How Cardel and Beacons compare
Beacons is more than a link page. A link-in-bio, digital product store, email marketing, media kit, brand-deal invoicing, and AI tools give a creator a mini back office without leaving the app. For someone monetizing social attention with sponsors and downloads, it is a clever, generous bundle.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own. Cardel is not a creator-economy toolkit: no media kit, no brand-deal invoicing, no download delivery.
Where they are different
Beacons is a profile with tools. Cardel is a site on your domain: blog, Showcase, Shop, Videos, Schedule, with SEO and accessibility standard.
Beacons emails from its platform. Cardel's offers sending from it's platform or your own domain. While the Messaging Center receives and sends emails alongside reader chat and the contact form.
Beacons sells downloads and links. Cardel sells items and bookings through Stripe with orders behind them.
Choose Beacons when you are monetizing a social audience with sponsors, downloads, and a bio link.
Choose Cardel when you want a home on your own domain with site, audience, shop or bookings, and inbox in one place.
You are the Forgemaster. Cardel is your forge. What you build is yours.
Common questions
Is Cardel a Beacons alternative?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Beacons when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list below shows where the two overlap and where they part.
Can I use Cardel and Beacons together?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Beacons for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared to Beacons?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Beacons sets its own prices, so check their pricing page below for current plans.
How do I switch from Beacons to Cardel?
Choose Start for Free, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.
Compare features
What's on Cardel and Beacons
A check means that capability is available. Beacons is marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Custom domainUse your own domain with HTTPS. Cardel includes the DNS records for the site and for sending and receiving email.Use your own domain with HTTPS. Cardel includes the DNS records for the site and for sending and receiving email.Cardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Editor ModeCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Theme and fontsCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Brand kitCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
Public content
- BlogCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
- Reader engagementCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
- Shop pagesCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceGroups, tags, and import so you can organize contacts and bring in an existing list.Groups, tags, and import so you can organize contacts and bring in an existing list.Cardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Marketing emailsCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Campaign workflowsCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
Messaging
- Messaging CenterCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
- Built-in chatCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsSell on your Shop pages with Stripe. Cardel takes a 0.5% application fee on those card sales. Stripe's own processing fees still apply, and you keep the rest.Sell on your Shop pages with Stripe. Cardel takes a 0.5% application fee on those card sales. Stripe's own processing fees still apply, and you keep the rest.Cardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Orders and fulfillmentCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Scheduling and bookingsLink to external scheduling available on Starter.Cardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
Team
- Admin usersCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
- Per-admin permissionsCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
- DocumentationCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
- SupportCardel: IncludedBeacons: Not included
- AI AssistantCardel: IncludedBeacons: Included
Other
- Digital downloadsCardel: Not includedBeacons: Included
- Media kitCardel: Not includedBeacons: Included
- AI tools for captions, pitches, and pagesCardel: Not includedBeacons: Included
- Link in bio with social embedsCardel: Not includedBeacons: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Cardel or Beacons, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Cardel or Beacons may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Cardel vs Beacons pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Cardel
You don't pay until you publish
Build at no cost, then choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live.
Beacons
Current plans and prices
See what Beacons charges on their pricing page.
Forge your community
Choose Cardel
Looking for a Beacons alternative? Bring your work to a site of your own.
Compare Cardel
See how Cardel stacks up, or explore Beacons comparisons.
