beehiiv vs Mailjet
beehiiv is a newsletter platform while Mailjet is a email marketing platform. Mailjet has been around since 2010, giving it a 11-year head start over beehiiv (founded 2021). Mailjet starts at $17/mo versus $43/mo for beehiiv. Both offer free plans to get started. beehiiv stands out with landing pages and ecommerce integrations, while Mailjet offers SMS marketing.
Quick Verdict
beehiiv wins on deliverability, rating.
Mailjet 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%.
Mailjet
Collaborative email platform for teams with powerful API
Mailjet is a French-founded email platform (now owned by Sinch) that uniquely combines transactional and marketing email under one roof with real-time team collaboration. Its volume-based pricing with unlimited contacts makes it particularly cost-effective for businesses with large subscriber lists but moderate sending frequency. With strong GDPR compliance baked into its European DNA and a flexible API, it bridges the gap between developer-focused tools and marketer-friendly platforms.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | beehiiv | Mailjet |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4/5 |
| Starting Price | $43/mo | $17/mo |
| Free Plan | 2,500 subscribers | 6,000 emails/month (200/day), 1,000 contacts |
| Founded | 2021 | 2010 |
| Email Templates | 20 | 70 |
| Integrations | 40 | 110 |
| Deliverability Rate | 98% | 88% |
| 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)
Mailjet: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Real-time collaborative email editing lets multiple team members work on the same campaign simultaneously with live comments
- +Volume-based pricing with unlimited contacts means large lists stay affordable — one user grew from 0 to 50,000 subscribers affordably
- +Strong GDPR compliance built into the platform with EU data hosting, as a French-founded company under European regulations
- +RESTful API with SMTP relay supports both transactional and marketing email from a single platform
- +Deliverability rated 88% by EmailToolTester (above 83.1% industry average) with built-in list validation powered by Mailgun
Cons
- −Automation builder covers basics but lacks depth — triggers based on opens/clicks are tricky to configure and abandoned cart requires Zapier
- −No built-in landing page builder, forcing users to rely on third-party tools for lead capture
- −Many of the 110 integrations route through Zapier rather than being native direct connections
- −Migration from other ESPs is largely manual with limited import assistance for contacts, templates, and automations
- −Customer support response times are frequently criticized, with some serious technical issues going unresolved for extended periods
The Verdict
beehiiv edges ahead with a 4.5/5 rating compared to Mailjet's 4/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.5 vs 3.5) and ease of use (4.8 vs 4.2). On deliverability, beehiiv reports 98% compared to 88% for Mailjet — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | beehiiv | Mailjet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $43/mo | $17/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 98% | 88% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 40 | 110 |
| 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 need built-in landing pages
- + You're a newsletter creators
- + You're a media companies
Choose Mailjet if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($17/mo)
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You're a marketing teams needing real time email collaboration
- + You're a european businesses requiring gdpr compliant email