Helcim vs Windward System Five
Helcim
helcim.comWindward System Five
windwardsoftware.comSide by side
| Figure | Helcim | Windward System Five |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.40/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Point-of-Sale Software | 9.0 (#5) | 7.4 (#78) |
| Founded | LinkedIn lists Helcim as founded in 2006. | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Helcim lists its primary headquarters at 440 2 Ave SW, Suite 400, Calgary, Alberta T2P 5E9, Canada. | Penticton, British Columbia, Canada |
| Integrations | Listed integrations include QuickBooks Online, Xero, WooCommerce and Foxy, with additional software connections available. | Listed integrations include WooCommerce, Shopify, WebSell, Worldpay, Global Payments, ShipRush, Orgill, and Microsoft Power BI via Windward Intelligence. |
| Inventory | Inventory tools support product catalogs, CSV imports, stock counts and low-inventory alerts. | Inventory tools track stock, committed work orders, layaways, and available-to-sell quantities, with up to 99 customer price schedules. |
| Point of sale | The platform provides POS software for in-person sales and supports contactless wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay. | Its POS supports barcode scanning, quick cash sales, estimates, work orders, and real-time inventory tracking across stores. |
| Support | Helcim offers phone support Monday through Friday 7 a.m.–5 p.m. MT and Saturdays 9 a.m.–5 p.m. MT, and says contact-form questions receive a reply within one business day. | Windward says its support staff provide live global support seven days a week. |
Plans
Helcim
- Helcim payment processingFree
- Helcim platformFree
- Recurring payments$0.40 a month
- 4G wireless data$7 a month
- Helcim Card Reader$199, paid once
- Helcim Smart Terminal$349, paid once
In their own words
Helcim
Helcim provides businesses with payment processing tools for in-person and online sales, invoices, and virtual-terminal transactions. Its tools include point of sale, online checkout, payment links, recurring payments, invoicing, a customer vault, and an inventory catalog. In-person payments support major payment types such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Eligible merchants can also accept ACH through invoicing, recurring payments, payment requests, and the Virtual Terminal. Helcim lists integrations with QuickBooks Online, Xero, and WooCommerce, as well as its API and HelcimPay.js for custom integrations and website payments. The Card Vault tokenizes stored payment details for future or recurring payments, while Helcim says it protects cardholder data with AES-256 encryption and TLS 1.2 or higher in transit. It identifies itself as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider. The POS app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, with listed device requirements. The processing plan costs nothing, with no account monthly fees; transaction rates vary by volume and payment method.
Windward System Five
Windward System Five has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.