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Restaurants · head to head

Heartland Restaurant vs Sling

Heartland Restaurant logo

Heartland Restaurant

Restaurants

Complete restaurant management ecosystem

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sling logo

Sling

Restaurants

Free employee scheduling software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sling has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Heartland Restaurant high processing fees and early termination penalties increase total cost of ownership; Sling the free plan is limited to 30 users
  • They diverge on capability: Heartland Restaurant covers POS system, Sling covers Employee scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Heartland Restaurant and Sling actually diverge.

Attributes where Heartland Restaurant and Sling differ
AttributeHeartland RestaurantSling
Starting price$89/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iPad, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20012015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Heartland Restaurant

  • POS system
  • Payment processing
  • Payroll
  • Customer engagement
  • Gift cards
  • Reporting
  • Heartland Payroll
  • QuickBooks

Only in Sling

  • Employee scheduling
  • Time tracking
  • Team messaging
  • Task management
  • Shift swapping
  • Labor cost tracking
  • Toast
  • Square

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Heartland Restaurant

  • Point of Salenot Sling
  • Order Managementnot Sling
  • Inventory Controlnot Sling
  • Staff Schedulingnot Sling

Sling

  • Building and publishing shift schedules for hourly staffnot Heartland Restaurant
  • Tracking clock in and clock out and labour costnot Heartland Restaurant
  • Messaging and announcements across a shift based teamnot Heartland Restaurant

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Heartland Restaurant

  • High processing fees and early termination penalties increase total cost of ownership
  • Lack of customization compared to open-source POS systems
  • Data migration to Heartland has been reported as problematic by users
  • Pricing details are not transparent, making budgeting difficult for prospective customers

Sling

  • The free plan is limited to 30 users
  • Time tracking on mobile, labour cost tracking and overtime analysis require the Premium plan
  • Kiosk time clock, hours and wages reporting, no show tracking, sick leave and PTO tracking require the Business plan
  • The lowest advertised per user rates of $1.70 and $3.40 require annual billing

Pricing, plan by plan

Heartland Restaurant

$89/month
  • Basic$89/month
    • POS
    • Payment processing
  • Professional$149/month
    • Advanced features
    • Payroll integration

Sling

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 30 users
    • Shift scheduling
    • Time-off requests
  • Premium$2/month
    • Mobile time tracking
    • Labor cost management
    • Overtime tracking
  • Business$4/month
    • Kiosk time tracking
    • Comprehensive reports
    • No-show tracking

Which should you pick?

Choose Heartland Restaurant if

  • You need pos system.
  • You work on Web, iPad, Android.
  • You also want payment processing.
Heartland Restaurant review

Choose Sling if

  • You need employee scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time tracking.
Sling review

Questions people ask

Is Heartland Restaurant or Sling better?
Neither clearly leads. Heartland Restaurant starts at $89/month and Sling at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Heartland Restaurant or Sling?
Sling has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $89/month for Heartland Restaurant and Free for Sling.
Does Heartland Restaurant or Sling run on more platforms?
Heartland Restaurant runs on Web, iPad, Android. Sling runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Sling for free?
Yes. Sling has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heartland Restaurant starts at $89/month.
What is Heartland Restaurant best used for?
Heartland Restaurant is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what Sling is typically brought in for.
What can Heartland Restaurant do that Sling cannot?
Heartland Restaurant covers POS system, Payment processing, Payroll, Customer engagement. Sling covers Employee scheduling, Time tracking, Team messaging, Task management. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Heartland Restaurant: Does Heartland Restaurant work with multiple locations?

Yes, Heartland Restaurant is designed for multi-location operations with the Complete plan targeting restaurants with more complex requirements across multiple sites.

Source
Sling: How much does Sling cost?

Sling offers a free tier supporting up to 30 users. Premium plans start at $2.00 per user per month (or $1.70 with annual billing), and Business plans cost $4.00 per user per month (or $3.40 with annual billing). Both paid tiers offer a 15% discount for annual billing.

Source
Heartland Restaurant: What payment methods does Heartland accept?

Heartland includes integrated payment processing and accepts all popular payment methods, but specific details are available on their pricing and features pages.

Source
Sling: Does Sling offer a free trial?

Yes, Sling offers a free plan supporting unlimited scheduling features for up to 30 users. Additionally, Premium and Business plans include 15-day free trials with no credit card required to start.

Source
Heartland Restaurant: What hardware options does Heartland Restaurant offer?

Heartland provides touchscreen terminals ranging from $1,295 to $1,895, handheld devices at $695, and supporting equipment like printers ($275-$375) and cash drawers.

Source
Sling: What does Sling's Business plan include?

Sling's Business plan, marked as recommended, costs $4.00 per user per month (or $3.40 with annual billing). It includes kiosk time tracking, comprehensive reports, no-show tracking, sick call-out management, and PTO management. Users only pay for active team members with prorated charges when employees are deactivated.

Source
Heartland Restaurant: Can Heartland Restaurant integrate with other business systems?

Yes, Heartland offers a developer-friendly API that enables custom integrations with various third-party systems.

Source
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