Self-service kiosks are customer-facing devices that allow customers to place orders, make purchases, check in for appointments, and make payments without assistance. The best kiosk software works seamlessly with your point-of-sale (POS) system and payment processor.
Kiosk software should easily handle complex information like food modifiers, event ticketing, or appointment information. The best self-service kiosks also suggest popular add-on sales and collect customer information for marketing purposes.
Based on our evaluations, the best self-service kiosks for small businesses are:
- Toast: Best overall self-service kiosk for restaurant self-service and reservations
- Lightspeed Restaurant: Best tabletop restaurant kiosk
- Square: Best budget kiosk for restaurants, retailers, and businesses using Square POS
- DaySmart Salon: Best self-check-in kiosk for salons
- KORONA POS: Best for ticket-selling kiosks in event venues and tourist attractions
- IT Retail: Best self-checkout kiosk for high-volume grocers
Best Self-service Kiosks Compared
Supported business types | Monthly POS software fee | Monthly kiosk fee | Hardware cost | Contract length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | $0–$99 | $0–$1,234 | 2 years | |
| Table service and counter service restaurants | Custom-quoted | Custom-quoted | 1 year | |
| Restaurants and retailers; any business that uses Square | $0–$89+Free trial available for POS; select kiosk apps offer 30-day free trials | $0–$200+ (depending on app) | $0–$1,500+ | Month-to-month |
| Salons, beauty services | Included in all plans | $0 | Month-to-month | |
| Event venues, amusem*nt parks, museums, nonprofits, retailers | Custom-quoted | Custom-quoted | Month-to-month | |
| Grocers, markets, specialty food stores, convenience stores | $199+ | Custom-quoted | Custom-quoted | Short- and long-term available |
The self-service kiosks on this list were tested and ranked by several experts with retail, restaurant, spa and salon experience. My colleagues and I evaluate self-service kiosk software and hardware several times a year and use our combined more than 20 years of real-world experience to evaluate the best self-service kiosks for various business types.
This ranking features the expertise of Mary King, Meaghan Brophy, Katie-Jay Simmons, and David Rivera.
Which Self-service Kiosk Is Right for You?
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Toast: Best Overall Kiosk for Restaurants
Overall Score: 4.50 / 5
Pros
- Baseline POS subscription is free
- Reservations and waitlist self-service tools
- QR-coded receipts direct cash payments to a central cashier
- Automated SMS text order ready alerts
Cons
- Requires a two-year contract
- Kiosk cannot accept promo codes for discounts
- Cannot spool payments if the kiosk loses internet access
Toast POS Review
What we like:
Toast consistently lands at the top of our restaurant software rankings for everything from POS to kitchen display systems (KDSes). Its self-ordering kiosk includes SMS text alerts and QR-coded receipts that enable cash-paying customers to quickly settle their checks with a cashier. Best of all, users can get started with Toast at no upfront cost.
New Toast users can add the self-service kiosk to a Starter Kit POS for $0 upfront and $0 per month if they commit to higher processing fees (2.99% + 15 cents for in-person transactions). If you prefer to pay upfront, you can expect to pay $99 per month for the kiosk software and $1,234 for the self-service hardware. You can also get a custom quote for the software.
Toast POS Review
- Monthly software fee:
- Quick Start Bundle: $0+
- Core: $69+
- Growth: $165
- Build Your Own: Custom pricing
- Monthly self-service kiosk fee: $0–$99
- In-person payment processing rate:
- Standard: 2.49% + 15 cents
- Pay-As-You-Go: 2.99% + 15 cents
- Contract length: 2 years
- Free trial: None
Unlike the other systems on this list, Toast operates on industry-grade hardware designed to withstand high-volume use. This makes the hardware pricier than a typical iPad (which the other systems use), but Toast offers Pay-as-You-Go options for virtually every available device. So, new users can get started with $0 down.
Guest Self-Service Kit | |
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Pricing | Standard: $1,234 + $99/month Pay-as-You-Go: $0 upfront, $0/ month for software, 2.99% + 15 cents processing |
Includes: | Toast Self Service terminal, card reader, router, installation support |
- Free Starter POS: Toast’s baseline Starter Kit POS subscription has no monthly software fees. However, you pay slightly higher processing fees (2.99% + 15 cents vs 2.49% + 15 cents). You can also get up to two terminals—including the self-service kiosk hardware—for $0 upfront with the Starter Kit POS.
- SMS text alerts: The Toast kiosk requests customer phone numbers for kiosk orders and sends them automated alerts when their orders are ready.
- QR-coded receipts: The Toast kiosk cannot process cash payments directly at the kiosk; most affordable restaurant kiosks lack this feature. But, Toast offers a low-cost workaround: QR codes printed at the bottom of receipts. Cash-paying customers present their QR-coded receipt to a central cashier, where it can be scanned and immediately pulled up on the POS terminal.
- Flexible hardware: Your Toast kiosks integrate with barcode scanners and scales. So, if you sell build-your-own salads by weight or packaged ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-drink (RTD) items, your customers can still check themselves out. Since you are not locked into iPads, you can also choose 10”, 15”, or 22” touch screens for your kiosks.
- Toast Tables: With the new Toast Tables reservation tool (available for a custom-quoted price), your customers can add themselves to your waitlist from their smartphones. This essentially leverages smartphones as additional self-service kiosks.
Like Lightspeed Restaurant, Toast only has kiosk software for restaurants. If you need tools for ticketing operations, you’ll need to look at KORONA POS. Retailers will want to look at Square and IT Retail. Salons that want walk-in check-in tools should look at DaySmart.
Lightspeed Restaurant: Best for Restaurant Tabletop Kiosks
Overall Score: 4.16 / 5
Pros
- Offers kiosk tools for full service and quick service restaurants
- Operates on iPads
- Includes SMS text “order ready” notifications
- Affordable subscriptions available
Cons
- No free baseline POS subscription
- App- and browser-based system; kiosk cannot process card payments if it loses internet connection
- Does not currently include tools for handling cash payments for kiosk customers
Lightspeed Restaurant Review
What we like:
Lightspeed Restaurant, a cloud-based restaurant POS system that operates on iPads, follows Toast on our ranking. Its comprehensive front- and back-end management features include self-ordering solutions for both table service and counter service features. This affordable system starts at $69 per month and operates on hardware you already own.
Lightspeed’s kiosk software is offered as an add-on module called the Self-Order Menu. You can add the Self-Order Menu module to any Lightspeed POS tablet by downloading the app from the Apple App Store. The price will vary based on the number of kiosks you need; Lightspeed offers custom quotes for this add-on. Previously published price lists offered the kiosk for $39 per month.
- Monthly software fee:
- Starter: $69
- Essential: $189
- Premium: $399
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
- Monthly self-service kiosk fee: Custom-quoted
- In-person payment processing rate:
- Lightspeed Payments: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Cayan or Bridgepay: Depends on processor
- Contract length: 1 year
- Free trial: None for restaurant POS
Lightspeed Restaurant POS operates on iPads and iPhones with iOS 13 or later. You can use iPads you already have, and purchase stands, card readers, printers, and other accessories from Lightspeed for custom-quoted prices.
Vault iPad stand | Verifone 400m |
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iPad POS or Kiosk stand | Tap, Swipe, dip, and PIN-enabled mobile card reader |
Epson TM-M30II-NT | iPad hardware kit |
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Bluetooth and USB-Network tethered thermal receipt printer | Hardware kit with printers, cash drawer, and iPad stand (iPad and payment terminal not included) |
- Counter service mode: Lightspeed’s Self-Order software supports two order modes: kiosk mode and table mode. In kiosk mode, customers order and pay for their meals in a single transaction before the food is prepared.
- Table mode: In table mode, the Lightspeed Self-Order tablet is assigned to a specific table. Your service staff assists the guests with placing multiple orders and processes their payment at the end of their meal. Customers can also hail a server through the kiosk and request their bill through the app. Lightspeed is the only kiosk option on this list that features table-service kiosk tools.
- SMS text alerts: You can set up your Lightspeed kiosk to request customer cell phone numbers. Your team can then send a text alert through the POS when the customer’s order is ready. No calling out names or remembering order numbers.
- Room fees: Lightspeed is also the only option on our list that integrates with hotel property management software to enable customers to pay with room charges.
- Running tabs: Lightspeed supports long-running customer tabs—what you might call “house accounts”—a feature many POS systems lack. This function makes Lightspeed a good fit for social clubs or coworking spaces that mainly serve members accustomed to paying monthly fees. Members don’t need to have their wallets handy if they want to grab a snack. You can simply bill them for their purchases on the same cycle as you do their membership fees.
- Full inventory functions: Since the Lightspeed kiosk is fully built into your POS, the kiosk will sync with your inventory in real time. So, you’ll never sell an item you have run out of. Additionally, the system will alert you to low stock. Depending on your subscription level, your Lightspeed POS may even generate a suggested order for you to send to your supplier for efficient restocking.
The Lightspeed Self-Order Menu is only currently offered on Lightspeed’s Restaurant POS. If you need kiosk tools for checking in customers or selling tickets or retail items, this is not the solution for you. For ticketed events, see KORONA. If you need to check in customers, look into DaySmart (for salons). Retailers can find kiosk tools in Square or IT Retail.
Square: Best Budget Kiosks for Restaurants & Retail
Overall Score: 4.09 / 5
Pros
- Multiple options for integrated kiosks
- Baseline Square POS includes free subscription for unlimited terminals
- Kiosk options include software for unlimited terminals and locations, and several 30-day free trials
- Easy to self-install POS and kiosk
Cons
- Requires two separate subscriptions; one for the POS and one for the kiosk software
- Kiosk prices increase per additional transaction above subscription threshold
- Kiosk sales may not sync with your POS reports
Square for Restaurants review
What We Like
Subscribing to a Square POS system along with integrated kiosk software is a combination solution that is a great fit for businesses on a budget. Square’s retail, restaurant, and appointment POS systems regularly appear in our POS rankings because they are functional, affordable, and self-installable. Users of Square for Restaurants and Retail can add kiosks via an integration with multiple kiosk apps built specifically to operate with the Square POS. Multiple compatible apps offer 30-day free trials, and Square offers a completely free baseline POS so you can get started for free.
This user-friendly software is built with a streamlined interface that is less customizable than others on this list. The consumer tablet-based hardware also lacks the extreme customization that competitors provide. But this solution is just the right size for small, independent businesses that are frequently overlooked by bigger software companies.
The major drawback is that you’ll need two subscriptions; one for your POS and one for your kiosk software. So, you’ll need to account for monthly fees on both.
Square for Restaurants review
- Monthly POS software fee:
- Free: $0 per month
- Plus: $60 for Square for Restaurants; $89 for Square for Retail
- Premium: Custom pricing
- Monthly self-service kiosk fee: (varies by provider)
- Flash Order: $50 per month
- KioskBuddy: $50 to $200 per month for unlimited kiosks and locations
- Kyoo: $0 per month; customers pay $0.25 per order
- KiOS: 1.5% per order; with a one-time hardware fee of $1,500+ per kiosk)
- Craver Kiosk: $49 to $99 per month; unlimited kiosks
- In-person payment processing rate: Depends on chosen plan
- Contract length: Month-to-month
- Free trial: 30 days for POS; KioskBuddy and KIOS both offer 30-day free trials
Both Square POS and the related kiosk apps kiosk operate on iPads and Square-designed hardware. You can use devices you already own or purchase hardware from Square directly, alongside Square-designed iPad stands with built-in card readers. The Square Stand Mount enables you to mount kiosks to countertops, walls, or poles for freestanding kiosks.
Square Stand | Square Stand Mount |
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Tap and dip card reader-enabled iPad stand for Square POS (swipe reader optional) | Wall or countertop mount for square stand with incorporated tap and dip card reader (swipe reader optional) |
Without iPad: $149, or $14 per month over 12 months With iPad: add $329 | |
- Multiple kiosk apps: Square integrates with several kiosk apps so you can choose the one that best suits your needs:
- Kyoo ($0 per month; customers pay $0.25 per order) gives you five integrated order channels: kiosk, mobile, SMS text bot, custom app, and web.
- KioskBuddy ($50 to $200 per month for unlimited kiosks and locations) is a user-friendly solution for restaurant and retail kiosk operations.
- Flash Order ($50 per month) creates beautiful, image-based kiosk order screens for restaurants and includes drive-thru features.
- KiOS (1.5% per order; with a one-time hardware fee of $1,500+ per kiosk) and Craver ($49 to $99 per month; unlimited kiosks) are both restaurant-focused kiosk apps with excellent suggestive selling tools.
- Unlimited kiosks: With a single subscription, you can use most of the integrated kiosk apps on unlimited devices; only KiOS charges for each terminal. Though some, like KioskBuddy and Craver, limit the included number of transactions per plan.
- Integrated Square loyalty: You can give your restaurant a polished look by offering automated rewards. Several of the supported kiosk apps alert returning customers to any accumulated rewards—and opportunities to redeem them—upon checkout. Every system on this list will track customer rewards; however, some, like Lightspeed, lack the ability to redeem rewards at the kiosk. Rewards redemption at the kiosk is a really great feature offered by this low-cost kiosk.
- KDS integration: In addition to printing checks to kitchen printers, KioskBuddy also integrates with the Square KDS if you prefer to use screens in your kitchen. With the Square KDS, your customers will receive a text message that their order is ready when your cooks mark the dish as complete in the KDS.
Currently, the kiosk apps for Square only integrate with the Square for Restaurants and Square for Retail POS systems. If you need a kiosk for your salon or other wellness business, try DaySmart Salon. If you want check-in tools for a restaurant, try Toast.
DaySmart Salon: Best Self-Check-in for Salons
Overall Score: 4.03 / 5
Pros
- Collects client information for future marketing campaigns
- Self-installable
- Operates on iPads
- 14-day free trial
Cons
- Kiosk cannot process payments
- Needs internet connection to work; no offline mode
What We Like
DaySmart Salon (formerly Salon Iris) is a POS system designed specifically for salons and wellness businesses. This iPad POS regularly appears on our ranking of the best salon POS systems. Because of its built-in self-check-in kiosk, we recommend the system for salons and wellness businesses that get a lot of walk-in customers.
DaySmart scored lower than others on this list in the features category, but that’s only because it is built to solve a niche pain point for salons specifically. So this kiosk only handles one task—walk-in check-in—but it does it incredibly well for an affordable price.
The DaySmart Salon POS is offered at four subscription tiers to support wellness businesses of all sizes—from individual stylists and wellness workers to large, multi-booth operations. The kiosk software is included in all four plans.
- Monthly software fee:
- Basic: $29
- Deluxe: $69
- Premier: $129
- Platinum: Custom pricing
- Monthly self-service kiosk fee: Included in all plans
- In-person payment processing rate: Depends on payment processor
- Contract length: Month-to-month
- Free trial: 14 days
The DaySmart Salon POS operates on any interconnected device. So, you can run the baseline system on a desktop computer or an iOS or Android tablet. The kiosk is downloadable from the Apple App Store and works best on an iPad. You can run the entire system on hardware you already own, or hardware that you can purchase from a local office supply store.
- Flexible subscriptions: DaySmart Salon offers four subscription tiers, so small salons and solopreneurs won’t have to pay for tools they don’t use. In fact, the baseline subscription, Basic, is designed specifically for solo stylists to manage their own clients and services.
- Automated setup: Your DaySmart Salon kiosk will automatically populate your products and services from your DaySmart POS. All you need to do is download the kiosk app from the Apple App Store and connect the kiosk account to your POS account.
- Customizable look: You can customize the look of your check-in kiosk by changing background images and color schemes. Thus, your kiosk can easily reflect your salon or barber shop’s style.
- Appointment look-up: Customers can create new appointments or check in for existing appointments via the kiosk. Existing customers look up their appointment records by their phone numbers, while new customers add their contact information. Users can add their requested services at the kiosk, and you can optionally allow customers to choose their stylist in the kiosk.
DaySmart Salon’s kiosk only supports appointment-based beauty and wellness businesses. It also cannot process payments at the kiosk. If you want to check-in customers for dining reservations or accept full food or retail orders with payment processing, you’ll need a different solution. For reservations check-in, try Toast. Restaurants wanting table-side kiosks should see Lightspeed, while busy counter-service restaurants may prefer Toast.
KORONA POS: Best for Ticketing Businesses
Overall Score: 3.91 / 5
Pros
- You can choose your own payment processor
- Supports ticketing operations
- No long-term contract
Cons
- Does not have strong tools for restaurants
- Back-office functions can take time to learn
- Hardware can be expensive; pricing not transparent
KORONA POS review
What We Like
KORONA is a cloud-based POS that supports multiple types of retail, high-risk, and ticket-based businesses. Its kiosk tools are especially useful for ticket-based businesses like amusem*nt parks, museums, and tourist attractions, where long lines can form quickly. The hardware can get pricey (and pricing for these isn’t always transparent), but ticketed businesses need a lot of functions, so the cost may be worth it in the long run.
In addition to KORONA’s strong POS ticketing functions like time-based ticketing and turnstile integration, the system operates on multiple industry-grade kiosk terminals, so your hardware can withstand high-volume use, no matter your business style.
Like top-rated Lightspeed, KORONA offers several subscription tiers to support businesses of any size. However, to get ticketing functions, you’ll need an add-on that costs an extra $50 per gate. However, KORONA does not require long-term contracts, so if the system is not a fit, you won’t be penalized for moving on.
KORONA POS review
- Monthly software fee:
- Core: $59
- Retail: $69
- Plus: +$20 per terminal
- Food, invoicing, ticketing add-ons: +$10 to $50 per month
- Monthly self-service kiosk fee: Custom-quoted
- In-person payment processing rate: Depends on payment processor
- Contract length: Month-to-month
Free trial: Unlimited
KORONA’s website currently does not list any specific hardware or kiosks, with the exception of an unspecified POS Self-Checkout Kiosk device. As of our last update, KORONA worked with Aures and PartnerTech for kiosk hardware. Kiosks arrive preconfigured with the KORONA software pre-installed and tailored to your operational needs.
Aures Mini Komet | PartnerTech K27W | PartnerTech Alfred AD-215-H |
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17” Touch-screen kiosk with built-in receipt printer and PIN-enabled card reader and indicator light | 27” Self-service kiosk with integrated barcode scanner, and EMV card reader | 21.5” or 15.6” touch-screen kiosk with built-in barcode scanner and thermal receipt printer |
- Time-based ticketing tools: You can customize the tickets in your KORONA to be tied to specific entry times. This is useful if you need to control traffic flow or if your tickets are for an event with specific start and end times, like a concert.
- Memberships and season passes: Tourist attractions and local parks will love the ability to bill and scan membership cards and season passes. The setup for these ticket types is included in your KORONA POS system; you just have to choose your desired settings. You can further customize memberships by tiers, giving some members access to specific attractions or events.
- Turnstile integration: If your event location or park uses turnstiles, you can set your KORONA-based tickets to integrate with turnstile scanners. This lets you further control traffic flow and manage your entrances.
- Live visitor count: If your venue must adhere to fire codes or other occupancy restrictions, KORONA has you covered. Your POS gives you a live visitor count, so you go beyond simple sales tracking and know your occupancy in real time.
KORONA doesn’t have the tools to support most full-service restaurants, and the hardware can get pretty expensive. Full service restaurants that want self-service kiosks have a lot of other providers to choose from, including Lightspeed, Toast, and Square.
IT Retail: Best Self-checkout for Grocers
Overall Score: 3.80 / 5
Pros
- Can process cash payments
- Multiple hardware configurations
- Excellent offline functionality
- Industry-grade hardware withstands high-volume use
Cons
- Expensive monthly subscriptions
- Locked into IT Retail Payments
- Complex configurations may require installation assistance
IT Retail Review
What We Like
IT Retail provides the most complex self-checkout kiosk of any system on this list—an excellent fit for small, independent grocers and markets. With this system, you get professional-grade self-checkout tools. IT Retail kiosks come in multiple configurations, with barcode scanners, receipt printers, card readers, and even cash dispensers.
This provider has the priciest POS system on this list (that self-checkout hardware costs a pretty penny). So it is best suited for larger operations that need to support a high volume of self-checkout customers.
IT Retail offers two subscription options and three plans. Flex Monthly is a simple monthly fee for both hardware and software. Freedom Standard and Freedom Premium allow you to purchase the hardware upfront; monthly payments are only for POS software and support.
IT Retail Review
- Subscriptions:
- Flex Monthly: $199 per month
- Freedom Standard: $1,499 one-time payment
- Freedom Premium: $1,999 one-time payment
- All plans include touch PC, receipt printer, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and customer display
- Monthly self-service kiosk fee: Custom-quoted
- In-person payment processing rate: Custom-quoted
- Contract length: Depends on subscription
- Free trial: None
Self-checkout with Cash Dispenser | Compact Self-checkout Kiosk |
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Full footprint self-checkout stand with card reader, receipt printer, cash dispenser, and bagging area | Small footprint self-checkout stand with card reader and receipt printer |
- Customizable hardware: IT Retail offers multiple options for terminal screens, barcode scanners, printers, scales, and more. You can choose pre-built hardware kits in standard configurations to speed your setup or hand-select every hardware component for a completely custom solution.
- Cash payments: IT Retail kiosks have the option for built-in cash dispensers, giving your independent market the same streamlined look of a larger chain. You can accept cash and make change right at the kiosk.
- Robust inventory: The underlying IT Retail POS has excellent inventory tools, including expiration date tracking. This feature, along with the industry-grade hardware, is one of the reasons we love IT Retail for independent grocers. The inventory syncs in real time, so you always know your on-hand stock.
- Easily scalable: IT Retail is designed for independent grocers and markets, so whether you need two POS terminals or twenty-two, IT Retail has the hardware and software you need.
- Cloud-based data: IT Retail stores your reporting data in the cloud so you can access it from anywhere. So you get the offline functionality of a locally networked system and the flexibility of mobile reports.
IT Retail kiosks may be more machine than small operations need. If you only need a single self-checkout kiosk, Square may be more your speed. For a self-checkout setup somewhere between Square’s small budget option and IT Retail’s big budget option, look at Lightspeed.
Why Invest in Self-service Kiosks?
Even for small, lean businesses that are trying to keep costs down, there are advantages to investing in self-service kiosks. I say “investing,” but these kiosks don’t have to break the bank: several options are available for less than $100 per month. Others are included in a POS provider’s subscription plans or can be obtained for custom-quoted prices, giving you a chance to negotiate good deals.
Here are some benefits that a self-service kiosk can provide for your small business:
Reduced Labor Costs & Employee Workload
Perhaps the most direct and tangible benefit of self-service kiosks is that they reduce the workload required from store staff, allowing you to reduce hiring costs and simplify processes for employees. Kiosks may take some time and training to fully set up, but once they are up and running, staff will have less work to do handling customer checkouts.
This has the added bonus of reducing the chance for errors, as there can be no possible miscommunication or misunderstanding between a store employee and a customer purchasing items. If a customer needs help operating the kiosk or would prefer a traditional checkout, they can always call over a store employee for assistance.
Small Physical Footprint
Self-service kiosks tend to be compact, taking up less space than a traditional countertop POS system or checkout counter. This means that you can achieve a cleaner and less crowded store environment, and free up more room for display cabinets, shelves, signage and marketing materials, or additional kiosks.
Social Distancing
Though COVID-19 no longer has the impact it once did, the idea of social distancing never completely left the public perception. Whether due to hygiene purposes, introversion, or simple preference, many customers feel more comfortable going through checkout on their own. Recent research found that 66% of customers still prefer self-checkout over staff interactions and 76% of millennials think self-checkout is more efficient.
A self-service kiosk gives your customers options. And, again, they can always summon a staff member if they decide they want the assistance.
Alternatives to Self-service Kiosks
The drive toward contactless self-service solutions has led to a surge in business tools that use customer smartphones as self-service kiosks. The benefit of using customer smartphones is that you don’t need to purchase or maintain additional hardware. There are two main ways to use customer smartphones for self-service: QR codes and apps.
QR Codes for Self-Service
Quick response (QR) codes are not expensive. Many POS systems now include a QR code generator, which allows you to print a scannable QR code that directs customers to your online store, online ordering site, reservations and waitlist page, or self-check-in site. Understaffed restaurants can even use QR codes to accept customer orders and payments from individual tables.
All you need to make a QR code-based self-service system work is a web page that has your desired functions, a QR code generator, and a high-quality printer. If your business sees a lot of customer traffic, you may want to add lamination to your printed QR codes so they last longer.
Use a QR code for self-service when you already have a website that performs the function you need. When you don’t have a website where you can easily direct orders and process payments, a self-service app would be better.
Self-service Apps
Many POS systems and third-party software providers offer custom apps at prices that many small businesses can afford. You can find an app to support practically any function your business performs. You can add or develop white-labeled customer or employee-facing self-service apps to help you manage everything from digital orders and loyalty to employee payroll and tip distribution.
What is “white-labeling?”
White-labeling allows you to use your business branding on a preconfigured software tool so all your customers see is your business information, not the information of the underlying app. White-labeled apps give small businesses the polish and appearance of much larger operations.
You don’t have to break the bank to add a self-service app. Many are built into affordable, cloud-based POS systems, or offered at prices starting from $0 per month. We’ve listed a variety of self-service apps below.
Description | Best for | Monthly fee | |
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| Employee self-service wage and tip management | Growing restaurants | Custom-quoted add-on (with Toast POS) |
| White-labeled salon and spa appointment booking | Busy spas and salons | From $249 (billed annually) |
| White-labeled digital ordering app | Restaurants on a budget | From $0 |
Methodology—How We Evaluated Self-service Kiosks
We compared over a dozen popular self-service kiosk systems based on what’s important to independent business owners, including overall cost, purchasing functions, POS and payment integrations, and ease of use for customers and staff. We also considered our retail and restaurant experts’ personal evaluations of each software.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
- Breakdown
- Hardware
- Kiosk Features
- Ease of Use
- Expert Score
25%
Pricing & Payments
10%
Hardware
20%
Kiosk Features
20%
Ease of Use
25%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
First, we looked at whether or not each software offers a free plan, free trial, and a software option under $75 per month. We also considered hardware costs and looked for kiosk systems that operate on readily available hardware like iPads. We awarded points to systems that integrate with more than one payment processor so restaurant owners can shop around for the best processing rates. And, we also considered how each kiosk handles cash payments.
10% of Overall Score
We awarded points to systems that support multiple hardware configurations or multiple software workflows to support different business types.
20% of Overall Score
Kiosks need to support complex orders with modifications and meal combos. We also looked for systems that upsell onscreen to increase check averages. Since customer preferences vary, we looked for systems that accept a wide range of payment types, from credit cards to mobile wallets and cash. We also looked for kiosks that collect customer information to support your marketing and loyalty solutions to encourage return business. To keep your business running smoothly, we looked for kiosks that integrate directly with restaurant POS systems.
20% of Overall Score
Kiosks need to be easy for customers to navigate without guidance. They also should be easy for owners and managers to update when prices or menu items change. We looked for systems that are easy to self-install or include professional installation at no additional charge. We also awarded points to systems that offer 24/7 customer support. Then we considered how the system notifies customers that their order is ready, giving high marks to kiosks that support integrated SMS text messaging.
25% of Overall Score
Finally, we considered any standout features of each system and whether the combined software and hardware offers a good overall value for the price. We also judged each system’s popularity among small businesses of various types. Then we awarded points based on our personal experience interacting with the software and the company’s customer support.
*Percentages of overall score
Self-service Kiosks Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Self-service kiosks have a lot of different functions. These are the most common questions I hear about self-service kiosks.
A self-service kiosk is a hardware device or software add-on that allows customers to select their own items for purchase and pay for them without needing to interact with store employees.
Self-service kiosks allow a store to have reduced labor costs, make their physical space more efficient and less cluttered, prioritize other elements like additional shelves and displays, and offer social distancing or self-checkout to customers who want it.
Look for automated order alerts, barcode and QR code scanning, customization options, integration with smartphones and other devices, and cloud-based operation with real-time updating.
Bottom Line
There are affordable self-service kiosk options for virtually every business type. In this evaluation, Toast outscored the competition by providing the most comprehensive, user-friendly tools for the businesses they serve—restaurants. With smart cash routing, complex order modifiers, and full communication with your loyalty program, restaurants can save labor hours by rolling out Toast kiosks. With a $0 Starter Kit subscription and pay-as-you-go hardware, you can get started for no money down.
