How Heartbeat and Mailchimp 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.
Mailchimp is the name most small businesses say first. Templates, a drag-and-drop editor, segmentation, customer journeys, A/B testing, reporting, forms and landing pages, and integrations with nearly everything make it a dependable marketing hub. The AI tools and Intuit's ecosystem keep it moving.
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.
Mailchimp
- Mailchimp pages capture leads.
- Mailchimp sends.
- Mailchimp has no shop or bookings.
Choose Heartbeat when a small paid community with courses, calls, and member chat is the product.
Choose Mailchimp when you want a mature email marketing hub with integrations into everything else you use.
Compare features
What's on Heartbeat and Mailchimp
A check means that capability is available. Heartbeat and Mailchimp are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
- Custom domainHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
- Theme and fontsHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
- Marketing emailsHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
- Campaign workflowsHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Not included
Team
- Admin usersHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
- Per-admin permissionsHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
- AI AssistantHeartbeat: IncludedMailchimp: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Heartbeat or Mailchimp, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Heartbeat or Mailchimp may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Heartbeat vs Mailchimp pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Heartbeat
Current plans and prices
See what Heartbeat charges on their pricing page.
Mailchimp
Current plans and prices
See what Mailchimp charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Heartbeat and Mailchimp
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 Mailchimp?
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 Mailchimp when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Heartbeat and Mailchimp are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Heartbeat or Mailchimp?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Heartbeat or Mailchimp for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Heartbeat and Mailchimp?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Heartbeat and Mailchimp set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Heartbeat or Mailchimp 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.