What “commission-free” actually refers to
Commission-free almost always refers to direct orders — orders placed through your own website or app, not through a third-party marketplace. On a marketplace, the app takes a percentage of each order (commonly 15–30%). “Commission-free” means the software vendor doesn’t take that per-order cut on your direct orders.
It does not usually mean free. You’ll still typically pay a monthly software fee and standard payment-processing fees (roughly 2.6–2.9% + a fixed amount per card transaction, set by the payment processor, not the ordering vendor).
Read the fine print: which orders, which plans
The most important detail is scope. Some products are commission-free on pickup but still charge a percentage on delivery. Some are commission-free only on higher-priced plans, and charge a small percentage on cheaper tiers. Others are genuinely 0% across the board but recoup it in a higher monthly fee.
None of these are dishonest — but they’re very different deals depending on your order mix. A pickup-heavy restaurant benefits most from a plan where pickup is 0%; a delivery-heavy one needs to look hard at the delivery percentage, because that’s where its volume lives.
Do the math on your own numbers
The only way to compare is with your actual order mix. Take a typical month: how many pickup vs. delivery orders, at what average ticket? Multiply each vendor’s fees against those numbers and add the monthly cost. A “$0/month, small-percentage” plan can beat a “$150/month, 0%” plan — or lose to it — entirely depending on your volume.
Also weigh what you get back for going direct: you own the customer’s contact details, you can market to them, and you’re not dependent on a marketplace’s algorithm for visibility.