Comparison · Food deliveryBobby vs ChowNow
A fair look at two commission-free approaches, not a hit piece. The ChowNow figures come from its own site; Bobby is pre-launch. Both sidestep the 15-30% commission of the big apps.
Pricing sourced July 2026 · Pre-launch comparison
In short
Both Bobby and ChowNow are commission-free; the mechanism is what differs. ChowNow charges a $249 to $449 monthly subscription for ordering on your own site; Bobby's plan is a flat $2 per order in a marketplace with no subscription. High steady volume favours the subscription, variable volume favours per-order.
ChowNow vs a flat fee, side by side
| ChowNow | Bobby (pre-launch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee model | Monthly subscription (commission-free) | Flat fee per order (commission-free) |
| What the restaurant pays | $249 to $449 per month | Flat $2 per order |
| Commission on orders | None on direct orders | None |
| Best for | High direct-order volume on your own site | Pay-per-order with no fixed monthly cost |
The math at different sizes
ChowNow's $349 subscription is a fixed monthly cost, so a flat $2 per order comes out cheaper until volume climbs past roughly 175 orders a month. Past that, spreading the subscription starts to win per order.
| Orders per month | ChowNow | Bobby (flat) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 orders/month | $349/mo (about $6.98 per order) | $100 ($2 per order) |
| 175 orders/month | $349/mo (about $1.99 per order) | $350 ($2 per order) |
| 500 orders/month | $349/mo (about $0.70 per order) | $1,000 ($2 per order) |
ChowNow drops commission by charging a monthly fee for your own ordering channel. Bobby drops it by charging a flat $2 per order in a marketplace, with no monthly cost. Either way the restaurant ends up far better off than under a percentage commission.
The crossover point is volume. At hundreds of steady orders a month, spreading a subscription can beat $2 per order; at lower or uneven volume, a flat per-order fee costs less and carries no fixed monthly bill. We would rather you pick the right one than oversell ours.