Quick Answer
Global Payments serves enterprises and banks, with Heartland as its SMB direct brand. Fiserv serves enterprises and banks, with Clover as its SMB POS product. Most small businesses engage through Heartland or Clover, not through these parent companies directly.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Global Payments and Fiserv are both large publicly traded payment technology companies operating at enterprise scale. Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) owns Heartland Payment Systems as its SMB merchant services brand and provides acquiring infrastructure to banks and enterprises globally. Fiserv (NASDAQ: FISV) owns Clover POS and provides core banking technology, distributing merchant services through its extensive bank partner network. For most SMBs, engagement with either company happens through their branded products — Heartland for Global Payments, Clover or bank-issued merchant services for Fiserv.
Found Outdated Information?
Help improve ProcessorFit by submitting a correction. Every verified update helps merchants make better payment processing decisions.
Both are major global payment processors competing for enterprise and mid-market accounts.
Compare large acquirer services, global reach, and enterprise integration capabilities.
Global Payments may be a better fit when…
Choose Global Payments / Heartland if you are an SMB looking for direct merchant services with interchange-plus pricing and dedicated account support.
View Global Payments profileFiserv may be a better fit when…
Choose Fiserv / Clover if you need the Clover POS hardware ecosystem, are working through a Fiserv-affiliated bank, or need Fiserv's financial technology infrastructure.
View Fiserv profileSMB direct brand
Heartland is Global Payments' direct SMB merchant services brand with interchange-plus pricing.
POS ecosystem
Fiserv owns Clover POS; Global Payments does not have a comparable SMB POS product.
Bank distribution
Fiserv has one of the widest US bank distribution networks in financial technology.
Global acquiring
Both operate international acquiring businesses at enterprise scale.
SMB pricing transparency
Heartland uses interchange-plus pricing with more transparency for SMBs than Fiserv's quote-based model.
"Edge" indicates a relative advantage based on publicly available information. Verify all details directly with each provider before making a decision.
Data sourced from publicly available information. Fields marked "Research in Progress" are not publicly confirmed. How we verify data.
Both Global Payments and Fiserv price through their distribution channels — Heartland for direct SMB access (Global Payments), and Clover through bank/ISO partners (Fiserv). Neither publishes enterprise pricing publicly. SMB pricing is set by the relevant channel.
Recommended reading before making a pricing decision:
Global Payments
Considerations
Fiserv
Considerations
Advantages and considerations are based on publicly available information. Verify all details directly with each provider.
Heartland is a brand owned by Global Payments Inc. that delivers merchant services directly to SMBs with interchange-plus pricing. Global Payments Inc. is the parent company — a large enterprise payments technology organization. Most SMBs engage through Heartland rather than Global Payments directly.
Both are among the world's largest payment technology companies. Their relative size by revenue and transaction volume has varied over time. Both are publicly traded and publish annual reports — reference current financials for up-to-date comparison.
Clover is owned by Fiserv. Fiserv acquired First Data (which created Clover) in 2019. Clover is not affiliated with Global Payments.
Fiserv owns Clover POS, First Data processing infrastructure, and a range of fintech products for banks and businesses. It distributes merchant services through its extensive bank partner network.
Most small businesses access Global Payments through its Heartland brand, which sells merchant services directly. Global Payments' enterprise products are not designed for direct SMB access.
Enter your monthly volume and average transaction to compare estimated fees side by side.
Open CalculatorTell us about your business. We'll show you providers, comparisons, pricing topics, and tools worth reviewing.
Editorially Independent — ProcessorFit does not accept payment for rankings or recommendations. Every provider profile is researched independently using publicly available information. Editorial Policy · Research Methodology