# ConnectSmart® Kitchen Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about ConnectSmart® Kitchen Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Restaurant Management products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/119321/ConnectSmart-Kitchen --- # ConnectSmart® Kitchen Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. Independent research methodology Capterra’s researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider’s website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/) [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) ConnectSmart® Kitchen ## What is ConnectSmart® Kitchen? ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) is the industry leading kitchen display system (KDS), with more than 80,000 global installs. Trusted for more than 25 years, start slashing your ticket times, boosting food quality, and reducing waste. Recent enhancements include off-premise dining add-ons and more than 65 POS integrations. CSK is trusted by restaurants in all segments, ranging from independents to international chains. Learn more today! ## What is ConnectSmart® Kitchen used for? [Restaurant Management](https://www.capterra.com/restaurant-management-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 15 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- Contact vendor for pricing Free trial not available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for ConnectSmart® Kitchen?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.qsrautomations.com&name=ConnectSmart® Kitchen) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### ConnectSmart® Kitchen 4.6 (15) VS. [4.2 (551)](https://www.capterra.com/p/136301/Toast-POS/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $69 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.0 (15) Ease Of Use 4.2 (592) Value For Money 4.1 (14) Value For Money 3.8 (487) Customer Service 4.5 (15) Customer Service 3.7 (517) ## ConnectSmart® Kitchen alternatives [4.1 (76)](https://www.capterra.com/p/122189/HungerRush360/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 80% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [3.8 (716)](https://www.capterra.com/p/152638/Epos-Now/reviews/) Starting price $349.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 68% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.7 (42)](https://www.capterra.com/p/157466/Rezku-POS/reviews/) Starting price $49.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 93% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [Restroworks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142877/Restroworks/) [4.9 (592)](https://www.capterra.com/p/142877/Restroworks/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/142877/Restroworks/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/119321/ConnectSmart-Kitchen/alternatives/) ## Features Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically. Activity Dashboard Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities Inventory Management Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply Kitchen/Menu Management Allows users to view inventory and build a menu that's appropriate Online Ordering Tracks and processes online orders Order Management Manage and track customer orders for goods, investments, or any other purchases Order Tracking Track orders throughout the fulfillment process ConnectSmart® Kitchen 9 features Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply Allows users to view inventory and build a menu that's appropriate Tracks and processes online orders Manage and track customer orders for goods, investments, or any other purchases Track orders throughout the fulfillment process Accept and process customer payments for products or services using hardware and software Analyze and gain insights into data in real-time View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.4 (15) 4.4 Based on 15 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.1 (14) ### Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Free trial not available Value for money 4.1 (14) 4.1 Based on 14 reviews Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.5 (15) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.5 (15) 4.5 Based on 15 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.6 Based on 15 reviews Filter by rating 5(9) 4(6) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent MR Michael R. Senior IT Manager Food & Beverages ### "QSR KDS" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 March 26, 2020 Little rough in the first year or so. Now can't see opening a store without it. Pros We have used it for so long that the implementation is so much easier now and we can get through almost any issue pretty quickly. Cons That I forget some of the easy steps to get things dealt with. Reasons for choosing ConnectSmart® Kitchen Micros KDS Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. MV Mathijs v. Consultant Computer Software ### "Hard to set up, but works as a charm" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 2.0 2.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 March 16, 2020 CSK is a great solution, not just is way to have the chits displayes, but a real kitchen automation tool. Pros The actual software CSK and the screens is rock solid. Cons the setup, CSK Builder, is not that great. it is a LOT of work to have a simple setup, and there are checkboxes everywhere. i havent counted, but seems there are like 100.000 checkboxes. Reasons for choosing ConnectSmart® Kitchen CSK is a world leader in kitchen automation, so we decided we needed to interface with them. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. BP Brian P. Director, Distribution & Equipment Food & Beverages ### "Need a Quickservice Option" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 3/10 March 12, 2020 Pros The new graphics capabilities compared to KDS. Cons We are a quick service chain with no need for 90% of the functionality of ConnectSmart yet we need to purchase the full package just to get the speed of service data. Switched from [ConnectSmart® Kitchen](https://www.capterra.com/p/119321/ConnectSmart-Kitchen/) The only reason we’ve switched from KDS is that CSK allows for an attractive guest facing ‘order ready’ screen. Reasons for choosing ConnectSmart® Kitchen Seems as though QSR Automations has a bit of a monopoly but we are actively searching for an alternative. We love the few, basic features that we're using but can not justify the price. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. BA Brian A. Dir. of Technology Food & Beverages ### "A versatile solution for all types of restaurant operations" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 8, 2020 Pros The best thing about Connect Smart Kitchen is its versatility. I hvae used the solution in full service dining restaurants with 300-600 seats as well as fast casual restaurants with the majority of the business coming from digital channels and the food being consumed off premise. The product is so flexible that you can solve for almost any operational situation you can think of. I have you used several other kitchen management products from major POS providiers and none can match Connect Smart Kitchen Cons The Con, comes as a price for the solution being so flexible. It is not easy to configure. I have been using the solution for over six years now and feel like I am still a novice. I rely on my sales engineer to help with most of the configuration. Reasons for choosing ConnectSmart® Kitchen It had everything we were looking for. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AL Angela L. Retail Systems Engineer Restaurants ### "Great People, Great product" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 5, 2020 I think it is great, the team there, \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] have supported us since early 2000's and are great partners who understand the product inside and out and can make great recommendations. The team we worked with for CSK8 upgrade did an amazing job, \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] and enjoyed working with them. I dont have to interact with support much as the software is steady and runs without technical errors. Pros I am able for the most part to make changes and understand what those changes are going to do without too much help from QSR. It is intuitive so I can try things on my own and see if they work. Cons There are some features that have multiple options and some that could use another option. For example Concepts feature we use to signify an item has to go to another station to be sold. However the feature is only able to be used with plu numbers and there are only a few spaces so editing the xml is the only way to manage it and I have to add each item every time we add a new item. I would like the ability to use a different method, like a print route (qsr calls it Department) then I would only have to set that up once and its done. I dont like managing the differences between our sites, but that isnt qsr fault. I have 3 different datasets and to manage it, I have to send down individual files to each site, well all the files are named the same so I get confused. I have to change the datasets on different days to differentiate which file goes where. I dont like the kitchen console being in the cloud as the managers would like to have to have the ability to delete stuck checks if needed, but since it is by ip address, it is something that would be site specific. If it was something that had a GUI where the Kitchen Console had a link on the local side, but you could use a drop down box to assign the ip automatically so you are sure you have the correct IP per site. Because once you do get to kitchen console, it doesnt say which site you are in, and it could be possible to be deleting checks from another location, so we are not able to allow them to use that feature Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. BB Ben B. IT Data Analyst Restaurants ### "QSR Connect Smart Review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 March 5, 2020 Overall using Connect Smart Kitchen has completely transformed our kitchen performance. Our cook times have dropped considerably and the overall noise level in the kitchen has dropped. Pros I really like the cloud based management ability in the QSR portal it gives me the ability to easily manage the QSR platform for 35+ locations from my office. The portal also gives me the ability to view reports of ticket times and metrics on different stations by location to be able to identify bottlenecks or issues in the restaurant. Cons The portal can be confusing because of all the features that this software has. I think the layout of the management portal could be redesigned for ease of use with dropdowns or check boxes. This software is not for someone who is not tech savvy. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. SD Shawn D. Director of Infrastructure & IT Operations Restaurants ### "Review of KDS" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 March 5, 2020 Pros Features and above store management is key Cons Overall the platform is stable and works great. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CH Clint H. Systems Administrator Restaurants ### "KDS Works" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 5, 2020 We have been fine with it. Seems to be the main player in the market. Pros The ability to space out the timing on our stations and correctly design plays based on it. Cons the inability to upgrade old versions to new versions Alternatives considered [LS Retail](https://www.capterra.com/p/232955/LS-Retail/) Reasons for choosing ConnectSmart® Kitchen You are a better software. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. LC Loic C. Managing Director Restaurants ### "Kitchen QSR" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 September 26, 2019 Organization is not always easy when receiving kitchen orders. KDS makes it possible. Pros Powerfull tool to keep kitchen orders organized and easy to get an overall look on how things are going. Very user friendly. Cons It needs a lot of time to get the programs working the way you really want to. On the version we use, it's limited to 6 orders displayed on the screen. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. TC Tim C. sales Restaurants ### "ePic Kitchen Display System Review" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 11, 2018 Been involved with QSR for years. CSK is a great solution. Pros Product is full of options and now it includes a wireless keypad option Cons n/a . Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/119321/ConnectSmart-Kitchen/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Independent research methodology Capterra's researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider's website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/)