Square for Restaurants review

Square for Restaurants is the easiest way into a capable restaurant POS because the Free plan costs nothing a month and the paid tiers are published down to each device. Square Plus at $49 per location a month adds the restaurant tools most dining rooms need: split and reopened checks, preauthorized bar tabs, order-ready texts and live section reports that show covers and sales by bar, dining room or patio. The Square KDS app routes tickets with timers and reports average ticket times, and two kiosk options handle self-ordering. Staff tools cover timecards with breaks and overtime, badge clock-ins and tip pooling. The trade-off is that the kitchen display and kiosks are paid per device and are not part of Square Free, so a kitchen with several screens adds up quickly. Larger operators processing over $250,000 a year can ask for custom pricing.

Who it is for

Cafes, counter service and small full-service restaurants that want to start free and add paid tools later.

Price

Square Free at $0 a month; Square Plus from $49 per location a month; Square Premium $149 per location a month.

$0/mo. per location $49/mo. per location $149/mo. per location
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 6, 2026.

Key features

• Split or reopen checks by item or seat, and preauthorized bar tabs
• Square KDS app with ticket routing, timers and kitchen performance reports
• Square Kiosk and Kiosk Lite for self-ordering
• Live section and shift reporting with covers and sales by area
• Timecards, tip pooling and inventory tracking in the POS

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: A permanent $0 plan for restaurants that only need the basics
• Strength: Pricing for each add-on is published per device
• Strength: Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android with no extra hardware
• Weakness: KDS and kiosk software are not available in Square Free
• Weakness: KDS costs $30 per device a month on Plus
• Weakness: Custom rates are only offered to businesses processing over $250,000 a year

Key facts

• Free plan: Yes, Square Free
• Paid plans: Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location a month
• KDS app: $30 per device a month on Plus, $20 on Premium
• Kiosk: $99 per device a month, Kiosk Lite $50 on Plus

Where it ranks

Square for Restaurants is No. 1 in our Best POS Systems for Restaurants verdict.