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site.beehiiv.com pricing: free for 2,500 subscribers, then Lite and Pro

beehiiv's plans as its pricing page lists them, what paid subscriptions cost there compared with Substack, and the cost of a growing list.

Published by
MarkRelay Research
Updated
Sources
4 primary sources, linked below

Summary

beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers, but the free plan has no paid subscriptions or ad network. Lite is $59 a month ($49 billed yearly) at 1,000 subscribers and $139 ($119) at 10,000; Pro is $109 ($95) and $239 ($199). Both paid plans take 0% of paid subscriptions, with Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per payment on top, where Substack keeps 10%. MarkRelay sends from your own domain and Cloudflare account for $99 a year plus Cloudflare's per-email price, without beehiiv's growth tools or payments.

Key findings

  1. 1Free: up to 2,500 subscribers; no paid subscriptions and no ad network.
  2. 2Lite: $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers ($49 yearly), $139 at 10,000 ($119 yearly).
  3. 3Pro: $109 at 1,000 ($95 yearly), $239 at 10,000 ($199 yearly).
  4. 4Paid subscriptions on Lite and Pro: 0% take rate (not during the Lite trial); Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Questions this report answers

Asked by real people, quoted as they wrote them.

“How easy will it be to convert my 500K Twitter audience into a (mostly) paid newsletter? And Beehiiv or Substack?”

r/Substack, 12 comments

On fees: Substack keeps 10% of paid subscriptions; beehiiv's Lite and Pro keep 0% but charge a monthly plan price that rises with the list. At high paid revenue the percentage costs more than the plan; at low revenue the plan costs more.

“is beehiiv free”

Google search suggestion

Up to 2,500 subscribers. The free plan has no paid subscriptions and no ad network; those start on Lite.

“is beehiiv better than substack”

Google search suggestion

On fees it depends on revenue: Substack keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, beehiiv Lite charges a flat $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers and takes 0%. The table below shows where the two cross.

“is beehiiv worth it”

Google search suggestion

For a free newsletter under 2,500 subscribers it costs nothing. For a paid one, Lite pays for itself against Substack once paid revenue passes about $590 a month at 1,000 subscribers.

beehiiv plans (USD a month)

1,000

Lite, monthly
$59
Lite, yearly
$49
Pro, monthly
$109
Pro, yearly
$95

10,000

Lite, monthly
$139
Lite, yearly
$119
Pro, monthly
$239
Pro, yearly
$199

Free covers up to 2,500 subscribers without paid subscriptions or the ad network. Source: beehiiv pricing.

Platform cost of a paid newsletter at 1,000 subscribers

$250

Substack (10%)
$25
beehiiv Lite
$59
Ghost(Pro) Publisher
$29

$500

Substack (10%)
$50
beehiiv Lite
$59
Ghost(Pro) Publisher
$29

$1,000

Substack (10%)
$100
beehiiv Lite
$59
Ghost(Pro) Publisher
$29

$2,500

Substack (10%)
$250
beehiiv Lite
$59
Ghost(Pro) Publisher
$29

Platform charges only; Stripe's card fees apply on all three. beehiiv Lite is the monthly price; Ghost(Pro) Publisher is its price billed yearly. MarkRelay does not take payments; it only sends. Source: Substack: going paid, beehiiv pricing, Ghost pricing.

Plan price or revenue share

A paid newsletter on beehiiv Lite at 1,000 subscribers pays $59 a month plus Stripe; on Substack it pays 10% of revenue plus Stripe. Below about $590 a month of paid revenue, Substack's share is the smaller cost; above it, beehiiv's flat plan is.

Where MarkRelay fits

A good fit when

  • A newsletter or announcements to a list you already have, sent from your own domain at Cloudflare's per-email price.
  • Lists that grow faster than you mail them, where contact tiers keep raising the bill.

Look elsewhere when

  • Automation flows, landing pages, sign-up forms and e-commerce integrations: MarkRelay does not have them.
  • Selling paid subscriptions: MarkRelay sends, but does not take payments.

Common questions

Is beehiiv free?

Up to 2,500 subscribers, without paid subscriptions or the ad network.

Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?

No on Lite and Pro: 0% take rate. Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction still applies.

Sources and method

  1. beehiiv pricing (www.beehiiv.com/pricing)
  2. Substack: going paid (substack.com/going-paid)
  3. Kit pricing (kit.com/pricing)
  4. Ghost pricing (ghost.org/pricing/)

Facts are taken from each vendor's own pricing pages, documentation or terms as of the updated date above; prices are in US dollars per month unless stated. Cost comparisons apply each vendor's published rates to the same volume. MarkRelay is not affiliated with beehiiv;"site.beehiiv.com" in the title names the site these facts come from. MarkRelay sells a self-hosted email app, which this page mentions where it fits. Spotted something outdated? Tell us.

Revisions

  • : First published; every fact checked on the vendor's own pages.

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