How Heartbeat and Kit compare
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.
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is email marketing made for creators. Forms and landing pages, tags and segments, visual automations, sequences, a Creator Network for recommendations, paid newsletters, and Kit Commerce for digital products give a creator everything the list needs, with a free plan to start. It is thoughtful and built by people who know creators.
Where they are different
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.
Kit
- Kit's landing pages are lead capture.
- Kit sends from its infrastructure.
- Kit Commerce sells digital products.
Choose Heartbeat when a small paid community with courses, calls, and member chat is the product.
Choose Kit when the list is the business and you want the deepest creator-focused email tooling.
Compare features
What's on Heartbeat and Kit
A check means that capability is available. Heartbeat and Kit are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
- Custom domainHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
- Theme and fontsHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
Public content
- Showcase pagesHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Not included
Audience and email
- AudienceHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
- Marketing emailsHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
- Campaign workflowsHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
Team
- Admin usersHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
- AI AssistantHeartbeat: IncludedKit: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Heartbeat or Kit, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Heartbeat or Kit may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Heartbeat vs Kit pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Heartbeat
Current plans and prices
See what Heartbeat charges on their pricing page.
Kit
Current plans and prices
See what Kit charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Heartbeat and Kit
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 Heartbeat or Kit?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Heartbeat or Kit when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Heartbeat and Kit are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Heartbeat or Kit?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Heartbeat or Kit for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Heartbeat and Kit?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Heartbeat and Kit set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Heartbeat or Kit 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.