The Total Party Planner alternative for caterers & event venues
Univents brings bookings, kitchen, staff and finances into one system. Here is how Total Party Planner compares head-to-head.
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- 5.0 on Capterra (6 reviews)
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What is Total Party Planner?
Total Party Planner is a US catering software built since 1997 by caterer John Cohen, bundling proposals, invoicing, BEOs, recipe costing and inventory for caterers from solo operators up to stadium and university catering teams.
Built consistently from a working caterer's own operations, with a deep focus on recipe costing, inventory and function sheets, plus a single-user entry point from USD 119/month instead of a costly enterprise minimum.
Univents vs Total Party Planner in detail
The basis for Total Party Planner is the vendor’s public information: website, help pages and prices where published. Checked on: October 29, 2026. The source of a rating is given in its footnote where available. ✕ means: not stated in the public documentation, which does not necessarily mean the feature does not exist. – means: no information found. Something out of date? Email hello@univents.app – we correct anything with a source right away.
- 1Online ordering (TPP Order) is an add-on: customers browse menus, adjust details and pay; a menu or package configurator that produces a quote is not described (as of 29 Oct 2026).
- 2Online payments run through the built-in Stripe integration.
Why teams choose Univents
Univents runs the whole event in one platform: inquiry, client portal, quote, function sheet (BEO), kitchen production, staff shifts and invoice with Stripe payment links all work from the same bookings.
Univents includes a native booking page/webshop, seating/floor planner and an AI assistant — at Total Party Planner, online ordering (TPP Order) is a separate paid add-on, seating planning is not advertised as its own feature (only room layouts and a partnership with Social Tables) and AI features are not advertised (as of 29 Oct 2026).
Univents covers staff and shift planning with a connected staff app including time tracking. According to its feature page, Total Party Planner offers a mobile companion app, task templates and user permissions; shift planning and time tracking run through partners such as Nowsta or StaffMate (as of 29 Oct 2026).
Pricing compared
7-day free trial, no credit card. Then from €55/month for quotes or from €299/month for the full platform — fair and transparent.
plus, according to the pricing page, a one-time setup fee of 299 US dollars (the FAQ cites different amounts); online ordering (TPP Order) costs extra as its own add-on at 149, 129 or 119 US dollars/month; 10% discount for annual payment
FAQ: Univents vs Total Party Planner
Is Total Party Planner a good Univents alternative?
Total Party Planner is a very focused US catering software built by a working caterer, with strong recipe costing and a flexible single-user tier — a good choice for small to mid-sized US caterers. Univents is the better fit if you also need a floor plan and seating planner, staff scheduling with an employee app and an AI assistant in the same platform as your BEOs and invoices.
Does Total Party Planner cover kitchen production and inventory?
Yes — per the vendor and user reviews, Total Party Planner covers kitchen and menu management, BEOs, recipe costing and inventory tracking. Univents also covers kitchen production and packing lists and adds an interactive kitchen board.
What does Total Party Planner cost compared to Univents?
Total Party Planner starts at USD 119/month for one user and rises to USD 299 or 429/month depending on user count, plus a USD 299 setup fee. Univents publishes its pricing and offers a self-service trial.
Switching from Total Party Planner? We handle your data import — free of charge.
We move over your customers, products, events and quotes. No data loss, no double work.
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