sunday or WaiterPilot: paying faster or ordering faster?
Similar price, different jobs. sunday fits better if the slow part is the bill: guests scan, split, tip and pay on their phone, from $199 a month. WaiterPilot fits if the slow part is ordering: guests ask and order by chat, for $200 per location per month, with no payments. sunday facts as of 15 Oct 2026.
Updated
How do sunday and WaiterPilot compare?
sunday is a payment product that also sells ordering and handhelds. WaiterPilot is an ordering product that takes no payment.
| WaiterPilot | sunday | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Ordering by conversation at the table, plus waiter calls, check requests and a live bill. | sunday Pay ("Scan, split, tip, pay"), sunday Ordering (scan to order, reorder, pay) and Smart Handhelds. |
| Ordering style | Guests chat in their own words from the table QR. It answers from your menu, asks for required choices and the guest confirms an order card. Staff confirm each table's first order. | Scan to order and reorder; how guests order is not described further on the pages we read. |
| AI | The chat is the product: answers from your menu, in the guest's language. | A "sunday AI" suite, including AI Menu, AI Tips, AI Reconciliation and AI Online reputation. |
| Guest languages | The chat answers in the language the guest writes in (tested in English, Arabic and Spanish). Buttons are in English or Arabic. | Not stated. The site has US, France and UK versions. |
| Payments and tips | None. Guests see a live bill with tax and any service charge or gratuity you set, split it evenly or see their own share, and pay your staff. There is no guest tip feature. | Yes: guests split, tip and pay on their phone. Processing fees are not stated on the pricing page. |
| POS | No POS or printer link. Orders appear on WaiterPilot's staff board and kitchen screen; staff enter the sale in your till. | Shows logos for NCR VOYIX, Clover, Toast, Lightspeed, Micros, Paytronix, COMO, OLO and Thanx. |
| Hardware | None to buy. Guests use their phones; staff use phones or tablets you already have. | Smart Handhelds are offered. |
| Published price | $200 per location per month after 30 days free, or $2,000 per location per year. | Standard $199 a month, Premium $299 a month. Per location: not stated. |
| Extras | None: QR cards, menu loading and staff training are free. | "Q.R. Code $5 / QR code"; physical onboarding "Optional $299". |
| Commission and contract | 0% commission, no contract. | Not stated on the pricing page. |
"Not stated" means we could not find it on sunday's pages, not that sunday lacks it. Ask sunday.
What would each cost a 12-table restaurant?
On published prices, sunday Standard and WaiterPilot are within $1 a month of each other. The extras and payment processing make the difference.
Example. Casa Olivo (an example, not a customer) has 12 tables and one location. Prices as published on 15 October 2026.
sunday Standard: $199 a month, plus 12 QR codes at $5 each ($60; the page doesn't say whether that is once or recurring), plus optional physical onboarding at $299. That is $199 to $558 in the first month, before processing fees on each payment, which the pricing page doesn't state.
WaiterPilot: $0 for the first 30 days, then $200 a month, or $2,000 a year. QR cards, menu loading and staff training are free. There are no processing fees from WaiterPilot because it takes no payment; guests pay on the terminal you already have, at your current rates.
The two buy different things. sunday's price includes taking the payment; WaiterPilot's includes taking the order. Our cost calculator helps you price the ordering side.
When is sunday the better choice?
When the wait that annoys your guests is the wait to pay.
- Tables sit waiting for the check and the card machine. sunday lets guests split, tip and pay on their phone. WaiterPilot sends a check request to staff, but staff still take the payment.
- You want guests to tip from their phone. sunday includes tipping. WaiterPilot has no guest tip feature, only the tax, service or gratuity charges you set.
- You want handheld devices for staff. sunday sells Smart Handhelds. WaiterPilot runs on phones or tablets you already have and sells no hardware.
- Payments must flow through your POS. sunday shows logos for NCR VOYIX, Clover, Toast, Lightspeed and Micros. WaiterPilot has no POS link.
- You want a large, established vendor. sunday says it is "Trusted by 5,000+ restaurants". WaiterPilot has no published customer references yet.
When does WaiterPilot fit better?
When the wait that annoys your guests is the wait to order, or when they don't read your menu's language.
- Guests wait too long to order. Guests ask about dishes and order by chat from the table QR, without waiting for a server. See how it works.
- Many guests don't read your menu's language. The chat answers in the language the guest writes in, from your own menu. See multilingual ordering.
- You want guests to call a waiter from their phone. Guests call a waiter or ask for the check from the chat screen, and it appears on the floor screen within seconds. The check request asks cash or card, so the waiter brings the card machine.
- You don't want to pay for QR codes or onboarding. WaiterPilot prints your QR cards and sets you up for free.
- You want to keep your payment setup as it is. WaiterPilot doesn't touch payments, so your terminal, processor and rates stay the same.
Questions about sunday and WaiterPilot
Is sunday an ordering system or a payment system?
Both, with payment first: sunday sells sunday Pay (scan, split, tip, pay), sunday Ordering and Smart Handhelds. WaiterPilot is an ordering system that takes no payment.
How much does sunday cost?
On 15 October 2026 sunday's pricing page showed Standard at $199 a month and Premium at $299 a month, QR codes at $5 each and optional physical onboarding at $299. It did not say whether prices are per location, or state processing fees.
Is WaiterPilot cheaper than sunday?
About the same: WaiterPilot is $200 per location per month after 30 days free, against sunday Standard's $199 a month. WaiterPilot's QR cards and setup are free, and it has no processing fees because it takes no payment. sunday's price includes taking the payment.
Can guests tip with WaiterPilot?
No. WaiterPilot has no guest tip feature; the live bill shows only the tax, service or gratuity charges the restaurant sets. sunday includes tipping on the guest's phone.
Can a restaurant use sunday and WaiterPilot together?
They do different jobs, but nothing connects them and we have not tested them together. WaiterPilot orders reach your POS only when staff enter them, so ask sunday how its bill is built first.
Did you test sunday?
No. We compared what sunday publishes on its own site, as of 15 October 2026. We did not sign up or ask for a quote.