Square Kiosk cost in 2026: $1,999 plus $99 a month, Kiosk Lite and setup

Square Kiosk is a standalone 21.5-inch device for $1,999 with a counter stand, plus $99 a month per device on Square's Plus or Premium plan. Guests order by voice or touch and pay on the screen. Square Kiosk Lite is the older route: an iOS app on a compatible iPad with Square Stand, at $50 a month per device on Plus or $30 on Premium. The earlier iPad product also carried the Square Kiosk name, so check which one a quote describes.

Before you buy, know two limits from Square's own setup documents: the new Kiosk does not take cash, and neither product takes payments offline. If many of your guests pay cash, or your internet drops on a Friday night, that decides the choice more than the sticker price does.

Question	Square Kiosk (new)	Square Kiosk Lite (iPad)	Start here if
Hardware	21.5-inch device, $1,999 with counter stand	Square Stand at $149 plus your own compatible iPad	New: you want a dedicated screen. Lite: you already own an iPad.
Monthly device fee	$99 on Plus or Premium	$50 on Plus, $30 on Premium	Lite costs less per device, most of all on Premium.
Cash	Not supported	Confirm with Square	Guests pay cash: keep a staffed counter either way.
Offline payments	Not supported	Not supported	Your internet is stable enough to depend on.
Voice ordering	Yes, plus touch	Not described for Lite	You want guests to say an order at the screen.

This guide separates the costs and setup documents, then gives you a proposed acceptance checklist. It does not report a hands-on product trial. For the wider plan and processing-fee comparison, see Square POS pricing.

What does each Square kiosk cost?

Square's US Kiosk product page, hardware catalog and pricing table distinguish the hardware from the recurring device fee.

Charge	Square Kiosk	Square Stand with Kiosk Lite
Hardware	Kiosk: $1,999 with counter stand; no iPad required	Stand: $149; compatible iPad sold separately
Monthly kiosk software on Plus	Kiosk on Plus: $99 per device	Lite on Plus: $50 per device
Monthly kiosk software on Premium	Kiosk on Premium: $99 per device	Lite on Premium: $30 per device
Location plan, paid separately	Square Plus: $49/mo. per location; Square Premium: $149/mo. per location

The current pricing table marks both kiosk software options unavailable on Square Free. Square's new Kiosk setup guide also tells legacy-plan subscribers to contact their account manager about eligibility. Confirm the exact plan, hardware bundle, mounting parts and device fees in your order; do not apply an old iPad-kiosk quote to the new device.

How do the monthly totals compare?

These are hypothetical software totals for one location. They exclude hardware, iPads, installation, tax, processing, KDS fees and other add-ons. They are arithmetic from the published plan and device fees, not a customer bill or a promise of savings.

Setup	Plus total	Premium total
One new Square Kiosk	$148/mo. = $49 + $99	$248/mo. = $149 + $99
Two new Square Kiosks	$247/mo. = $49 + 2 × $99	$347/mo. = $149 + 2 × $99
One Kiosk Lite device	$99/mo. = $49 + $50	$179/mo. = $149 + $30
Five Kiosk Lite devices	$299/mo. = $49 + 5 × $50	$299/mo. = $149 + 5 × $30

The five-device software break-even applies to Lite. It does not apply to the new Kiosk, whose device fee is the same on both plans. Compare plan features and processing separately, using your own payment mix and written quote.

What does the new Square Kiosk do?

From Square's product page: a 21.5-inch screen that wakes as a guest walks up, ordering by voice or touch at any point, and payment on the device by tap, dip or PIN with no separate reader. Square describes three directional microphones with AI noise filtering, and menu suggestions based on your sales data. Orders go to a KDS or printers, and price, inventory and menu changes made in Square reach every kiosk. It mounts on a floor stand, counter, wall or VESA mount and connects over Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet. Square's loyalty program works at the screen.

These are Square's own claims, not results we measured. The test table below is how you check them in your restaurant.

Which setup guide should you use?

Use Set up Square Kiosk for the new standalone device. It describes power and network setup, a device mode or code, location-specific menus and branding, and a test order. It requires an active Plus or Premium subscription and lists at least one active POS device using the Square Point of Sale app.

The product-page FAQ says orders can be managed through the POS app or Dashboard without extra POS hardware, while kitchen printers need POS hardware. The setup guide still lists an active POS device. Confirm your intended order and printer route with Square before removing a companion device from the quote.

Use Set up Square Kiosk Lite for the iPad route. It requires a compatible iPad, the Lite app and an active POS device. Check compatibility for your exact Stand model before buying or reusing an iPad. The old Square Kiosk name on a receipt does not identify the new standalone product.

What should the menu and kitchen test cover?

For Lite, Square's menu guide explains assigning menus, categories, items and modifiers. Keep the instructions for the chosen product beside the device during setup. Do not assume a setting or limit documented for Lite applies to the new Kiosk.

Before a trial, agree with Square and your staff which test account, items and payment method to use. The following worksheet is a proposed check, not a claim that either product passed. Keep guest details out of the test notes and avoid charging a live guest.

Test	Record before accepting the setup
Required modifier and sold-out item	Expected choices, what the guest sees, and the exact ticket received
Price or menu change	Change time, time each device shows it, and any stale price or item
Kitchen route	Which POS device, printer or KDS receives the order; who notices a missing ticket
Guest needs staff help	How the guest asks, who responds and how staff avoid a duplicate order
Payment or network interruption	Visible payment state, staff recovery steps and a check for duplicate charges or tickets
Voice and touch, if using the new Kiosk	The same request tried both ways, any correction needed and the final order record

Count a request as complete only after checking the agreed order and payment records. Keep a staff handoff separate from completion, and leave an unreviewed result unknown. Compare a trial with similar shifts; faster interactions alone do not establish extra sales or less staff work.

What happens when the network fails?

Square's setup documents say neither the new Kiosk nor Stand running Kiosk Lite supports offline payments. The new Kiosk also does not support cash payments and requires stable internet for payments and voice ordering. Square describes the new hardware as indoor-only.

Write down the staff fallback before opening the kiosk to guests. Decide where an unpaid order goes, who checks whether a payment completed, and how staff resume service without entering the same order twice. Test the route with the vendor's agreed method; this is not a claim that a specific offline recovery feature exists.

What are the alternatives to Square Kiosk?

If you are not on Square, compare the kiosk your own POS sells before you switch for a screen. Maple has guides to the Toast kiosk, the Clover kiosk and the SkyTab kiosk, and a cost guide to restaurant kiosks in general. If the real problem is a ringing phone rather than a counter queue, a kiosk will not fix it; look at phone ordering instead, which prints its price and takes orders into Square, Toast and Clover.

What should the quote settle?

1. Name the exact product, hardware generation, app and location plan.
2. List each screen, mount, iPad if needed, companion POS, printer and kitchen display.
3. Separate one-time equipment and installation from monthly location and device fees.
4. Ask which language, payment, menu and accessibility needs your setup supports, and test the ones your guests need.
5. Record the staff fallback, support contact and acceptance criteria before rollout.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Square Kiosk cost?

Square lists the new Kiosk at $1,999 with a counter stand and $99 a month per device on Plus or Premium, on top of a $49 or $149 monthly location plan. Kiosk Lite needs a $149 Stand and your own iPad, and costs $50 a month per device on Plus or $30 on Premium. Installation, tax and processing are extra.

Does Square Kiosk need an iPad?

The new Kiosk does not; it is its own 21.5-inch device. Kiosk Lite runs on a compatible iPad with Square Stand.

Does Square Kiosk take cash or work offline?

Square's setup documents say the new Kiosk does not support cash payments, and neither product supports offline payments. Plan a staff fallback for an internet outage.

Is there a monthly fee for Square Kiosk?

Yes. The new Kiosk is $99 a month per device and Kiosk Lite is $50 (Plus) or $30 (Premium) a month per device. You also pay for the Square location plan, $49 a month for Plus or $149 for Premium. Both kiosk options are unavailable on Square Free.

Can I use Square Kiosk with Maple?

They do different jobs. Square Kiosk takes orders at the counter. Maple Pro takes phone orders into supported Square setups; see Maple's Square integration. Maple's voice ordering kiosk is a separate product. Confirm its current scope and quote rather than treating this Square comparison as proof of Maple kiosk support.

Published by Maple. This AI-assisted guide uses Square's US product, pricing and setup documents, with original hypothetical cost tables and proposed buyer tests. It reports no hands-on Square testing or customer outcome.