Kitchen display system (KDS): what one costs in 2026

A kitchen display system (KDS) is a screen in the kitchen that shows orders in place of paper tickets. Cooks see each item with its modifiers, mark it done, and managers get ticket times. Most KDS software is a monthly fee per screen on top of your POS. On the prices published October 27, 2026, that is $20 to $30 a month per screen at Square, Lightspeed and Fresh KDS ($16 at Fresh billed yearly), and $25 a month plus $799 or $899 per screen at Clover. Toast gives a quote.

What does a kitchen display system do?

Orders fire from the POS, the online ordering page or a delivery app straight to a screen at the right station. Toast’s page describes the basics most systems share: routing each item to its prep station, modifiers and allergy notes in clear type, ticket timers with color alerts, and a status update to servers or expo when food is ready.

Cooks “bump” a ticket when it is done, with a tap or a bump bar on an overhead screen. A recalled ticket comes back if someone bumped it by mistake. Square, Clover, Toast and Fresh KDS all report prep times so a manager can see which station slows down during the rush.

Some systems also text the guest when the order is ready. Toast lists guest SMS alerts, Square can text a guest when the order is marked complete in KDS, and Fresh KDS puts customer messaging in its Premium plan.

How much does a KDS cost?

These are the prices on each vendor’s own page on October 27, 2026. Each one is the cost of the kitchen screens only. You still need the vendor’s POS, or one it connects to.

Fresh KDS starts with a 7-day free trial of Premium and no contract. Square says restaurants that need several KDS stations should look at Premium, where the screen fee is $10 a month lower.

What do two kitchen screens cost over three years?

Take a small kitchen with two screens: one on the line and one at expo, or one for the grill and one for cold prep. Over 36 months, the screen fees alone add up like this. The table leaves out the POS subscription you already pay, and the tablets you buy yourself for Square, Lightspeed and Fresh.

On Square Free you would also move to Plus to get KDS at all. Plus is $49 a month per location, or $1,764 over 36 months, which brings the two-screen total to $3,924.

Do you need a KDS or a kitchen printer?

A printer needs no screen on the wall and no software fee. Paper tickets get lost or smudged, and a changed order means a new ticket. Toast’s own page says many restaurants use both: a printer as a backup or for one station, and the KDS for the main flow. Clover’s KDS prints runner tickets on any network printer, and Fresh KDS Premium prints tickets and item labels.

For a counter with one cook and mostly simple orders, one screen or a printer is usually enough. Station routing, expo screens and prep-time reports start to pay off when two or more stations work the same ticket.

Which KDS fits your restaurant?

• You already run Square. Square KDS is the simplest choice. Premium cuts each screen to $20, but the plan costs $100 a month more than Plus, so the screen saving alone only breaks even at 10 screens. On Square Free, price in the move to Plus first.
• You already run Clover. Clover’s KDS costs more up front because you buy Clover’s screen, but it is built for heat (Clover says up to 122°F) and takes a bump bar.
• You run Square, Clover or Lightspeed and want the lowest monthly fee. Fresh KDS Essentials, billed yearly, is $16 a screen, on a tablet you already own. Its 7-day free trial runs on Premium, so you can test it in your kitchen before you pay.
• You run Toast. Toast KDS works directly with Toast POS. Ask for the quote in writing, per screen and per month, before you sign. Our Toast vs Square comparison covers the rest of Toast’s pricing.

Where Expresso fits

Expresso is not a POS and not a full KDS. It has no station routing and does not show orders rung up at your counter. It takes online and table orders: pickup, curbside, scheduled orders from your link, and QR code ordering at the table. Those orders ring on Expresso’s own kitchen tablet, where staff track each one from new to done and text the guest when it is ready. Tickets can print on a Star Micronics printer.

The tablet is $149 once, with no monthly fee and no contract. The restaurant pays card processing of 3.2% + 30¢ per order, and guests pay a 2.5% convenience fee shown at checkout. It suits a restaurant that wants its online orders on one kitchen screen without paying for that screen every month. If you need every order from the counter and the dining room on station screens, buy the KDS that matches your POS. Our guide to online ordering systems for restaurants compares what Expresso and the others charge per order.