Typical desks charge SortSwift-style rent. Hearth Desk undercuts that with Cloud from $49 USD/mo — or Local perpetual if you want the install on your machines. Same counter stack either way.
Not a brand hit list — the usual monthly desk and marketplace stack shops get stuck with.
Plus seats. Plus “premium” modules. Plus a migration tax when you leave.
Great for selling online. Terrible as your only shop desk.
Cloud: software + hosting, cancel anytime. Or Local: $1,199–$5,499 once — perpetual key on your PCs.
At $300–$500/mo SaaS, Cloud Shop ($124 USD/mo) is a fraction of the rent — and Local Shop ($3,299 once) pays for itself in months, then you keep running forever.
The reasons owners actually leave the other stack.
Cloud from $49 USD/mo (software + hosting, cancel anytime). Or Local perpetual — pay once, keep the desk.
Scan Match uses OCR plus art fingerprint re-rank — not a barcode theater for demos.
Floors, rarity floors, want-list boosts, auto-reject trash, self-serve kiosk quotes.
Preorders, deposits, allocations, printable pull lists when product hits the floor.
Scanning-first desks lean on a connected storefront and stop short of merchant tools. Hearth Desk keeps intake sharp and adds loyalty merch, custom point rates, decklist matching, TCG-aware search, and social webhooks.
Capacity, door check-in, prize desk, Discord + SMS reminders — not a calendar stub.
Migration kit with dry-run CSV import. Your stock comes with you.
Hearth Desk vs a typical monthly shop desk vs marketplace-first tools. No brand names needed.
| Capability | Hearth Desk | Typical shop desk | Marketplace-first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership — who holds the leash | |||
| Cloud monthly that undercuts big desks | ● From $49 USD/mo · cancel anytime | ○ $300–$500+/mo typical | ○ Fees forever |
| Or buy once, keep running forever | ● Local perpetual + optional yearly updates | ○ Monthly forever | ○ Fees forever |
| Your data on disk you can back up | ● Local SQLite · Cloud hosted for you | ◐ Often their cloud only | ○ Their cloud |
| Leave without exporting hell | ● Migration kit | ○ Hostage CSV | ◐ |
| Zero commission on in-store sales | ● | ● | ○ Take rate |
| Cancel Cloud anytime (access follows billing) | ● | ◐ Often annual lock-in | ○ |
| 7-day full trial (everything unlocked) | ● | ◐ Demo crippled | ◐ |
| Works offline at the counter | ● Local · Cloud needs net | ◐ | ○ |
| Intake — stop typing every card | |||
| Scan Match: OCR + art re-rank | ● | ◐ Name search | ○ |
| Collector number + set hints from scan | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Camera + upload intake | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Scryfall / multi-TCG catalog (incl. live Riftbound) | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
| ManaBox + generic CSV import | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
| Competitor desk CSV migration (dry-run) | ● | ○ Why would they | ○ |
| Bins, chaos sort, sealed & toys SKUs | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Dead-stock actions (not just charts) | ● | ◐ Reports only | ○ |
| Customer collection vault → trade-ins | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Bin sorter rules (29 / 9 bin) | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Buylist & counter — where margin dies or lives | |||
| Buylist floors + rarity floors | ● | ◐ | ◐ Their rules |
| Auto-reject below floor | ● | ○ | ◐ |
| Want-list boost % | ● | ○ | ◐ |
| Self-serve buylist kiosk | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Public buylist quote API | ● | ○ | ◐ |
| Trade slips + store credit | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| POS sell + buy modes | ● | ● | ○ |
| Tills, layaway, table time | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| ESC/POS receipts + cash drawer | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| SKU / bin labels | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Tax by store + GST/PST exports | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Loyalty tiers, redeem, streaks | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Points → store merch (custom rates) | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Consignment payouts | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Channels — sell everywhere without becoming a marketplace serf | |||
| Live web store sync (Shopify + Woo / BC / Ecwid / Magento / Wix / Squarespace) | ● | ◐ Shopify-ish only | ◐ |
| Multi-platform product CSV (Woo, Magento, Big Cartel, …) | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
| TCGPlayer mass CSV export / import | ● | ◐ | ● |
| LAN multi-machine sync | ● | ◐ Cloud only | ○ |
| Live postage rates & labels | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
| Marketplace order queue → ship | ● | ◐ | ● |
| Demo / TCG-aware storefront (search + deck builder) | ● | ◐ Connected storefront only | ● |
| Social post webhooks (FB / IG via Zapier) | ◐ Add-on | ○ | ○ |
| Release week & events — the LGS week that matters | |||
| Set preorders + deposits | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Allocations + release pull lists | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Events + capacity + ICS calendar | ● | ◐ | ○ |
| Door check-in | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Prize desk tied to stock | ● | ○ | ○ |
| Discord event reminders | ● Add-on | ○ | ○ |
| SMS event reminders | ● Add-on | ○ | ○ |
| Ops that scale past one laptop | |||
| Desktop + hosted web desk | ● | ◐ | ● Web only |
| Multi-store / warehouses | ● Add-on | ◐ | ○ |
| Auto pricing rules + markets | ● Add-on | ◐ | ◐ |
| Role-based staff access + PINs | ● | ● | ◐ |
| Owner support / vendor tooling | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
| Product telemetry you can turn off | ● | ○ | ◐ Theirs only |
If you’re fine paying SortSwift-level rent forever, stay where you are. If you want the same counter stack for less — start on Cloud from $49 USD/mo, or buy Local once and keep it.