Creator The short version
- Good fit if your newsletter is the product: you want a hosted website, unlimited sends, a recommendation network and, later, ads or paid subscriptions without giving the platform a cut of subscription revenue.
- The free plan is roomy on list size and thin on automation. As of October 11, 2026, Free is $0 for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. Custom domains are listed on paid plans in Beehiiv’s help article and feature table (the Free plan summary also lists Custom Domains — confirm in-account). Automations beyond a single welcome email, paid subscriptions, the Ad Network and the referral program all need Lite or Pro.
- Paid plans start at $59/month (Lite, monthly billing, up to 1,000 subscribers) or $49/month billed annually, and the price climbs with your list.
- Consider something else if you mostly sell courses through tagged funnels (compare Kit vs Beehiiv), or if you want classic small-business email on a small budget (see Beehiiv vs MailerLite).
Beehiiv plans at a glance
Beehiiv has four plans: Free, Lite, Pro and Enterprise. The plan decides which features you get; your active subscriber count decides what a paid plan costs.
| Plan | Price (per Beehiiv) | Subscribers & seats | What it adds for creators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 2,500 subscribers · 1 team seat · unlimited sends | Newsletter, website and podcast tools · link-in-bio · AI website builder · recommendation network · community · 1 digital product · campaign analytics · API access (excluding Send API). Custom domains: paid plans per help + feature table (Free plan summary also lists Custom Domains — confirm in-account) |
| Lite | $59/month monthly, or $49/month billed annually ($588/year), at up to 1,000 subscribers | Up to 100,000 subscribers · 2 seats | Ad Network · paid recommendations · 0% take rate on paid subscriptions · 3 digital products (Free has 1) · email automations · surveys & polls · A/B testing · custom HTML · referral program · webhooks · custom domains |
| Pro | $109/month monthly, or $95/month billed annually ($1,140/year), at up to 1,000 subscribers | Up to 250,000 subscribers · 10 seats | Remove Beehiiv branding · sponsorship storefront · audio newsletters · RSS to Send · dynamic content · click-triggered automations · up to 10 publications · Send API · priority support |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom subscriber limits | Dedicated account manager · dedicated IP addresses · SSO · custom publication limits |
Source: Beehiiv’s pricing page (plan cards, feature comparison table and FAQ) and Beehiiv's machine-readable pricing.md, re-checked October 11, 2026. Prices in USD. Beehiiv notes that the Ad Network and paid recommendations are not available in all regions.
What Lite and Pro cost as your list grows
The entry prices only apply up to 1,000 subscribers. Here is Beehiiv's published price for a selection of list sizes:
| Active subscribers | Lite, monthly | Lite, annual (≈/month) | Pro, monthly | Pro, annual (≈/month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 | $59 | $49 | $109 | $95 |
| Up to 2,500 | $79 | $69 | $149 | $129 |
| Up to 5,000 | $109 | $95 | $199 | $169 |
| Up to 10,000 | $139 | $119 | $239 | $199 |
| Up to 25,000 | $199 | $169 | $349 | $299 |
| Up to 50,000 | $299 | $249 | $469 | $399 |
| Up to 100,000 | $469 | $399 | $699 | $599 |
Source: Beehiiv’s pricing data file (pricing.md) tier table, which Beehiiv says is generated from the same plan data as its pricing page, checked October 5, 2026 and re-checked October 7 and October 11, 2026. Figures above match beehiiv.com/pricing.md on each day (Lite ≤50,000 is $299 monthly / $249 billed annually; Pro ≤50,000 is $469 / $399). Beehiiv says official terms, trials and discounts are on the website, so confirm your exact tier with the slider on Beehiiv’s pricing page.
Every published tier, monthly and yearly, is in our Beehiiv pricing guide.
How Beehiiv counts subscribers
Beehiiv's help article on plan types and subscriber tiers clears up a few things that trip people up:
- You pay for active subscribers, meaning people you're sending to who haven't unsubscribed or been marked inactive.
- A paid tier is a price bracket, not a cap. Beehiiv's example: on Lite with 800 active subscribers you're on the 1,000-subscriber tier, and you move up tiers as your list grows.
- Your tier is set for the whole account. Beehiiv adds up the active subscribers across all the publications in your account. Lite goes up to 100,000 subscribers and Pro up to 250,000; past that, Beehiiv points you to Enterprise.
- Monthly plans can be paused for up to 30 days, and your account drops to Free features during the pause. Annual plans can't be paused.
- Pre-paid credit cards aren't accepted for paid plans.
The free trial of paid features
According to Beehiiv's free trial help article (updated October 1, 2026), a new account can start a 14-day free trial of the Pro plan, with no credit card. A few details matter for creators:
- During the trial your account is on the Free plan with temporary access to Pro features.
- Not all paid features are included, and some have limits during the trial, so check in your account before you plan around one.
- If you don't upgrade, you stay on the Free plan and keep your content and subscribers.
Beehiiv’s pricing FAQ words it more loosely (“Lite and Pro include a free trial”) and doesn’t give a length; the help article’s 14-day Pro trial is the more specific description.
Free vs paid: the features creators ask about
| Feature | Free | Lite | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email sends | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom domain | Confirm in-account (help + feature table: paid; Free summary also lists it) | Yes | Yes |
| Welcome email | 1-email welcome | Full automations | Full automations + click-triggered |
| Segments | Create segments | + publish to segments | + dynamic content |
| Recommendations | Free recommendations | + paid recommendations | + paid recommendations |
| Referral program | No | Yes | Yes |
| Paid subscriptions | No | Yes, 0% take rate | Yes, 0% take rate + group subscriptions |
| Ad Network | No | Yes | Yes |
| Digital products | 1 product | 3 products | Unlimited + appointments |
| Podcast shows / monthly downloads | 1 / 5,000 | 2 / 15,000 | Unlimited / 50,000 |
| RSS to Send | No | No | Yes |
| Remove Beehiiv branding | No | No | Yes |
| AI usage | Limited (no in-editor AI) | Elevated | 5× Lite |
Sources: Beehiiv pricing feature comparison (digital products, podcast and AI rows re-checked October 11, 2026), welcome email help article (a single welcome email on every plan, including Free; welcome automations on paid plans) and recommendations page, checked October 7, 2026.
Beehiiv by creator type
Newsletter writers
This is Beehiiv's home turf. Free gives you a hosted site and unlimited sends up to 2,500 subscribers (custom domains: paid plans per help + feature table; Free plan summary also lists Custom Domains — confirm in-account), which is plenty of room to find out whether a weekly issue sticks. Growth tools are the reason to upgrade: the referral program lets you set reward milestones for readers who bring in new subscribers, and paid recommendations let you pay for, or earn from, verified subscribers through Beehiiv's network. Free recommendations work on every plan.
Podcasters
Beehiiv now hosts podcasts next to your newsletter. Its podcasts page describes distribution to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast and more, an episode page with transcript on your Beehiiv website, premium episodes for paid subscribers, and IAB-standard analytics. According to Beehiiv's podcast import guide, you can bring an existing show over from any host with a public RSS feed. Your episode GUIDs are kept, so apps don't re-download episodes, and you set a 301 redirect at your old host. Beehiiv’s help center (updated October 7, 2026; re-checked October 11, 2026) lists podcast hosting on every plan with show limits (Free 1 / Lite 2 / Pro unlimited) and monthly downloads (Free 5,000 / Lite 15,000 / Pro 50,000). Premium, paid-only podcasts need a paid plan; pricing.md lists 1 private subscription RSS feed on Lite and 2 on Pro. For other podcast-friendly options, see our newsletter tools for podcasters.
YouTubers and social-first creators
If most of your audience lives on video or social platforms, the useful free pieces are link-in-bio, subscribe forms and the website builder. All three are on Free. An automated welcome sequence (for example, "here are my three best videos") needs Lite, because Free only allows a single welcome email.
Course and digital product sellers
Every Beehiiv plan can sell digital products: Free includes 1 product, Lite 3 and Pro unlimited (pricing feature table, checked October 11, 2026). According to its digital products page, Beehiiv takes 0% commission and you pay standard payment processing (2.9% + $0.30). Payments run through Stripe. Appointment-style products are Pro-only. If your business depends on detailed tagging and multi-step sales funnels, read Kit vs Beehiiv first. Kit is built around that kind of email automation.
Paid newsletter writers
Paid subscriptions need Lite or Pro, and Beehiiv's pricing FAQ says it takes 0% of subscription revenue, leaving Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. You can set up multiple tiers, monthly or annual pricing, "pay what you want", gift subscriptions and free trials for readers, according to Beehiiv's paid subscriptions page. For every way to earn, including the Ad Network and paid recommendations, see how to monetize a newsletter.
Setup checklist: your first Beehiiv newsletter
This checklist follows Beehiiv's help center, using menu names as documented on October 7, 2026.
- Create your account. No card is needed for Free, and you can start a 14-day Pro trial. Start from Beehiiv’s site.
- Connect your domain. Go to Settings → Domains → Set Up Custom Domain, then choose web, email or both. Beehiiv recommends a subdomain (such as newsletter.yourdomain.com) if your main domain already runs a website, and a separate subdomain for sending if you use the domain for regular email. Verification can take up to 72 hours. If your DNS is on Cloudflare, set the records to "DNS Only", not Proxied. See custom domain setup.
- Import subscribers you have permission to email. Go to Subscribers → Import subscribers, then upload a CSV or paste addresses. The four steps are upload, map fields, onboard (optional) and review. You can tag the whole batch so it's easy to segment later. See importing subscribers.
- Write your welcome email. Every account can send a one-email welcome. Multi-step welcome automations need a paid plan.
- Turn on free recommendations so new subscribers see newsletters you pick, and so you can be recommended in return.
- Podcasters: import your show. Go to Podcasts → Import podcast, paste your RSS feed URL (not a Spotify or Apple page link), then set a 301 redirect at your old host. See importing your podcast.
- Before your list nears 2,500, price Lite at the tier you expect to reach in 12 months, not today's.
Honest limitations to weigh
- The free plan has almost no automation. You get one welcome email. Sequences, polls, A/B tests and the referral program are paid features.
- The jump from free to paid is steep at first. Going from Free to Lite means $0 to $59 a month (monthly billing), and by 10,000 subscribers Lite is $139 a month.
- Monetization on Free is limited. Paid subscriptions and the Ad Network need Lite or Pro. Free can sell 1 digital product. Beehiiv also says the Ad Network requires you to be actively sending, and it isn't offered in every region.
- Several features are Pro-only: removing branding, RSS to Send (useful if you blog elsewhere), dynamic content, click-triggered automations and higher podcast show/download limits (Pro: unlimited shows and 50,000 monthly downloads, per Beehiiv’s help center).
- Positioning. Beehiiv presents itself as a newsletter and publishing platform. If you need a general email marketing tool with a small free plan, look at MailerLite. If you need creator-commerce automations, look at Kit.
Beehiiv vs the alternatives
- Substack alternatives: fees, free plans, domains and break-even math across Beehiiv, Kit, Buttondown and Ghost.
- Kit vs Beehiiv: creator automations vs growth-first publishing. Kit's pricing page lists a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers and Creator from $33/month billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers (checked October 11, 2026).
- Beehiiv vs MailerLite: newsletter platform vs approachable email tool. MailerLite's Free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. See our MailerLite guide and MailerLite pricing guide.
- Beehiiv vs Mailchimp: newsletter platform vs all-round small-business email. Mailchimp’s Free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends a month (checked October 7, 2026).
- How to choose a newsletter tool: a decision framework by list size, automation, growth and budget.
- How to monetize a newsletter: six revenue models and which tools support each, with fees.
- Best free newsletter platforms: how Free’s limits compare with the free plans from Kit, MailerLite, Buttondown, Substack and others.
- Best newsletter tools for creators: the full shortlist, including Buttondown and Flodesk.
- The Creator Mail Stack: how the newsletter tool fits with forms and analytics.
FAQ
Is Beehiiv free?
Yes. The Free plan is $0 for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends (pricing.md and pricing page, checked October 11, 2026). Paid subscriptions, the Ad Network, automations and the referral program need a paid plan; Free can sell 1 digital product (checked October 11, 2026).
How much does Beehiiv cost per month?
Lite starts at $59/month on monthly billing, or $49/month billed annually, for up to 1,000 subscribers. Pro starts at $109/month, or $95/month billed annually. Both rise with your subscriber tier. For example, Lite is $139/month on monthly billing at up to 10,000 subscribers.
What happens when I pass 2,500 subscribers on the free plan?
2,500 active subscribers is the Free plan's limit, so you need to upgrade to Lite or Pro to grow past it. Confirm the exact behavior in your account's Billing & Plan settings.
Does Beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
No. Beehiiv says it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue on Lite and Pro. Stripe's processing fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) still applies.
Is Beehiiv better than Substack?
It depends on how you earn. Substack is free to start and keeps 10% of paid revenue. Beehiiv has a free plan, but paid subscriptions need a flat monthly plan with a 0% take rate. The callout above shows the break-even point.
Can I use Beehiiv for a podcast?
Yes. Podcast hosting and distribution are on all plans. Beehiiv’s help center (updated October 7, 2026; re-checked October 11, 2026) lists Free at 1 show and 5,000 monthly downloads, Lite at 2 shows / 15,000 and Pro at unlimited shows / 50,000 (that’s the article’s plan-limits table; an FAQ further down the same article says up to 4 shows on Pro, so confirm in-account if you need more than 2). You can import an existing show from any host with a public RSS feed.
Can I use my own domain on the free plan?
Custom domains are on paid plans per Beehiiv's custom-domain help article ("All Paid Plans") and the pricing.md feature table. The Free plan summary also lists Custom Domains — confirm in-account whether Free includes web, email, or both.
Does Beehiiv have landing pages?
Every plan includes the website builder, website templates, subscribe forms and link-in-bio. Custom webpages are listed from Lite up (pricing.md: Free 1 custom page; Lite 5; Pro unlimited).
How does the Beehiiv Ad Network work?
It's available on Lite and above for publications that are actively sending. According to Beehiiv's Ad Network page, eligible publishers see up to 15 personalized ad offers at a time, and you're never required to run an ad. Payouts are based on CPM (per 1,000 unique opens) or CPC (per click), and Beehiiv says estimated payouts aren't guaranteed, and the Ad Network isn't available in every region.
Sources (checked October 7, 2026; pricing, plan, trial and podcast sources re-checked October 11, 2026)
- Beehiiv pricing page: plans, feature comparison, pricing FAQ
- Beehiiv pricing data file (pricing.md): price by subscriber tier
- Beehiiv help: plan types and subscriber tier pricing
- Beehiiv help: what’s available during a free trial (re-checked October 11, 2026)
- Beehiiv automations page
- Beehiiv help: welcome email vs welcome automation
- Beehiiv recommendations page
- Beehiiv referral program page
- Beehiiv paid subscriptions page
- Beehiiv digital products page
- Beehiiv podcasts page
- Beehiiv help: creating a podcast (plan limits)
- Beehiiv Ad Network page
- Beehiiv help: using a custom domain
- Beehiiv help: importing subscribers
- Beehiiv help: importing your podcast
- Substack going-paid page: Substack revenue share
- Kit pricing page: Kit free plan and Creator price
- MailerLite pricing page: MailerLite Free plan limits
Beehiiv is a trademark of its owner. We run Creator Mail Stack independently, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Beehiiv beyond the referral relationship described in the disclosure. Found something out of date? Tell us.