beehiiv vs Substack
Both are newsletter platforms aimed at writers, creators and independent publishers. They differ most on low transaction fees, publication website and automation.
At a glance
| beehiiv | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 83/100 Higher | 71/100 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | $49/mo monthly; $517/yr billed annually | No paid plan; 10% of paid revenue |
| Positioning | growth platform | publishing network |
| Launched | 2021 | — |
| Best for | Newsletter operators who want growth tools and ad revenue built in, and expect to outgrow a hobby list. | Writers starting a paid newsletter who would rather give up a share of revenue than pay a monthly bill. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | beehiiv | Substack | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Paid subscriptions | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Value for money | 3/5 | 3/5 | Tie |
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Low transaction fees | 5/5 | 1/5 | beehiiv |
| Audience growth tools | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Automation | 4/5 | 1/5 | beehiiv |
| Publication website | 4/5 | 2/5 | beehiiv |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. beehiiv leads on 3 dimensions, Substack on 3. The overall figure weights these for newsletter platforms generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Launch | Free | — |
| Scale | $49 | monthly; $517/yr billed annually | |
| Max | $109 | monthly; $1,151/yr billed annually | |
| Substack | Free | Free | 10% of paid-subscription revenue |
Pricing checked 24 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. beehiiv: Billed in USD. Paid prices are for up to 1,000 subscribers and rise with list size; annual billing saves about 12%. Substack: Stripe adds 2.9% + $0.30 per payment, plus 0.7% on recurring billing.
Verdict
beehiiv
- +Free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, a website and your own domain.
- +Takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue on paid plans — you pay only Stripe’s processing fee.
- +A recommendation network on every plan, plus a referral programme and ad network from Scale up.
- −Paid subscriptions, automations and the ad network all need the Scale plan, from $49 a month.
- −Prices climb with the list: Scale is $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 10,000.
Substack
- +Free to publish at any size, with no monthly fee even once readers pay.
- +Paid subscriptions work from day one, with nothing to pay until you earn.
- +Other writers can recommend your publication, and new recommendations reach their subscribers in a digest email.
- −Keeps 10% of every paid-subscription payment, on top of Stripe’s fees, and no plan removes it.
- −At $1,000 a month in subscriptions the 10% share is $100 a month, and it grows with every paying reader.
Common questions
Does beehiiv or Substack have a free plan?
beehiiv has a free plan, and Substack has a free plan.
Which is better, beehiiv or Substack?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, beehiiv comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026Publishing is free however many subscribers you have. Paid subscriptions cost nothing a month; Substack takes 10% of each payment.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026One-time $50 fee to use your own domain.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026Writers recommend other publications; new recommendations reach their subscribers in a digest email.
- beehiiv.com — checked 24 September 2026
- beehiiv.com — checked 24 September 2026Launch plan: free for up to 2,500 subscribers, with unlimited email sends, a website and custom domains. No card required. Paid subscriptions, automations and the ad network need a paid plan.