A beehiiv alternative without per-subscriber pricing
beehiiv prices by list size. MarkRelay is one license plus Cloudflare's per-email price, and every issue goes out from your own domain and your own Cloudflare account.
Facts checked
The short answer
Choose beehiiv if you want a full newsletter platform: website, sign-up forms, referral program, ad network and automations, free up to 2,500 subscribers and then priced by list size. Choose MarkRelay when you mainly need to send a good-looking newsletter from your own domain without paying per subscriber: one license, Cloudflare's per-email price, your list in your own database, and one-click unsubscribe and suppression built in.
Side by side
| Feature | MarkRelayLicense from $99/yr | beehiivHosted, priced by subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| How it is priced | One license plus Cloudflare per email | By number of subscribers |
| Sends from your own domain | Yes | On paid plans |
| Where your list lives | Your Cloudflare D1 | beehiiv, with export |
| Visual email editor | Yes | Yes |
| Import a list | .csv or .xlsx with an email column | Yes |
| One-click unsubscribe and suppression list | Yes | Yes |
| Per-recipient delivery, opens and clicks | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Recipients per send | Up to 100,000 per broadcast | Plan limit |
| Website, sign-up forms, referral program | On your own site | Yes |
| Automations and ad network | No | Yes |
| Team inbox and email API in the same app | Yes | No |
How it is priced
- MarkRelay
- One license plus Cloudflare per email
- beehiiv
- By number of subscribers
Sends from your own domain
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- beehiiv
- On paid plans
Where your list lives
- MarkRelay
- Your Cloudflare D1
- beehiiv
- beehiiv, with export
Visual email editor
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- beehiiv
- Yes
Import a list
- MarkRelay
- .csv or .xlsx with an email column
- beehiiv
- Yes
One-click unsubscribe and suppression list
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- beehiiv
- Yes
Per-recipient delivery, opens and clicks
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- beehiiv
- Yes
Scheduling
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- beehiiv
- Yes
Recipients per send
- MarkRelay
- Up to 100,000 per broadcast
- beehiiv
- Plan limit
Website, sign-up forms, referral program
- MarkRelay
- On your own site
- beehiiv
- Yes
Automations and ad network
- MarkRelay
- No
- beehiiv
- Yes
Team inbox and email API in the same app
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- beehiiv
- No
beehiiv facts from beehiiv.com/pricing.
Which one fits you
Choose beehiiv if
- You want the website, growth tools and monetization in one hosted platform.
- Your list is under 2,500 and the free plan covers you.
Choose MarkRelay if
- You want to send from your own domain and own the list outright.
- Your list is growing and per-subscriber pricing hurts.
- You also want team mailboxes and an email API in the same app.
What a weekly newsletter costs
| Example | beehiivLite on the annual plan, the first plan that sends from your domain | MarkRelayLicense $8.25/mo ($99/yr) + Cloudflare | You savePer month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500 subscribers | $69Lite; Pro $129 | $15.99$8.25 license + $5 Workers Paid + $2.74 sending | $53.0176% less |
| 10,000 subscribers | $119Lite; Pro $199 | $27.37$8.25 license + $5 Workers Paid + $14.12 sending | $91.6376% less |
2,500 subscribers
beehiiv
MarkRelay
10,000 subscribers
beehiiv
MarkRelay
MarkRelay: the Annual license ($99/year) spread over 12 months, $8.25 a month whatever the volume, plus the Cloudflare bill: Workers Paid is $5/month with 3,000 sent emails included, then $0.35 per 1,000, and receiving is free. With Lifetime ($249 once), later years cost only the Cloudflare bill. A weekly issue is about 4.33 sends per subscriber a month. beehiiv: monthly equivalents of its annual plans; its Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers but does not send from your own domain.
Common questions
Can I import my beehiiv subscribers?
Yes. Export subscribers from beehiiv as a CSV and import it into a broadcast. MarkRelay needs an email column; other columns become variables such as {{first_name}}.
Is MarkRelay cheaper than beehiiv?
Once your list passes beehiiv's free plan, usually yes: for a weekly issue to 10,000 subscribers MarkRelay comes to about $27.37 a month (the license spread over the year plus Cloudflare), against $119 a month on beehiiv Lite.
What does MarkRelay leave to my own site?
The newsletter's website, sign-up form and payments. MarkRelay designs, sends and tracks the email and handles unsubscribes and replies.
Who is responsible for compliance?
The sender. MarkRelay adds one-click unsubscribe headers and a suppression list to every broadcast; you are responsible for consent and for following CAN-SPAM, GDPR and Cloudflare's Email Service terms.
Keep reading
Own your email stack today
Buy MarkRelay once and run it in your Cloudflare account. MarkRelay adds no per-message or per-seat charge; Cloudflare usage and service limits remain separate.