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Food & Restaurant · head to head

Upserve vs Heartland Restaurant

Upserve logo

Upserve

Food & Restaurant

Restaurant management platform with insights

From
$59/month
Rated
-
Heartland Restaurant logo

Heartland Restaurant

Food & Restaurant

Complete restaurant management ecosystem

From
$89/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Upserve offline terminals can only store credit card payment data for 48 hours before requiring internet connection; Heartland Restaurant high processing fees and early termination penalties increase total cost of ownership
  • They diverge on capability: Upserve covers Cloud POS, Heartland Restaurant covers POS system.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Upserve and Heartland Restaurant differ
AttributeUpserveHeartland Restaurant
Starting price$59/month$89/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iPad, Android, Custom POS terminalsWeb, iPad, Android
Founded20132001

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Food & Restaurant).

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 Upserve

  • Cloud POS
  • Guest insights
  • Menu intelligence
  • Server performance
  • Reputation management
  • Inventory tracking
  • Xero
  • 7shifts

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.

Upserve

  • 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.

Upserve

  • Offline terminals can only store credit card payment data for 48 hours before requiring internet connection
  • Customers cannot add tips when the system operates in offline mode
  • $400 monthly penalty for using alternative payment processors instead of Lightspeed
  • No global ability to change menu items across all locations at once, requiring per-location updates
  • Mandatory 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction payment processing fee with Lightspeed

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

Upserve

$59/month
  • Core$59/month
    • Cloud-based point of sale
    • Basic reporting
    • Guest insights
  • Pro$199/month
    • All Core features
    • Inventory management
    • Online ordering

Heartland Restaurant

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Upserve if

  • You need cloud pos.
  • You work on Web, iPad, Android, Custom POS terminals.
  • You also want guest insights.

Choose Heartland Restaurant if

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

Questions people ask

Is Upserve or Heartland Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. Upserve starts at $59/month and Heartland Restaurant at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Upserve or Heartland Restaurant?
Upserve starts at $59/month and Heartland Restaurant at $89/month.
Does Upserve or Heartland Restaurant run on more platforms?
Upserve runs on Web, iPad, Android, Custom POS terminals. Heartland Restaurant runs on Web, iPad, Android.
What is Upserve best used for?
Upserve is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can Upserve do that Heartland Restaurant cannot?
Upserve covers Cloud POS, Guest insights, Menu intelligence, Server performance. 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

Upserve: Does Upserve support offline mode?

Yes. Upserve is a hybrid cloud-based system where reporting data is stored in the cloud but offline mode allows the software to store important data locally on your device in case the internet goes down, allowing transactions to continue.

Source
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
Upserve: What is Upserve's pricing structure?

Upserve offers three plans: Core at $59/month, Pro at $199/month with advanced features like inventory management and loyalty programs, and Pro+ with custom pricing for enterprise customers. Hardware is sold separately.

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
Upserve: Does Upserve offer a free trial?

Yes, Upserve offers a 14-day free trial for new users to test the platform before committing to a paid plan.

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
Upserve: What delivery platforms does Upserve integrate with?

Upserve integrates with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub through partner middleware services like Chowly and Deliverect, which provide real-time menu syncing and order management.

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
Upserve: What are the payment processing requirements?

Upserve requires using Lightspeed payment processing at 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction. Using alternative payment processors incurs a $400 monthly fee, making Lightspeed the mandatory choice for most restaurants.

Source

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