Beehiiv vs Substack
Side-by-side comparison to help you pick the right tool.
| Beehiiv | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Newsletter platform built for growth with segmentation and ad network. | Newsletter platform where writers monetise directly with paid subscriptions. |
| Category | Writing Content | Writing Content |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Skill Level | Beginner | Beginner |
| Platforms | Web, Browser | Web, Browser, Ios, Android |
| Use Cases | Content Creation, Solo Indie, Small Team | Content Creation, Solo Indie, Portfolio Showcase |
| Traits | Has Free Tier, Fast To Set Up, Active Development | Has Free Tier, Fast To Set Up |
| Best For | Best for newsletter operators who want advanced audience growth tools, segmentation, and direct advertising revenue without leaving their email platform. | Best for independent writers and journalists who want to build an audience and earn recurring revenue without running their own publishing stack. |
Beehiiv
Beehiiv is a newsletter platform built by former Morning Brew engineers, available on web, focused on audience growth for serious newsletter operators. It includes subscriber segmentation by behaviour and custom attributes, referral programmes that reward readers for growing your list, a built-in ad network connecting newsletters with sponsors for direct advertising revenue, A/B testing for subject lines and content, and a web-hosted archive. The free tier supports up to 2,500 subscribers; Scale and Max plans unlock advanced features. Beehiiv is used by professional newsletter creators, media companies, and indie publishers who want more sophisticated audience growth tools, monetisation options, and analytics than general-purpose email platforms like Mailchimp provide.
View detailsSubstack
Substack is a newsletter publishing platform available on web, iOS, and Android that allows writers to send free and paid email newsletters directly to subscribers. Substack handles payments and subscription management, letting writers keep 90% of paid subscription revenue while the platform takes a 10% cut. Each publication gets a web archive, a podcast feed, a recommendation network, and a Notes feature for short-form posts. Growing an audience benefits from Substack's discovery features, which surface new publications to readers interested in similar topics. Substack is used by independent journalists, essayists, researchers, and niche experts who want to build a direct audience relationship and earn recurring revenue without managing their own publishing infrastructure or newsletter platform.
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