Substack vs beehiiv
Last verified
Substack is free until you earn: it keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue. beehiiv takes no cut of subscriptions but charges a monthly fee once you outgrow its free plan or need paid features.
| Substack | beehiiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free (revenue share on paid posts) | Freemium |
| Runs as | Cloud | Cloud |
| Free plan | Free to publish (no list-size limit stated) | Up to 2,500 subscribers |
| Paid plans from | 10% of paid-subscription revenue “Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees.” | $59/month (Lite, 1,000 subscribers) Monthly billing; yearly billing is cheaper (Lite from $49/month). |
| Paid newsletters | Yes, 10% platform fee | Yes, 0% take rate |
| Billing currency | Not documented | USD |
| Hosting | Cloud | Cloud |
| Price | Free to publish; keeps 10% of paid revenue substack.com, checked 22 Oct 2026 | Free to 2,500 subscribers; Lite from $59/month (monthly billing) beehiiv.com, checked 22 Oct 2026 |
| Newsletter alternative to | Mailchimp | Substack, Mailchimp, Kit |
Key differences
- Substack writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees. (substack.com/going-paid)
- beehiiv says it has a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions. (beehiiv.com/pricing)
- beehiiv's free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers. (beehiiv.com/pricing)
- beehiiv Lite was $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $139 at 10,000 on monthly billing; yearly billing brings Lite down to $49 a month. (beehiiv.com/pricing)
- beehiiv also lists an ad network and sponsorships as ways to earn. (beehiiv.com/pricing)
Which should you pick?
- Substack: Pick Substack if you're starting out, want readers to find you through its network, and don't earn much from paid subscriptions yet.
- beehiiv: Pick beehiiv if paid subscriptions bring in more than its monthly fee would cost (10% of your revenue is more than the plan price), or you want ads and growth tools.
This verdict is based on the documented facts above, not on hands-on testing.
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Sources: substack.com/going-paid · beehiiv.com/pricing. “Not available” or “Not documented” means we found no official source for it, not that the feature is missing.