Last Updated on October 10, 2026 by SaaS Stacked
Quick verdict
Pick beehiiv if your newsletter is a business. Growth tools (referral program, recommendation network, ad network), paid subscriptions at a 0% platform take rate, and a real website — it’s built for publishers who want to grow and monetize.
Pick Substack if you want zero setup and zero decisions. Free to start, dead-simple editor, built-in discovery through their network. You pay for that simplicity with a 10% cut of everything you earn, forever.
The math decides this one more than the features do — see the fee crossover below. And note: beehiiv raised prices ~25% on October 1, 2026, which narrowed its price advantage. Verify current pricing before committing.
Pricing: the fee math that matters
beehiiv (post–Oct 2026 increase; plans renamed Free / Lite / Pro):
- Free: $0 — up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, website, custom domain
- Lite (formerly Scale): from ~$59/month — ad network, automations, paid subs at 0% take rate
- Pro (formerly Max): from ~$109/month — branding removal, up to 10 publications, sponsorship storefront
- Prices scale with subscriber count; at 10,000 subs Lite runs ~$139/mo
Substack:
- Free: $0 — unlimited subscribers, unlimited sends
- Paid subscriptions: Substack takes 10% of revenue + Stripe processing (~2.9% + $0.30/transaction)
- No tiers, no way to buy the fee down
Here’s the crossover math nobody does for you. At $1,000/month in paid subscription revenue, Substack takes ~$100 + ~$32 in Stripe fees = ~$132/month. beehiiv Lite at a comparable list size: ~$59–139/month flat, 0% take rate.
The rule of thumb: below ~$500/month in subscription revenue, Substack’s 10% is cheaper than beehiiv’s flat fee. Above ~$1,000/month, beehiiv wins and the gap widens fast — at $5,000/month revenue, Substack takes ~$500+ while beehiiv still costs its flat subscription. The more you earn, the more Substack costs; beehiiv’s price doesn’t care about your revenue.
Growth: how you get readers
This is beehiiv’s home turf. Referral programs with rewards, a recommendation network (other newsletters recommend you), paid subscriber acquisition through Boosts, and a built-in ad network. It’s a growth toolkit, not just a publishing tool.
Substack’s growth story is its network: Notes (their Twitter-like feed), recommendations between publications, and the Substack app/reader. It’s real — some publications grow fast inside the ecosystem — but you don’t control it, and it mostly benefits publications Substack’s algorithm favors.
Winner: beehiiv for deliberate, controllable growth. Substack if you’d rather bet on network effects and skip the configuration.
Monetization
beehiiv: paid subscriptions at 0% platform fee (you keep everything minus Stripe), ad network placements, Boosts revenue, sponsorship storefront on Pro. Multiple revenue streams, all with minimal platform take.
Substack: paid subscriptions minus 10%, pledges, and that’s mostly it. Simple to set up — toggle paid on and you’re done — but the 10% never goes away no matter how big you get.
Winner: beehiiv on economics for anyone earning real money. Substack on simplicity of setup.
The writing experience and ownership
Substack’s editor is the simplest in the business — write, hit publish, done. beehiiv’s editor is good and adds a real website, custom domains on every plan, and more design control. Neither will frustrate you.
Ownership is the quiet issue. On Substack, your publication lives inside Substack’s ecosystem — your brand is “publication.substack.com” unless you configure a domain, and your audience relationship is mediated by their app. beehiiv gives you a real website with your domain from the free plan up, plus full subscriber data export. If Substack changes direction (and platforms always do eventually), beehiiv users have more independence.
Winner: tie on writing; beehiiv on ownership.
Side-by-side
| beehiiv | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Free subscribers | 2,500 | Unlimited |
| Entry paid price | ~$59/mo (Lite) | $0 + 10% of paid revenue |
| Platform fee on paid subs | 0% | 10% |
| Payment processing | Stripe (~2.9% + $0.30) | Stripe (~2.9% + $0.30) |
| Referral program | Built in | Basic |
| Ad network | Yes | No |
| Custom domain | Every plan incl. free | Paid feature setup |
| Real website | Yes | Limited |
| Price at $2k/mo revenue | Flat ~$59–139/mo | ~$200+ in platform fees |
Who should pick which
Pick beehiiv if: the newsletter is (or will become) a business, you want growth tools and multiple revenue streams, the 10% Substack cut bothers you on principle or on math, or you want your own website and brand. Compare it against the other creator-focused option in our Kit vs beehiiv head-to-head.
Pick Substack if: you want to publish this afternoon with zero setup, your paid revenue will stay small (under ~$500/month), you like the network effects, or simplicity beats optimization for you.
The migration note: both let you import subscribers via CSV and export your list. Moving a paid publication means migrating paying subscribers through Stripe — doable, but plan it carefully; it’s the one part that’s genuinely fiddly.
FAQ
Did beehiiv really raise prices in October 2026?
Yes — ~25% on paid tiers, plus a rename (Scale→Lite, Max→Pro). The free plan to 2,500 subscribers survived. Always check their pricing page; newsletter pricing has repriced industry-wide two years running.
At what revenue does beehiiv beat Substack?
Roughly $500–1,000/month in paid subscription revenue, depending on your subscriber count (which sets beehiiv’s tier). Above that, Substack’s 10% costs more than beehiiv’s flat fee, and the gap grows with revenue.
Can I use my own domain on Substack?
Yes, custom domains are supported, but the setup and experience favor beehiiv, where a real website is core to the product rather than an add-on.
Which is better for a free newsletter with no paid tier?
Substack — unlimited free subscribers beats beehiiv’s 2,500 cap if you’re never going to pay either of them. Though Kit’s free tier (10,000 subs) is worth a look too. See our best email marketing platforms for creators roundup for the full field.
Bottom line
Newsletter as a hobby or side project → Substack. Free, simple, done.
Newsletter as a business → beehiiv. The growth toolkit and 0% take rate win on economics the moment real money is involved — just verify the post-October pricing before you commit, because the increase was real.