Better Cater vs Total Party Planner
Better Cater is catering management software that runs an event from inquiry to invoice off a single event record. Total Party Planner (TPP) is web-based catering management software. Both are listed under Catering Management Software. Where the profiles show a difference, it is in price, free trials and audience.
Key differences
price
The vendors price on different terms. Better Cater at USD 83 per month, billed annually; Total Party Planner at USD 119 per month. The amounts cannot be compared directly.
free trials
Better Cater offers a free trial. Total Party Planner does not.
audience
Audience differs between the profiles. Listed by one product alone: Better Cater: Wedding and event caterers; Total Party Planner: Caterers of any size.
integrations
Better Cater names 1 integration and Total Party Planner names 9 integrations. No partner appears in every list.
company background
By founding year, Better Cater (2011) and Total Party Planner (1997). By headquarters, Better Cater (San Francisco, United States) and Total Party Planner (Auburn, United States).
Side by side
| Field | Better Cater | Total Party Planner |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Better Cater is catering management software that runs an event from inquiry to invoice off a single event record. | Total Party Planner (TPP) is web-based catering management software. |
| Best for | Wedding and event caterers; Corporate and drop-off caterers; Restaurants and franchises adding catering; Food trucks and BBQ caterers | Caterers of any size; Venues, banquet facilities and event organisers; Universities, stadiums and arenas; Food trucks and restaurants with a catering arm |
| Pricing model | Subscription per location | Subscription per plan, plus per extra user |
| Starting price | USD 83 per month, billed annually | USD 119 per month |
| Free plan | Not published | No |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
| Contract | Month-to-month or annual | None for the software (month-to-month); TPP Pay is a one-year term |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Countries | United States | Not published |
| Languages | Not published | Not published |
| Number of integrations | 1 | 9 |
| Certifications | Not published | PCI compliant |
| Security practices | Firewall, 24/7 server surveillance and regular patching (no certification named) | Not published |
| Founded | 2011 | 1997 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | Auburn, United States |
| Owner | Not published | Not published |
| Last reviewed | 29 September 2026 | 29 September 2026 |
Integrations
No partner appears in every list.
Named only by Better Cater
- Swipesum
Named only by Total Party Planner
- ChefTec
- Fullsteam
- Google Calendar
- Mailchimp
- Nowsta
- Outlook
- prismm
- QuickBooks
- StaffMate
Which to choose
Better Cater
Choose Better Cater if you fit its listed audience: Wedding and event caterers; Corporate and drop-off caterers; Restaurants and franchises adding catering.
Total Party Planner
Choose Total Party Planner if you fit its listed audience: Caterers of any size; Venues, banquet facilities and event organisers; Universities, stadiums and arenas.
What we could not confirm
Better Cater
- Per-user fee amount
- Accounting, POS or other integrations
- Countries served and languages
- Team size, funding and legal registration
- Security certifications
- Whether online client payments are live in the new version (homepage says coming soon)
Total Party Planner
- Mobile companion app name and store listings
- Interface languages
- Employee count and funding
- Which countries the software itself is sold in (the vendor only says worldwide)
- Setup fee: pricing page ($299) and FAQ ($600 to $1,000) disagree
- The FAQ says TPP does not integrate with online ordering platforms, while the site sells TPP Order as its own add-on
Go further
Sources
Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.
Better Cater, reviewed 29 September 2026
- Homepage: features, pricing, FAQhttps://www.bettercater.com/
- Founder and historyhttps://www.bettercater.com/our-team/
- Payments through Swipesumhttps://www.bettercater.com/payments/
- Term, cancellation, governing lawhttps://www.bettercater.com/terms/
Total Party Planner, reviewed 29 September 2026
- Homepage and positioninghttps://totalpartyplanner.com/
- Features and integrationshttps://totalpartyplanner.com/features/
- Plans, prices, add-onshttps://totalpartyplanner.com/catering-software-pricing/
- FAQ: contract, fees, browsers, locationshttps://totalpartyplanner.com/catering-software-faq/
- TPP Pay, countries, PCIhttps://totalpartyplanner.com/tpp-pay-catering-software-payments/
- TPP Order add-onhttps://totalpartyplanner.com/catering-online-ordering-software-tpp-order/
- Company history and founderhttps://totalpartyplanner.com/catering-software-company/
- Onboarding optionshttps://totalpartyplanner.com/total-party-planner-onboarding-options/
- Customer nameshttps://totalpartyplanner.com/catering-success-stories-total-party-planner/
