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Square for Restaurants vs Heartland Restaurant

Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Software

Restaurant POS system that works for you

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Heartland Restaurant logo

Heartland Restaurant

Software

Complete restaurant management ecosystem

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan; Heartland Restaurant high processing fees and early termination penalties increase total cost of ownership
  • They diverge on capability: Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Heartland Restaurant covers POS system.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Square for Restaurants and Heartland Restaurant actually diverge.

Attributes where Square for Restaurants and Heartland Restaurant differ
AttributeSquare for RestaurantsHeartland Restaurant
Starting priceFree$89/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, iPad, Android
Founded20182001

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Square for Restaurants

  • Table management
  • Menu customization
  • Split checks
  • Offline mode
  • Real-time reporting
  • Kitchen display
  • Caviar
  • DoorDash

Only in Heartland Restaurant

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

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Square for Restaurants

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Heartland Restaurant

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Both are used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

Square for Restaurants

  • The Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • KDS and Kiosk are billed per device per month on top of the plan, so cost scales with terminals rather than locations
  • Restaurants processing over $250,000 a year are moved to custom pricing rather than the published rates

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Square for Restaurants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • POS
    • Menu management
    • Basic reporting
  • Plus$60/month
    • Advanced features
    • Live sales
    • Seat management
  • PremiumFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support

Heartland Restaurant

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Square for Restaurants if

  • You need table management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want menu customization.
Square for Restaurants review

Choose Heartland Restaurant if

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

Questions people ask

Is Square for Restaurants or Heartland Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. Square for Restaurants starts at Free and Heartland Restaurant at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square for Restaurants or Heartland Restaurant?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square for Restaurants and $89/month for Heartland Restaurant.
Does Square for Restaurants or Heartland Restaurant run on more platforms?
Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android. Heartland Restaurant runs on Web, iPad, Android.
Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heartland Restaurant starts at $89/month.
What is Square for Restaurants best used for?
Square for Restaurants is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can Square for Restaurants do that Heartland Restaurant cannot?
Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Heartland Restaurant covers POS system, Payment processing, Payroll, Customer engagement. Both handle QuickBooks, 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
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
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
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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Related pages

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