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Head-to-head · Restaurant Payment Processing Software

Heartland Payments+ vs Toast

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Heartland Payments+ #3 in Restaurant Payment Processing Software 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Heartland
Toast #7 in Restaurant Payment Processing Software 8.5/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Toast

Heartland Payments+ leads on 0 checks, Toast on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreHeartland Payments+ · 9.0/10
  • Most featuresHeartland Payments+ · 5 of 5

Heartland Payments+ scores higher on our rubric for restaurant payment processing software: 9.0 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.

Heartland Payments+ is the better fit for established restaurants wanting full payment coverage. Toast is the better fit for restaurants wanting payments plus a broad POS suite.

  • Heartland Payments+ fits best

    Established restaurants wanting full payment coverage

  • Toast fits best

    Restaurants wanting payments plus a broad POS suite

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Side by side

Feature Heartland Payments+ 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Toast 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.5
Ranking #3 in Restaurant Payment Processing Software #7 in Restaurant Payment Processing Software
Best for Established restaurants wanting full payment coverage Restaurants wanting payments plus a broad POS suite
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price Not checked yet —
Free plan Not checked yet —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web, Android Web, iOS, Android
Support Phone, Live chat, Docs · 24/7 Phone, Live chat · 24/7
Integrations 900+ integrations 200+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Heartland Payments+ 5/5 · Toast 0/5
Card-present payments ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Online payments ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Tableside payments ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Mobile payments ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Reconciliation tools ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Pricing model Flat_rate Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports card-present, online, tableside, mobile and offline payments
  • Includes digital wallets, payment links, virtual terminal and QR-code payments
  • Adds reporting, dispute management, encryption, tokenization and EMV security
  • Free Starter Kit includes cloud POS and one terminal
  • Supports ordering, reservations, table service, and kitchen display
  • Adds inventory, scheduling, reporting, and multi-location management
Cons
  • Pricing includes a percentage-based per-transaction fee
  • The listed platforms are web, Android and API
  • Its integrations span several business systems, requiring fit checks for each workflow
  • Hardware, implementation, add-ons, and processing can affect total cost
  • Starter Kit includes one terminal
  • Build Your Own pricing is not shown
Our verdict

Heartland Payments+ is a paid payment-processing platform for restaurants and other businesses. It covers card-present transactions through terminals, readers and POS systems, along with online ordering, tableside payments through…

Read the review →

Toast combines cloud-based point of sale, payment processing, restaurant hardware, online ordering, reservations, table service, inventory, reporting, and staff management. It is designed for U.S. restaurants ranging from single-location…

Read the review →
  1. Heartland Payments+Restaurant Payment Processing Software 9.0Paid
  2. ToastRestaurant Payment Processing Software 8.5Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Heartland Payments+ — where it wins

    • Supports card-present, online, tableside, mobile and offline payments
    • Includes digital wallets, payment links, virtual terminal and QR-code payments
    • Adds reporting, dispute management, encryption, tokenization and EMV security

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing includes a percentage-based per-transaction fee
    • The listed platforms are web, Android and API
    • Its integrations span several business systems, requiring fit checks for each workflow

  • Toast — where it wins

    • Free Starter Kit includes cloud POS and one terminal
    • Supports ordering, reservations, table service, and kitchen display
    • Adds inventory, scheduling, reporting, and multi-location management

    Where it doesn't

    • Hardware, implementation, add-ons, and processing can affect total cost
    • Starter Kit includes one terminal
    • Build Your Own pricing is not shown

More comparisons

All restaurant payment processing software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update