Compare > Heartland vS KORONA POS
Choosing Between Heartland POS and KORONA POS
When comparing Heartland POS and KORONA POS, discover how KORONA POS offers flexibility, robust features, and dedicated support, standing out from other point of sale solutions.
Why Choose KORONA POS
KORONA POS by COMBASE is explicitly designed for retailers, such as convenience stores, liquor shops, vape/CBD shops, QSRs, like bakeries and coffee shops, and admission ticketing, like museums and theme parks. It includes built-in support for regulated-item sales (age verification, lottery, etc.), strong loss-prevention tools, customizable reporting, and flexible inventory management that suits these industries.
KORONA POS is payment-processor-agnostic, meaning users can use most credit card processors or gateways, which is critical for businesses trying to lower their processing fees. Its pricing is straightforward and affordable (core plans start at $59/mo), comes with no long-term contracts, and includes a free trial with personalized demos for easy evaluation.
Another major advantage of using KORONA POS is its support. KORONA POS offers 24/7 in-house customer service via phone and live chat so store owners and managers can get help anytime they need it.
Why Choose Heartland POS
Heartland POS appeals to businesses looking for an all-in-one, enterprise-grade solution with strong support for restaurants and multi-location retailers. It provides industry-specific modules (retail vs. restaurant), including inventory management, customer loyalty, payroll and employee management, and built-in payments.
For a quick-service or fast-casual chain, Heartland’s Restaurant version offers table management, online ordering, and menu customization. Heartland’s Retail version for convenience or liquor stores is proven for high-volume inventory control and quick checkouts (with age verification).
Heartland is PCI and EMV-compliant out of the box. Enterprises choose Heartland when they need seamless payment integration, detailed reporting across locations, and a single vendor for payroll, accounting, and POS hardware. In summary, Heartland suits businesses (including QSRs and multi-store retailers) that prioritize a unified platform and can leverage its built-in services.
KORONA POS vs. Heartland POS – A Side by Side Look
When evaluating POS solutions, Heartland POS is a familiar name. But for businesses seeking true payment processor freedom, advanced inventory control, and award-winning 24/7 in-house support, KORONA POS offers a compelling alternative built to grow with you. Explore the key differences below.
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POS Hardware
KORONA POS gives its users flexibility when choosing hardware. Merchants can run KORONA POS on Windows PCs, tablets, or self-checkout kiosks and connect standard retail peripherals (cash drawers, receipt printers, barcode scanners) from any vendor.
The cloud architecture means you can buy or lease hardware through KORONA POS or use existing equipment. The major upside of using hardware directly from KORONA POS is that it comes with a long-term warranty and allows the support to more seamlessly troubleshoot any questions the merchant has.
Heartland offers its own branded hardware and tablets. For example, the retail POS uses the Clover terminals or specialized iPad devices, while its restaurant solution has touchscreen terminals and fixed mounts. It offers merchants both countertop and mobile devices.
Heartland’s hardware offerings are generally more tightly controlled (you typically buy or lease through Heartland or its partners) than KORONA’s model. So Heartland is ideal if you prefer a turnkey hardware solution and require financing options.
Payment Processing
KORONA POS is payment-processor-agnostic. It integrates with virtually any merchant account or gateway, from low-risk processors to specialized high-risk providers. This means a convenience store or vape shop can shop around for the best rate or switch processors without changing their POS.
KORONA POS also fully supports dual pricing and cash-discount models. In its settings, you can configure a percentage surcharge on card transactions or set different cash vs. credit pricing (dual pricing).
All merchants can easily accept cash, gift cards, EBT, contactless, and EMV payments, all with any major processor that works with Pax or Dejavoo devices.
Heartland’s POS is integrated with their own Payments+ processing. By default, merchants use Heartland for all card transactions (credit, debit, contactless). Heartland is not processor-agnostic.
Overall, Heartland provides a secure, all-in-one payment setup with EMV and next-day funding. Still, it’s centered on Heartland’s processing platform rather than third-party gateways, making it more expensive.
Back Office Features
KORONA Studio, its extensive back office, is cloud-hosted, giving owners real-time access to sales and inventory from any browser. The dashboard provides standard reports (sales by hour, item, cashier, etc.) and inventory analytics (stock levels, reorder alerts).
It supports multi-store and franchise management: you can centrally manage prices, employees, and promotions across multiple locations. KORONA POS includes tools for discounts and bundled deals, point-based loyalty, automatic reorder levels, and in-depth ABC product analytics.
It even offers remote access. Employees or owners can view reports on tablets/phones, apply updates remotely, and monitor sales as they happen.
Many niche features are also built for specific industries the solution serves: liquor, smoke, convenience, gift, thrift, among others.
Heartland Retail/Restaurant has a robust back office and reporting suite. Its cloud system provides comprehensive inventory management (with automated reordering, vendor management, and real-time stock tracking) and multi-channel sales (in-store and online sync).
It includes an integrated CRM and loyalty module to build customer profiles and reward points. Customizable dashboards and reports let you drill into every metric. Employee management and scheduling are also built in.
Heartland also offers enterprise-scale features: it seamlessly supports many locations, provides consolidated reporting, and transfers orders between stores. For retailers, it has advanced analytics and loss-prevention tools.
Customer Support
KORONA POS is known for its excellent customer support, offering live in-house phone support from 6 AM-6 PM PT. Third-party review sites rate KORONA’s support excellently, and users consistently praise the solution for its high level of assistance. The company also provides after-hours 24/7 live support via phone, email, and chat for any emergencies.
KORONA POS also offers merchants unlimited demos and trainings and are there to assist during all onboarding, data transfers, and ongoing issues. Unlimited support is included in all levels of KORONA POS subscription.
There are no hidden contracts or fees either. KORONA POS offers a transparent solution across the board.
Heartland offers multiple support channels (phone, email, knowledge base) and advertises 24/7 support for all issues involving failure to accept a payment, but reviews on general POS support are mixed.
According to user feedback, Heartland’s initial setup and integration often go smoothly. However, many Heartland users report that routine customer service can be slow to reach. Merchants seem frustrated by a lack of follow through from Heartland once the customer has gone live.
Businesses should be aware that non-urgent problems may require persistence to fix. This is typical of larger POS solutions that outsource their support labor and feature agents with less product knowledge.
I can call support and always get a real person on the phone. I also love the amount of access I have to my data and having the ability to export to Excel! I have already recommended the software to another store owner colleague of mine, it’s been a fantastic business decision for me to switch to KORONA POS.
– Kristen l.
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