The short answer
Waitlist Me is a long-running waitlist and reservation app, first built for restaurants and now used by other businesses too. Walk-Ins Welcome is built for walk-in barbershops, salons and small clinics.
Waitlist Me's paid plans are low-cost and easy to start. Its free plan sends no notifications unless you add a prepaid balance, though. On Walk-Ins Welcome the free plan covers the whole walk-in, and your page shows you as taking walk-ins only after someone on your team taps "I'm here."
Side by side
| Walk-Ins Welcome | Waitlist Me | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: 500 finished visits a month per location | Yes; notifications need a prepaid balance |
| Paid plans | One plan, $39 per location a month (at launch) | Premium $34.99, Pro $59.99, Platinum $99.99 a month (less billed yearly) |
| Texts | 500 a month with the $39 plan (coming) | 1,000 on Premium, 2,500 on Pro, 5,000 on Platinum, then 2 cents each |
| Two-way texting | Not yet | Pro plan and up |
| Wait estimates | Free | Listed on every plan |
| When customers see "open" | Only after a team member taps "I'm here" | Not described on its pages |
| Customer app needed | No | No |
| Kiosk | Free | Yes |
| Waiting-room TV | Free | Not described on its pages |
| Free web page for your business | Yes, built from your Google listing | A public waitlist page |
| Restaurant tables and floor plans | No | Yes |
Walk-Ins Welcome prices are our launch plan. Waitlist Me facts are from its own pages on the date at the top.
Where Waitlist Me is stronger
- Restaurants and venues. Tables, floor plans and reservations are built in. Walk-Ins Welcome isn't made for restaurants.
- A low first paid step. Premium is $34.99 a month, or $27.99 billed yearly.
- Two-way texting is available today on Pro and up.
- Long-running. It has years of use behind it.
Where Walk-Ins Welcome is stronger
- The free plan does the whole job. Customers check in and follow their place on a live ticket page that shows when it's their turn, for free. Waitlist Me's free plan sends no notifications without a prepaid balance.
- "Open" means someone's there. Walk-Ins Welcome shows "taking walk-ins" only after a team member taps "I'm here," and stops when they close for the day.
- A waiting-room TV, free. Pair any TV and the line shows by ticket number.
- Built for shops and clinics, with a free storefront page designed for your type of business (at launch).
- Clinic tools when you need them, like intake forms, which we didn't find on Waitlist Me's pages.
Choose Waitlist Me if
- You run a restaurant or venue and need tables and reservations.
- You want two-way texting with customers today.
- You need a paid plan at the lowest price, yearly billing included.
Choose Walk-Ins Welcome if
- You're a barbershop, salon or clinic, not a restaurant.
- You want customers to see when it's their turn without paying for a plan.
- You want customers to see you as open only when someone is actually there.
Walk-Ins Welcome is opening soon. See how other apps compare, or leave your email below and we'll tell you the day it opens.
Sources
- Waitlist Me pricing
- Waitlist Me premium features
- Waitlist Me FAQ (no app needed for guests)
- Waitlist Me help: the 100-party limit (free plan)
