Storytime vs Mustard for restaurants and local businesses
Published
Storytime and Mustard both send local creators to your restaurant to post about it, and both work in New York City. Mustard sells monthly plans, from $299 for 3 influencers, and lists 50 cities across the US, Canada and the UK47. Storytime starts at $10 per influencer collab, is live in six US markets, and matches creators on where their Instagram followers live. Pick Mustard outside our markets; compare both in NYC.
Storytime publishes this page, so we are one of the options compared. Every fact about Mustard comes from its own website, linked in the sources at the end and checked on November 11, 2026. Where a company doesn’t publish something, we say so.
| Storytime | Mustard | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Local influencer marketing: creators near you visit in person and post about your business. Storytime’s team sets up and runs each campaign from your request. | A platform that matches local businesses with nearby creators. You invite creators or review their applications, and Mustard also describes a managed option where it handpicks them.123 |
| Published price | Starting at $10 per influencer collab (see pricing). | $299 for one month with 3 local influencers (3 posts and 3 stories), $499 for 5, $999 for 10. Three-month plans are $675, $1,125 and $2,250. Food and any cash pay are extra.4 |
| What creators get | A reward you set: a comped visit shown on the creator’s Collab Pass, a promo code, gift card, link or cash. | A food credit you set, typically $25 to $200, issued as a digital voucher, plus optional cash or affiliate pay. Cash carries a 15% escrow fee.245 |
| How creators are chosen | Creators qualify by where their followers live and a Storytime creator score. You set up to three reward tiers; qualifying creators join from the app. | Creators apply and you approve them, or you turn on auto-accept or AI matching. You can filter by city, follower size and content style.52 |
| Where creator data comes from | Creators connect their Instagram account through Meta’s official API, so follower location, reach and post performance come from Instagram itself. | Not published. Its AI matching lists “Demographics” and “Engagement Rate” without naming a source, and its plan “local reach” figures are estimates from follower counts and average viewership.12 |
| How visits and posts are checked | GPS check-in at your venue, your staff validate the creator’s Collab Pass, and Instagram Stories are detected through the API and reviewed. | A time-bound voucher and app check-in the venue can verify. Creators submit post links in the app, and missed posts are flagged.562 |
| Where it operates | Live in New York City, Miami, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and the Hamptons. Limited access elsewhere in the US; online campaigns nationwide. | 175,000+ creators across the US, Canada and the UK, with pages for 50 cities.27 |
| Platforms | Instagram Stories, Reels and feed posts. TikTok posts are checked by hand. The creator app is iPhone-only. | Instagram Reels, Stories and feed posts; TikTok; Facebook when linked to Instagram.2 |
Choose Storytime if
- Your business is in New York City, Miami, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia or the Hamptons.
- You want to pay per collab instead of committing to a monthly or multi-month plan.
- You want creators matched on where their followers actually live, read from Instagram itself.
- You want our team to build and run each campaign, with a GPS check-in and a Collab Pass your staff validate at every visit.
Choose Mustard if
- Your business is in a US city we are not live in, or in Canada or the UK7.
- You want a published monthly plan with a set number of influencers, posts and stories4.
- You want to browse and filter creators yourself by city, follower size and content style2.
- You want TikTok, or Facebook posts from creators who link it to Instagram2.
Pricing compared
Storytime starts at $10 per influencer collab; our pricing page shows what is included. You choose the reward creators get: a comped visit, a code, a gift card, a link or cash.
Mustard’s monthly plans are $299 for 3 local influencers, $499 for 5 and $999 for 10, each with the same number of social posts and stories. It also lists 3-month, 6-month and annual prices4. On top of the plan you provide a food credit, typically $25 to $200 per influencer, as a digital voucher2. Cash pay is separate from the plan4, and Mustard’s terms add a 15% escrow fee to it5.
One thing to read before you buy: the pricing page says “then cancel anytime” after the selected term, and the terms say the initial term can’t be cancelled or paused and its fees aren’t refundable45.
How creators are matched and checked
Mustard lets you run it yourself or hand it off. Creators apply and you approve the ones you want, or you turn on auto-accept or AI matching25. Its AI criteria include engagement rate, following size, hyper-local location, demographics and posting frequency1.
On Storytime, you tell us your offer and our team builds the campaign. Creators qualify by where their followers live and a Storytime creator score, then join from the app. You can require approval, rate creators and block them.
At the visit, Mustard issues a time-bound voucher with check-in steps your venue can verify, and creators submit post links in its app; missed posts are flagged in your dashboard52. Storytime records a GPS check-in, your staff validate the creator’s Collab Pass, and posted Stories are detected through the Instagram API and reviewed.
Where the creator data comes from
Storytime creators connect their Instagram professional account through Instagram Login, Meta’s official API. We read follower cities and countries, age and gender, reach and post results straight from Instagram, and a creator whose connection lapses can’t take new campaigns until they reconnect.
Mustard doesn’t say where its audience data comes from. Its AI matching lists “Demographics” and “Engagement Rate” without naming a source1, and its FAQ explains that a plan’s “local reach” figure is an estimate based on the creators’ combined follower count and average viewership2. Its creator terms say certain features connect Instagram or TikTok accounts6.
Markets
Mustard says it has 175,000+ creators across the US, Canada and the UK and lists 50 city pages27. Storytime is live in New York City, Miami, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and the Hamptons, with limited access elsewhere and online campaigns nationwide. In New York, location doesn’t decide it; pricing model and how you want creators chosen do.
Four questions to ask any platform before you buy
Prices and promises are easy to compare. These four answers tell you what you will actually get. Here are ours; ask the same of anyone else.
- How many creators completed a visit near my location in the last 30 days? Storytime: your dashboard shows collaborations by location and date range.
- What share of each creator’s followers live in my city, and where does that number come from? Storytime: from Instagram itself, through the creator’s connected account.
- What is my total cost per live post, including food, product or cash? Storytime: starting at $10 per influencer collab; our pricing page shows what is included.
- How do you confirm the visit happened and the post went live? Storytime: a GPS check-in, a Collab Pass your staff validate, and Story detection through the Instagram API.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mustard or Storytime cheaper for one restaurant?
It depends on volume. Mustard’s entry plan is $299 for one month with 3 influencers, plus the food credit you provide42. Storytime starts at $10 per influencer collab. Ask both for the total cost per live post, food included.
Can I cancel either one?
Read Mustard’s terms: they say the initial term can’t be cancelled or paused and renews automatically unless you cancel through its portal5. Ask Storytime about terms for your campaign on our pricing page.
How is a visit confirmed?
Mustard uses a time-bound voucher and an in-app check-in your venue can verify5. Storytime uses a GPS check-in and a Collab Pass your staff validate.
Which platforms do creators post on?
Mustard lists Instagram Reels, Stories and feed posts, TikTok, and Facebook when linked to Instagram2. Storytime covers Instagram Stories, Reels and feed posts, plus TikTok posts that our team checks by hand.
Sources
Facts about other companies come only from their own websites. Prices and plans change; check the linked page before you buy.
- Mustard platform page, checked on
- Mustard FAQ, checked on
- Mustard how it works, checked on
- Mustard pricing, checked on
- Mustard brand terms of service, checked on
- Mustard creator app terms (EULA), checked on
- Mustard home page, checked on
Get influencers posting about you in minutes
Starting at $10 per influencer collab, with creators whose audience data comes from Instagram itself.