How Gumroad and Heartbeat compare
Gumroad is selling without ceremony. Upload a file, set a price, share a link, and Gumroad handles checkout, delivery, VAT, memberships, pay-what-you-want, discount codes, and customer emails, taking a cut only when you sell. For creators who want to sell today and not think about infrastructure, it remains the easy answer.
Heartbeat is a friendly place to start a paid community without a big budget. For $49 a month you get channels, threads, chat, voice rooms, DMs, unlimited courses and events, a custom domain, checkout pages, five automation workflows, and Pulse, an AI that actually sets up channels, offers, and pages for you. Grow adds unlimited workflows, DM rules, an affiliate program, and white-label email; Scale adds a branded app. For a founder with a small group who wants courses and calls next to the conversation, Heartbeat covers a lot for the price.
Where they are different
Gumroad
- Gumroad is a storefront with a profile.
- Gumroad emails customers about products.
- Gumroad has no inbox or bookings.
Heartbeat
- Heartbeat's landing page is the door to a private space.
- Heartbeat emails members through workflows and a weekly digest.
- Heartbeat's events sync to members' calendars.
- Heartbeat charges 5% to 1.25% on payments.
Choose Gumroad when you sell downloads or memberships and want zero setup and no monthly fee.
Choose Heartbeat when a small paid community with courses, calls, and member chat is the product.
Compare features
What's on Gumroad and Heartbeat
A check means that capability is available. Gumroad and Heartbeat are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
- Custom domainGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
- Theme and fontsGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
Public content
- Shop pagesGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Not included
Audience and email
- AudienceGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
- Marketing emailsGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
- Campaign workflowsGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatGumroad: Not includedHeartbeat: Included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
Team
- Admin usersGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
- AI AssistantGumroad: IncludedHeartbeat: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Gumroad or Heartbeat, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Gumroad or Heartbeat may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Gumroad vs Heartbeat pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Gumroad
Current plans and prices
See what Gumroad charges on their pricing page.
Heartbeat
Current plans and prices
See what Heartbeat charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Gumroad and Heartbeat
You don't pay until you publish.
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.
Common questions
Is Cardel an alternative to Gumroad or Heartbeat?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Gumroad or Heartbeat when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Gumroad and Heartbeat are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Gumroad or Heartbeat?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Gumroad or Heartbeat for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Gumroad and Heartbeat?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Gumroad and Heartbeat set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Gumroad or Heartbeat to Cardel?
Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.