Software · head to head
Groove vs Heap
The short version
- Only Heap has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Groove billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch; Heap no built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation
- They diverge on capability: Groove covers Shared inbox, Heap covers Autocapture.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Groove and Heap actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Groove
- Shared inbox
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Automation rules
- Reporting
- Collision detection
- Slack
- Trello
Only in Heap
- Autocapture
- Retroactive analytics
- Session replay
- Funnel analysis
- User segmentation
- Path analysis
- Data science
- Virtual events
Both cover
- Salesforce
- Zapier
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Groove
- Shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teamsnot Heap
- Handling email, chat and messaging support in one queuenot Heap
Heap
- User behavior analysisnot Groove
- Conversion optimizationnot Groove
- Product adoptionnot Groove
- Customer journey mappingnot Groove
- A/B testing analysisnot Groove
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Groove
- Billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
- A minimum of 250 tickets a month applies, which is a $3,000 annual commitment before any usage
- A quiet month still pays the 250 ticket floor
- No mailbox limit is published
Heap
- No built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation
- Group analytics and advanced features require a sales conversation, not self-serve
- Cloud-only deployment; no self-hosted option for data security or compliance requirements
- Session replay lacks developer debugging tools compared to PostHog
- Pricing for Growth and Pro plans requires direct sales contact; no transparency on how pricing scales
Pricing, plan by plan
Groove
$12/month- Standard$12/month
- 1 mailbox
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Plus$20/month
- 5 mailboxes
- Full reporting
- Rules
- Pro$35/month
- 25 mailboxes
- Salesforce
- Enterprise SSO
Heap
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 10,000 monthly sessions
- Basic charts
- 6 months data history
- Growth$null/custom
- Custom session pricing
- Sense AI assistant
- 12 months data history
- Pro$null/custom
- Custom session pricing
- Account analytics
- Engagement matrix
- Premier$null/custom
- Custom session pricing
- Data warehouse integration
- Unlimited projects
Which should you pick?
Choose Groove if
- You need shared inbox.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want knowledge base.
Choose Heap if
- You need autocapture.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want retroactive analytics.
Questions people ask
- Is Groove or Heap better?
- Neither clearly leads. Groove starts at $12/month and Heap at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Groove or Heap?
- Heap has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $12/month for Groove and Free for Heap.
- Does Groove or Heap run on more platforms?
- Groove runs on Web, Ios, Android. Heap runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Heap for free?
- Yes. Heap has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Groove starts at $12/month.
- What is Groove best used for?
- Groove is most often used for shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teams, handling email, chat and messaging support in one queue. Of those, shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teams and handling email, chat and messaging support in one queue are not what Heap is typically brought in for.
- What can Groove do that Heap cannot?
- Groove covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Automation rules. Heap covers Autocapture, Retroactive analytics, Session replay, Funnel analysis. Both handle Salesforce, Zapier, GDPR.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Heap: What does Heap's autocapture feature do?
Heap's autocapture is a single code snippet that automatically captures every click, swipe, tap, pageview, and form fill on your website and apps without requiring manual event setup. Once installed, Heap captures the entire digital experience of every user on every platform with no ongoing engineering maintenance needed.
SourceHeap: What are Heap's pricing plans and how much do they cost?
Heap offers a Free plan for up to 10,000 monthly sessions. Growth, Pro, and Premier plans use custom session-based pricing that requires contacting sales for a quote. Free includes basic charts and 6 months data history. Growth adds the Sense AI assistant. Pro adds account analytics. Premier adds data warehouse integration and dedicated customer success management.
SourceHeap: Does Heap include session replay and A/B testing?
Heap includes integrated session replay showing exactly what users did on your site. However, Heap does not include built-in A/B testing or feature flags. Teams requiring these capabilities must use separate tools or integrate with third-party platforms.
SourceHeap: What integrations does Heap support?
Heap supports over 100 integrations connecting to business tools including marketing platforms, CRMs, and data warehouses. This allows insights to reach relevant teams and ensures data flows to other business systems automatically.
SourceHeap: Does Heap offer self-hosting or is it cloud-only?
Heap is cloud-only and does not offer self-hosted options. Organizations requiring on-premises deployment should consider alternatives like PostHog which supports self-hosting alongside its cloud product.
SourceHeap: What is Sense and how does it help with analytics?
Sense Chat is Heap's AI assistant that enables users to access analytics without extensive technical knowledge. It allows teams to ask questions about user behavior and get answers directly without lengthy onboarding or technical expertise, making insights more accessible to non-technical stakeholders.
SourceRelated pages
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