beehiiv vs Substack
beehiiv is the better buy for a paid newsletter with real revenue: Scale is $43 a month billed annually ($49 monthly) at up to 1,000 subscribers and the page states a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions. Substack is the simpler choice for a free newsletter or a small paid one: there is no plan to pick and no monthly bill, and writers keep 90% of paid revenue minus credit card fees. The two prices cross at about $430 of paid revenue a month, where Substack's 10% equals beehiiv Scale's annual-billing price.
Side by side, from the two vendor pages
| Feature | beehiiv | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Launch: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, custom domain | "Free to start"; no cap stated |
| Paid plans | Scale $43/mo annual ($517/yr) or $49 monthly; Max $96/mo annual ($1,151/yr) or $109 monthly, at up to 1,000 subscribers | No plans or prices |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 0% take rate on Scale and Max; Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction | Writers keep 90% minus credit card fees |
| Custom domain | Every plan | Not stated |
| Automations | Scale and Max; click-triggered on Max | Not stated |
| Referral program | Scale and above | Not stated |
| Source read | Pricing page | About page (no pricing page exists) |
A flat price against a percentage
This comparison is unusual because only one side publishes prices. beehiiv's pricing page prices Scale and Max by subscriber tier: at "Up to 1,000 subscribers", Scale is $43 a month billed annually, shown as $517 a year with a stated saving of $71, or $49 billed monthly; Max is $96 a month billed annually ($1,151 a year) or $109 monthly. Substack's About page states no plan, no tier and no monthly price; it states that writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees and that the other 10% "powers the platform". The arithmetic follows: a writer earning $430 a month from paid subscriptions pays Substack $43, the same as beehiiv Scale on annual billing, and every dollar above that costs more on Substack and nothing extra on beehiiv, apart from Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction that beehiiv's FAQ says applies.
Two free tiers, one with a stated cap
beehiiv Launch is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends and posts, up to 3 publications, a website, a custom domain, the recommendation network and read-only API access. It does not include paid subscriptions, automations, a referral program or surveys; those begin on Scale. Substack is "free to start" and "free to leave", with no subscriber cap stated on the page and no feature list by tier, because there are no tiers. A writer with a free newsletter and fewer than 2,500 readers pays neither company anything.
Growth and monetisation tools each page states
beehiiv's page lists a recommendation network on every plan, and a referral program, an ad network, paid recommendations, digital products and email automations from Scale; Max adds a sponsorship storefront, audio newsletters, click-triggered automations, the Send API and group subscriptions. Substack's About page describes recommendations and discovery as ways readers find publications and gives earnings examples at reader prices such as $5 and $7 a month, but it does not state a referral program, automations, an ad network or a custom domain. Where Substack's page is silent, this comparison says so rather than assuming.
beehiiv
✓ Pros
- 0% take rate on paid subscriptions from Scale
- Free Launch plan to 2,500 subscribers with a custom domain
- Automations, referral program and ad network on paid plans
- Prices published by subscriber tier from 1,000 to 100K
✗ Cons
- Paid subscriptions require Scale at $43 a month billed annually
- Launch has no automations or referral program
- Price rises with each subscriber tier above 1,000
Substack
✓ Pros
- No plan and no monthly bill
- Free to start with no subscriber cap stated
- Writers keep 90% of paid revenue
- Reader discovery through recommendations
✗ Cons
- 10% of paid revenue plus credit card fees, at any size
- No pricing page; plans, tiers and features by tier are not published
- Custom domain, automations and referral program not stated
Verdict
Take beehiiv if you intend to charge readers and expect more than about $430 a month in paid revenue, or if you want automations, a referral program and a custom domain on a stated plan. Take Substack if the newsletter is free, or if paid revenue is small enough that 10% costs less than $43 a month and you would rather not manage a plan at all. Neither page supports a claim about which is easier to use or delivers better, so this page does not make one.
beehiiv
- Free plan Launch, $0: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited email sends and posts, 3 publications, 1 team member, website, custom domains, recommendation network, API access (excluding Send API); no automations, no paid subscriptions, no referral program
- Scale $43 per month, "$517 billed annually" (Save $71/year), or $49 billed monthly, at the "Up to 1,000 subscribers" tier; adds ad network, recommendations, paid subscriptions, digital products, email automations, surveys and polls, webhooks, 3 team seats
- Max $96 per month, "$1,151 billed annually" (Save $157/year), or $109 billed monthly, at the same tier; adds removal of beehiiv branding, sponsorship storefront, audio newsletters, up to 10 publications, unlimited seats, Send API, click-triggered automations
- Fee on paid subscriptions "0% Take Rate on Paid Subscriptions" on Scale and above; the FAQ states you keep everything "minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction"
- Custom domain Yes, listed on Launch and every paid plan
- Automations Email automations on Scale and Max; click-triggered automations on Max only; none on Launch
- Referral program Not on Launch; available on Scale, Max and Enterprise
- Higher tiers The pricing page prices Scale and Max by subscriber tier from 1,000 up to 100K; Enterprise is custom pricing for 100K+
Facts from beehiiv's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Substack
- Free plan "Free to start" and "free to leave"; no subscriber cap or plan limits stated
- Plans None. Substack publishes no plan names, subscriber tiers or monthly prices; substack.com/pricing returns a 404
- Fee on paid subscriptions "Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees" and "90% goes to you. The rest powers the platform."
- Custom domain Not stated on the About page
- Automations Not stated on the About page
- Referral program Not stated on the About page; it describes recommendations and discovery as ways readers find publications
- Price at 1,000 subscribers Not applicable: no per-subscriber pricing exists; the cost is the 10% share of paid revenue
Facts from Substack's About page (Substack publishes no pricing page), checked 2026-09-05.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a paid newsletter, beehiiv is the cheaper platform once revenue is meaningful: its Scale plan is $43 a month billed annually at up to 1,000 subscribers ($49 monthly) with a stated 0% take rate on paid subscriptions, while Substack keeps 10% of revenue minus credit card fees. For a free newsletter, both cost nothing: beehiiv Launch is free to 2,500 subscribers, and Substack is free to start with no cap stated. Substack publishes no plans or prices, so the comparison on price is a flat fee against a percentage.
beehiiv: Launch free up to 2,500 subscribers; Scale $43 a month billed annually ($517 a year) or $49 monthly, and Max $96 a month billed annually ($1,151 a year) or $109 monthly, both at the up to 1,000 subscribers tier, with higher tiers priced up to 100K subscribers. Substack: no plan prices; writers keep 90% of paid revenue minus credit card fees. At $430 of paid revenue a month, Substack's 10% equals beehiiv Scale's annual-billing price.
beehiiv's pricing page states a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions on its Scale and Max plans, and its FAQ says you keep everything minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Paid subscriptions are not available on the free Launch plan.
Substack has no plans at all. Its About page says it is free to start and free to leave, states no subscriber cap, and states that 90% of paid revenue goes to the writer with the rest funding the platform. There is no pricing page; substack.com/pricing returns a 404.
beehiiv lists email automations on Scale and Max, click-triggered automations on Max, and a referral program on Scale and above; none of these are on Launch. Substack's About page does not state anything about automations or a referral program; it describes recommendations as a way readers discover publications.