Overview
beehiiv is a newsletter platform aimed at publishers and creators. It bundles a block-based newsletter editor, a no-code website with custom domains, podcast hosting, a community feed, and growth tools such as a referral program, a recommendation network and magic links.
Monetisation is a major focus: the beehiiv Ad Network sells sponsorships for you, paid subscriptions carry no beehiiv fee (only Stripe processing), and you can sell digital products and earn from Paid Recommendations.
The free Launch plan allows up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends but no automations. Scale, from $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers, adds email automations, surveys, webhooks, write access through the API and MCP, and three seats. Max adds branding removal, RSS-to-send, dynamic content and up to 10 publications. Enterprise adds the Send API, dedicated IPs and SSO.
For developers, the notable gap is that programmatic sending (the Send API) is reserved for Enterprise, so beehiiv is not a fit for app-triggered email.
Pricing and plans
checked 28 Sept 2026Free tier · no card
Launch plan: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited email sends, newsletter, website and podcast, custom domains, API read access (no Send API), 1 team member; no automations
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $0 | Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, 1 seat |
| Scale | From $49/mo | 1,000 subscribers ($43/mo, $517 billed annually); automations, ad network, paid subscriptions, webhooks, 3 seats; up to 100,000 subscribers |
| Max | From $96/mo billed annually | 1,000 subscribers ($1,151/yr); remove branding, RSS to send, dynamic content, 10 publications, unlimited seats |
| Enterprise | Custom | 100K+ subscribers, Send API, dedicated IPs, SSO |
What it does
- Unlimited sends
- No per-send charges or caps on any plan, including free.
- Website builder
- Hosted newsletter website with templates, custom domains and an AI site builder.
- Ad Network
- Native ad marketplace that places sponsors in your newsletter (Scale and up).
- Paid subscriptions
- 0% beehiiv take rate; Stripe fees apply.
- Growth tools
- Referral program, recommendation network and magic links.
- API and MCP
- Read access on Launch, write access and webhooks on Scale; Send API only on Enterprise.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Free plan with 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends
- Several built-in ways to earn from a newsletter
- No take rate on paid subscriptions
- Website, podcast and newsletter in one account
Limitations
- Automations require the Scale plan
- Send API for programmatic email is Enterprise-only
- beehiiv branding can be removed only on Max or Enterprise
- Scale and Max top out at 100,000 subscribers
Who it suits
Good for
- Media-style newsletters that want to grow and earn
- Creators moving from Substack who want to keep subscription revenue
- Publishers combining a website, newsletter and podcast
Look elsewhere if
- SaaS product or transactional email
- Developers who need to send email from their own code on a small budget
Alternatives to beehiiv
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo Email marketing and transactional platform | $9/mo | Free tier | |
| GetResponse Email marketing and automation | $19/mo | Free tier | |
| Ghost Open-source publishing and newsletter platform | $18/mo | Free tier | |
| listmonk Self-hosted newsletter manager | — | Free tier | |
| Loops Lifecycle email for SaaS | $49/mo | Free tier | |
| Mailchimp Email marketing platform | $13/mo | Free tier |
Questions
Is beehiiv free?
Yes. The Launch plan is free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
No, beehiiv takes 0%; you pay only Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Does beehiiv have automations on the free plan?
No. Email automations start on the Scale plan.
Can I send emails from my app with beehiiv's API?
Only on Enterprise, which includes the Send API. Lower plans get read or write API access without sending.
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