The effect of kinetics on the faceting of crystal surfaces caused by strongly anisotropic surface free energies is shown by numerical simulations. We compare the evolution of a crystal towards its equilibrium shape by surface diffusion and surface diffusion with kinetics and observe a significant slow down of the dynamics. For quantitative studies of surface morphologies this effect is crucial, as kinetics are assumed to play a dominant role in the surface evolution of thin crystalline films. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.