beehiiv vs Benchmark Email
beehiiv is a newsletter platform while Benchmark Email is a email marketing platform. Benchmark Email has been around since 2004, giving it a 17-year head start over beehiiv (founded 2021). Benchmark Email is the more affordable option at $27/mo — that's $16 less than beehiiv's $43/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. beehiiv has the edge with ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
beehiiv wins on deliverability, rating.
Benchmark Email wins on price, integrations.
Best for most users: beehiiv (newsletter creators).
beehiiv
The newsletter platform built for growth
beehiiv was built by the team behind Morning Brew's growth to 4 million subscribers. It's specifically designed for newsletter businesses with built-in monetization through ad networks, paid subscriptions, and referral programs. The highest affiliate commission in the space at up to 60%.
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email marketing with all features on every plan
Benchmark Email is a multilingual email marketing platform founded in 2004 that takes an all-features-included approach, giving every user access to automation, A/B testing, and analytics regardless of plan tier. Available in 9 languages with global support, it appeals to international teams and nonprofits, though its significantly below-average deliverability rate (47.1% in third-party testing) is a serious concern that undermines its otherwise user-friendly design.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | beehiiv | Benchmark Email |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Starting Price | $43/mo | $27/mo |
| Free Plan | 2,500 subscribers | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user |
| Founded | 2021 | 2004 |
| Email Templates | 20 | 200 |
| Integrations | 40 | 1,500 |
| Deliverability Rate | 98% | 47.1% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✓ | ✕ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✕ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✕ | ✓ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
beehiiv: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Purpose-built for newsletter businesses
- +Built-in ad network for monetization
- +Referral program to grow subscribers
- +Paid subscription support
- +Founded by ex-Morning Brew team
Cons
- −Limited to newsletter use case
- −Fewer templates than established tools
- −Smaller integration ecosystem
- −No SMS marketing
- −Relatively new platform (2021)
Benchmark Email: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
- +Available in 9 languages with live customer support in each, making it ideal for international teams
- +Intuitive drag-and-drop editor with mobile-optimized templates and device previews
- +Generous free plan with 500 contacts and 2,500 emails per month including AI content generation
- +Simple contact-based pricing that scales predictably without hidden charges for features
Cons
- −Extremely poor deliverability rate of 47.1% in EmailToolTester's January 2024 independent test, consistently ranking near the bottom
- −Segmentation is limited to within individual lists only -- cannot create cross-list segments for flexible targeting
- −Fewer than 30 pre-designed email templates despite marketing claims of 200+, limiting design variety
- −Slow product development cycle with features lagging behind competitors in automation and ecommerce capabilities
- −No migration support for non-enterprise customers when switching from another email platform
The Verdict
beehiiv edges ahead with a 4.5/5 rating compared to Benchmark Email's 4.3/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.5 vs 3.2). On deliverability, beehiiv reports 98% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | beehiiv | Benchmark Email |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $43/mo | $27/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 98% | 47.1% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 40 | 1500 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose beehiiv if…
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a newsletter creators
- + You're a media companies
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($27/mo)
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a small businesses