Heepsy vs JoinBrands: Which Is Better? (2026 Comparison)

The pricing models for these two platforms reflect their different philosophies: Heepsy uses a flat-rate subscription model, while JoinBrands uses a hybrid usage-based and subscription model.

Heepsy Pricing

Heepsy's paid tiers start at $89/mo (Starter). However, the Starter plan is quite limited, lacking advanced demographics and Shopify sales tracking. Most professional teams will need the Plus ($249/mo) or Advanced ($369/mo) plans. For a 5-person marketing team, the Advanced plan is the only viable option to ensure everyone has access to the full suite of filters and reporting tools, leading to an annual cost of $4,428.

JoinBrands Pricing

JoinBrands offers a unique 'Pay-as-you-go' model with no upfront subscription, though you will pay higher platform fees (up to 15%). Their subscription tiers start at $99/mo (Start-up) and go up to $499/mo (Agency). A significant benefit is that 30% of your subscription fee is returned as platform credits. However, you must also factor in the cost of the creators themselves (usually $150-$200 per video) plus the 8-15% platform fee on every transaction. For a 5-person team on the Brand plan ($99/mo), the annual subscription is $3,588, but the total cost of ownership will be significantly higher once creator payments are included. For more cost-effective tracking, see our JoinBrands alternative guide.

In terms of value, Heepsy is better for brands that do high-volume searching but low-volume hiring. JoinBrands is better for brands that are actively producing multiple UGC videos per month. If you are comparing Hypefy vs JoinBrands, you'll see that JoinBrands' marketplace model provides more direct creative output for your spend.

Choose Heepsy if...

You are a small to mid-sized brand or agency that needs to build a massive list of vetted influencers quickly. Heepsy is the right tool if your primary pain point is discovery and you have a separate process for outreach and content management. It's particularly useful for Shopify owners who want to track sales from specific influencers via the Advanced plan. If you've searched for a Heepsy alternative, you'll find it remains one of the most budget-friendly ways to access a database of 11M+ creators.

Choose JoinBrands if...

You are a D2C brand, Amazon seller, or TikTok Shop affiliate manager who needs to generate high-quality UGC at scale. JoinBrands is ideal if you want to skip the 'search and outreach' phase and instead have creators come to you. It is perfect for teams that need to produce 10-50 new video assets a month and want a streamlined way to pay creators and manage usage rights. Brands often find that JoinBrands saves them 8-15 hours per week on manual sourcing.

Neither might be right if...

You need to track what creators are saying about your brand outside of paid campaigns. Neither Heepsy nor JoinBrands is particularly effective at finding untagged content or providing AI-driven competitive intelligence. If you are drowning in content but struggling to extract insights from the actual video files, a specialized tracking tool might be necessary. Check out ShortsIntel vs JoinBrands to see how a tracking-first approach differs from a marketplace approach.