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KioskBuddy Vs. Square Kiosk

If you're deciding between KioskBuddy and Square Kiosk for your business, it’s important to understand how these two platforms differ in functionality, customization, and hardware compatibility. This guide will break down the key features and limitations of both to help you choose the one that best fits your needs.

Customization Options

One of the most noticeable differences between KioskBuddy and Square Kiosk is the level of customization available.

KioskBuddy: Offers extensive options to personalize the kiosk display. You can adjust the placement of items and categories, change screen colors, modify text size, and control spacing, and more. These options let you create a customer experience perfectly tailored to your business and brand.

Square Kiosk: Offers limited options for changing how items are displayed. The default layout is static, which means businesses must adapt to the pre-set design. For merchants who value aesthetics and user experience, this lack of flexibility could be a drawback.

Advanced Features

Customization goes beyond just the look and feel of your kiosk. For example, the checkout process for a food truck might be completely different than the checkout process for a farm stand.

KioskBuddy: Offers a ton of advanced features to customize your kiosk to your exact operations. We could go on and on, but here's just a few of the most popular options:

  • Collect any kind of customer information at checkout (“pick up times”, “order numbers”, “allergens”, etc.).

  • Scan barcodes. Items are added to a customer’s cart after scanning a bar code as opposed to selecting the item from a menu.

  • Enable open tabs which allows your customers to order during the course of their visit (perfect for sit down restaurants, bowling alleys, golf simulators, and more). 

  • Enable time controlled items or categories (e.g. breakfast options only available between 8am and 10:30am).

  • Integrate a weight scale for calculating variable items (perfect for farm stands or candy shops).

  • Display multiple menus (perfect for food hall concepts).

  • Password protect items that require an ID check at checkout. 

  • Take gift card payments.

  • Let customers split the payment into multiple payments (perfect for open tabs and group orders).

Square Kiosk: Does not currently support any of the above options other than gift card processing and discount codes. If your business relies on unique workflows or requires added functionality during checkout, this may be a limitation for you to consider.

Hardware Compatibility

KioskBuddy: Designed to work on various devices with different kinds of businesses, KioskBuddy offers greater versatility when it comes to hardware. You can use larger screens with iPad and Android options, integrate additional peripherals like barcode scanners and scales, and adapt the system to your specific setup.

Square Kiosk: Requires the use of the Square Stand, which limits the size of the screen you can use to specific iPad models. Additionally, it must remain plugged in to operate, which restricts its portability and placement options. When not plugged in, the kiosk shows this error message:

Which kiosk should you choose?

Choose KioskBuddy if:

  • You value customization and want control over how your kiosk looks and functions. 

  • You need advanced features like barcode scanning or custom checkout steps. 

  • Your business setup requires flexibility in hardware including larger screens or additional peripherals (barcode scanning, multiple printers, or weight scales). 

Choose Square Kiosk if:

  • You prefer a very simple solution where customization and advanced functionality are not top priorities for your business.