Best Excellent Alternatives in 2026
The top Excellent alternatives are CaterOps, Curate and Catertoo: 15 restaurant catering software our editors would look at instead of Excellent, in our ranking order.
Excellent: A broad, AI-assisted catering platform built for multi-location restaurant operators. Where it falls short: annual pricing starts at $300 per location monthly.
Switching from Excellent? For most restaurant catering software buyers the best Excellent alternative is CaterOps, built for budget-conscious caterers needing full workflows. On a budget, Catertoo starts at $29/mo, against $300/site/mo for Excellent.
Why People Look for an Excellent Alternative
- Annual pricing starts at $300 per location monthly
- Monthly pricing is $360 per location monthly
- The platform is available on the web only
- No free plan — 4 of the alternatives below have it
- Paid from $300/mo — Catertoo is $29/mo
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallCaterOps9.4
Budget-conscious caterers needing full workflows
Visit CaterOps - Lowest priceCatertoo9.0
Paid plans from $29/mo
Visit Catertoo - Best free optionCaterOps9.4
Has a free plan (Excellent has none)
Visit CaterOps
All 15 Excellent Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forBudget-conscious caterers needing full workflows
- Better than Excellent:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.4 vs 6.6
A low-cost, workflow-focused system for managing catering events end to end.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
9.4/10★★★★★Visit CaterOps -
Best forGrowing caterers needing broad integrations
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 6.6
A broad catering operations platform with strong integrations and sales-led pricing.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Curate -
Best forSmall caterers wanting affordable all-in-one software
- Better than Excellent:
- Free plan
- Paid from: $29/mo vs $300/mo
- Editor score 9.0 vs 6.6
A practical browser-based suite for managing catering sales, events, payments, and staffing.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Catertoo -
Best forCaterers wanting free-to-paid workflow coverage
- Better than Excellent:
- Free plan
- Editor score 8.9 vs 6.6
A broad web-based catering workflow with free entry and structured paid tiers.
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
- Catering order management
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Puree -
Best forEstablished teams needing connected event operations
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 8.8 vs 6.6
A connected event and catering operations hub for established hospitality teams.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forMature caterers needing deep operational controls
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 8.7 vs 6.6
A mature catering suite with deep controls for events, menus, staffing, and operations.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Caterease -
Best forEstablished caterers needing broad integrations
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 8.6 vs 6.6
A broad event and catering operations suite for established teams.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forMulti-location caterers with ordering operations
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 8.5 vs 6.6
A broad web-based suite for ordering, production, delivery, billing, and multi-location catering.
- Proposal builder
- Catering order management
- Payment processing
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Spoonfed -
Best forCaterers needing delivery and marketing tools
- Better than Excellent:
- Paid from: $179/mo vs $300/mo
- Editor score 8.4 vs 6.6
A broad catering operations suite for teams that need delivery and marketing workflows.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit CaterZen -
Best forSmall teams needing affordable event operations
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 8.3 vs 6.6
Portara brings catering sales, operations, staffing, purchasing, and payments into one web app.
- Contract signing
- Staff scheduling
- Proposal builder
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Portara -
Best forCaterers focused on proposals and event finance
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 8.2 vs 6.6
A broad catering operations system for proposals, event finance, and production paperwork.
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Better Cater -
Best forSmall teams centered on BEO production
- Better than Excellent:
- Free plan
- Editor score 8.1 vs 6.6
A focused web tool for producing catering documents and tracking event details.
- Contract signing
- Proposal builder
- Catering order management
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit BEO HQ -
Best forVenues managing events and guest communications
- Better than Excellent:
- Paid from: $59/mo vs $300/mo
- Editor score 8.0 vs 6.6
A full event-management stack for venues coordinating bookings, documents, payments, and teams.
- Proposal builder
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Perfect Venue -
Best forMulti-location venues needing event sales tools
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.6
A broad event sales and operations platform for multi-location hospitality teams.
- Proposal builder
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Tripleseat -
Best forHotels using an integrated sales and catering suite
- Better than Excellent:
- Editor score 7.8 vs 6.6
A full event-sales suite for hotels already operating in the Agilysys ecosystem.
- Contract signing
- Proposal builder
- Catering order management
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Agilysys
Excellent Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Excellent?
CaterOps: #1 in our Restaurant Catering Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A low-cost, workflow-focused system for managing catering events end to end.
Is there a free alternative to Excellent?
Yes. CaterOps, Catertoo, Puree and BEO HQ have a free plan or a free tier.
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Excellent?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Catertoo starts lowest, at $29/mo.
Why do people look for Excellent alternatives?
Annual pricing starts at $300 per location monthly; Monthly pricing is $360 per location monthly; The platform is available on the web only.
How do I switch from Excellent?
Export your data from Excellent (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Excellent.
How to Switch from Excellent
- Export your data from Excellent (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Excellent.
Excellent vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Proposal builder | Contract signing | Menu management | Catering order management | Staff scheduling | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Excellent | No | $300/site/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.6 | |
| 1 | CaterOps | Yes | $3/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Curate | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | |
| 3 | Catertoo | Yes | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | Puree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 | ||
| 5 | Event Booking Engines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 | ||
| 6 | Caterease | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 7 | Total Party Planner | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 8 | Spoonfed | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 | ||||
| 9 | CaterZen | No | $179/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 |
| 10 | Portara | No | $504/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 11 | Better Cater | No | 8.2 | ||||||
| 12 | BEO HQ | Yes | $190/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 8.1 |
| 13 | Perfect Venue | No | $59/mo | Yes | 8.0 | ||||
| 14 | Tripleseat | Yes | 7.9 | ||||||
| 15 | Agilysys Sales & Catering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update