Two different products are sold under the same name. One is a ready-made app on a monthly subscription that shows the menu on a phone. The other is a system built for you that takes the order at the table and carries it to the kitchen and the till. They cost different amounts and they solve different problems. This article separates the two and lists the real cost lines and timelines.
There are three options in QR menu software
Restaurants are usually choosing between a ready-made subscription that shows the menu, a custom system that also takes the order, and a self-service kiosk on top of that. Which one is right comes down to how many branches you run, how many orders you take and whether your till software allows an outside connection.
| Option | What it does | How you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made QR menu subscription | Shows the menu and prices on a phone | Monthly subscription |
| A QR menu and ordering system of your own | Orders go from the table to the kitchen and the till; branches run from one panel | One-off development, then hosting |
| Kiosk added to that | Self-service ordering and payment at the counter | Development plus kiosk hardware |
The order matters: getting the menu and the ordering flow right first and adding the kiosk later is both cheaper and less risky.
When is a ready-made QR menu enough?
If the QR code’s job in a single-site café is to show the menu and current prices, a ready-made app is enough. It comes on a monthly subscription, is set up the same day and asks nothing of you beyond entering the menu. Paying for custom software to do that is wasted money, and we will say so.
- You have one site and the menu doesn’t change often.
- Waiters take the orders and that works fine.
- You aren’t looking for a connection to your till software.
- Your budget suits a monthly subscription rather than a one-off development cost.
For a sense of scale: robotPOS, a Turkish restaurant automation vendor, puts ready-made kiosk software at 1,500-5,000 TL per kiosk per month in its 2026 cost analysis. Simple menu-only QR apps sit below that. Those figures are robotPOS’s own, and they are here so you can compare.
When does a system of your own make sense?
It starts to make sense once the QR code does more than display a menu: when orders have to reach the kitchen on their own, when several branches are managed from one place, or when orders should reach the till and the accounts without being keyed in by hand.
A system of your own fits
- You have two or more branches and update menus and prices in each one separately
- You want orders to land on a kitchen screen with their preparation status visible
- You want your own channel to cut the commission on delivery orders
- Data is keyed into your till or accounting software by hand
A ready-made subscription is enough
- You have one site and only want to display the menu
- Daily order volume is low and no queue forms
- Your till software is closed to outside connections and you don’t plan to change it
- Your yearly software budget is in the low thousands of lira
What does a custom QR menu and ordering system cost?
A first version to pilot in one branch, with the QR menu, table ordering and the kitchen screen, is typically ready in 2-4 weeks. The budget grows with the scope, and the bands we publish are below. Our projects start at US$1,000; below that a ready-made product is the better answer.
| Scope | Budget | Time |
|---|---|---|
| QR menu, table ordering, kitchen screen (one site) | US$3,500-9,000 | 2-4 weeks |
| Branch management, online ordering and payment added | US$9,000-25,000 | 6-12 weeks |
| Kiosk software (hardware not included) | US$3,500-12,000 | 3-10 weeks |
Payment is its own line and needs a virtual POS integration. We built the iyzico virtual POS and subscription payments for our own product, Hippotenus, and the same route applies here.
Hardware is separate from software
A QR menu needs no hardware; the customer’s phone is the hardware. Add a kiosk and hardware enters the picture, bought from a supplier rather than from your software team. In robotPOS’s 2026 cost analysis, the typical Turkish ranges for a single kiosk are:
- Touchscreen (21-32 inches): 25,000-120,000 TL
- Enclosure and stand: 5,000-40,000 TL
- Payment terminal integration: 8,000-40,000 TL
- Total per kiosk: 43,000-222,000 TL
Those figures move with the supplier, the model and the quantity. When you take a software quote, always ask whether hardware is included: two quotes can look alike and cover different things.
The recurring costs people skip
- Hosting and a domain: monthly or yearly, in your own account.
- Payment provider fees: taken from every online transaction.
- SMS and email notifications: charged per message.
- Menu photography: a one-off, but easy to forget.
- Maintenance: free from us for 30 days after launch, then a retainer or job by job.
Seven questions to ask before you sign
- How does an order reach the kitchen: a screen, a printer, or both?
- Do I update the menu and prices myself, or call you for every change?
- If I add branches, does the same system serve them, or is each one set up separately?
- Can it connect to my till or POS software, and by what method?
- What happens when the internet drops: can I keep taking orders?
- If I take payments online, which provider, and whose fee is it?
- When the contract ends, who holds the data and the source code?
The last one matters most. With a subscription, your menu and order history live in the supplier’s system; with custom software, the source code and the data transfer to you on final payment.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a QR menu cost?
If displaying the menu is all you need, a ready-made subscription runs at a few thousand lira a month. A custom system that takes the order at the table and carries it to the kitchen and the till starts at US$3,500-9,000 for a first version, in 2-4 weeks. The difference is whether the software shows the menu or runs the work.
Would you recommend a custom system to a single-site café?
Usually not. Our projects start at US$1,000, and for a single café’s menu a ready-made QR app is both enough and cheaper. Talk to us when branches multiply, or when orders need to reach the kitchen and the till on their own.
Will it integrate with my till software?
It depends on what that software offers. With an API, orders and payments reach the till instantly; with only a file export, transfers run at set intervals. If it allows no outside connection at all, we say so up front and suggest a setup where orders gather on the kitchen screen.
Can customers pay from their phone?
Yes, through a virtual POS integration. They can settle the bill from the table or just order and pay at the till. The payment provider’s fee is then a recurring cost line.