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Kitchen display system review

Square KDS

Square's kitchen display app for Android screens, for restaurants on Square Plus or Square Premium. It is billed per screen on top of the Square plan, and Square sells kitchen touchscreens from $699.

By SquareParent company: Block, Inc.

RTC SCORE

6.0

#5 of 7 with enough data

Square also offers: POS systems, Card processing, Online ordering, and 4 more

Our verdict

The natural pick if you already run Square Plus or Premium: published prices per screen and Square's own touchscreens. Plan for an internet outage, because Square doesn't document that its KDS keeps working offline.

What we like

  • Published prices: $30 per screen a month with Square Plus, month to month with a 30-day trial.
  • Square sells kitchen touchscreens from $699, and other Android devices also work.
  • Routes orders to prep and expo screens, with prep time reports and order-ready texts to guests.

What to watch

  • It only works with Square Plus or Premium, never with Square Free.
  • Square says it is still working on keeping the KDS running without internet.
  • 24/7 phone support comes only with Square Premium.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score6.0out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness89%

We could verify 89% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month cost of 2 kitchen screens, Routing by station, Kitchen time reports
Weakest point
12-month cost of 2 kitchen screens

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost of 2 kitchen screensWeight 26%StrongestWeakest6.2 out of 10

    $2,118 over 12 months

  • Keeps working without internetWeight 9%0.0 out of 10
  • Routing by stationWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Support 24/7Weight 8%0.0 out of 10
  • Kitchen time reportsWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • POS systems it works withWeight 6%1.4 out of 10
  • Choice of kitchen screensWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • All-day item countsWeight 4%No data
  • Bump bar supportWeight 4%No data
  • Early termination feeWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%No data
  • Order-ready text to the guestWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
KDS license per screen$30/mo per deviceSource: Square (opens in a new tab)With Square Plus. With Square Premium it is $20 per screen, but Premium costs $149 a month per location against $49 for Plus. The Square plan itself isn't counted here.
How the license is chargedPer screenSource: Square (opens in a new tab)
Published pricingPublishedSource: Square (opens in a new tab)
Kitchen screen from the vendor$699 one-timeSource: Square Shop (opens in a new tab)10.1-inch Android touchscreen. The 15.6-inch is $749 and the 21.5-inch $899; a wall mount is $99 more. Other Android devices with 3 GB of RAM and Android 9 or later also work.
Installation fee$0 one-timeSource: Square (opens in a new tab)
POS and hardware
Data pointValue
Type of KDSPart of its own POS (needs that POS)Source: Square (opens in a new tab)It doesn't work with Square Free. It also shows orders from Square Online and connected delivery and ordering platforms.
Works with these POS systemsSquareSource: Square Support Center (US) (opens in a new tab)
Kitchen screensThe vendor's screens or a compatible device of yoursSource: Square Support Center (US) (opens in a new tab)Square's MicroTouch screens or another Android device; Square prioritizes support for the devices it lists. Square KDS on iPad is being replaced by the Android app.
Runs onAndroid tablets and screens, The vendor's own kitchen screenSource: Square (opens in a new tab)
In the kitchen
Data pointValue
Routing by stationYesSource: Square (opens in a new tab)Prep and expeditor screens; Expeditor Mode oversees order completion.
If the internet goes downNeeds the internetSource: Square (opens in a new tab)Square says it is still working on offline reliability for the KDS; its offline mode covers card payments.
Kitchen time reportsYesSource: Square (opens in a new tab)
All-day item countsUnconfirmedSource: Square Support Center (US) (opens in a new tab)Square's KDS pages don't mention an all-day count of pending items.
Bump bar supportUnconfirmedSource: Square Support Center (US) (opens in a new tab)The setup guide and the KDS page don't mention bump bars.
Order-ready text to the guestYesSource: Square (opens in a new tab)Square Plus includes 500 texts a month per account, then 3¢ per text.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termMonth to monthSource: Square (opens in a new tab)Month to month, the same as the Square plan it runs on.
Notice to avoid renewalNo data
Early termination feeNo early termination fee: you can cancel or switch the Square plan at any time.Source: Square (opens in a new tab)
How the early termination fee worksNo early termination feeSource: Square (opens in a new tab)
Support
Data pointValue
Support 24/7NoSource: Square (opens in a new tab)24/7 phone support comes with Square Premium, not with Square Plus (the plan the calculator uses).
Language
Data pointValue
Website or help in Spanish for the USYesSource: Square Support Center (US, Spanish) (opens in a new tab)

More about Square KDS

How we score