Quick Answer
Square is better for new and lower-volume businesses wanting quick setup and a free POS app. Heartland is better for established SMBs at moderate volume who want interchange-plus pricing and a dedicated account manager.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Square and Heartland both serve in-person small and mid-sized businesses, but with fundamentally different models. Square offers self-serve onboarding, a free POS app, and transparent flat-rate pricing — low barrier to entry, no dedicated account relationship. Heartland (a Global Payments company) offers interchange-plus pricing, a dedicated account representative, and industry-specific solutions for restaurants, retail, and healthcare — with a traditional merchant services relationship. Square suits businesses that want immediate access with minimal setup friction; Heartland suits businesses that want dedicated support and pricing cost optimization at moderate volume.
Found Outdated Information?
Help improve ProcessorFit by submitting a correction. Every verified update helps merchants make better payment processing decisions.
Both serve SMB merchants with payment processing. Square offers flat-rate; Heartland offers more traditional pricing.
Simple flat-rate POS (Square) vs. full-service traditional processor (Heartland).
Square may be a better fit when…
Choose Square if you want to start accepting payments quickly with no setup friction, a free POS app, and transparent flat-rate pricing.
View Square profileHeartland may be a better fit when…
Choose Heartland if you want interchange-plus pricing cost transparency, a dedicated account relationship, and industry-specific payment support for restaurants, healthcare, or professional services.
View Heartland profileOnboarding speed
Square's self-serve signup gets you processing in minutes.
Pricing model
Heartland uses interchange-plus; Square uses flat-rate.
Dedicated account support
Heartland assigns dedicated account managers; Square is primarily self-serve.
Free POS app
Square offers a free POS app with basic features at no monthly cost.
Moderate-volume cost
Heartland's interchange-plus model can produce lower effective rates at moderate volume.
Industry specialization
Heartland offers industry-specific solutions for restaurants, healthcare, and education.
"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.
Square uses flat-rate pricing with a free tier. Heartland uses interchange-plus — actual interchange plus a Heartland markup. At moderate volume ($20,000+/month), Heartland's interchange-plus typically produces a lower effective rate, but additional account fees can offset savings at lower volumes.
Recommended reading before making a pricing decision:
Square
Considerations
Heartland
Considerations
Advantages and considerations are based on publicly available information. Verify all details directly with each provider.
Both can serve restaurants. Square for Restaurants offers a full POS product with transparent pricing. Heartland has restaurant-specific solutions with dedicated account support. For small restaurants wanting quick setup, Square is easier. For restaurants wanting interchange-plus cost optimization and a dedicated account manager, Heartland is worth evaluating.
Not necessarily. Heartland's interchange-plus model can produce lower effective rates than Square's flat-rate at moderate processing volume. At low volume, Square's flat-rate may be more cost-effective because Heartland may have additional account fees. Use the Cost Calculator to estimate based on your numbers.
Heartland has healthcare-specific solutions including patient payment workflows and HIPAA-aware practices. Square does not specialize in healthcare. For a healthcare practice, Heartland's industry-specific offering is the stronger choice.
Heartland has offered longer-term agreements for some products. Contract terms vary by product and relationship. Always verify current contract terms directly with a Heartland representative before signing.
No. Heartland is a brand of Global Payments Inc., a large publicly traded payment technology company (NYSE: GPN) with operations worldwide.
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