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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.

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Overview

Carbonara is a waitlist and reservation app for restaurants with a free plan, a 14-day trial and paid plans from $9.99 a month. It runs on iOS and Android and texts guests when a table is ready.

Carbonara is a waitlist and reservation app for restaurants from Carbonara, Inc., a United States company with a Pittsburgh mailing address. Staff add a guest’s phone number from a smartphone or tablet, and the guest receives a text when the table is ready. Guests can also add themselves through a QR code or web link. The vendor lists online reservations, table assignment, wait time estimates and an app interface in eight languages.

Pricing is public. A Free plan covers 50 bookings a month, and paid plans are Starter ($9.99 a month), Light, Advanced, VIP and PX, with a 10 percent discount for annual billing. Tiers step up by booking volume and features, and deposits are limited to VIP and PX. Two-way SMS and WhatsApp are billed per use, with rates inside the Manager Portal. Ticket sales carry a fee of 2.95 to 3.95 percent depending on plan. Enterprise is a contact tier for 10 or more locations. The vendor says to subscribe through the web portal, because iOS in-app prices are higher.

Named integrations are Reserve with Google, a paid add-on, and WhatsApp messaging. No POS integration, marketplace listing or public API is recorded.

What the data shows

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; Chrome UX Report field data; domain registered 2019).
Buying style: Self-serve (public pricing; sign up without talking to sales; a custom or enterprise plan through sales).
App Store: the iOS app shows a 4.8 rating from 13 ratings. No Google Play rating is shown here.
Status page: none found. No changelog is published.
Compliance: no SOC 2 or HIPAA claim recorded.
Last verified 2026-09-30.

Pricing

Starting price: From $9.99 per month
Free plan: Yes
Free trial: 14-day free trial
Buying style: Self-serve
Contract: Monthly or annual

Source: vendor pricing page

Features

Feature	Supported	Source
Join the waitlist remotely	Yes	source
QR code check-in	Yes	source
SMS notifications	Yes	source
Two-way SMS	Yes	source
Wait time estimates	Yes	source
Reservations	Yes	source
Table management / floor map	Yes	source
Multi-language guest messages	Yes	source

Who it's for

Best for

Small, walk-in-heavy restaurants that want a waitlist from $9.99 a month with QR join and text alerts source
Venues serving guests in several languages, with an app in eight languages source
Restaurants that want online reservations and a free tier to try first source

Not ideal for

Groups that need to switch between venues without logging out, since multi-profile view is not built source
Buyers who need a fixed total cost, since two-way SMS and WhatsApp are billed per use source
Operators who need deposits on a lower plan, since deposits are VIP and PX only source

Pros and cons

Pros

Public pricing with a free plan of 50 bookings a month and a 14-day trial source
Records SMS notifications, two-way SMS and wait time estimates source
Records online reservations, table assignment and QR code check-in source
Records 25 iOS updates in the last 12 months and an Android update on 2026-09-21 source

Cons

Two-way SMS and WhatsApp rates are not on the public site source
Ticket sales carry a 3.95% fee on lower plans source
iOS in-app purchases cost more than the website price source
Whether a card is needed for the trial is not stated source

What reviewers mention

Staff find it quick to learn and use it from their own phones and tablets (positive) [1] [2]
Support is described as responsive, across reviews from 2025 and 2026 (positive) [1]
Older reviews note small phone interface issues, such as crowded text and alert banners (negative) [1] [2]

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 platform

Website: carbonaraapp.com
Headquarters: US
Integrations: Reserve with Google, Whatsapp
Domain registered: 2019

Frequently asked questions

How much does Carbonara cost?

Starter is $9.99 a month billed monthly, or $8.99 billed annually, for 100 bookings a month. Higher tiers are Light, Advanced, VIP and PX, and Enterprise is a contact form for groups with 10 or more locations.

Does Carbonara have a free plan?

Yes. The Free plan covers 50 bookings a month and includes all Starter features. A booking is any reservation, waitlist or call-ahead group.

Is there a free trial?

The pricing page offers a 2-week free trial. It does not say whether a card is required.

Does Carbonara support text messages?

Yes, with SMS and WhatsApp. Two-way messaging is paid per use at rates shown in the Manager Portal, which requires a login.

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