Free up to 50 customers
A complete program, one shop, no credit card. Enough to find out whether your regulars are interested before you pay anything.
Comparison · Cartia vs Hey Pongo
Cartia vs Hey Pongo: the honest comparison
Hey Pongo, whose product is called Pongo, targets restaurants and food shops with a broad platform: loyalty, CRM, Google reviews, local SEO and multichannel campaigns. Cartia keeps it simpler: a loyalty card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, published prices and a free plan. The difference comes down to price transparency and how broad the tool is.
Pongo, published by Hey Pongo, is a local marketing platform for restaurants and food shops: loyalty, CRM, Google reviews, local SEO and SMS, email, push and Wallet campaigns, with integrations to registers, kiosks and ordering tools. No price is published.
Hey Pongo serves the French market. Its offers and prices below are those published on its French-market website, in euros, and Cartia’s prices are shown in euros too so that the amounts can be compared like for like. Offers and availability may differ outside France.
Head to head
Cartia and Hey Pongo, point by point
| Criterion | Cartia | Hey Pongo |
|---|---|---|
| Listed price | Free €0 · Pro €29.90/month (14-day trial) · Business €59.90/month, 3 locations included, then €10/month per extra shop (14-day trial) · all prices tax included | No public price on the site: only a demo request is offered |
| Approximate first-year cost (1 shop) | €0 on Free · Pro €358.80 tax included for 12 monthly payments; €287.04 tax included with annual payment (−20%) | To check with them - no public information found |
| Setup fees | €0 - no installation fees | To check with them - no public information found |
| Permanent free plan | Yes - up to 50 customers, no credit card required | No free plan advertised; the express audit and the demo are free |
| App customers must install | No - the customer scans a QR code and everything happens in the browser | Not specified: a card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet is advertised, as well as a “brand app” in the shop’s branding |
| Apple Wallet / Google Wallet | Yes - added directly to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet | Yes - a card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet is advertised |
| Getting started | Program created online, printable QR kit generated | A demo of about 30 minutes then dedicated support; launch in 48 hours advertised for most locations; customer base import |
| Commitment / dependency | Monthly with no commitment; annual paid in one go for 12 months · scanning from a browser or Cartia Counter | “No commitment” advertised; minimum term and cancellation not published |
Public sources for Hey Pongo checked on November 3, 2026. Prices are given for information only and have no contractual value: check their current price list on their website. Rows marked “to check” are those where we did not find clear public information - we prefer to say so rather than guess. Cartia’s prices come from our public catalog.
Sources: Site Pongo (Hey Pongo)
With no public price, we give no comparative figure rather than an estimate. Ask them for a written quote covering the messages included, setup fees and the commitment term.
What changes with Cartia
Four concrete differences
Pro at €29.90/month, all included
14-day trial, then a flat fee: unlimited customers, no overage charges and no message credits to top up. A credit card is required to start the trial. Your bill doesn’t change when your traffic goes up.
€0 setup fees
No installation package to pay for before your first customer. You create the program, print the QR kit, and get started.
No app for customers
The customer scans the QR code at the counter and joins the program from their browser. No download to negotiate during the rush.
Straight talk
When Hey Pongo is the right choice, and when Cartia is
Hey Pongo’s strengths
- A broad scope in one tool: loyalty, CRM, Google reviews, local SEO and multichannel campaigns (SMS, email, push, Wallet).
- Integrations advertised with registers, kiosks, payment terminals and online ordering tools, and import of the existing program and customer base at launch.
- Guided onboarding, with a launch advertised in 48 hours for most locations.
Choose Hey Pongo if you run a restaurant or food shop, you want dedicated support, SMS and email campaigns and an integration with your register or kiosks.
Where Cartia keeps it simple
- No price is published and the only entry point is a demo request: the cost can only be compared after contacting them, whereas Cartia shows all its prices and offers a free plan.
- The site targets restaurants and food shops; limits, setup fees and cancellation terms are not published.
Choose Cartia if you want to see the price before any meeting, start free with up to 50 customers and put your card online yourself.
Transparency
What Cartia openly acknowledges
A comparison that only lists its own advantages helps no one. Here is where Cartia openly stands today.
- The Free plan is a real program, not a demo: Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are included from €0. CSV export, campaigns on the card and staff accounts start with the Pro plan. Email campaigns are coming soon.
- The Pro plan covers one shop. Beyond that, you need the Business plan: 3 shops and 3 programs included for €59.90/month tax included, then €10/month tax included per additional location, with no limit on the number.
- Cartia is a young platform: we don’t publish customer case studies or revenue figures that we couldn’t back up.
Frequently asked questions
Cartia or Hey Pongo: the questions that come up
How much does Hey Pongo cost?
Hey Pongo published no pricing on its site as of November 3, 2026: only a demo request is offered. We therefore have no price to compare; ask them for a written quote. Cartia shows its prices: free up to 50 customers, Pro €29.90/month tax included, Business €59.90/month tax included.
Can the Hey Pongo card be added to Apple Wallet?
Their site advertises a loyalty card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, as well as a “brand app” in the shop’s branding; it does not say whether the app is mandatory. At Cartia, the card is added straight to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, with no app.
Other comparisons