Best 13 apps for restaurant menu design

 

Restaurant menus are more than just a list of dishes— they are the backbone of every restaurant. A well-designed menu highlights your best offerings, reinforces your brand’s personality, and even influences what customers order. But let’s be honest: hiring a professional graphic designer can get quite expensive, especially if you have lots of menus throughout the year for seasonal specials, holiday menus, or banquet events. That’s where beginner-friendly design apps come in.

Whether you run a hotel restaurant, café, or bar, the right tool can help you create a polished, professional-looking menu without the steep learning curve (or the steep price tag). Some of these apps listed below are specifically built for restaurant menu design, while others are general-purpose design tools that work well for menus too. The key is finding the one that balances customization, ease of use, and affordability.

So, what should you look for? A good menu design tool should offer a variety of templates, high-quality exports, and easy updates, so you can tweak your menu easily. Collaboration features can also be a game-changer since menus are rarely a one-person job. And if the app lets you publish menus directly or order prints, it can save you even more time and hassle.

To help you choose, we’ve rounded up 13 of the best menu design apps, breaking down their features, pricing, pros, and cons. Whether you need a simple tool for quick edits or a more advanced platform for stunning designs, there’s an option for you. Let’s dive in!

 

1. Canva

 

Canva is one of the most popular design tools for beginners, with approximately 220 million monthly active users creating everything from social media graphics and presentations to brochures, whiteboards, and even websites. It’s almost impossible to meet a marketer who hasn’t used Canva. Its success lies in its simple, intuitive interface and a vast library of beautiful, customizable templates. With an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, anyone can create professional designs without prior experience.

Collaboration is another strong suit—Canva’s multi-user features allow teams to work on designs in real time. The platform has also embraced AI-powered tools with its Magic Studio, making design even more efficient. Additionally, its Apps Marketplace integrates with popular tools like Google Drive and Mailchimp, enabling users to work seamlessly without leaving Canva.

While Canva is a general-purpose design tool, it’s a fantastic option for restaurant menu design thanks to its simplicity, flexibility, and vast collection of menu templates. You can easily publish menus of any size online and generate a shareable link for your website, making updates quick and hassle-free.

 

Pros:

• Huge selection of beautiful menu templates
• Beginner-friendly and easy to use
• Great collaboration tools for teams
• Generous free plan with plenty of features
• Available on desktop and mobile

Cons:

• Many icons, stock photos, and templates are locked behind a paywall
• Templates require manual adjustments to fit your menu’s text

 

Pricing:

Canva’s generous freemium model allows small businesses and freelancers to use the platform extensively for free. However, many premium templates and advanced features are only available on paid plans.

• Pro Plan: €144 per person per year (monthly payment option available)
• Canva Teams Plan: €108 per person per year (minimum 3 people)
• Annual plans offer a 16% discount

Upgrading to a paid plan unlocks powerful features, including advanced AI tools (Magic Resize, Magic Expand, AI-powered translations), brand management tools for consistent design, increased storage and security as well as team collaboration features for seamless workflow.

 

Tip: Correctify has a dedicated app in Canva’s App Marketplace, making it easy to proofread your menu designs without ever leaving Canva!

 

2. MustHaveMenus

 

MustHaveMenus is a modern platform focused specifically on designing menu cards, used by over 10,000 restaurants. It offers more than 25,000 customizable templates for not just menus, but also restaurant marketing materials like social media posts, flyers, and table tents. Menus created on the platform can easily be turned into QR codes with just one click.

Another cool feature is Link Pages, which is similar to Linktree, allowing you to create a landing page that includes all the important links for your restaurant, perfect for sharing on social media. The Display app is also handy—it lets you update digital menu boards and screens quickly, keeping your content fresh.

While MustHaveMenus doesn’t offer online menu options, you can easily order printed menus directly from the site once you're done designing.

 

Pros:

• Beautiful user interface
• Generous free plan

Cons:

• Sorting through thousands of templates can be overwhelming
• You need to reconfigure templates to fit your menu’s text

 

Pricing:

MustHaveMenus offers a generous free plan, giving you access to over 5,000 templates, photos, graphics, custom branding, and 5GB of storage. The Pro plan costs $35 per month or $29 per month with an annual subscription. It includes integrations with POS systems, unlimited high-resolution downloads, unlimited QR codes, online menus, link pages, and priority support.

The Display feature, which allows restaurants to manage digital signage, is available as an add-on for $20 per screen.

 

3. iMenuPro

 

iMenuPro is one of the most well-known tools specializing in menu design and publishing. Originally launched in 1994 as MenusDeluxe, it was the first-ever menu design software and is now widely used by hotels and restaurants worldwide. Unlike general-purpose design tools, iMenuPro is built specifically for menus, making it a great choice for both printed and digital formats.

What sets iMenuPro apart is its unique content-first approach. Instead of choosing a template from thousands of options and manually adjusting it to fit your text, you start by entering your menu content first. Then, with just a click of a button, you can swap styles and instantly preview different design options using your own text—saving time and effort.

Another standout feature is real-time menu updates. When you edit your menu in iMenuPro, all changes automatically sync across your website, QR menu, TripAdvisor, and Google Business Profile, ensuring your customers always see the latest version.

iMenuPro works for all types of menus and even includes a built-in spell checker that recognizes culinary terms and brand names—a handy tool for hospitality professionals.

 

Pros:

• Easily sort through design options using your finalized text
• Save and reuse dishes for quick menu updates

Cons:

• Outdated user interface that feels less modern compared to current design tools
• Templates feel old and haven’t been updated in a while

 

Pricing:

iMenuPro offers simple pricing starting at $16 per month for access to all features. Annual plans come with a 33% discount, priced at $10.75 per month. Included features are branded designs, high-resolution PDF exports and multiple QR menus with unlimited scans.

 

4. Menuzen

 

Menuzen, based in Australia, is another template-based solution for designing and marketing digital restaurant menus. It offers thousands of beautiful templates which can be easily changed and are responsive for all devices. You can quickly share your menu to the public and generate links to add to your social media or website. It also offers POS integration for instant menu updates.

 

Pros:

• Very affordable
• Great user interface and experience

Cons:

• Not suitable for printed menus

 

Pricing:

Menuzen offers a simple pricing plan at $10 per month, with a 7-day trial available after adding a credit card. There are no extra charges involved.

 

5.Adobe Express

 

Adobe Express is a web-based design tool from Adobe that lets users easily create social media graphics, flyers, logos, videos, and more. It’s a simplified alternative to Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, designed for users who want fast, professional designs without needing advanced skills.

The tool includes quick editing tools for images, basic video editing capabilities, and plenty of templates, including modern restaurant menus. It also features generative AI tools to edit images and create templates from prompts.

 

Pros:

• Great AI features for editing images and generating templates
• Generous free plan
• Available in both desktop and mobile

Cons:

• You need to reconfigure the template to fit your menu’s text
• No automatic updates for your published online menus

 

Pricing:

Adobe Express offers several plans for individuals, teams, students, and nonprofits. Plans start at €11.89 per month or €118.99 per year. Team plans cost €4.20 per person per month. However, there is a generous free plan for individuals that includes basic content creation tools, limited generative AI credits, and access to assets. The free plan also includes thousands of templates, hundreds of royalty-free Adobe Stock photos, and basic editing and photo effects.

 

6. VistaCreate

 

VistaCreate is a versatile and user-friendly design tool, often considered a strong alternative to Canva and Adobe Express. Since its launch in 2015, it has grown into a well-established platform with over 15 million active users. Known for its sleek and intuitive interface, VistaCreate makes it easy to create professional-quality designs. Users can effortlessly add their brand kit for consistent branding across projects, and the platform supports animations and video creation as well.

With a vast library of over 200,000 templates (including around 800 menu templates) and access to more than 170 million photos, videos, and vectors, VistaCreate offers extensive creative resources. It also incorporates AI-powered tools, including an AI image generator, to streamline the design process. A standout feature is its collaboration capability, allowing users to invite up to 10 team members to work together in a shared workspace.

 

Pros:

• Extensive library of 200,000+ templates
• Seamless print ordering via VistaPrint
• Supports 17 languages
• Generous free plan
• Available on both desktop and mobile

Cons:

• AI and collaboration tools are exclusive to the Pro plan
• You need to reconfigure the template to fit your menu’s text
• Offers fewer features than Canva and Adobe Express

 

Pricing:

VistaCreate offers a straightforward pricing structure with a free plan that includes access to 100,000+ templates and 1 million photos, videos, and vectors. The Pro plan costs $13 per month or $10 per month (billed annually) and unlocks advanced features such as AI tools, team collaboration, version history, and HD downloads.

 

7. PosterMyWall

 

PosterMyWall is a beginner-friendly design tool tailored for creating social media content and email campaigns. What sets it apart is its extensive collection of 57,000+ free menu templates, including digital signage display templates—making it a great choice for restaurants looking to design and schedule marketing materials, menus, and email campaigns in one place. Paid plans even allow direct social media scheduling within the platform.

With over 23 million registered users and 4 million active ones, PosterMyWall is a reliable and accessible option for businesses of all sizes.

 

Pros:

• Great marketing features

Cons:

• Some templates have an outdated look
• Updating the menu’s text on a design can be time-consuming

 

Pricing:

PosterMyWall offers both Individual and Team plans, along with a free plan that includes limited features. Paid plans unlock tools like team collaboration, high-resolution downloads, brand kits, and AI-generated captions.

• Individual Plans: Start at $9.95/month, with the Premium Plus plan at $29.95/month. Annual plans offer 2 months free.
• Team Plans: Start at $14.95/month for up to 5 members—a 70% discount compared to individual pricing. The Premium Plus team plan costs $35.95/month.

 

8. Kittl.com

 

If you're looking for a design tool that blends creativity with ease, Kittl might be your perfect match. Kittl is a modern design platform used by 6 million creators to craft merchandise like T-shirts and mugs, as well as online marketing materials. It stands out for its intuitive editor, high-fidelity mockups, and seamless collaboration features. What truly sets Kittl apart is its infinite canvas, allowing users to experiment with multiple design variations in a single workspace. Additionally, it offers a variety of beautiful, customizable restaurant menu templates to fit any brand style.

 

Pros:

• Modern, user-friendly editor
• Powerful AI tools for text generation and image manipulation

Cons:

• Can get expensive for heavy users
• No built-in option to publish an online menu directly

 

Pricing:

Kittl follows a freemium model, offering up to 5 projects, 10,000 templates, and 20 AI credits for free. For full access to 10+ million assets, increased storage, and unlimited projects, users can upgrade to:

• Pro Plan: €15/month
• Expert Plan: €30/month (33% off with an annual subscription)

For businesses requiring advanced collaboration, security, and unlimited usage, Kittl+ is available upon request.

 

9. MenuTech

 

Of all the apps in this list, MenuTech is the only all-around solution for restaurant menu planning and development. MenuTech is the most comprehensive platform on this list, offering a start-to-finish solution for menu creation and management. Used by over 10,000 industry professionals across various hospitality businesses, it goes beyond design to include recipe management, procurement, and multi-location support.

With MenuTech, you can easily create menus, translate them into multiple languages, and automatically detect allergens. The platform also allows you to publish menus online, generate QR codes, and download print-ready files, making it a one-stop shop for restaurant menu planning.

 

Pros:

• More than just a design tool—offers complete menu management features

Cons:

• User interface feels outdated
• Limited selection of menu templates compared to competitors
• No free plan available

 

Pricing:

MenuTech offers a 10-day free trial (no credit card required). Pricing varies based on the number of menus created per month:

• 1-12 menus per month: €20–€40 per month (annual discounts available)
• Up to 31 new menus & 3 templates per month: €60–€180 per month
• Enterprise plans (for high-volume users): €390–€475 per month, which include recipe management, order-taking, and advanced support

 

10. Visme

 

While Visme is best known for presentations and data visualizations, it also doubles as a sleek, user-friendly tool for restaurant menu design. Although it has a limited selection of menu templates, it remains a widely recognized platform with a modern, easy-to-use interface. A standout feature is its team collaboration tools, allowing users to leave comments directly inside designs for seamless feedback and revisions.

 

Pros:

• Sleek, intuitive, and beginner-friendly interface

Cons:

• Limited menu template selection
• Expensive paid plans

 

Pricing:

Visme offers a free basic plan with unlimited projects. However, paid plans unlock premium assets, templates, expanded download options, and 24/7 email and chat support:

• Standard Plan: $29 per month
• Team Plan: $119 per month for 3 users

Annual plans come with a 50% discount, making them a more cost-effective option for long-term users.

 

11. Menugo

 

Menugo is the simplest app on the list for menu design. It offers four different size options and a selection of around 200 templates to get you started. Users can enable online ordering directly through the platform or opt for a fully custom design by contacting the Menugo team.

The design editor while user-friendly, lacks the depth and flexibility of more advanced design tools. While you can customize basic elements—such as colors and text formatting—Menugo does not allow complete design overhauls or the addition of stock images and vectors, as platforms like Canva do.

 

Pros:

• Affordable pricing
• Built-in online ordering feature

Cons:

• Limited design customization compared to other platforms
• No free option available

 

Pricing:

Menugo offers a one-week trial of its upgraded plan for $9. After the trial, users can choose between a monthly subscription of $39 or an annual plan of $10.75 per month. A free version is available, but it includes watermarked designs and only allows for minimal customization.

 

12. Marq (formerly Lucidpress)

 

Marq is a powerful brand enablement platform designed to turn designs into branded templates that teams can update without compromising brand consistency. It allows users to import designs from popular platforms like Canva and Adobe while locking critical brand elements—such as fonts and colors—to maintain uniformity across all designs.

In addition to importing designs, Marq offers its own editor with 355 menu templates, providing businesses with an alternative for in-platform design creation. The platform is particularly popular among franchises, helping them maintain a cohesive brand identity across multiple locations while giving franchisees the flexibility to make quick updates.

 

Pros:

• Excellent for franchises needing strict brand consistency

Cons:

• Limited design features in its built-in editor
• Smaller selection of menu templates compared to other platforms

 

Pricing:

Marq offers a free plan that supports up to three projects with a 2GB storage limit. The Pro Plan costs €16 per month or €11 per month when billed annually. The Team Plan is priced the same as the Pro Plan but includes additional storage and the ability to import external designs.

 

13. Designhill

 

Designhill takes a completely different approach compared to other menu design platforms. Instead of creating your own designs, you rely on a network of over 70,000 professional designers who compete to bring your vision to life.

The process starts with filling out a design brief, where you describe your business and specify your budget. Once your project is posted, multiple designers submit their concepts, allowing you to request revisions and select your favorite final design.

This platform is ideal for businesses looking for high-quality, custom-made menu designs without handling the creative work themselves. However, it does come with higher costs and longer turnaround times.

 

Pros:

• Access to professional designers
• Flexibility to set your own budget

Cons:

• More expensive than DIY design platforms
• Can take up to 7 days to receive a final design
• No ability to edit designs yourself after completion
• Lacks direct publishing or online menu creation features

 

Pricing:

Designhill offers two pricing options:

• Design Contest: A fixed price of $299, where multiple designers submit entries for you to choose from.
• Hire a Designer: Work one-on-one with a designer of your choice, with pricing based on their rates and portfolio.