beehiiv vs Kit
Verdict. Kit is the better pick for most creators, because its free plan covers 10,000 subscribers and still lets you sell. beehiiv's free plan can't take paid subscriptions, so selling there starts at $59 a month on Lite. Our math has Kit costing about $65 at $1,000 a month against beehiiv's $118, and $235 against $264 at $5,000. The lines cross at higher volume. At $20,000 a month in $50 payments, Kit's 3.5% + 30¢ per sale costs $820 and beehiiv Lite costs $759. beehiiv's ad network is the other reason to go there.
Pick beehiiv if
you run a pure newsletter at high volume and want ad network and paid recommendation income on top of 0% subscription fees.
Pick Kit if
email drives a product business and you want the strongest automations of the newsletter platforms we rank, or a free plan that sells to up to 10,000 subscribers.
Side by side
| Compared | beehiiv | Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 7.5 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
| Best for | Growth-focused newsletters that want ad and referral income | Creators who sell products and need serious email automation |
| What it costs | beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscriptions and digital products, so you pay the plan price, $59 a month billed monthly for Lite at 1,000 subscribers, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. | Kit charges 3.5% + 30¢ per sale on every plan with card processing included, and paid plans start at $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers. |
| Keep from $1,000 | $882 (Lite) | $935 (Free) |
| Plans from | $59/month | Free |
| Payouts | Subscription and product sales pay out from your own Stripe account on Stripe's schedule. Ad network earnings reach your beehiiv Wallet on the 20th of each month for the previous month's ads, and paid recommendation earnings arrive as subscribers pass verification. Wallet withdrawals to your bank take 3 to 5 business days. | Kit pays out weekly on Fridays through Stripe, in your bank account's currency. Your first payout can take 7 to 14 days after your first sale. |
| Who can join | Open to anyone 18 or older. Paid subscriptions need the Lite plan or higher and a Stripe account. The ad network isn't available in every region or during trials. | Open to anyone 18 or older. Selling through Kit Commerce works from 39 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU. |
| Founded | 2021 | 2013 |
Scorecards
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$118 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 1.83 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.80 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.20 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| Total | 10.0 | 7.5 |
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$65 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 2.64 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| Total | 10.0 | 7.9 |
Where beehiiv falls short
- Free can't sell subscriptions. Paid tiers start at $59 a month billed monthly.
- The October 2026 repricing took Lite at 10,000 subscribers from $109 to $139 a month, per The Verge.
- Paid recommendations carry a 20% fee, built into the price you see.
- You can't opt out of appearing in the recommendations network.
Where Kit falls short
- Each sale costs 0.6% more than on Ghost or beehiiv, where you pay only Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢.
- The September 2025 price rise took Creator at 1,000 subscribers from $29 to $39 a month.
- Paid Recommendations keep 23.5% of what you earn.
- Commerce makes you open a new Stripe account through Kit, even if you already have one.
- No reader app or discovery feed like Substack's.
Still deciding? See every option in newsletter platforms.