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Beehiiv
Newsletter platform with growth and ad tools built in, free to 2,500 subscribers, and a 0% cut of your paid subscriptions.
Creators converting short-form viewers into an owned email list they plan to monetize with ads, paid tiers, or referral deals as it grows.
Creators who just want a cheap, simple email tool: past the free plan the jump is $49+/mo, while MailerLite or Kit run a 1,000-person list for $15 to $39.
Start free on Launch and treat the 2,500-subscriber ceiling as the decision point: if the list is earning by then, Scale's 0% take on paid subscriptions justifies the $49 a month, and if it isn't, a cheaper tool like MailerLite will do.
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Overview
Beehiiv is where you move the audience you don't own: followers stuck behind an algorithm become an email list you control. The free Launch plan covers your first 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, a website builder with custom domain, and cross-promotion through the recommendation network. Paid plans add the monetization layer: an ad network, paid subscriptions beehiiv takes 0% of, and Boosts that pay you for recommending other newsletters. The free-to-paid jump lands at $49 a month, so it fits creators building a list to monetize, not just a backup channel.
Pros
- The free Launch plan runs a real newsletter: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, a website with custom domain, and no credit card required.
- Beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue. You pay only Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee, where Substack takes 10% off the top.
- Growth tools are built in instead of bolted on: a recommendation network on every plan, plus Boosts cross-promotions on paid plans.
- The Ad Network (Scale and up) places sponsors in your newsletter, so a mid-size list can earn before you have a product of your own to sell.
- Unlimited email sends on every plan, so mailing your list daily costs the same as mailing it weekly.
Cons
- Paid pricing starts high and climbs with list size: Scale is $49/mo at 1,000 subscribers and about $69/mo at 2,500, while MailerLite and Kit cover a 1,000-person list for $15 to $39. The math only favors beehiiv once the monetization features are paying for themselves.
- Support is ticket-based, with no live chat or phone, and faster response times are gated behind the Max plan. Budget for slow answers if something breaks mid-send.
- The free plan carries "powered by beehiiv" branding you cannot remove until the $109/mo Max tier, and it has no automations, so even a welcome email requires Scale.
Features
- Recommendation network: cross-promote with other newsletters to grow your list, available on every plan including free.
- Paid subscriptions with a 0% platform take (Scale and up): sell paid subscription tiers with only Stripe's processing fee coming out.
- Ad Network (Scale and up): sell sponsor placements inside your newsletter from the dashboard instead of chasing deals over email.
- Boosts (Scale and up): earn referral fees for recommending other newsletters, or pay to acquire subscribers from theirs.
- Email automations (Scale and up): welcome series and drip flows; transactional email is not supported.
- Link-in-bio page and signup forms on the free plan, so your TikTok or Instagram bio can feed the list from day one.
Pricing
- Unlimited email sends
- Website + custom domain
- Recommendation network
- No automations or monetization
- Ad Network + Boosts
- 0% take on paid subscriptions
- Email automations + A/B testing
- Caps at 100K subscribers
- Remove beehiiv branding
- Up to 10 publications
- Priority support
- Sponsorship storefront
- Dedicated IPs + Send API
- Dedicated account manager
- SSO
- Custom publication limits
The free Launch plan is the honest on-ramp: 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends cost nothing, but there are no automations, no A/B tests, and no monetization features at all. The gotcha is the cliff at the first paid dollar: Scale starts at $49/mo ($43/mo billed annually) for up to 1,000 subscribers and re-prices as your list grows, reaching about $69/mo at 2,500. Both Scale and Max cap at 100,000 subscribers before custom-priced Enterprise.
Check current Beehiiv pricingPricing changes often and varies by region, currency, and active promotions. Always confirm the current price, and any live deals, on the official pricing page before you buy.