Dojo or Tablein: Which Should You Choose?

Choosing the right restaurant reservation system is bound to transform both your daily operations and the guest experience. 

While Dojo and Tablein take slightly different approaches, each offers a mix of essential and advanced features at accessible pricing. 

But as they say, the devil is in the details, and with this side-by-side comparison, you’ll get a better sense of which system aligns best with your restaurant’s needs.

Key Features Comparison

For starters, we’ll take a closer look at the two reservation management platforms’ core features.

Online Bookings

Modern reservation systems let guests book anytime while reducing manual work for staff and boosting operational predictability.

Dojo’s online system supports reservation and walk-in management, enables automatic seating, and increases exposure to nearby guests using a dedicated Dojo diner app.

Guests can see all available time slots at a glance, along with urgency messages like “Only 1 left” that prompt quicker confirmations.

Source: Dojo

While Dojo outlines that you can accept bookings from Google or the restaurant website, there are no details on widget integration, customization, branding, or multilingual support. 

The newly introduced Dojo Experiences feature gives you more control over event-style reservations, whether they’re standard or limited-time offerings.

By setting the event name, description, duration, and deposit rules, you can create wine tastings or chef dinners in just a couple of steps.

Source: Dojo

Keep in mind that Dojo serves multiple sectors, from hospitality to retail and healthcare, which means fewer restaurant-specific options. 

Tablein, on the other hand, is built specifically for restaurants.

The platform gives guests a clean, intuitive, and branded booking experience, with instant confirmations and the ability to join a waitlist if a desired time slot is full. 

Source: Tablein

While Dojo’s interface gives you some flexibility, Tablein offers superior widget customization options.

You can opt for a lighter look or add a detailed booking policy and tags for special requests while tailoring the widget to your brand through brand colors and custom backgrounds.

Moreover, Tablein provides several predefined themes that match specific aesthetics.

Source: Tablein

Even more importantly for global or tourist-heavy restaurants, Tablein provides booking options in over 20 different languages, from major European languages to Arabic and Chinese.

Reservation Management

When it comes to reservation management, Dojo delivers all of the essentials.

As you can see below, staff can easily check reservations, make changes, and identify available time slots thanks to multiple views and a conveniently placed overview of all parties and tables.

Source: Dojo on YouTube

And if your team needs to focus just on what’s immediately relevant, Dojo’s compact view allows them to narrow the display to current and upcoming reservations, minimizing on-screen clutter.

Tablein’s calendar tool also prioritizes ease of use.

Thanks to a clean and intuitive interface, even your least tech-savvy staff can start managing reservations with minimal training. 

You can see available, booked, and pending slots at a glance, but also zoom in on customer details, booking times, special requests, and payment statuses as needed.

Moreover, everything is color-coded for easier navigation and quicker decision-making.

Source: Tablein

Tablein’s Dark Mode interface helps reduce eye strain and make critical details pop out, which is especially useful for dimly lit environments, late-evening service, or staff working long shifts.

Currently, Dojo doesn’t offer a comparable dark-theme UI option, which may matter for restaurants operating primarily during dinner hours or with low-light ambiance.

Table Management

When it comes to table management, visual table layouts are essential for optimizing seating and seeing the dining room at a glance. 

Dojo provides a practical floor plan view powered by drag-and-drop capabilities and smart table allocation.

In other words, the system automatically assigns guests to the most suitable table based on party size, existing reservations, timing, and operational rules, thereby reducing manual adjustments for front-of-house staff.

Source: Dojo on YouTube

However, you can always do the fine-tuning yourself. 

Dojo’s solution makes it easy to set minimum and maximum guest numbers or adjust seating durations per table to help maximize turnover during peak hours.

With Tablein, you can count on similar capabilities and slightly more control when designing and adapting restaurant layouts. 

In addition to the drag-and-drop editor, automatic grouping, and unlimited dining areas, you can label tables with custom names, which is ideal for identifying VIP areas, booth zones, bar seating, or specific patio tables. 

Source: Tablein

Another useful feature is the ability to temporarily hide certain areas, such as outdoor seating during winter or private rooms during restricted-access events. 

That way, your staff won’t accidentally assign guests to spaces that aren’t in use. 

Moreover, Tablein will soon enable users to customize hours by layout or area, adding further precision to availability management.

Guest Profiles and CRM

Neither solution currently offers a dedicated customer relationship management (CRM) system, but you won’t have to worry about keeping track of your guests.

For starters, Dojo offers a solid guest database for recording dietary requirements, dining preferences, and visit history, with key information on no-shows immediately on display.

Source: Dojo

Each attribute can also be assigned a color-coded tag for different allergies and accessibility considerations, making it easier for staff to see key information when checking each entry or specific reservation.

Source: Dojo

Without CRM and external integrations, the marketing opportunities and targeted communications are generally very limited, but that’s not the key issue.

As one reviewer notes, contact details and other data can’t be exported and used outside the platform, thereby eroding efficiency and guest engagement.

Meanwhile, Tablein’s current system allows restaurants to capture essential guest insights in a printable, organized database. 

Staff can access reservation history and easily segment audiences thanks to extensive tag management and guest category options.

Source: Tablein

Collected insights can be quickly pulled into reports for analysis, helping your restaurant tailor offers and special events that can be promoted directly through the booking interface.

In other words, you get a practical workaround until a full CRM becomes available.

Analytics and Reporting

Robust analytics are essential because they inform staffing levels, promotional timing, menu optimization, and long-term forecasting. 

Dojo offers essential operational reporting, with a dashboard that visually highlights peak days, booking types (walk-ins vs reservations), and cancellation patterns, including when these tend to occur.

Source: Dojo on YouTube

Outside of core guest habits, Dojo’s data approach is relatively finance-leaning. 

With near-instant access to complete transactions and several dedicated reports, restaurants can more easily grasp which sales channels and time periods drive revenue.

This translates to better price or staffing adjustments, as well as improved understanding of cash flow.

On the other hand, Tablein’s analytics lean more toward guest-centric performance and behavioral insights.

You can view total visits over time, engagement across booking hours, and quickly access recent feedback, while clean visualizations ensure that all your staff can interpret data with minimal analysis.

Source: Tablein

Furthermore, tags and filters allow users to zoom into key guest segments, be it VIPs, regulars, critics, or tourists, and trace common points in terms of behaviors and overall satisfaction.

Source: Tablein

And because Tablein supports widget-level performance tracking via Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel, restaurants can measure which marketing campaigns actually convert into bookings.

This, in turn, enables more targeted outreach and better return on promotional spending.

Mobile Usability

With many diners booking on the go, and staff relying on smaller devices during service hours, mobile usability matters.

As such, Dojo offers a dedicated app for consumers to book tables and join virtual queues, discover new dining experiences, and access exclusive offers.

Source: App Store

A highly rated proprietary app like Dojo’s has several strengths, most notably frequent touchpoints and upgradeable features, but it can also introduce friction.

Case in point are some of the most recent reviews on Google Play, highlighting issues such as login errors, booking glitches, as well as the fact that managing reservations requires app installation.

Source: Google Play

Tablein takes the opposite approach. 

Instead of an app, it provides a fully responsive web-based experience on any device with no downloads or setup required. 

Any browser will do to make a booking, which creates a simple, more intuitive experience for all your guests, but especially casual diners, tourists, and one-time visitors.

Fast load times and a clean UI also benefit staff.

Managers and hosts can check availability, add reservations, and monitor waitlists directly from their mobile phones.

Source: Tablein

In short, Dojo provides a feature-rich and guest-oriented app environment, whereas Tablein’s browser-first model prioritizes immediate, seamless access for both diners and staff.

Available Integrations

Integrations dictate how easily your restaurant’s systems communicate across payments, marketing, and customer-facing touchpoints.

Compared to Tablein, Dojo provides superior payment-focused integrations, supported by a suite of payment products for in-person card processing, online payments, and mobile checkout.

Source: Dojo

Of course, not all available hardware is necessary for a restaurant business, but one very practical option is QR-code-based payments.

That way, guests can pay, tip, and leave a Google review all in one go. 

But beyond payments, Dojo’s ecosystem grows thinner, most notably when it comes to social media integrations and third-party data connections.

Meanwhile, Tablein’s payment options are simpler and fewer, but are clearly communicated to guests during the booking flow, along with prepayment or deposit requirements.

Source: Tablein

However, the point where Tablein truly excels is marketing and web connectivity. 

Restaurants can integrate the widget with WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Weebly, and the like, and accept bookings directly through Facebook, Instagram, Google, or even Michelin.

Source: Tablein

The setup itself won’t take more than a few minutes. 

And for restaurants that want to attract more diners by creating or updating their website, Tablein also offers a lightweight website builder for aesthetically pleasing, yet easy-to-navigate pages.

Customer Support Differences

Responsive customer support and a variety of contact options ensure timely guidance even in the face of challenging technical issues.

Dojo provides 7-day technical support via live chat from 8 am to 11 pm for its payments ecosystem and related platform usage.

While availability is limited, several Trustpilot reviewers praised Dojo’s account manager model and specific representatives for their attentiveness and effective trouble-solving.

For basic troubleshooting, you can also access practical guides through the Dojo Help Center.

Source: Dojo

But when it comes to availability, Tablein has a decisive edge: restaurants can access 24/7 online chat support or request email assistance even during late-night services or weekends. 

Phone support is also available in certain regions.

While Tablein provides structured onboarding, helping your team configure layouts, tags, and booking rules properly, you can always access the self-service portal for detailed step-by-step guides.

Source: Tablein

This documentation itself is tailored to real hospitality workflows, rather than generic SME usage.

User Feedback and Reviews

Paying attention to user feedback reveals the software’s practical strengths and potential pain points based on how it performed in real-world settings.

Dojo has a 4.3-star rating on Trustpilot from around 5,000 reviews, though most standout ratings focus on payment processing rather than the booking system.

Source: Trustpilot

Restaurants often notice an immediate increase in bookings, but some users report glitches with booking times or issues related to the app.

Source: Trustpilot

Restaurants often notice an immediate increase in bookings, motivating ongoing loyalty.

Tablein has fewer reviews on Trustpilot, and its rating is influenced by weighted scoring.

Still, all feedback is recently shared and is overwhelmingly positive, with users highlighting ease of use and an intuitive interface.

Source: Trustpilot

Tablein’s Capterra ratings confirm this, with universally praised areas that include usability, value for money, and customer service.

Source: Capterra

Overall, user feedback suggests that both Dojo and Tablein increase operational efficiency while reducing burden and enhancing guest experience.

Pricing and Subscription Plans

Dojo’s pricing and fees are flexible based on your chosen solutions, but not fully transparent. 

Most notably, there’s no universal “booking‑system” subscription, and their publicly available pricing focuses on Dojo’s payment hardware.

For payment devices, businesses can either pay monthly (from £15/month) or purchase outright (from £79), with pricing depending on turnover volume.

Source: Dojo

However, there are two notable benefits to choosing Dojo.

If you’re switching from another provider, the company may contribute £500–£3,000 toward cancellation fees, depending on the plan you’ve selected. 

And thanks to their 30-day free trial, users have plenty of time to thoroughly test out all features.

Tablein, on the other hand, provides fully transparent subscription plans with no hidden fees.

Setup and integration costs are automatically included in the price, which means you need only a stable internet connection to freely implement Tablein with existing devices.

Starting at €67, all three Tablein plans include identical features. The only difference is in the volume of reservations. 

Source: Tablein

Namely, the Standard plan includes 150 reservations, with each additional reservation costing €0.3, while the Success plan offers unlimited reservations.

It’s also important to note that Tablein offers tiered discounts to match the growth of your business, scaling from €10 to €30 off per location.

A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required, and you can sign up here.

Conclusion

Both Dojo and Tablein provide robust tools for managing reservations, optimizing seating, and enhancing the guest experience.

And yet, their strengths appeal to different priorities. 

Dojo excels in payment processing and multi-sector versatility, while Tablein delivers plenty of branding options, multilingual support, and seamless integrations. 

To make a well-informed choice, consider different factors like team workflow, guest interface, scalability, and pricing scheme.

Remember, selecting the right system brings you one step closer to smoother operations, happier guests, and smarter business decisions.