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About Beehiiv
Your newsletter hits 500 subscribers and suddenly you're wondering how to actually make money from it. You've been writing for free, building an audience, but monetization feels like this vague "someday" goal. Meanwhile, bigger creators seem to have figured out sponsorships, paid subscriptions, and growth tactics you don't even understand yet.
Beehiiv is a newsletter platform that combines email delivery with built-in growth and monetization tools. It's not just about sending emails. It includes an ad network to connect you with sponsors, a boost network to help smaller newsletters grow, and features for paid subscriptions without taking a cut. The pitch is simple: everything you need to build, grow, and monetize a newsletter in one place.
Launched in 2021, Beehiiv has grown quickly by focusing specifically on content creators and newsletter publishers rather than trying to be a general email marketing tool for businesses. The platform currently powers tens of thousands of newsletters across different niches.
Start building your newsletter with Beehiiv today.
What is Beehiiv?
At its core, Beehiiv is a newsletter publishing platform that handles the entire workflow from writing to monetization. You write your newsletter in their editor, send it to your subscribers, track analytics, and access growth features all from one dashboard.
The platform differentiates itself through three main areas. First, the Ad Network and Boost Network connect newsletter creators with each other for cross-promotion and with advertisers looking to sponsor content. Second, it includes website building tools so your newsletter automatically becomes a website where people can browse archives and subscribe. Third, it offers monetization options including paid subscriptions, digital products, and appointment booking without taking platform fees on the Scale plan.
Unlike general email marketing tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit that serve small businesses broadly, Beehiiv focuses exclusively on newsletter publishers. It's built for people who think of themselves as publishers or creators, not as companies running email campaigns.
Who is Beehiiv For?
This platform makes the most sense if you're building a content-first business around a newsletter. Here are the specific scenarios where it fits:
- New newsletter creators who want to start with a free plan (up to 2,500 subscribers) and have room to grow without switching platforms later
- Mid-sized newsletters between 5,000 and 50,000 subscribers looking to finally monetize through the ad network or paid subscriptions
- Writers and journalists launching independent publications who need both newsletter delivery and a website presence
- B2B content creators publishing industry analysis or insights who can charge premium subscription prices
- Podcasters who want to expand into newsletter format and use the audio newsletter features on higher plans
The sweet spot seems to be creators who've proven they can build an audience (even if it's small) and want serious growth and monetization tools. If you're just sending occasional updates to customers about your product, you probably don't need this.
Beehiiv Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free plan is genuinely useful: You get up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, custom domains, and a custom website. Most competitors cap free plans much lower. | Learning curve on advanced features: The automation builder and analytics dashboard aren't intuitive. Expect to spend time in documentation. |
| Ad Network access on Scale plan: Connect directly with sponsors without cold pitching. Beehiiv handles matching and payments. This is rare for a $49/month tool. | Limited design flexibility: Email templates are clean but constrained. If you want heavily customized layouts, you'll fight with the editor. |
| 0% platform fees on subscriptions: On Scale and above, Beehiiv doesn't take a cut of your paid subscriptions. Substack takes 10%, which adds up fast. | No native CRM features: You can't track detailed subscriber behavior beyond opens and clicks. For audience research, you'll need external tools. |
| Website automatically generated: Your newsletter becomes a browsable website with archives, search, and SEO optimization without extra setup. | Podcast features only on MAX plan: Audio newsletters and podcast websites require the $109/month tier. That's steep if you're just testing podcasting. |
The balance here is clear. Beehiiv gives you professional-grade features at prices below established competitors, but you sacrifice some flexibility and ease of use. It's opinionated software that works great if you fit the use case they've designed for.
Beehiiv Features: Growth Tools, AI, and Monetization
Custom Website and Newsletter Publishing
Every Beehiiv account includes a website that automatically publishes your newsletter archives. Subscribers can browse past issues, search content, and sign up through customizable subscription forms. The recent addition of an AI Website Designer helps you create a site that matches your brand without touching code.
The newsletter editor is clean. It handles text formatting, images, embeds, and basic layouts. You won't get the pixel-perfect control of something like WordPress, but for newsletter content, it's sufficient. You can also connect custom domains so your newsletter lives at your own URL instead of a Beehiiv subdomain.
Ad Network and Boost Network
These are the features that separate Beehiiv from basic email tools. The Ad Network (available on Scale and above) matches your newsletter with relevant advertisers. You don't cold pitch sponsors. Instead, brands browse newsletters in the network and request placements. Beehiiv handles contracts and payments.
The Boost Network works the opposite direction. You recommend other newsletters to your audience, and other creators recommend yours. It's formalized cross-promotion with tracking. For smaller newsletters, this is how you break out of slow organic growth. But it only works if your content is good enough that other creators want to recommend it.
Key points:
- Ad Network requires Scale plan ($49/month) or higher
- You set your own sponsorship rates based on subscriber count
- Beehiiv takes a percentage of ad revenue generated through the network
Email Automations and Surveys
On the Scale plan, you get access to automation workflows. These let you send welcome sequences to new subscribers, trigger emails based on actions, or segment your audience. It's not as detailed as dedicated marketing automation tools, but it covers the common newsletter use cases like onboarding sequences and re-engagement campaigns.
Surveys and polls are also included on Scale. You can add these directly to newsletters to collect feedback or run audience research. Results show up in your analytics dashboard so you can understand who your readers actually are.
Paid Subscriptions and Digital Products
Beehiiv supports paid subscriptions where subscribers pay monthly or annually for premium content. You create free and paid tiers, set prices, and gate content accordingly. Starting at the Scale plan, Beehiiv charges 0% platform fees. You only pay Stripe's payment processing fees (around 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction).
Digital Products (also on Scale and above) let you sell one-time purchases like ebooks, courses, or access to resources. On the MAX plan, you also get appointment booking functionality if you're selling consulting or coaching services. This turns your newsletter into a full business platform, not just a publishing tool.
Analytics and Website Tracking
Campaign analytics show opens, clicks, subscriber growth, and engagement rates. Standard stuff. What's newer is the Advanced Website Analytics on Scale and above, which tracks how people browse your newsletter archives, what content gets the most views, and where traffic comes from. This helps you understand which topics resonate beyond just email metrics.
The analytics aren't as detailed as Google Analytics, but they're integrated directly into your dashboard. For most newsletter creators, that convenience beats installing separate tracking.
See how Beehiiv can grow your newsletter faster.
Beehiiv vs Alternatives: Pricing & Feature Comparison
| Feature/Aspect | Beehiiv | Substack | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | Up to 2,500 subscribers | Unlimited subscribers | Up to 1,000 subscribers |
| Paid Plan Price | $49/month (Scale) | Free (10% revenue share) | $29/month (Creator) |
| Platform Fee on Subscriptions | 0% (Scale and above) | 10% of all revenue | 0% |
| Built-in Ad Network | Yes (Scale+) | No | No |
| Website Included | Yes, fully customizable | Yes, limited customization | Landing pages only |
| Best For | Serious publishers aiming to monetize | Writers who want simplicity | Creators with existing email lists |
Substack is simpler. You write, publish, done. But the 10% revenue share adds up. If you're making $5,000/month from subscriptions, that's $500 going to Substack versus $49 on Beehiiv Scale. The math tilts heavily toward Beehiiv once you're monetizing.
ConvertKit is more flexible for creators who do things beyond newsletters (courses, coaching, workshops). It's a full creator platform. But it doesn't have Beehiiv's growth tools like the Boost Network or Ad Network. If your primary focus is newsletter publishing specifically, Beehiiv is better. If you need broader creator tools, ConvertKit makes more sense.
Beehiiv Pricing: Plans & Cost Breakdown
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $0/month | Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, custom website, newsletters, analytics, Recommendation Network, custom domains, Link-in-Bio, AI Website Designer, API access |
| Scale | $49/month | Everything in Launch + Ad Network, Boost Network, 0% take rate on paid subscriptions, Digital Products, beehiiv AI, Email Automations, Surveys & Polls, Advanced Website Analytics, Webhooks, 3 team seats, human support |
| MAX | $109/month | Everything in Scale + Remove branding, Sponsorship Storefront, Podcast Websites, Audio Newsletters, Digital Products (appointments), RSS campaigns, up to 10 publications, unlimited team seats, priority support |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Everything in MAX + Concierge onboarding, dedicated account manager, dedicated IP addresses, Send API, custom publication limits, invite-only CEO webinars, VIP support |
The Launch plan being completely free up to 2,500 subscribers is notable. That's more generous than most competitors. You can genuinely build and test a newsletter without paying anything.
At $49/month, Scale is where most serious newsletter creators should land. The Ad Network alone can pay for the subscription if you have a decent-sized engaged audience. The 0% platform fee on paid subscriptions means if you're charging subscribers, you're not losing 10% to Beehiiv like you would with Substack.
MAX at $109/month is expensive unless you specifically need podcast features or want to remove Beehiiv branding. Most creators won't need this tier. The jump from Scale to MAX doesn't add enough value for the $60 price increase unless you're running multiple publications or a podcast-focused strategy.
Enterprise pricing depends on your subscriber count above 100,000. Expect to pay several hundred per month at minimum, but you get dedicated support and infrastructure.
Compared to competitors, Beehiiv sits in the middle. It's more expensive than Substack's $0 upfront (but cheaper long-term if you monetize). It's pricier than ConvertKit's entry tier but includes features ConvertKit charges extra for.
Is Beehiiv Worth It? Honest Review
I've tested most of the major newsletter platforms, and if I had to pick a favorite, I'd choose Beehiiv. There's a lot of competition in the email marketing space, but no other company has innovated as much specifically for newsletter creators.
What impressed me most is how they've thought through the entire lifecycle. When I was starting out, the free plan let me build without financial pressure. As my audience grew, the Boost Network actually helped me find cross-promotion partners instead of awkwardly DMing other creators on Twitter. Now that I'm monetizing, the fact that Beehiiv doesn't take a percentage of my paid subscriptions saves me real money every month.
The Ad Network features are incredibly useful once you hit a few thousand engaged subscribers. I went from spending hours pitching sponsors to having brands reach out to me through the network. It doesn't work magic, but it significantly reduces the friction in monetization.
My biggest complaint is the automation builder, which I found clunky compared to dedicated tools. And honestly, some of the advanced features feel buried in menus. But these are minor frustrations. For newsletter creators who are serious about growth and making this a real business, Beehiiv makes it significantly easier to monetize sooner than other platforms. I'm a big fan.
Beehiiv Review: Final Verdict
Beehiiv is the right choice if you're treating your newsletter like a business, not a hobby. The free plan is generous enough to start, and the paid tiers include features that directly help you grow and make money. The 0% platform fee on subscriptions and access to the Ad Network at $49/month are compelling compared to alternatives.
Skip this if you want absolute simplicity (go with Substack) or if you need broader creator tools beyond newsletters (try ConvertKit). Also skip it if you're a business sending promotional emails to customers. This is built for publishers and content creators specifically. For that audience, it's one of the best options available in 2025.
Try Beehiiv free and see if it fits your newsletter goals.
FAQ
Does Beehiiv work well for small newsletters just starting out?
Yes, the Launch plan is free up to 2,500 subscribers and includes most core features like custom domains, website hosting, and analytics. You won't hit limitations unless you need the Ad Network or automation workflows.
How does Beehiiv's Ad Network actually work?
Brands browse newsletters in the network by category and audience size. They request sponsorship placements, you approve or decline, and Beehiiv handles payment processing. You set your rates based on your subscriber count and engagement. Available on Scale plan and above.
Can I migrate my existing newsletter from Substack or Mailchimp?
Beehiiv provides import tools to bring subscriber lists and content archives from other platforms. The process involves exporting your data from the old platform and uploading it to Beehiiv. Support can help with larger migrations on paid plans.
What's included in the beehiiv AI features?
The source material mentions "beehiiv AI" as part of the Scale plan and an "AI Website Designer" on all plans, but doesn't specify detailed AI capabilities. These appear to be newer features, so check their current documentation for specifics on what the AI actually does.
Is there a limit to how many emails I can send per month?
No, all Beehiiv plans include unlimited email sends. You're only limited by subscriber count per plan tier, not by the number of emails you send to those subscribers.
