Beehiiv vs Substack: Which is right for you? (1970)
TL;DR
- Choose Beehiiv if keeping fees low matters most.
- Choose Substack if your stack already leans in that direction.
- Both work for: newsletters.
Beehiiv
Free up to 2,500 subscribers. Scale from $42/month. 0% platform fee on paid subs.
Newsletter platform built for growth. Strong analytics, A/B testing for subject lines, paid subscriptions, and a built-in ad network. 0% platform fee on paid subscriptions.
Substack
10% of paid subscription revenue. Stripe handles payments.
Simplest way to launch a paid newsletter. Large built-in discovery network. 10% fee at scale makes it expensive compared to Ghost or Beehiiv.
Pricing comparison
Feature comparison
Best for
Beehiiv is best for Newsletters, Creators, paid subscriptions, ad monetization, Digital products, Paywall optimization. Substack is best for Newsletters, writers, podcasts, new creators, Creators, Digital products.
FAQ
Is Beehiiv better than Substack?
Neither is universally better. Beehiiv is the right pick if keeping fees low matters most; Substack wins if your stack already leans in that direction.
Which is cheaper, Beehiiv or Substack?
Beehiiv ranks higher on fee competitiveness (4/5). Beehiiv pricing: Free up to 2,500 subscribers. Scale from $42/month. 0% platform fee on paid subs.. Substack pricing: 10% of paid subscription revenue. Stripe handles payments..
Can I switch from Beehiiv to Substack?
Yes — most subscription and billing tools support migration via CSV import or API. Expect to reconfigure webhooks, paywalls, and entitlements. Check both vendors' migration docs before committing.
Does Beehiiv handle sales tax?
No. Beehiiv does not handle tax registrations — you handle those yourself or via a separate tool.
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