Yes, always, with no subscriber cap. The only cost is 10% of paid-subscription revenue, plus payment processing, and only once you turn on paid subscriptions yourself.

Which is cheaper, Substack or beehiiv?

Substack, for most lists. It costs nothing per month at any size and takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue. beehiiv Lite costs $109/month billed monthly, or $95/month billed annually, at 5,000 subscribers, with a 0% platform fee. beehiiv becomes the cheaper option once Substack's cut of your paid-subscription revenue passes that flat plan price.

Does beehiiv have automations?

Not on Free. Lite includes automations with a cap on how many run at once, and Pro removes the cap. Substack has no automations at any price.

Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?

Not on Substack: each publication needs its own separate account. beehiiv allows 1 publication on Free, 3 on Lite and 10 on Pro.

Can I use a custom domain on Substack or beehiiv?

Yes on both, but neither gives it away on the free tier. Substack charges $50 one-time. beehiiv includes it from Lite up; the Free plan has no custom domain.

Substack vs beehiiv: free forever or built-in growth tools?

Newsletter and publishing platforms · Verified 14 Oct 2026 · By Joonas Rotko

Substack

Desk research

beehiiv

Desk research

From Lite, billed annually

$49/mo

$59/mo billed monthly

Quick answer

Both platforms are free to start, but differently: Substack has no subscriber cap on the one plan there is, and you can charge readers from day one. beehiiv's Free plan caps at 2,500 subscribers with no paid subscriptions, no custom domain and no automations. Lite unlocks all three and costs $109/month billed monthly at 5,000 subscribers; Pro costs $239/month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers with five publications. Substack stays free at any size and takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue instead. Prices verified 14 Oct 2026.

Across the three setups below: Substack in 2 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far
Substack
My pick
$0/mo billed annually
Substack has no subscriber cap on its one and only plan, and paid subscriptions work on it from the start. beehiiv's Free plan caps at 2,500 subscribers and can't take paid subscriptions at all.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Both cost nothing at 1,000 subscribers. Substack wins on headroom and on the option to charge readers: no subscriber cap, where beehiiv Free ends at 2,500 subscribers and has no paid subscriptions.
Skip it if you know you'll want automations once the list grows; beehiiv has them from Lite up, Substack has none at any price.
See Substack plans
Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier
Substack
My pick
$0/mo billed annually
Substack costs nothing per month at any list size and takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue. Charging readers on beehiiv needs Lite, which costs $109/month billed monthly, or $95/month billed annually, at 5,000 subscribers, with a 0% platform fee. Substack is cheaper until its cut of your paid-subscription revenue passes beehiiv's flat plan price.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if your paid-subscription revenue is already large, or you want automations and your own domain without a one-time fee. beehiiv Lite includes both at a flat plan price.
See Substack plans
Agency running several client newsletters
beehiiv
My pick
$199/mo billed annually
Substack allows one publication per account, so five client newsletters means five separate accounts. beehiiv Pro supports 10 publications and 10 team seats under one account, and costs $239/month billed monthly, or $199/month billed annually, at 10,000 subscribers. Lite stops at 3 publications, so five clients need Pro.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if running each client's newsletter as a fully separate Substack account works for your workflow; nothing stops you doing that.
See beehiiv plans

Neither fits? See the alternatives, or take the 2-minute recommendation.

How are Substack and beehiiv really different?

Free tier: subscriber cap and paid subscriptions
Substack
No cap, and paid subscriptions are available on the one plan there is
beehiiv
2,500 subscribers on Free, with no paid subscriptions
On beehiiv, charging readers or passing the cap forces a paid plan; Substack never does.
Automations
Substack
None at any price
beehiiv
None on Free; capped live automations on Lite, unlimited on Pro
If you want automated welcome or onboarding sequences, beehiiv is the only one of the two that has them, but only once you're paying.
How you're charged once monetizing
Substack
10% of paid-subscription revenue plus payment processing
beehiiv
Flat plan price plus 0% platform fee
beehiiv keeps its revenue share at zero regardless of plan; Substack's cut scales with how much you earn.
Pricing as your list grows
Substack
Not applicable; one plan, always free
beehiiv
Lite and Pro step up with subscriber count, with a published price at every step on both billing bases. Lite stops at 100,000 subscribers and Pro at 250,000; above that it's Enterprise, priced by sales.
beehiiv Lite costs $109/month billed monthly at 5,000 subscribers. Substack's cost stays at zero a month and its fee rises with paid-subscription revenue.

What will Substack or beehiiv cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far

1,000 subscribers · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Substack

My pick

Free

beehiiv

Free

Above 2,500 subscribers: Lite (+$95/mo, billed annually).

See Substack plans

Usage, limits and billing

Substack

Uses 1,000 of unlimited subscribers.
On monthly billing: $0 a year.
On annual billing: $0 a year.

beehiiv

Uses 1,000 of 2,500 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $0 a year.
On annual billing: $0 a year.

Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier

5,000 subscribers · paid subscriptions · custom domain · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Substack

My pick

Free

beehiiv

$109

$95

Lite

Above 100,000 subscribers: Pro (+$594/mo, billed annually).

See Substack plans

Usage, limits and billing

Substack

Uses 5,000 of unlimited subscribers.
On monthly billing: $0 a year.
On annual billing: $0 a year.

beehiiv

Uses 5,000 of 100,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $1,308 a year.
On annual billing: $1,140 a year.

Agency running several client newsletters

10,000 subscribers · 5 publications · paid subscriptions · custom domain · 3 users

MonthlyYearly, per month

Substack

Fit unconfirmed

Free is priced, but publications limit isn't published

beehiiv

My pick

$239

$199

Pro

Above 250,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See beehiiv plans

Usage, limits and billing

Substack

The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.

beehiiv

Uses 10,000 of 250,000 subscribers, 5 of 10 publications.
On monthly billing: $2,868 a year.
On annual billing: $2,388 a year.
Above 10 publications: nothing published fits.

How I calculated this

For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far: One writer, list still under 1,000, not charging readers yet. Sized to land inside every tool's free or entry tier so the comparison stays inside verified pricing.
Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier: A list past most free ceilings (beehiiv's Launch caps at 2,500), monetizing with paid subscriptions on its own domain.
Agency running several client newsletters: Five client publications under one account, each monetized on its own domain, three people with access.Substack, monthly billing: Free is priced, but publications limit isn't published. Publications limit isn't published.Substack, annual billing: Free is priced, but publications limit isn't published. Publications limit isn't published.

Substack vs beehiiv side by side

I compare newsletter platforms on: Real cost per list size, both billing bases; Free-tier subscriber ceiling before you must pay anything; Platform fee on paid subscriptions, on top of any monthly price; Number of separate publications/newsletters allowed per account; Team seats included; Custom domain: included or an extra one-time/recurring fee; Automations and growth tools (referrals, ad network, A/B testing).

Substack and beehiiv compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion	Substack	beehiiv
Real cost per list size, both billing bases	Free at every size	Free up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite from $59/month billed monthly at its entry band, and $109/month billed monthly at 5,000 subscribers. Pro $239/month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers.
Free-tier subscriber ceiling before you must pay anything	None: unlimited, always free	2,500 subscribers on Free
Platform fee on paid subscriptions	10% of subscription revenue, plus payment processing	0%, on every plan that allows paid subscriptions (Lite and up)
Number of separate publications/newsletters allowed per account	1	1 on Free, 3 on Lite, 10 on Pro
Team seats included	unlimited contributors, no seat pricing	1 on Free, 2 on Lite, 10 on Pro

All details, including automation and AI workflows

All compared details for Substack and beehiiv
Criterion	Substack	beehiiv
Custom domain: included or an extra fee	$50 one-time, one time	Not on Free; included from Lite up
Automations and growth tools	None built in	None on Free; capped live automations on Lite, unlimited on Pro
Real cost per list size, both billing bases (full detail)	Free at any size, forever.	Free: up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite: $59/month billed monthly, or $49/month billed annually, at its entry band, and $109/month billed monthly, or $95/month billed annually, at 5,000 subscribers. Pro: $109/month billed monthly, or $95/month billed annually, at its entry band, and $239/month billed monthly, or $199/month billed annually, at 10,000 subscribers. Enterprise: contact sales.
How beehiiv prices by list size	N/A	beehiiv prices Lite and Pro by subscriber count in steps, with a monthly and a yearly price at each step. Lite goes up to 100,000 subscribers and Pro up to 250,000. Larger lists go to Enterprise.
Free tier / trial	Free forever, no trial needed.	Free is permanent, up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite and Pro come with a free trial and no credit card; beehiiv doesn't publish the trial length.
Publications per account	1	1 (Free), 3 (Lite), 10 (Pro)
Team seats	unlimited	1 (Free), 2 (Lite), 10 (Pro)
Paid subscriptions	Included on the one plan there is	Not on Free; included from Lite up
Platform fee	10%, plus payment processing. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards plus a 0.7% Stripe Billing fee on recurring payments, on top of Substack's 10%.	0% on every plan with paid subscriptions. Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction applies; beehiiv takes 0%.
Custom domain	$50 one-time	Not on Free; included from Lite up

Who should pick Substack, and who should pick beehiiv?

Substack

Desk research

Best for solo creators just starting out
Best for creators and small businesses monetizing a list

Substack has no plans to compare: it's free forever to publish, and the only cost is a 10% cut of paid-subscription revenue on top of payment processing. That makes it the cheapest way to start a paid newsletter, but the tradeoff is a flat platform with no automations and a real revenue share once you're earning.

Best for: Writers who want to start free today and only pay once readers do.

Strengths

Free forever to publish, with unlimited subscribers and no send limits.
No monthly fee ever: the 10% fee only applies once you charge for subscriptions.
Unlimited contributors on every publication, no seat pricing.

Limits

No email automation or drip sequences.
A custom domain costs $50 one-time, one time.
A 10% platform cut plus payment processing adds up fast once subscription revenue is real money.

Skip it if you're already earning enough that a flat monthly fee beats a percentage cut, or you need email automations.

Substack review Substack pricing Substack alternatives

beehiiv

Desk research

Best for agencies managing multiple client newsletters

beehiiv is a newsletter platform with a free plan up to 2,500 subscribers, but that plan is a starter kit: no paid subscriptions, no custom domain and no automations. Lite, from $59/month billed monthly, adds all three, and beehiiv takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue on top of Stripe's fees. It suits a creator who wants to grow and charge readers without running their own site.

Best for: Creators who want growth and monetization tools beyond a plain newsletter, and expect to pay for Lite once they charge readers or want their own domain.

Strengths

A permanent free plan up to 2,500 subscribers, enough to test the editor and grow a first list.
0% take rate on paid subscriptions on every paid plan; only Stripe's processing fee applies.
Lite ($59/month billed monthly, or $49/month billed annually) already includes paid subscriptions, a custom domain, automations and 3 publications.

Limits

Free stops at 2,500 subscribers, 1 seat and 1 publication, with no paid subscriptions, no custom domain and no automations.
Lite includes 2 seats and caps live automations; a team of three or unlimited automations means Pro, from $109/month billed monthly.
Lite and Pro are priced by subscriber count, so the entry price only covers the smallest list band and the bill rises in steps as the list grows.

Skip it if you want to charge readers or use your own domain without paying anything; beehiiv's Free plan allows neither, so Substack's free model fits better.

beehiiv review beehiiv pricing beehiiv alternatives

My pick: Substack in 2 of 3 scenarios.

See Substack plans See beehiiv plans

Neither Substack nor beehiiv? Try these

Ghost
From $15/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want full ownership of a self-branded, ad-free site and no revenue share from day one, no free tier needed.
Ghost review Ghost alternatives
Kit
From $33/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want a creator-focused platform built around email and paid subscriptions specifically, rather than a general publishing tool.
Kit review Kit alternatives
Mailchimp
From $13/mo billed monthly
Pick it if you want a general email-marketing/CRM platform instead of a publishing-first tool. It's the category default people know, but cheaper, more newsletter-focused alternatives exist if that's your only use case.
Outside this category: General email-marketing/CRM tool, not a publishing platform: no native site, no paid-subscription-first monetization model.
Mailchimp review Mailchimp alternatives

Switching between Substack and beehiiv

Neither platform offers a one-click import from the other. Substack lets you export subscriber emails and post content at any time; beehiiv publishes its own import tools for several platforms, including Substack, but doesn't specifically document a Substack import path.

What would change my pick?

Substack adding automations would remove the biggest reason to pick beehiiv once you're monetizing.
beehiiv allowing paid subscriptions or a custom domain on Free would narrow Substack's main advantage for someone not yet paying.
Substack changing its platform fee would move the point at which beehiiv's flat plan price becomes the cheaper option.

Substack vs beehiiv: questions people ask

Is beehiiv free?: Yes, up to 2,500 subscribers on the Free plan, but Free has no paid subscriptions, no custom domain and no automations. Lite adds all three; at 5,000 subscribers it costs $109/month billed monthly.
Is Substack free?: Yes, always, with no subscriber cap. The only cost is 10% of paid-subscription revenue, plus payment processing, and only once you turn on paid subscriptions yourself.
Which is cheaper, Substack or beehiiv?: Substack, for most lists. It costs nothing per month at any size and takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue. beehiiv Lite costs $109/month billed monthly, or $95/month billed annually, at 5,000 subscribers, with a 0% platform fee. beehiiv becomes the cheaper option once Substack's cut of your paid-subscription revenue passes that flat plan price.
Does beehiiv have automations?: Not on Free. Lite includes automations with a cap on how many run at once, and Pro removes the cap. Substack has no automations at any price.
Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?: Not on Substack: each publication needs its own separate account. beehiiv allows 1 publication on Free, 3 on Lite and 10 on Pro.
Can I use a custom domain on Substack or beehiiv?: Yes on both, but neither gives it away on the free tier. Substack charges $50 one-time. beehiiv includes it from Lite up; the Free plan has no custom domain.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked 14 Oct 2026. Substack: desk research. beehiiv: desk research.

Sources and changelog

33 facts from 8 source pages, oldest checked 14 Oct 2026.

Substack, about (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Substack custom domain setup (checked 30 Sep 2026)
beehiiv pricing (checked 14 Oct 2026)
beehiiv plan types and subscriber tier pricing (checked 14 Oct 2026)

14 Oct 2026: beehiiv replaced its Launch, Scale and Max plans with Free, Lite and Pro. The free plan no longer includes a custom domain, and paid subscriptions now start on Lite. The picks stay the same: Substack for the first two scenarios, beehiiv Pro for multi-publication agencies.
1 Oct 2026: beehiiv pricing now covers lists up to 100,000 subscribers on both billing bases. Scale costs more than Substack's free plan at 5,000 subscribers, and Max is priced for the agency scenario. The picks stay the same: Substack for the first two scenarios, beehiiv for multi-publication agencies.
30 Sep 2026: New page, built for the newsletter-platforms category rollout. beehiiv's price past its 1,000-subscriber entry band (its own stated figure) is excluded from every computed cost row and flagged once, in an allDetails row.

Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

Substack vs beehiiv: free forever or built-in growth tools?

Quick answer

Which one fits you?

How are Substack and beehiiv really different?

Free tier: subscriber cap and paid subscriptions

Automations

How you're charged once monetizing

Pricing as your list grows

What will Substack or beehiiv cost for your setup?

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far

Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier

Agency running several client newsletters

Substack vs beehiiv side by side

Who should pick Substack, and who should pick beehiiv?

Substack

beehiiv

Neither Substack nor beehiiv? Try these

Switching between Substack and beehiiv

What would change my pick?

Substack vs beehiiv: questions people ask

Is beehiiv free?

Is Substack free?

Which is cheaper, Substack or beehiiv?

Does beehiiv have automations?

Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?

Can I use a custom domain on Substack or beehiiv?

How I verified this

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