Crunchtime Kitchen vs Epson TrueOrder KDS vs Fresh KDS

Crunchtime Kitchen is a kitchen display system that routes orders to stations, paces tickets, forecasts what to cook, and shows order-ready boards, with rugged display hardware. TrueOrder KDS is Epson's kitchen display software for restaurants. Fresh KDS is a kitchen display system that runs on iOS and Android tablets and shows POS orders on screens in the kitchen. All three are listed under Kitchen Display System. Where the profiles show a difference, it is in price, audience and platforms.

Key differences

  • price

    On price, Fresh KDS lists USD 16 per screen per month, billed yearly. Crunchtime Kitchen and Epson TrueOrder KDS do not publish a starting price.

  • audience

    Audience differs between the profiles. Listed by one product alone: Crunchtime Kitchen: Large casual-dining and quick-service chains; Epson TrueOrder KDS: Restaurants that want a KDS without a subscription; Fresh KDS: Cafes, bistros and fast casual restaurants.

  • platforms

    They do not run on the same platforms. Crunchtime Kitchen: Web, Android, Windows; Epson TrueOrder KDS: Web; Fresh KDS: iOS, Android.

  • integrations

    On integrations, Crunchtime Kitchen names 22 integrations, Epson TrueOrder KDS names 10 integrations and Fresh KDS names 37 integrations. No partner appears in every list.

Side by side

Crunchtime Kitchen vs Epson TrueOrder KDS vs Fresh KDS: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldCrunchtime KitchenEpson TrueOrder KDSFresh KDS
What it isCrunchtime Kitchen is a kitchen display system that routes orders to stations, paces tickets, forecasts what to cook, and shows order-ready boards, with rugged display hardware.TrueOrder KDS is Epson's kitchen display software for restaurants.Fresh KDS is a kitchen display system that runs on iOS and Android tablets and shows POS orders on screens in the kitchen.
Best forLarge casual-dining and quick-service chains; Chains that want one vendor for kitchen, inventory and labourRestaurants that want a KDS without a subscription; Restaurants that may change POS; Kitchens with unreliable internetCafes, bistros and fast casual restaurants; Food trucks and breweries; Restaurant groups
Pricing modelQuote onlyOne-off licenceSubscription per screen
Starting priceNot publishedNot publishedUSD 16 per screen per month, billed yearly
Free planNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Free trialNot publishedNot publishedYes
ContractNot publishedNone: one-time purchase, no subscriptionNone; the vendor says there is no long-term contract and plans can be cancelled, upgraded or downgraded at any time
PlatformsWeb, Android, WindowsWebiOS, Android
CountriesNot publishedNot publishedNot published
LanguagesNot publishedNot publishedEnglish, French, German, Spanish
Number of integrations221037
CertificationsSOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2Not publishedNot published
Security practicesHTTPS, multifactor authentication and encryption in transit and at restNot publishedNot published
FoundedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
HeadquartersBoston, United StatesNot publishedNot published
OwnerCrunchtime Information Systems, Inc. (merged with QSR Automations, LLC in 2025; backed by Battery Ventures per its 2022 press release)Seiko Epson CorporationNot published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

No partner appears in every list.

Named only by Crunchtime Kitchen

  • Appetize
  • Cake
  • Curbit
  • Flybuy
  • Genius for Restaurants
  • GoTab
  • PAR POS
  • PixelPoint
  • POSiTouch
  • Revel
  • Simphony
  • Smart Bar USA
and 4 more
  • Squirrel POS
  • Tabit
  • Toast
  • Zonal Aztec

Named only by Epson TrueOrder KDS

  • Aldelo
  • Breadcrumb
  • Lavu
  • Micros Simphony R1/R2
  • Brink
  • Shopkeep
  • SkyTab

Named only by Fresh KDS

  • ABCPOS
  • Arryved
  • Bite
  • BookNow Software
  • ClearCOGS
  • Clover
  • Cubigo
  • Cuboh
  • Dejavoo
  • Elavon
  • FoodHub
  • Graine
and 20 more
  • helloTESS!
  • Last.app
  • Lula Commerce
  • Noovi
  • Northstar
  • Oracle Restaurants
  • Otter
  • Payanywhere
  • Peblla
  • POS Cafe
  • Poynt
  • Register by Smart Volution
  • ROLLER
  • Salido
  • SmartTab
  • SmilePOS
  • SoftPoint
  • Square
  • Vroom Delivery
  • Yuze

Which to choose

Crunchtime Kitchen

Choose Crunchtime Kitchen if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Large casual-dining and quick-service chains; Chains that want one vendor for kitchen, inventory and labour.

Epson TrueOrder KDS

Choose Epson TrueOrder KDS if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Restaurants that want a KDS without a subscription; Restaurants that may change POS; Kitchens with unreliable internet.

Fresh KDS

Choose Fresh KDS if you are in one of these groups: Cafes, bistros and fast casual restaurants; Food trucks and breweries; Restaurant groups.

What we could not confirm

Crunchtime Kitchen

  • Any price
  • Contract term
  • Founding year of Crunchtime or of QSR Automations, headcount, funding amounts
  • Full POS list beyond the entries shown; which are two-way
  • Mobile app availability
  • Whether SOC 2 covers Kitchen (the security page says all products)
  • Countries where Kitchen itself is sold

Epson TrueOrder KDS

  • Price per station
  • Countries where it is sold
  • Language support
  • Full list of compatible display hardware

Fresh KDS

  • Countries served
  • Headquarters, founding year, funding, team size
  • Named customers
  • Security certifications (a security policy page exists but states no certification)
  • Whether the site language options equal the app interface languages

Go further

Crunchtime Kitchen profileEpson TrueOrder KDS profileFresh KDS profile

Other comparisons with these products

Sources

Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.

Crunchtime Kitchen, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homehttps://www.crunchtime.com
  2. Kitchen product pagehttps://www.crunchtime.com/kitchen
  3. Hardwarehttps://www.crunchtime.com/kitchen/hardware
  4. Certified POS listhttps://www.crunchtime.com/kitchen-host-integrations
  5. Hosthttps://www.crunchtime.com/host
  6. Companyhttps://www.crunchtime.com/about-us
  7. Customershttps://www.crunchtime.com/our-customers
  8. Securityhttps://www.crunchtime.com/security
  9. Offices and contacthttps://www.crunchtime.com/contact
  10. Support policyhttps://www.crunchtime.com/support-policy-ct
  11. Merger releasehttps://www.crunchtime.com/press/qsr-automations-agrees-to-merge-with-crunchtime
  12. Renamehttps://www.crunchtime.com/blog/introducing-rebranded-product-names-for-qsr-automations-solutions
  13. Zenput acquisitionhttps://www.crunchtime.com/press/crunchtime-acquires-zenput