beehiiv vs Substack
beehiiv and Substack are both popular choices in the newsletter platform space. Substack has been around since 2017, giving it a 4-year head start over beehiiv (founded 2021). Substack is the more affordable option at $0/mo — that's $39 less per month than beehiiv's $39/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. beehiiv has the edge with marketing automation, A/B testing, landing pages.
Quick Verdict
beehiiv wins on deliverability, rating, integrations.
Substack wins on price.
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%.
Substack
The newsletter platform where writers build independent media businesses
Substack is the dominant newsletter platform that uniquely combines free publishing tools with a 10% revenue-share model, letting writers launch subscription-based media businesses with zero upfront cost. Beyond newsletters, it has evolved into a full creator ecosystem with podcasts, video, livestreaming, Notes (microblogging), and community Chat, backed by a powerful built-in discovery network that helps writers find audiences organically.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | beehiiv | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $39/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | 2,500 subscribers | Unlimited subscribers, unlimited emails, all core features free — Substack only charges when you earn |
| Founded | 2021 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 20 | 1 |
| Integrations | 40 | 0 |
| Deliverability Rate | 98% | 95% |
| 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)
Substack: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Completely free to start with no upfront costs — zero barrier to entry with all core publishing features available immediately
- +Built-in audience discovery network with Recommendations and Notes driving organic subscriber growth (users report gaining 1,000+ subscribers through Recommendations alone)
- +True content ownership: creators can export their full subscriber list and content at any time to migrate elsewhere
- +Multimedia platform supporting newsletters, podcasts, video, livestreaming, Notes, and Chat communities in a single integrated experience
- +Strong reader engagement with genuine community interaction through comments, Chat, and Notes — higher engagement rates than typical social media platforms
Cons
- −The 10% platform fee plus Stripe's ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction creates a 13-16% total take rate that becomes very expensive at scale (e.g., $1,300-$1,600/month on $10K revenue)
- −No email marketing automation, segmentation, A/B testing, or advanced personalization — all subscribers receive identical emails with no conditional logic
- −No public API and zero native third-party integrations — cannot connect to CRMs, e-commerce platforms, Zapier, or other marketing tools
- −Limited design customization with a single standardized template — no drag-and-drop editor, no custom HTML, and minimal branding options
- −Platform can remove content or delete accounts without notice, and customer support is difficult to reach for issue resolution
The Verdict
beehiiv and Substack are closely matched — both score within 0.1 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, beehiiv reports 98% compared to 95% for Substack — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | beehiiv | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $39/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 98% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 40 | 0 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose beehiiv if…
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need API access for custom integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
Choose Substack if…
- + You want lower starting costs (Free)
- + You're a independent writers and journalists
- + You're a newsletter creators monetizing through paid subscriptions