Small KDS vs Square KDS
Compare Small KDS with Square KDS. Small KDS is designed for businesses looking for a flexible kitchen display system that runs on iPad or Android, using a simple per-location subscription model with unlimited screens.
If you've searched for a square kds app, a square kitchen display, or just a straightforward kds for square, the two systems solve the same problem in different ways.
Square's own KDS ties your bump screen to a paid Plus or Premium plan and bills per device, while Small KDS turns any spare tablet into a bump bar kitchen display for one flat price per location.
To be clear, Small KDS is a kitchen display for Square, not Square itself, not a POS and not a payment system. It reads the orders you already ring up in Square and shows them on any screen, so there is no new till to learn and nothing to migrate.
| Feature | Small KDS | Square KDS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Subscription model: $10/mo billed annually per location after the $1 first month | Subscription model: $20 per device (Premium) to $30 per device (Plus) per month |
| Screens per Location | Unlimited screens per location | Paid per device |
| Platforms Supported | Runs on iPad or Android | Android-only |
| POS Plan Requirement | Works with your Square orders (no extra POS plan required) | Requires a paid Square Plus or Premium plan |
Square KDS pricing last checked on 9 Aug 2026, against Square's own restaurants pricing page.
What Square KDS costs, and what that adds up to
Square KDS pricing has two parts, which is what makes the square kds cost hard to read off a page: the paid Square restaurant plan underneath it, and then every device you switch on. One bump screen at the pass is one price. Add expo and the grill and you are paying three times to show the same orders.
Small KDS is one number. $10/mo billed annually per Square location, which is $120 a year, or $12/mo month to month, with the first month at $1. Screens are unlimited, so the second and third displays change the kitchen without changing the bill.
Neither of them is free. If that is what you were hoping for, is there a free KDS for Square sets out what actually exists. For the paper-versus-screen arithmetic on your own volumes, use the cost calculator, and for the hardware question there is which tablets work.
Get started with Small KDS today
Flexible pricing, unlimited kitchen display screens, and a setup that connects directly to your Square orders, no separate square kds hardware or per-device fees to negotiate.
Get your first month for $1Prices shown as a guide. You're billed in your Square location's currency.