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E-Commerce · head to head

Heartland Retail vs Volusion

Heartland Retail logo

Heartland Retail

E-Commerce

Cloud point of sale and inventory management sold alongside Heartland card processing

From
$150/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Volusion logo

Volusion

E-Commerce

Ecommerce platform for growing online businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Volusion has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Heartland Retail the software is sold as part of a card processing relationship, so the monthly licence understates the real cost and the processing rate is the number that determines what you pay over a year.; Volusion pricing details not shown on main website
  • They diverge on capability: Heartland Retail covers Multi-store inventory, Volusion covers Website builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Heartland Retail and Volusion actually diverge.

Attributes where Heartland Retail and Volusion differ
AttributeHeartland RetailVolusion
Starting price$150/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded19971999

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

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 Retail

  • Multi-store inventory
  • Cloud point of sale
  • Purchasing and receiving
  • Customer records
  • Sales and stock reporting
  • Integrated card processing
  • E-commerce integrations

Only in Volusion

  • Website builder
  • Product catalog
  • Shopping cart
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory tracking
  • Order management
  • Email marketing
  • SEO tools

What people use each for

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

Heartland Retail

  • A specialty retailer opening a third or fourth site that needs one stock position across all of themnot Volusion
  • Replacing a legacy on-premise till system that requires a server in the back office of every storenot Volusion
  • A retailer whose buying team needs purchase orders and receiving rather than just a cash registernot Volusion
  • An existing Heartland processing customer consolidating software and payments under one suppliernot Volusion

Volusion

  • Small to medium business e-commerce storefrontsnot Heartland Retail
  • Inventory and product managementnot Heartland Retail
  • Omnichannel selling across platformsnot Heartland Retail
  • Email marketing and customer engagementnot Heartland Retail

Where each one falls short

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

Heartland Retail

  • The software is sold as part of a card processing relationship, so the monthly licence understates the real cost and the processing rate is the number that determines what you pay over a year.
  • Leaving means changing till software and merchant account together, and since the payment terminals, the reporting history and the staff training are all tied to the same supplier, the switching cost is far higher than a software migration alone.
  • It is not an online store platform, so a merchant selling on the web still buys and maintains a separate e-commerce platform, and the stock and order integration between the two is an ongoing operational dependency rather than a one-off setup.
  • Historical sales and customer purchase history rarely migrate cleanly out of a point of sale system, so a retailer who switches typically starts with an empty history and keeps the old system read-only, paying for it, for years.
  • Heartland sits within Global Payments, a group that has repeatedly restructured its portfolio through acquisitions and divestitures, so which entity owns and invests in this specific product is not stable over a long contract term.

Volusion

  • Pricing details not shown on main website
  • Requires migration effort for existing stores

Pricing, plan by plan

Heartland Retail

$150/month
  • Core$150/month
    • POS system
    • Inventory management
    • Customer management
  • Professional$350/month
    • All Core features
    • Omnichannel
    • Advanced analytics

Volusion

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Store builder
    • Product management
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$35/month
    • All free features
    • Advanced tools
    • Email marketing

Which should you pick?

Choose Heartland Retail if

  • You need multi-store inventory.
  • You also want cloud point of sale.
Heartland Retail review

Choose Volusion if

  • You need website builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want product catalog.
Volusion review

Questions people ask

Is Heartland Retail or Volusion better?
Neither clearly leads. Heartland Retail starts at $150/month and Volusion at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Heartland Retail or Volusion?
Volusion has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $150/month for Heartland Retail and Free for Volusion.
Does Heartland Retail or Volusion run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Volusion for free?
Yes. Volusion has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heartland Retail starts at $150/month.
What is Heartland Retail best used for?
Heartland Retail is most often used for a specialty retailer opening a third or fourth site that needs one stock position across all of them, replacing a legacy on-premise till system that requires a server in the back office of every store, a retailer whose buying team needs purchase orders and receiving rather than just a cash register, an existing heartland processing customer consolidating software and payments under one supplier. Of those, a specialty retailer opening a third or fourth site that needs one stock position across all of them and replacing a legacy on-premise till system that requires a server in the back office of every store are not what Volusion is typically brought in for.
What can Heartland Retail do that Volusion cannot?
Heartland Retail covers Multi-store inventory, Cloud point of sale, Purchasing and receiving, Customer records. Volusion covers Website builder, Product catalog, Shopping cart, Payment processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Heartland Retail: Can I use it as my online store?

No. It manages the shop floor and stock. Selling online means a separate e-commerce platform and an integration to keep the catalogue and stock aligned.

Volusion: What payment methods does Volusion accept?

Volusion supports multiple payment options including Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, and Amazon Pay through integrations with certified technology partners.

Source
Heartland Retail: Do I have to use Heartland for card processing?

The product is sold as part of a payments relationship, and that is where the supplier's margin sits. Ask explicitly what the software costs standalone before assuming you have a choice.

Volusion: Is there a contract requirement to use Volusion?

No contract is needed. Volusion offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and you can cancel anytime.

Source
Heartland Retail: What should I negotiate hardest on?

The card processing rate and the contract term, not the software subscription. Ask for interchange-plus pricing in writing rather than a blended rate.

Volusion: What support is available to Volusion users?

Volusion provides free 24/7 customer support. Users also have access to a help center and can connect with SEO specialists, web designers, and marketing professionals through Marketing 360.

Source
Heartland Retail: What happens to my sales history if I leave?

Assume products and current stock export cleanly and that years of transaction history do not. Budget for keeping the old system available read-only during any transition.

Volusion: What features are included with a Volusion store?

Core features include inventory management, unlimited product options, responsive themes, site builder, SEO management, newsletters, CRM system, and payment processing capabilities.

Source
Volusion: Can I integrate third-party applications with my Volusion store?

Yes, Volusion offers "dozens of powerful apps and integrations created by our certified technology partners" to add advanced functionality to your site.

Source
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