Verdict. Pick beehiiv if you treat your newsletter as a growth business. You keep 100% of subscription and product revenue, and the ad network and paid recommendations add income Substack doesn't offer. The catch is the plan bill. Lite is $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers and climbs with your list, and the October 2026 repricing made mid-size lists noticeably pricier. Start on Free and upgrade when money comes in.
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- New York, New York, US
- Best for
- Growth-focused newsletters that want ad and referral income
- Plans from
- $59/month
- You keep from $1,000
- $882 on Lite
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.
beehiiv pricing and fees
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.
| Plan | Price | Fee on sales | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 0% on digital products | 2,500 subscribers, 1 seat, unlimited sends, website and recommendations network. No paid subscriptions or ads. |
| Lite | $59/mo | 0% of subscriptions and products | Price at 1,000 subscribers. Up to 100,000 subscribers, 2 seats, ad network, paid recommendations, automations. $49/mo billed yearly. |
| Pro | $109/mo | 0% of subscriptions and products | Price at 1,000 subscribers. Up to 250,000 subscribers, 10 seats, branding removal, webinars and coaching products. $95/mo billed yearly. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Not published | Unlimited seats, SSO, dedicated IPs, customer success manager. |
On $1,000 of monthly sales at $10 each, the cheapest option is the Lite plan. You'd pay about $118 in platform and card fees, 11.8% of revenue, and keep $882. Compare that with every other platform.
Payment processing. Stripe, through your own connected Stripe account, at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction paid on top. Ad network and paid recommendation earnings run through a separate Stripe Express account.
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.
What you get with beehiiv
- Newsletter editor with website and landing pages
- Paid subscription tiers
- beehiiv Ad Network
- Free and paid recommendations network
- Subscriber referral program
- Digital products, plus webinars and coaching on Pro
- Podcast hosting
- Automations and A/B testing from Lite
- API access and MCP integration
beehiiv pros and cons
What we like
- 0% cut of subscriptions and digital products, at any size.
- Free plan covers 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends.
- Ad network and paid recommendations pay you without chasing sponsors.
- Paid subscribers bill through your own Stripe account.
What gets in the way
- 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.
Who should skip beehiiv
If you want zero monthly cost while you test a paid idea, use Substack, and if you want open source ownership, use Ghost.
beehiiv alternatives
| Platform | Score | Keep from $1,000 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | 7.9 | $935 | Creators who sell products and need serious email automation |
| Ghost | 7.8 | $906 | Independent publishers who want 0% fees and full ownership |
| Substack | 6.1 | $834 | Writers starting a paid newsletter with no upfront cost |
Head to head: Substack vs beehiiv, beehiiv vs Kit, Ghost vs beehiiv.
See all 4 newsletter platforms ranked.
beehiiv questions
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
No. beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue and 0% commission on digital products. You pay your plan price and Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Paid subscriptions start on Lite, which costs $59 a month billed monthly at 1,000 subscribers.
What does beehiiv's free plan include?
Free costs $0 with no time limit and covers up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, landing pages, a website and the recommendations network. It doesn't include paid subscriptions, the ad network or automations. Those start on Lite at $59 a month billed monthly.
What changed in beehiiv's pricing in 2026?
On October 1, 2026, beehiiv renamed Launch to Free, Scale to Lite and Max to Pro, and raised some prices. The Verge reported Lite at 10,000 subscribers rising from $109 to $139 a month. Existing customers switch at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026.
How does the beehiiv Ad Network pay?
Ad earnings land in your beehiiv Wallet on the 20th of each month for ads that ran the month before. You withdraw to your bank through a Stripe Express account, which takes 3 to 5 business days. The ad network needs a paid plan and isn't available in every region.
Sources
We checked these pages on October 20, 2026. Platforms change fees often, so confirm on the official page before you commit.
- beehiiv pricing
- beehiiv Help: FAQs about the Recommendations Network
- beehiiv Help: Setting up a Stripe account for paid subscriptions and digital products
- beehiiv Help: Using the beehiiv Wallet
- beehiiv Help: Creating digital products for your website
- beehiiv Terms of Use
- PPC Land: beehiiv Lite plan rises at 10,000 subscribers
- Tubefilter: beehiiv $33 million Series B
- Sacra: beehiiv