Compare — argued fairly
Eightish vs Collins
Collins, part of the Access Group, is venue software before it is restaurant software. It is built around enquiries, function packages, pre-orders and deposits — the shape of a bar or event space. If your evening is sixty covers turning twice, that is a different shape.
Side by side
| Eightish | Collins | |
|---|---|---|
| Listed price | Free plan, then £69–£249/mo flat, published. | Priced on application through Access, usually with an annual term. |
| Built around | Table turns: availability, covers, service times and the floor plan. | Enquiries and events: packages, pre-orders, deposits, function spaces. |
| Best fit | Food-led independents doing repeat covers from a local guest base. | Bars, clubs, private dining and event spaces where each booking is negotiated. |
| Deposits | Supported where you want them — typically large parties and peak dates. | Central to the product, and genuinely strong. |
| Filling quiet nights | Autopilot offers held tables to overdue regulars on the quietest night ahead. | Enquiry management — it works the demand that arrives rather than creating it. |
| Guest memory | Phone-keyed Guest Graph: visit rhythm, preferences, no-show history on tonight’s book. | Strong records against enquiries and events. |
Researched September 2026 from published pricing and public product documentation. Vendors change terms without notice; check anything that would decide your purchase. Corrections welcome, including from Collins: hello@eightish.co.uk.
Which one is right for your restaurant
When Collins is the right choice
Your bookings are negotiations. Christmas parties, private dining rooms, drinks packages, pre-orders taken weeks ahead and deposits chased. Collins is designed for that world and a restaurant system will fight you in it. If most of your revenue arrives as an enquiry rather than a table for four at eight, buy Collins.
When Eightish is
Your bookings are tables. Someone wants two at eightish on Thursday, and the job is to seat them, remember them, and get them back. Eightish is built for that single loop and priced for a single room, with reminders included and a published price you can read without a sales call.
What to check before you switch
Most of the regret in this category comes from three things nobody asks about on the demo call. Whichever way you go between Eightish and Collins, ask these before you sign anything.
Is SMS included or metered?
Text reminders are the single most effective thing any booking system does about no-shows, and they are frequently sold as a separate bundle. Ask what 500 reminders a month costs. On Eightish, confirmations and reminders are included on every paid plan up to your cover band.
Can you get your guest list out?
Ask specifically: can you export every guest record, with phone numbers and visit history, in one click, without asking permission — including on the day you leave? If the answer involves a support ticket, that is a lock-in you will feel later.
What is the contract term?
Annual lock-ins are still common. A monthly rolling term is worth real money, because the honest test of a booking system is whether you would still choose it in March. Eightish is monthly, and the free plan needs no card at all.
Moving your diary across
Switching sounds worse than it is, and the diary is the part people fear. We do that part for you: export your guest list and forward bookings from Collins, and on a single 45-minute setup call we load them, build your floor plan to match the room, set your service times and hand you the booking page for your website. Your regulars are recognised from the first service rather than starting from an empty database, and your guests notice nothing except a faster booking page that does not ask them to create an account.
If you would rather look before you talk to anyone, the free plan needs no card and no call. How switching works has the detail, and our comparison of twelve UK booking systems covers the wider field if Collins and Eightish are not the only two on your list.
Common questions
What is Collins used for?
Collins is venue and event management software from the Access Group, built around enquiries, function bookings, packages, pre-orders and deposits. It is most commonly used by bars, clubs, private dining rooms and event spaces rather than by table-turning restaurants.
Is Collins good for a small restaurant?
It is usually more product than a small restaurant needs. A 60-cover dining room whose bookings are mostly tables of two to six will pay for enquiry and event machinery it never opens. A restaurant-shaped system such as Eightish, Resos or ResDiary fits that operation more closely and costs less.
How much does Collins cost?
Access does not publish list pricing for Collins; it is quoted per venue. Eightish publishes all four plan prices openly, starting with a free plan and rising to £249 a month.
If your bookings are tables, not enquiries.
Free plan, no card, no call. Published pricing from £69 a month with reminders included.