# TableCheck API vs Tock

> TableCheck scores 57.1 (C) to Tock's 12.4 (F) for restaurant reservations. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-tock
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-tock.md (~2,000 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-tock.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-tock.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-14

TableCheck API scores 57.1 (C) on agent readiness against Tock's 12.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do restaurant reservations.

- TableCheck API: grade C, 57.1/100, rank #661 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tablecheck.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tablecheck.json
- Tock: grade F, 12.4/100, rank #1062 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tock.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tock.json
- Best restaurant reservation and local appointment APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/local-bookings/index.md
- All 36 bookings comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/local-bookings/index.md

## Which one, for what

### TableCheck API (C)

Good for: Restaurants and groups in Japan and Asia on TableCheck, and booking or concierge platforms wanting their inventory.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 80 against 25
- Schema & documentation, 77 against 5
- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 0
- Security & auth, 46 against 0
- Maintenance & community, 35 against 23
- Transparency & trust, 66 against 52

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: Access needs an emailed application, case-by-case approval and fees quoted privately

### Tock (F)

Good for: Restaurants and wineries taking reservations and experience bookings, and for diners booking in person.

Watch for: No public API or MCP server an outside agent can call. The docs index reads "Docs coming soon"


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | TableCheck API | Tock | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 80 | 25 | TableCheck API +55 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 77 | 5 | TableCheck API +72 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 72 | 0 | TableCheck API +72 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 46 | 0 | TableCheck API +46 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 0 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 35 | 23 | TableCheck API +12 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 66 | 52 | TableCheck API +14 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **57.1 · C** | **12.4 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | TableCheck API | Tock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | Platform |
| Vendor | TableCheck Inc. | Tock (American Express) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.tablecheck.com/api/` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |  |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the TableCheck API Terms of Service | Proprietary service under the Tock Terms of Use (effective 12 February 2026) and merchant terms |
| Tools exposed | 20 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | no | no |
| Terms last updated | 2022-10-11 | 2026-02-12 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2016-12-14 | 2025-11-24 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |

## Verdicts

**TableCheck API.** TableCheck publishes OpenAPI specs for availability, booking, CRM and POS components and a merchant MCP server with read-only keys, idempotent writes and personal data hidden by default. Access is by email application with case-by-case approval and unpublished fees, the MCP server is still under development, and no audit log or dated changelog was found.

**Tock.** Tock takes reservations and experience bookings for restaurants and wineries and now feeds its venues into Resy. There is no public API or MCP server an outside agent can call today. api.exploretock.com publishes reservation data models without endpoints, and the Terms of Use forbid automated access to the site.

## Before you call either

### TableCheck API

1. Decide which side you act for. Distribution and Web Booking serve diner-facing platforms, while Booking, CRM, POS and the MCP serve the venue
2. Ask the operator for a read-only key before using the MCP, as TableCheck recommends, and avoid cancellations through it
3. Call `hold_table` (MCP) or POST /blockages (REST) before booking, since availability is a snapshot and a blockage expires in 5 minutes
4. Send dates as YYYY-MM-DD and convert the UTC times returned to the venue's time zone from `list_shops`
5. Stay under 10,000 requests per 5 minutes per component and wait for the next window after a 429

### Tock

1. Don't plan to call Tock from another agent. Hand the booking to the person on exploretock.com or in the Resy app
2. Do not script the Tock website, which the Terms of Use forbid. A venue wanting data should ask Tock through its dashboard account

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, TableCheck API or Tock?

TableCheck API scores 57.1 (C) on agent readiness against Tock's 12.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

### Can an agent call TableCheck API and Tock without installing anything?

TableCheck API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.tablecheck.com/api/. No hosted endpoint is listed for Tock.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-tock.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-tock.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "tablecheck", "b": "tock"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare tablecheck tock`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tablecheck.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tock.json

## Other comparisons with TableCheck API or Tock

- [Chope vs TableCheck API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chope-vs-tablecheck.md)
- [Chope vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chope-vs-tock.md)
- [Eat App Partner API vs TableCheck API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eat-app-vs-tablecheck.md)
- [Eat App Partner API vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eat-app-vs-tock.md)
- [OpenTable APIs vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opentable-vs-tock.md)
- [Resy vs TableCheck API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/resy-vs-tablecheck.md)
- [Resy vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/resy-vs-tock.md)
- [TheFork B2B API vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thefork-vs-tock.md)
- [OpenTable APIs vs TableCheck API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opentable-vs-tablecheck.md)
- [Square Appointments (Bookings API) vs TableCheck API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-appointments-vs-tablecheck.md)
- [TableCheck API vs TheFork B2B API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tablecheck-vs-thefork.md)
- [SevenRooms vs TableCheck API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sevenrooms-vs-tablecheck.md)
- [SevenRooms vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sevenrooms-vs-tock.md)
- [Square Appointments (Bookings API) vs Tock](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-appointments-vs-tock.md)