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Carbonara
Waitlist and reservation app for restaurants: staff add a guest's phone number, the guest gets a text, and it runs on any smartphone.
Carbonara
- Starting price
- Free plan · From $9.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial
- Last checked
- Update activity
- Active
- Market presence
- Established
Overview
Carbonara is a waitlist and reservation app that runs on any smartphone. Staff or guests add a phone number, the guest gets a text, and a free plan covers 50 bookings a month.
Buying style: Self-serve How we compare
On a busy Friday you want two things from a waitlist: a fast way to add a party and a way to reach them. In Carbonara, a host types in a guest’s phone number, or the guest scans a QR code at the entrance or uses a web link from your site. The wait estimate goes into the text, and pressing Notify sends the guest back to the door when their table opens.
The app runs on any smartphone, so a host or manager can carry the list around the floor. You can assign waiting parties to tables, and online reservations sit in the same app. Two-way SMS and WhatsApp let guests answer, and the interface comes in eight languages, including Spanish, French, Italian and German.
Pricing is public and self-serve. A Free plan allows 50 bookings a month, and Starter, the lowest paid plan with the waitlist, is $9.99 monthly or $8.99 billed annually for 100 bookings. Light, Advanced, VIP and PX climb from there, and Enterprise is a contact tier for groups with 10 or more locations. Texts beyond the basics are metered separately, so your real cost depends on how many messages you send. No POS link is recorded; Reserve with Google and WhatsApp are the named integrations.
The numbers behind the labels
- Update activity is Active. The iOS app shipped 25 updates in the past year, and the Android app was last updated on 2026-09-21.
- Market presence is Established. The website ranks 2,194,916 on Tranco, the Android app shows 10K+ installs, the site appears in Chrome UX Report field data, and the domain dates from 2019.
- Buying style is Self-serve. Prices are public and you can sign up on your own. For groups with 10 or more locations, there is an enterprise plan through sales.
- App stores: iOS 4.8 from 13 ratings; Android 4.4 with 10K+ installs.
- Status page: none found.
Pricing
- Pricing
- Free plan · From $9.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial
- Contract
- Monthly or annual
Source: vendor pricing page
Features
Who it's for
Best for
Pros and cons
Pros
- A Free plan with 50 bookings a month includes all Starter features source
- Paid plans start at $9.99 monthly, or $8.99 with annual billing source
- Guests can join by QR code or web link, and get a text when you press Notify source
- Table assignment shows where waiting parties will be seated source
- A 2-week free trial is offered source
What reviewers mention
Update activity and company
- Update activity
- Active
- 25 iOS updates in the last 12 months
- Android app last updated 2026-09-21
- Last update 2026-09-21
- Market presence
- Established
- Tranco rank 2,194,916
- 10K+ Google Play installs
- Has Chrome UX Report field data
- Domain registered 2019
- Buying style
- Self-serve
- Public pricing
- Sign up without talking to sales
- Custom or enterprise plan through sales
App Store rating: 4.8 from 13 ratings (Apple, checked 2026-09-30).
Google Play: 10K+ installs, last updated 2026-09-21.
How these labels are calculated
Company and setup
- Website
- carbonaraapp.com
- Headquarters
- US
- Integrations
- Reserve with Google, Whatsapp
- Domain registered
- 2019
Frequently asked questions
How does Carbonara notify a waiting party?
You press Notify and the guest receives a text telling them to come back to be seated. For waitlist parties the message must include the restaurant name and the estimated wait.
What counts as a booking on the free plan?
The pricing page counts any reservation, waitlist entry or call-ahead group as one booking, however many people are in it. Free allows 50 a month.
Does Carbonara take reservations too?
Yes. The FAQ says online reservations are offered with no per-booking fee, and Reserve with Google is a separate paid add-on.
Alternatives
6 of 28 other apps: the next ones in alphabetical order.
-
CoverManager
Reservation system for restaurants and venues, with a virtual waitlist (OnTheGo) for walk-ins.
Book a demo for pricing
Moderate Established
-
Crunchtime Host
Host-stand software for restaurant brands with table management, wait-time tools and two-way SMS that tells guests their table is ready.
Book a demo for pricing
Active Established
-
Eat App
Restaurant reservation and table management software with a waitlist that sends custom SMS alerts and runs on iPad, mobile and desktop.
From $99 per month
Active Established
-
Hostme
Restaurant reservation, table management and waitlist software with guestbook, event and marketing tools for single venues and groups.
From $109 per month
Moderate Established
-
Libro
Restaurant reservation and guest management platform, now part of OpenTable, with a digital waitlist and table optimization tools.
Book a demo for pricing
Low Growing
-
NextMe
Virtual waitlist and queue management app with SMS notifications and a virtual waiting room for walk-in businesses.
Free plan · From $59.99 per month
Active Established
Sources
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/
- https://carbonaraapp.com/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/waitlist/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/pricing/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/faq/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/manager-resources/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/ordering/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/terms/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/terms-of-sale/
- https://www.carbonaraapp.com/privacy-policy/