Fresh KDS vs LINGA KDS vs Northstar KDS vs Square KDS
Fresh KDS is a kitchen display system that runs on iOS and Android tablets and shows POS orders on screens in the kitchen. LINGA KDS is the kitchen display module of the LINGA cloud POS for restaurants. Northstar KDS is the kitchen display screen inside Northstar's Food & Beverage module, part of a club management platform for golf, country, city and yacht clubs and community associations. Square KDS is a kitchen display app from Square that replaces paper tickets and kitchen printers with digital tickets on Android devices. All four are listed under Kitchen Display System. They differ in price, audience and platforms.
Key differences
price
Starting prices: Fresh KDS at USD 16 per screen per month, billed yearly; Square KDS at USD 20 per device per month. The currency or billing basis differs, so they are not directly comparable. LINGA KDS and Northstar KDS do not publish a starting price.
audience
Not every audience is shared. Entries that only one product lists: Fresh KDS: Cafes, bistros and fast casual restaurants; LINGA KDS: Restaurants replacing kitchen printers; Northstar KDS: Private golf and country clubs; Square KDS: Restaurants already running Square POS.
platforms
Platform support differs. Fresh KDS: iOS, Android; LINGA KDS: iOS; Northstar KDS: Web; Square KDS: Web, Android.
Side by side
| Field | Fresh KDS | LINGA KDS | Northstar KDS | Square KDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Fresh KDS is a kitchen display system that runs on iOS and Android tablets and shows POS orders on screens in the kitchen. | LINGA KDS is the kitchen display module of the LINGA cloud POS for restaurants. | Northstar KDS is the kitchen display screen inside Northstar's Food & Beverage module, part of a club management platform for golf, country, city and yacht clubs and community associations. | Square KDS is a kitchen display app from Square that replaces paper tickets and kitchen printers with digital tickets on Android devices. |
| Best for | Cafes, bistros and fast casual restaurants; Food trucks and breweries; Restaurant groups | Restaurants replacing kitchen printers; Single-location restaurants; Franchises and multi-location groups | Private golf and country clubs; City clubs, yacht clubs and community associations | Restaurants already running Square POS; Quick-service and fast-casual kitchens; Full-service restaurants with several prep stations |
| Pricing model | Subscription per screen | Subscription (bundled with POS plan) | Quote only | Subscription per device |
| Starting price | USD 16 per screen per month, billed yearly | Not published | Not published | USD 20 per device per month |
| Free plan | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Free trial | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Contract | None; the vendor says there is no long-term contract and plans can be cancelled, upgraded or downgraded at any time | Not published | Not published | None stated: Square says its plans have no locked-in contracts and can be cancelled or switched anytime |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS | Web | Web, Android |
| Countries | Not published | Australia, Canada, India, Turkey, United States | Australia, New Zealand, United States | United States |
| Languages | English, French, German, Spanish | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Number of integrations | 37 | 10 | Not published | 7 |
| Certifications | Not published | Not published | PCI compliant | ISO 27001, PCI compliant |
| Security practices | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Founded | Not published | Not published | Not published | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Not published | Not published | Alpharetta, Georgia, United States | Not published |
| Owner | Not published | Not published | Not published | Block, Inc. (Square, Inc. was renamed Block, Inc. in 2021) |
| Last reviewed | 29 September 2026 | 29 September 2026 | 29 September 2026 | 29 September 2026 |
Integrations
No partner appears in every list.
Named only by Fresh KDS
- ABCPOS
- Arryved
- Bite
- BookNow Software
- ClearCOGS
- Clover
- Cubigo
- Cuboh
- Dejavoo
- Elavon
- FoodHub
- Graine
and 24 moreshow fewer
- helloTESS!
- Last.app
- Lightspeed K-Series
- Lula Commerce
- Noovi
- Northstar
- Olo
- Oracle Restaurants
- Otter
- Payanywhere
- Peblla
- POS Cafe
- Poynt
- Qu
- Register by Smart Volution
- ROLLER
- Salido
- SmartTab
- SmilePOS
- SoftPoint
- SpotOn
- TouchBistro
- Vroom Delivery
- Yuze
Named only by LINGA KDS
- ADP
- Chowly
- Dash Solutions
- Deliverect
- DoorDash Drive
- Factor4
- Octopus Bridge
- Restaurant365
- Shogo
Named only by Northstar KDS
Northstar KDS does not name any integrations in the material we reviewed.
Named only by Square KDS
- DoorDash
- OpenTable
- Postmates
- SevenRooms
- Square Online ordering
Which to choose
Fresh KDS
Choose Fresh KDS if you fit its listed audience: Cafes, bistros and fast casual restaurants; Food trucks and breweries; Restaurant groups.
LINGA KDS
Choose LINGA KDS if you fit its listed audience: Restaurants replacing kitchen printers; Single-location restaurants; Franchises and multi-location groups.
Northstar KDS
Choose Northstar KDS if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Private golf and country clubs; City clubs, yacht clubs and community associations.
Weaker fit: Independent restaurants that only want a standalone kitchen display. The KDS is documented as part of a club management suite, not as a separate product.
Square KDS
Choose Square KDS if you are in one of these groups: Restaurants already running Square POS; Quick-service and fast-casual kitchens; Full-service restaurants with several prep stations.
Our profile lists a weaker fit: Kitchens that do not use Square POS or that cannot run Android devices: the app needs a Square Plus or Premium subscription and Android hardware.
What we could not confirm
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
LINGA KDS
- Standalone KDS price
- Contract term
- Founding year and headquarters
- Employee count and funding
- Supported screen hardware
- Interface languages
- Security certifications
Northstar KDS
- Prices and contract terms
- Whether the KDS is sold on its own
- Named third-party integrations
- Founding year
- Languages
Square KDS
- Length of the free trial of Square plans
- Languages the KDS app supports
- Countries where the KDS app is sold outside the US
- Company headquarters, employee count and funding (Block is a public company)
- Which Android devices are recommended or supported
Go further
Sources
Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.
Fresh KDS, reviewed 29 September 2026
- Homepagehttps://www.fresh.technology/
- Pricing, plans, FAQhttps://www.fresh.technology/kds/pricing
- Integration listhttps://www.fresh.technology/kds/integrations
- Deviceshttps://www.fresh.technology/kds/recommended-hardware
- Enterprisehttps://www.fresh.technology/kds/enterprise
- Legal entityhttps://www.fresh.technology/legal/terms-of-service
LINGA KDS, reviewed 29 September 2026
- KDS features and FAQhttps://lingapos.com/solutions/kitchen-display-system-kds
- Plan pricing and included solutionshttps://lingapos.com/pricing/plans
- Integration Hubhttps://lingapos.com/integration-hub
- Company overviewhttps://lingapos.com/about-us
- Leadershiphttps://lingapos.com/leadership
- Handheld POShttps://lingapos.com/hardware/linga-mobile
- App downloadshttps://lingapos.com/downloads/ios
- Support contactshttps://lingapos.com/contact-support
- Legal entityhttps://lingapos.com/end-user-license-agreement
- Home pagehttps://www.lingapos.com
Northstar KDS, reviewed 29 September 2026
- F&B module and KDS featureshttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/solutions/optimize-operations/food-beverage
- Company overviewhttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/about-us
- Group and acquisitionshttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/about-us/northstar-group
- Modules, securityhttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/faqs
- Support, address, regionshttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/contact-us/support
- Target customershttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/who-we-serve/golf-and-country-clubs
- Customershttps://www.globalnorthstar.com/about-us/success-stories
Square KDS, reviewed 29 September 2026
- KDS product page: features, price, FAQ, hardwarehttps://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/kitchen-display-system
- Plans, no lock-in contracts, coursing, reservation integrationshttps://squareup.com/us/en/pricing
- Full-service restaurant fit and KDS pricinghttps://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/full-service
- Quick-service fit, delivery integrations, auto-86https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/quick-service
- Company history, countries served, Block renamehttps://squareup.com/us/en/about
- PCI and ISO 27001https://squareup.com/us/en/security