How Heartbeat and Shopify 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.
Shopify is what you use when the store is the business. World-class checkout, inventory and shipping, taxes, POS, thousands of apps, Shopify Email, Shopify Inbox, and a theme store make it the standard for merchants of every size. It scales from one product to a warehouse without changing platforms.
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.
Shopify
- Shopify's blog and pages serve the store.
- Shopify Inbox handles chat.
- Shopify doesn't manage scheduling natively.
Choose Heartbeat when a small paid community with courses, calls, and member chat is the product.
Choose Shopify when you sell products at volume and need inventory, shipping, tax, and apps.
Compare features
What's on Heartbeat and Shopify
A check means that capability is available. Heartbeat and Shopify are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Custom domainHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Theme and fontsHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
Public content
- BlogHeartbeat: Not includedShopify: Included
- Reader engagementHeartbeat: Not includedShopify: Included
- Showcase pagesHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Shop pagesHeartbeat: Not includedShopify: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Marketing emailsHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Campaign workflowsHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Messaging CenterHeartbeat: Not includedShopify: Included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
Team
- Admin usersHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- Per-admin permissionsHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
- AI AssistantHeartbeat: IncludedShopify: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Heartbeat or Shopify, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Heartbeat or Shopify may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Heartbeat vs Shopify pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Heartbeat
Current plans and prices
See what Heartbeat charges on their pricing page.
Shopify
Current plans and prices
See what Shopify charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Heartbeat and Shopify
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 Shopify?
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 Shopify when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Heartbeat and Shopify are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Heartbeat or Shopify?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Heartbeat or Shopify for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Heartbeat and Shopify?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Heartbeat and Shopify set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Heartbeat or Shopify 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.
