How Heartbeat and Medium 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.
Medium is where a good essay can find readers on its own. The editor is calm, publications curate, the algorithm and topics surface work to members, and the Partner Program pays writers from member reading time. You bring words; Medium brings the audience and the distribution.
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.
Medium
- Medium owns the reader relationship.
- Medium is one publication format.
- Medium claps and responses stay on Medium.
Choose Heartbeat when a small paid community with courses, calls, and member chat is the product.
Choose Medium when you want readers and modest earnings without owning a site or a list.
Compare features
What's on Heartbeat and Medium
A check means that capability is available. Heartbeat and Medium are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Not included
- Custom domainHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Not included
- Theme and fontsHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Not included
Public content
- BlogHeartbeat: Not includedMedium: Included
- Reader engagementHeartbeat: Not includedMedium: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Not included
- Marketing emailsHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Not included
Team
- Admin usersHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Included
- Per-admin permissionsHeartbeat: IncludedMedium: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Heartbeat or Medium, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Heartbeat or Medium may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Heartbeat vs Medium pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Heartbeat
Current plans and prices
See what Heartbeat charges on their pricing page.
Medium
Current plans and prices
See what Medium charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Heartbeat and Medium
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 Medium?
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 Medium when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Heartbeat and Medium are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Heartbeat or Medium?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Heartbeat or Medium for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Heartbeat and Medium?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Heartbeat and Medium set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Heartbeat or Medium 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.