct Book, Venue Marketplace, Insights and Tickets are not shown.
Right for
Event venues that want unlimited users and no feature-gated tiers
Wrong for
Caterers who need to see add-on prices upfront
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-venue monthly starting price in four packages; add-ons priced individually
AI-assisted operations platform for event businesses with three plan levels
Ranked #8 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Curate's comparison table shows where the plans bite: saved configurable prints one, three or included; custom reports none, three or included; custom properties two, ten or included; account codes none, three or included.
Growth connects Google Calendar, QuickBooks, Staffmate and Nowsta, and Partnership adds Galley. The annual toggle is labelled two months free, but no price appears, and the terms page shows only the heading Curate.
What stands out
Plan-gated reports
Production and purchasing
Demo only
Where it costs you
API access is limited to the Partnership plan.
Basic includes no custom reports and no account codes.
Right for
Event caterers who want production and purchasing tied to proposals and payments
Wrong for
Buyers who want to see prices before talking to sales
Not stated by the vendorThree plans without prices on the pricing page; annual toggle; demo is the only call to action
Catering ordering platform split into independent and enterprise profiles
Ranked #9 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
CaterTrax splits its offer into Independent, for a single location or a few sites, and Enterprise, for multiple locations or brands with centralised reporting and approvals.
It claims outcomes such as increased catering revenue and reduced operational waste, and says Enterprise integrates with POS or finance systems, though none is named. The pricing address returned a 404 and no pricing link was found, so any figure must come from a sales conversation.
What stands out
Enterprise profile
Multi-site reporting
No stated price
Where it costs you
No prices, trial or plan limits were found on the site.
The privacy policy names no legal entity, country or address.
Right for
Multi-location caterers wanting central reporting and approvals across sites
Wrong for
Buyers who must compare published prices before any call
Not stated by the vendorNo prices on the homepage and the pricing address returned an error
Sales and catering software purpose-built for hotels, with e-proposals
Ranked #10 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Event Temple's pricing page says starting at $249 per month, with a custom quote based on needs, annual payment and a minimum one-year contract. Chain and group pricing exist, and setup or data import may cost extra.
The homepage lists an AI Sales Coordinator, pipeline CRM, room blocks with an event diary, e-proposals with BEOs, invoicing, a booking engine and multi-property management. The FAQ says go-live takes one day to four weeks, and prospects may try it before buying.
What stands out
Hotels
One-year term
Room blocks
Where it costs you
A one-year minimum contract term applies.
Setup and data import may add costs beyond the starting price.
Right for
Hotels and multi-property groups that sell rooms alongside catering
Wrong for
Off-site caterers with no rooms or hotel properties
Not stated by the vendorPublished starting price with a custom quote, annual billing and a one-year minimum term
Venue event bookings with catering, beverage and staffing management
Ranked #11 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
EventPro's site describes a catering and beverage management system for catering at the venue, at other venues or as deliveries, with beverage packages and prices. Bookings carry staffing requirements, and tables, chairs, linens and tableware are tracked through predefined resource packages.
Invoices are created automatically from booking information. The product runs on a desktop, a network or the cloud. A Pricing page is linked, but the page read shows no plans, prices or trial terms.
What stands out
Self-hosted option
Beverage packages
Resource tracking
Where it costs you
Menus, production sheets and caterer proposals are not described on the site.
Cost cannot be judged from the site, which links a Pricing page without figures.
Right for
Venues that book rooms and equipment and want local or cloud deployment
Wrong for
Caterers who need menu and production tooling out of the box
Not stated by the vendorLink to a Pricing page without plans; self-hosted on your own network or in the cloud
Grocery and holiday catering order management with kitchen display
Ranked #12 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
FoodStorm names holiday catering and grocery catering as its use cases and lists Order Management, Omnichannel Customer Ordering, a Kitchen Display System, Reports and Data Insights, Integrations, Pickup Management and CRM features.
That reads as orders placed by customers and fulfilled from a counter or kitchen. Multiple menus appear only in FAQ text. The page shows no prices or trial, offers Book a Demo and Get Started, and gives ownership as Instacart Enterprise and CaterXpress Pty Ltd.
What stands out
Grocery catering
Kitchen display
Instacart platform
Where it costs you
Nothing on the page covers event bookings or billing a client for a catered event.
Ownership shows under two names, Instacart Enterprise and CaterXpress Pty Ltd.
Right for
Grocery and retail operators taking catering orders for pickup and holidays
Wrong for
Event caterers who rely on proposals and BEOs
Not stated by the vendorNothing on cost; demo and get-started buttons only
Venue event management covering event orders, run sheets and room diagrams
Ranked #13 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Momentus Elevate shows up in catering through testimonials: a catering manager says uploading event orders keeps everyone aligned on schedules, setups and operations, and another lists bookings, contracting, debriefs, event orders and run sheets.
Room Diagramming turns layouts into service orders automatically, and MAX for Sales helps with proposals. The page offers Book demo and Start Product Tour, shows no prices, and names no country or owner.
What stands out
Event orders
Room diagrams
Run sheets
Where it costs you
Menus, production sheets and invoicing for caterers are not stated.
Where the vendor is based, who owns it and how it is hosted stay unanswered.
Right for
Venue catering managers who need event orders and run sheets aligned
Wrong for
Caterers who need menus, costing and production sheets
Not stated by the vendorA linked Pricing section holds no figures; demo and product tour offered
Restaurant ordering platform with a Catering+ large-group ordering product
Ranked #14 of 14 in Best Catering Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Olo's page describes Catering+ under Catering and Large Group Ordering, promising built-in controls, flexible menus and workflows for large catering orders.
That is an ordering channel, not a catering operations system: the page read centres on restaurant ordering and does not state event orders, production sheets or caterer invoicing. Pricing, trial terms, country, owner and hosting are not stated, and the footer shows only a 2026 copyright line. Rank it last among caterer tools.
What stands out
Catering+
Large-group ordering
Restaurant ordering
Where it costs you
Proposals, production sheets and invoicing for caterers go unmentioned.
Neither cost nor a trial can be judged from the page.
Right for
Restaurant brands adding large-group catering orders to existing online ordering
Wrong for
Event caterers needing proposals, BEOs and production sheets
Not stated by the vendorNothing on cost or trials in the text read
Catering software manages proposals, menus, banquet event orders, staffing and payments for caterers, so kitchen and event teams work from one schedule instead of separate spreadsheets and documents. Differences that change the outcome seldom sit in the features. Here is the sequence we would follow.
01
Work out how much a sales call is worth to you
Only 7 of the 14 print a price; 7 quote per organisation. Comparable without a sales call: Total Party Planner, Better Cater, CaterZen, Caterease, Perfect Venue, Tripleseat, Event Temple.
02
Ask which country the contract runs through
Where a company is established decides which courts and regulators can reach it. Here that means 2 countries: Elsewhere 13, North America 1.
Catering software pricing: setup fees, extra users and ordering add-ons
The monthly figure on a catering software page rarely matches the first-year bill. Total Party Planner adds a $299 setup fee per plan and charges $25 for each extra user. Caterease lists plans from $99 a month but includes no modules in them, bills $28 for extra users and adds a $200 launch fee per user.
CaterZen states unlimited users but charges $499 for start-up support and $99 for each location beyond five. Better Cater states no setup or maintenance fees, with extra users at $20 to $25 a month. Add the online ordering module, the payment processing and the accounting connector you actually need, then compare the year-one total across two or three vendors using the same headcount.
Ask each vendor for a year-one total at your user count
List which modules and interfaces cost extra
Check whether setup or launch fees apply per user, per plan or per location
Catering software or venue software: Tripleseat, Perfect Venue and Event Temple
Several products on this list were built to sell event space, and catering is one line item inside the sale. Tripleseat bills per venue, Perfect Venue per location, and Event Temple describes itself as built for hotels, with room blocks and multi-property management.
A caterer with a production kitchen and off-site events needs menu costing, production reports and staffing, which Total Party Planner, Better Cater and CaterZen name on their own sites. Perfect Venue's homepage lists a calendar, automatic BEOs, payments and tasks, and no costing tool. Decide first whether you sell a room with food or food with a van, because the feature lists follow that split, and shortlist only products from your side of it.
Find menu costing and production reports on the vendor's own feature list
Check whether pricing counts venues, locations or users
Ask a hotel-focused vendor how it treats off-site events
Online ordering for caterers: CaterZen, TPPorder, FoodStorm and Olo
Online ordering is sold in three different ways. CaterZen puts a custom-branded ordering site into its second published plan. Total Party Planner sells TPPorder as an add-on between $119 and $149 a month depending on tier. FoodStorm lists omnichannel customer ordering with a kitchen display system and pickup management, aimed at grocery and holiday catering.
Olo names Catering+ for large-group ordering, but its page is mostly about restaurant ordering. Each approach changes who owns the customer relationship and how orders reach the kitchen. Before you pick, trace one order from the web form to the production sheet and see where a person retypes it. If that step is manual, the ordering module has not saved you time.
Trace one web order through to the kitchen document
Ask whether ordering is included, an add-on or a separate product
Check how pickup and delivery are handled
Trials, demos and guarantees: testing catering software before a year-long commitment
Vendors on this list differ sharply in how you can test them. Better Cater gives 30 days of full access without a card and a 60-day money-back guarantee. Perfect Venue offers a 14-day trial with no card, a free plan, and a 30-day guarantee on paid plans.
Total Party Planner gives a live demo plus a 30-day refund guarantee, while Curate and Planning Pod lead with demos and show no prices. Event Temple asks for a one-year minimum term, so a short guarantee matters less than a clear exit. Run a real event, from enquiry to invoice, during the trial rather than clicking through sample data, and write down what you had to work around.
Run one real event end to end during the trial
Ask about the minimum term and cancellation rules in writing
Export your client and menu data before the trial ends
What goes wrong most often when buying catering software
Choosing a venue sales tool such as Tripleseat when the work is off-site catering with a production kitchen.
Comparing only the headline monthly price and forgetting launch fees, setup fees and per-user charges.
Assuming a restaurant ordering platform such as Olo replaces proposals, BEOs and production sheets.
Signing a one-year term, as Event Temple requires, before running a real event through a trial or demo.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best catering software in 2026?
Total Party Planner takes first place among the 14 we reviewed. Total Party Planner is catering software from a company founded in 1997, covering invoices, BEOs, staffing and scheduling, and menu costing with profit tracking.
Tiers include one to three users, extra users cost $25 a month, and each plan carries a $299 setup fee. Online ordering through TPPorder is a separate monthly add-on, and no trial is listed, only a live demo and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Which catering tools publish their pricing?
Published pricing exists for 7 products on this page:
Total Party Planner: Three published monthly tiers by included users, with a one-time setup fee and an optional online ordering add-on.
Better Cater: Two published tiers billed monthly or annually, with extra users charged separately.
CaterZen: Published monthly plans in three steps plus an enterprise tier, one-time start-up support, trial without a card.
Caterease: Three published monthly plans on annual billing; modules, interfaces and extra users priced separately.
Perfect Venue: Free plan with higher card fees, then published per-location tiers; processing fees and a platform fee apply.
Tripleseat: Published per-venue monthly starting price in four packages; add-ons priced individually.
Event Temple: Published starting price with a custom quote, annual billing and a one-year minimum term.
The remaining 7 sell by quote.
Is there a free catering tool?
Perfect Venue have a free plan or free self-hosted edition.
Where are these catering software vendors established?
The headquarters are spread over 2 countries and 2 regions, Elsewhere 13, North America 1:
Total Party Planner: Not stated by the vendor.
Better Cater: Not stated by the vendor.
CaterZen: Not stated by the vendor.
Caterease: Not stated by the vendor.
Perfect Venue: Not stated by the vendor.
Planning Pod: United States.
Tripleseat: Not stated by the vendor.
Curate: Not stated by the vendor.
CaterTrax: Not stated by the vendor.
Event Temple: Not stated by the vendor.
EventPro: Not stated by the vendor.
FoodStorm: Not stated by the vendor.
Momentus Elevate: Not stated by the vendor.
Olo: Not stated by the vendor.
Which catering tools can you host yourself?
EventPro. The remaining 13 run only on the vendor's servers.
What should you use instead of Total Party Planner?
Second is Better Cater, which suits Single-kitchen caterers who want to test everything for 30 days. Third is CaterZen, which suits Caterers with growing teams who want unlimited users at a fixed monthly price.
Who should not buy Total Party Planner?
Operators who need a hands-on trial before they pay. Online ordering through TPPorder costs extra on every tier..
This list covers 14 catering software products. A product we left out can be put to us by its maker, with a short note on its purpose and its customers; we decide on inclusion ourselves. The rules are under software advice.
