Kitchen display system cost 2026
KDS pricing runs $0 (Square Free) to $25-$50/mo per screen (Toast, Lightspeed, Clover). Standalone Fresh KDS is cheaper but requires integration work. A typical FSR needs 3-5 screens.
KDS pricing per screen per month: Square free (with restaurant plan), Toast $25, Lightspeed $30, Clover $25, Fresh KDS $19. Hardware per screen: $400-$900 commercial display + bump bar. A typical FSR needs 3-5 KDS screens (expo + line + salad + dessert + bar).
Vendor pricing
Toast KDS $25/screen/mo bundled with POS subscription Toast KDS · 2026-06-20.
Lightspeed KDS $30/screen per month, listed on the same row for every paid restaurant tier Lightspeed pricing · 2026-09-22.
Square KDS free with the Restaurant plan; standalone $0 Square KDS · 2026-06-20.
Fresh KDS standalone $19/screen/mo with integrations to multiple POS vendors Fresh KDS pricing · 2026-06-20.
How many screens does an FSR need?
Standard configuration: expo (1) + line (1-2) + salad (1) + dessert (0-1) + bar (1) = 3-5 screens. A QSR with a single make-line: 1 expo only. A QSR with drive-thru + dine-in: 2 screens.
Hardware per screen
Vendor-supplied commercial display + bump bar: $700-$1,200. Commodity 24" panel + commodity bump bar: $400-$600. Mount: $50-$200. Many operators run commodity displays with vendor KDS software at meaningful hardware savings.
ROI on KDS
KDS reduces ticket time by 1-3 minutes on average in busy service by eliminating paper-ticket runner cycles. At $42 average ticket and 30-minute average table turn, ticket-time reduction translates to incremental cover capacity. For an FSR doing $1.5M, the KDS line pays for itself if it adds 0.5%-1% to throughput.