Square Kiosk for restaurants: what it does and what it costs

Square Kiosk is Square's self-order station for quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. You buy an iPad mount with a built-in card reader, add your own compatible iPad, and pay a monthly fee per kiosk for the Square Kiosk app. Orders go to a separate Square point-of-sale device, which sends them to your kitchen display or printer.

Square sells the parts separately, so the hardware price is only part of the cost. This guide lists each charge as Square prints it, the setup steps from Square's help center, and the limits Square documents, then ends with a checklist to use before you order.

What does Square Kiosk cost?

You pay for hardware once, then the kiosk app and your Square plan every month. Square prints these prices on its Square Kiosk hardware page and its restaurant pricing page.

Charge	Price as Square prints it	Notes
Square Kiosk hardware (USB-C)	$149, one-time. The hardware page has also shown a promotional $124 with $149 struck through.	No iPad included. Installment plans are offered subject to credit approval.
Square Kiosk app	$50 per month per device with Square Plus; $30 per month per device with Square Premium	Square advertises free access for the first 30 days.
Square plan	Square Plus $49/mo. per location; Square Premium $149/mo. per location; Square Free $0/mo. per location	The kiosk app requires Plus or Premium.
In-person card processing	2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium	Square prints 6% + 30¢ per Afterpay transaction on the hardware page.
Compatible iPad and a primary POS device	Not part of the kiosk price	Both are required. Use hardware you own or buy it separately.

The Square Kiosk software page says the app requires a Square Plus or Square Premium subscription, and that the kiosk fee is charged per active device. Square also says businesses processing $250K or more a year in card sales may qualify for custom pricing.

Plus or Premium: which is cheaper for your kiosk count?

Here is the monthly software cost for one location, using only the prices above. It leaves out hardware, iPads, tax, processing and any Square KDS fees.

Kiosks at one location	Square Plus ($49 + $50 per kiosk)	Square Premium ($149 + $30 per kiosk)
1 kiosk	$99 a month	$179 a month
2 kiosks	$149 a month	$209 a month
5 kiosks	$299 a month on Plus	$299 a month on Premium

At five kiosks the two plans cost the same in software. Premium also charges 0.1 percentage point less on in-person cards, so a location with $50,000 a month in card-present sales would pay about $50 less in processing on Premium. Put your own card volume into that line before you choose.

What do you need before you start?

Square's Set up Square Kiosk guide lists the prerequisites. Only the account owner can set up the Square Kiosk app. You need a compatible iPad with the app installed and at least one active point-of-sale device running the Square Point of Sale app. The help articles also list the audience as Plus and Premium subscribers with advanced restaurant capabilities added in Square Dashboard.

The USB-C version fits the iPad (A16), iPad (10th generation), 11-inch iPad Pro (1st to 4th generation), iPad Air (4th and 5th generation) and 11-inch iPad Air (M2, M3). Square no longer makes the older Lightning version but still supports it.

How do you set up Square Kiosk?

1. Mount the hardware. Square offers four options: angled wall, flat wall, countertop, or any 100 x 100 mm VESA mount such as a floor stand (sold separately).
2. In Square Dashboard, go to Settings > Device management > Kiosk and select Get kiosk. Pick the location, name the kiosk, choose the item categories to show and add category images.
3. Download the Square Kiosk app to the docked iPad and sign in with the 12-digit device code. The code expires if you do not use it within 48 hours.
4. Turn on Kiosk as a sales channel for each menu you want guests to see. You can assign several menus and use menu hours to switch them.
5. On the companion POS device, open the printer profile and turn on Online & Kiosk order tickets. If you print by category, select the kiosk categories there too.
6. Lock the iPad to the app with Apple's Guided Access so guests cannot close it.
7. Set checkout options: dining options, tipping, gift cards, signature and Smart Upsells. Then place a test order and check the ticket.

What restaurant features does it include?

• Modifiers: guests choose the modifiers you have set up on each item. Square's menu guide also shows how to add a text modifier for substitutions or allergy notes.
• Upsells: Smart Upsells suggests up to three items on the order review screen, chosen from your catalog. Items that need a modifier choice and combo items are not suggested.
• Order routing: paid orders flow to your primary POS device. From there, Square says you choose whether they show on Square KDS or print on your kitchen printer.
• Pickup calls: the checkout settings let you notify guests by name, table number or order number, with optional texts.
• Loyalty: guests who use Square Loyalty can sign up, earn and redeem points at the kiosk.

What limits does Square document?

• Offline payments are not supported on Square Kiosk hardware running the Square Kiosk app.
• While it runs the kiosk app, the hardware cannot connect directly to printers, scanners or other accessories. Tickets print through the companion POS device.
• Square Kiosk does not support age checks for alcohol or other age-restricted items.
• Square suggests keeping the kiosk menu to 100 items or fewer; more can slow the app.
• Menu edits can take up to 10 minutes to reach the kiosk, per Square's troubleshooting guide.
• Running on iPad battery during a power cut works only on the USB-C version, and the magstripe reader is sold separately.

One footnote on the hardware page describes the Premium device charge differently from the pricing tables. Square's setup flow asks you to confirm new device costs for your plan, so check that figure in Square Dashboard before you add kiosks.

What should you check before you buy?

1. Your plan is Square Plus or Premium, and advanced restaurant features are turned on.
2. You have a spare compatible iPad for each kiosk, or you have priced one.
3. A primary POS device is running and connected to the kitchen printer or KDS.
4. Your kiosk menu has 100 items or fewer, with photos and clear names.
5. No kiosk item needs an age check.
6. Your required modifiers work, and you know which items Smart Upsells will skip.
7. Staff know the fallback if the internet drops, since kiosk card payments stop.
8. You have run the Plus versus Premium numbers for your kiosk count and card volume.

Where do other ordering options fit?

Square offers other self-serve routes, such as QR code ordering through Square Online, which shares ordering hours with the kiosk. Voice kiosks are another route: the guest says the order at the counter.

Maple, which publishes this guide, writes phone orders into Square through its Pro plan; see Maple's Square integration. Its voice ordering kiosk is in early access with a small number of restaurants, is priced per unit, and has no public price.

Published by Maple. This AI-assisted guide combines Square's own product, pricing and help-center pages with an original cost table and buying checklist. It does not report hands-on testing of Square Kiosk or any Square customer result, and prices can change, so confirm them with Square.