Best QR Code Menu Platforms in 2026, Compared

The best QR menu platforms in 2026 depend on what you need the menu to do: show dishes, take orders from the table, or run your whole online ordering. We compared eight popular tools on free plans, starting prices, PDF import, allergen labels, translations, ordering and payments, using only what each vendor states on its own website in October 2026.

Short answer: for the most generous free plan with ordering, look at MENU TIGER (75 orders a month free). For turning a PDF into a menu, Menubly and MenuHoster are the easiest starts. For allergen labels and many languages, FineDine is the strongest. For a full ordering website with loyalty, choose UpMenu. For a done-for-you, view-only menu, TableQR. And for low-cost table ordering in euros with allergens on every dish, 8 translation languages and Telegram order alerts, try Elegant Menu, the QR menu and ordering platform. GloriaFood is still free, but it reaches end of life on 30 April 2027.

Which are the best QR menu platforms in 2026?

The best QR menu platforms in 2026 are Elegant Menu, Menubly, MENU TIGER, MenuHoster, FineDine, UpMenu, TableQR and GloriaFood, each strongest at a different job. The table shows what each vendor states on its own pricing and feature pages; “not stated” means we could not find it there, not that the feature is missing.

Tool	Free plan	Starting price	PDF import	Allergens	Translations	Ordering	Payments
Elegant Menu	Yes: 6 categories × 15 items, 20 orders/month as a trial	€7/month, billed yearly (€84)	Yes, on Standard (€23.17/month, billed yearly)	Yes, on every dish	1 language on Basic, 8 on Standard	Yes, from the QR menu, with live order board and order-status page	Yes, 2% fee on Basic, 1.5% on Premium
Menubly	Yes, “free forever” mini website	$7.99/month, billed yearly ($9.99 monthly)	Yes (listed on Pro; FAQ offers free conversion)	Not stated	Not stated	Dine-in, pickup, delivery	Yes, zero commission
MENU TIGER	Yes, 75 orders/month, 1 store	US$17/month (500 orders)	Yes, per its own blog	Mentioned in its blog only	Yes, “any language”	QR ordering on all plans; table-based real-time ordering on Premium	Yes (Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Braintree), 0% commission
MenuHoster	Yes: 1K views, 3K scans per 30 days, 25 pickup orders/month	$19/month (intro: $9.49/month for 12 months after a 30-day trial)	Yes: PDF, image, text or URL	Not stated	9 languages, also on Free	Pay-at-pickup orders	Card payments on Pro via your own Stripe, 0% commission
FineDine	No (free trial)	$29/month, billed annually	Yes, AI detects items from your existing menu	Yes, allergen and nutrition labels on all plans	1 on Starter, multiple on higher plans; 44 supported	Dine-in QR, delivery and pickup (Starter: 20 tables, 1,000 orders/month)	Yes, Order & Pay
UpMenu	No (7-day trial)	$49/month per location for web ordering (75 orders); tableside module $19	Not stated	Not stated	Yes, multi-language	Online ordering, delivery, self-order and pay at the table	Yes, flat fee instead of commission
TableQR	No	$480/year per venue	Done for you, from paper, PDF, Excel or POS export	Yes, every major allergen	2 languages (4 on Concierge)	No, view-only menu	No
GloriaFood	Yes, unlimited orders, no commission	Free; card payments add-on US$29/month	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated for menus	Pickup, delivery, dine-in via table QR codes	Yes, with the paid add-on. Ends 30 April 2027

How we compared: in October 2026 we opened each vendor’s own pricing, feature and help pages and recorded only what they state. We did not use review sites for facts. Prices are as shown by the vendor, usually excluding VAT, and change often, so follow the links before you buy.

Which QR menu platform is best for your restaurant?

The right QR menu platform is the one that matches the job your menu has to do, so start from the need, not the brand. Here is how the eight tools line up.

• Best free plan with ordering: MENU TIGER, with 75 orders a month free. GloriaFood offers unlimited free orders today, but Oracle states it reaches end of life on 30 April 2027, so a new restaurant would have to move again within months.
• Best for turning a PDF into a menu: Menubly (its FAQ offers free PDF or photo conversion) and MenuHoster (accepts PDF, images, pasted text or a URL). Elegant Menu builds the menu from your PDF or photos on Standard.
• Best for allergen information and many languages: FineDine, with allergen and nutrition labels on all plans and 44 supported languages on its higher plans.
• Best all-in-one ordering system: UpMenu, which sells web ordering, tableside ordering, a website, loyalty and a branded app as modules.
• Best done-for-you menu: TableQR, where a person builds, translates and tags your menu. It does not take orders or payments.
• Best low-cost table ordering in euros: Elegant Menu, from €7 a month billed yearly, with allergen labels on every dish, a live order board and Telegram order alerts on Standard and Premium.

How to choose a QR menu platform in 5 steps

To choose a QR menu platform, decide whether guests will order, list the must-have features, price the plan you will actually need, test it on a real phone, and check how easily you can leave. Each step takes minutes and saves a costly switch later.

1. Decide: view-only menu or ordering?

A view-only menu replaces paper; an ordering menu replaces part of the waiter’s round. If staff take every order in person, TableQR or any free plan is enough. If you want guests to order and pay from the table, rule out view-only tools and compare order limits.

2. List your must-haves

Write down the three features you cannot run without. For most European restaurants these are allergen labels (the 14 allergens are a legal requirement in the EU; see our guide to allergen rules for menus), translations for tourists, and quick price changes. Bars and nightclubs often add fast table ordering; hotels add room numbers and several outlets, as in our room service menu guide.

3. Price the plan you will really use

Compare the plan that covers your monthly orders, not the cheapest plan on the page. Look for three things: order caps (MENU TIGER’s free plan stops at 75 a month, FineDine’s Starter at 1,000), per-location pricing (UpMenu and TableQR charge per venue), and payment fees on top of the subscription.

4. Test it on a guest’s phone

Build five dishes on the free plan or trial, print the QR code and scan it on an iPhone and an Android phone over mobile data. Check how fast it loads, whether allergens are visible without hunting, and how many taps an order takes. Our step-by-step guide on how to make a QR code menu covers code size and placement.

5. Check how easily you can leave

Use a QR code that points to a link you control, or one the platform keeps live, so a switch never means reprinting every table tent. Ask whether you can export your menu and order history. GloriaFood’s 2027 shutdown is a reminder that even a well-known free tool can end.

What does a QR menu platform cost per month?

A QR menu platform costs between nothing and about $50 a month for a single venue, before payment fees. Free plans cover a basic menu almost everywhere; you start paying when you want more orders, more languages, your own domain or no ads.

• Free: Elegant Menu, Menubly, MENU TIGER, MenuHoster and GloriaFood all have a free plan, with limits on items, views or orders.
• Under €10/$10 a month: Elegant Menu Basic (€7, billed yearly) and Menubly Pro ($7.99, billed yearly). MenuHoster Pro is $9.49 for the first 12 months, then $19.
• $17–$50 a month: MENU TIGER Regular ($17), Elegant Menu Standard (€23.17, billed yearly), FineDine Starter ($29, billed annually) and UpMenu web ordering ($49 per location).
• Paid yearly, done for you: TableQR at $480 a year per venue.

Remember the payment side too. Elegant Menu charges a 2% fee on online payments on Basic and 1.5% on Premium; MenuHoster and MENU TIGER take 0% commission but your payment provider still charges its own fees; GloriaFood charges US$29 a month for its card payment add-on. If you are setting prices, our food cost formula guide shows how to build fees into your menu prices.

Where does Elegant Menu fit, and where are others stronger?

Elegant Menu fits small and mid-sized restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels in Europe that want guests to order from a QR menu at a low monthly price, with allergens and translations built in. Guests order straight from the menu; orders land on a live board (Pending, Paid, Preparing, Ready), and each guest gets an order page that updates in real time.

• Free: 6 categories with 15 items each, item photos, QR code download and 20 orders a month as a trial.
• Basic, €7/month billed yearly: no ads, order management and analytics, 100 orders a month, online payments (2% fee), 1 translation language and a custom menu link.
• Standard, €23.17/month billed yearly: 1.5K orders, automatic receipt printing, a store news bar, menu creation from your PDF or photos, Telegram order updates for 2 users, 8 translation languages and a custom subdomain.
• Premium, €38.9/month billed yearly: 3K orders, online payments at 1.5%, colour customisation, Telegram for up to 7 users, API access and your own domain.

Where others are stronger: FineDine supports far more languages, UpMenu adds loyalty and a branded app, MENU TIGER allows more free orders, and Menubly and MenuHoster include PDF conversion on cheaper or free plans, while in Elegant Menu it starts on Standard. If you want someone to build the whole menu for you, TableQR is the only fully managed option here. Read more about adding languages or how to turn a PDF menu into a QR code.

What should you avoid when choosing a QR menu platform?

Avoid choosing on the free plan alone, because the limits that matter (orders, views, languages) usually sit one plan higher. Other common traps:

• Trial menus that expire. Some QR generators deactivate free codes after a trial, which breaks the code on every table.
• Prices in another currency. Most tools here price in US dollars and exclude VAT; compare in euros, including VAT, before you decide.
• Allergens as an afterthought. If a platform has no per-dish allergen field, staff end up answering every question at the table.
• Listicles written by a vendor. Many “best of” lists rank their own product first. Check every claim on the vendor’s own pricing page, as we did.

FAQ: best QR menu platforms

What is the best free QR menu platform?

For a free menu with ordering, MENU TIGER’s free plan allows 75 orders a month; for a free view-only menu with translations, MenuHoster includes 9 languages on Free. Elegant Menu, Menubly and GloriaFood also have free plans, but GloriaFood ends on 30 April 2027.

Which QR menu platform shows allergens?

Elegant Menu, FineDine and TableQR state allergen labels per dish on their own sites. Menubly, MenuHoster, UpMenu and GloriaFood did not mention allergens on the pages we checked, so ask them before you sign up.

Can guests order and pay from a QR menu?

Yes, on platforms with ordering such as Elegant Menu, MENU TIGER, FineDine, UpMenu, Menubly and GloriaFood. TableQR is view-only, and MenuHoster focuses on pay-at-pickup orders.

What happens to GloriaFood users in 2027?

GloriaFood states that it reaches end of life on 30 April 2027 and that Oracle offers no direct replacement. Current users should pick a new platform well before that date and plan to replace their QR codes if they point to GloriaFood.

How many languages can a QR menu have?

It depends on the plan: Elegant Menu offers 1 translation language on Basic and 8 on Standard, MenuHoster 9, TableQR 2 to 4, and FineDine supports 44 on its higher plans.

Try a QR menu with ordering for free

The fastest way to compare is to build your own menu and scan it. Create a free Elegant Menu account, add a few dishes with allergens, and put the QR code on one table this week.