A Square for Restaurants alternative for cafes.
Square for Restaurants lets a cafe start free and grow into paid plans. The costs that add up are per device and per transaction, so that is where this comparison focuses.
Who looks for a Square for Restaurants alternative
Square is a sensible first POS. Cafes compare it with Timeo once they add kitchen screens, kiosks and online orders.
- Kitchen screens are priced per device. The Square KDS app is USD 30 a month per device on Plus and USD 20 on Premium, and Square Kiosk USD 99 a month per device.
- Online orders cost more on Free. Online card payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium.
- QR and loyalty need a paid plan. QR payments and loyalty sit on Plus (USD 49) and Premium (USD 149) per location.
Square for Restaurants and Timeo side by side
Square for Restaurants facts are taken from its own pages on 9 November 2026. "Not stated" means we did not find it on the pages we checked, not that the product lacks it.
| Square for Restaurants | Timeo | |
|---|---|---|
| Software price | Free; Plus USD 49, Premium USD 149 per location | USD 29 to USD 49 a month per location (Basic, Advance, Team), the same whatever the client count |
| Kitchen display | USD 30 a month per device (Plus), USD 20 (Premium) | Included on every plan, on any screen |
| QR ordering and loyalty | Plus and Premium | QR ordering on every plan; loyalty from Advance (USD 39) |
| Card rates | In person 2.6% to 2.4% + 15¢ by plan; online 3.3% + 30¢ (Free) or 2.9% + 30¢; keyed 3.5% + 15¢ | One off online payments and deposits go into your own Airwallex account, in your own currency; auto-renewing memberships charge cards through your own Stripe account |
| Delivery orders | Orders tab brings in delivery partners such as DoorDash | No delivery app connection |
| Hardware | Optional; Tap to Pay on phones; hardware from USD 59 | Your own tablet or computer |
When Square for Restaurants is the better choice
- Delivery apps are a big share of sales. Square’s Orders tab brings delivery partner orders such as DoorDash into one place. Timeo does not connect to delivery apps.
- You want to take cards on a phone today. Square takes contactless payments on a phone with Tap to Pay and its own processing, with no other account to set up.
- You need self order kiosks. Square sells a kiosk app per device. Timeo’s self ordering is the table QR on the customer’s own phone.
When Timeo is the better fit
- Several kitchen screens. Timeo’s kitchen display is included on every plan, so a second or third screen costs nothing extra.
- Recipes and stock. On Advance, each drink can take beans, milk and a cup out of stock as it sells, with stocktakes and supplier purchase orders.
- Your own payment account. Online payments go to your own Airwallex account (Billplz in Malaysia), not a POS vendor’s processing.
Moving from Square for Restaurants to Timeo
Square’s help centre explains importing items but we found no item list export there, so ask Square support for your item library and customers as spreadsheets.
- For retail items or a menu, open Catalog > Products and choose Import. Pick Generic CSV as the Import format, then Preview import and Apply import once the summary looks right.
- In Timeo, open Customers and choose Import customers. Choose CSV file (or paste the sheet), then Preview import. Timeo matches the columns, flags rows it cannot read, and matches people you already have by email, then phone. Nothing is saved until you confirm the plan.
- Add your dining tables under Settings > Tables and use Print all for the table QR codes.
- On Advance, link drinks and dishes to their ingredients: open Catalog > Products > Recipe BOMs, choose Import preview, paste rows with recipe, target variant, component, quantity and unit, then Run preview and Apply import.
Sales history, gift card balances and Square hardware stay with Square. If you would rather not do it yourself, our team can run the import and set up services as part of hands-on setup, which is quoted separately.
Questions about switching from Square for Restaurants
- Is Square for Restaurants free?
- There is a free plan. Plus and Premium are priced per location, and the Square KDS app and Square Kiosk are extra per device.
- How many kitchen screens can I run on Timeo?
- As many as you have screens for. The kitchen display is part of every plan, not priced per device.
- Can customers order and pay from the table?
- Yes. They scan the table QR, order with no app download, and the ticket goes straight to the kitchen display.
- Can I keep my Square card reader?
- Square readers work with Square’s own processing. With Timeo, online payments go through your own payment account instead.
- What does Timeo cost in Malaysia?
- In Malaysia, Timeo is billed in ringgit: RM79 to RM119 a month, with FPX and DuitNow QR through your own Billplz account.
- Can I try Timeo first?
- Every plan has a 7 day free trial with no contract.
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Sources
Square for Restaurants's own pages, checked on 9 November 2026.