beehiiv review and pricing.
beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers, then $43 a month on Scale and $96 a month on Max, both covering up to 100,000 subscribers. Custom domains and the website builder are included on every plan, including the free one. The ad network starts at Scale.
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Pricing taken from beehiiv's own pricing page, verified August 2026 · Last updated August 2026
How much does beehiiv cost?
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Subscribers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $0 | $0 | Up to 2,500 | Starting out. Free forever, no card required. |
| Scale | $43/mo | $517/yr, saving $71 | Up to 100,000 | The first paid step. Unlocks the ad network. |
| Max | $96/mo | $1,151/yr, saving $157 | Up to 100,000 | Adds the Send API and the fuller toolset. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | 100,000+ | Large lists, flexible billing, sales contact required. |
Affiliate link. We earn a commission if you subscribe, at no extra cost to you. The pricing above comes from beehiiv and is not affected by that.
The free plan detail worth knowing
beehiiv includes custom domains on every plan, including the free Launch tier. Most newsletter platforms treat that as a paid upgrade.
The practical effect is that a free beehiiv newsletter can run on your own domain from the first issue. If you later move platforms, your subscribers followed your domain rather than a platform subdomain, so you are not starting your reputation over. That is a genuine strategic advantage and it costs nothing.
What do you actually get by upgrading?
Two features drive nearly every upgrade decision, and they sit on different tiers.
- 1The ad network needs Scale ($43/mo). It matches advertisers to newsletters on the platform, so you earn from sponsorship without selling it yourself or paywalling your writing. For most people this is the reason to leave the free tier.
- 2The Send API needs Max ($96/mo). Launch includes basic API access but excludes Send. If your product needs to trigger emails programmatically, you are on Max, not Scale. Check this before budgeting.
Is beehiiv right for you?
Good fit if
- The newsletter is the product, not a funnel to something else.
- You want sponsorship revenue without selling ads yourself.
- You want a custom domain from day one at zero cost.
- You would rather pay a flat fee than a cut of revenue.
Look elsewhere if
- You have no revenue yet and want zero fixed cost, try Substack.
- Your newsletter sells courses or products, Kit automates better.
- You want to self-host and own the software, use Ghost.
- You are doing ecommerce lifecycle email, not publishing.
4 beehiiv competitors worth comparing
1Substack
Takes 10% of your paid subscription revenue instead of a monthly fee, so it is cheaper at zero revenue and far more expensive once you are earning. Substack owns more of the reader relationship and provides its own discovery network. beehiiv charges a flat fee and leaves the revenue with you.
2Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Built for creators selling products, with stronger automation and tagging than beehiiv. Better if your newsletter is a funnel into a course or a shop. Weaker as a publication in its own right, since beehiiv is designed around a newsletter that is the product.
3Ghost
Open-source and self-hostable, which is the strongest privacy and ownership story of the group. Ghost Pro is the managed version. Requires more technical willingness than beehiiv, and there is no equivalent to beehiiv's ad network for monetising without a paywall.
4Mailchimp
A general email marketing platform rather than a newsletter publishing tool, which is why people searching for beehive email marketing often end up comparing the two. Stronger for ecommerce lifecycle campaigns, notably weaker for publishing a written newsletter with a public archive.
Frequently asked questions
How much does beehiiv cost?
beehiiv has four tiers. Launch is free for up to 2,500 subscribers. Scale is $43 a month, or $517 billed annually which saves $71. Max is $96 a month, or $1,151 billed annually which saves $157. Both Scale and Max cover up to 100,000 subscribers. Enterprise is custom-priced for lists above 100,000. Figures taken from beehiiv's own pricing page in August 2026.
Is beehiiv free?
Yes, the Launch plan is free forever with no credit card required and supports up to 2,500 subscribers. Unusually, it includes custom domains and the website builder, which competitors normally reserve for paid tiers. The main things it does not include are the ad network and the Send API.
Does the beehiiv free plan include a custom domain?
Yes. beehiiv lists custom domains on all plans including the free Launch tier. This is worth knowing because most newsletter platforms treat a custom domain as a paid upgrade, so a free beehiiv newsletter can run on your own domain from day one rather than on a platform subdomain.
What is the beehiiv ad network?
The beehiiv ad network matches advertisers with newsletters on the platform, so you can earn from sponsorships without selling them yourself or putting your writing behind a paywall. It is available on the Scale plan and above, which is the main reason people move off the free tier. Earnings depend on your list size, niche and engagement.
Does beehiiv have an API?
Yes, and access is split across tiers. The Launch plan includes basic API access but excludes the Send API. The Send API, which lets you trigger sends programmatically, is available on Max and Enterprise. If your plan depends on triggering emails from your own application, budget for Max rather than Scale.
Does beehiiv include a website builder and landing pages?
Yes, on every plan. beehiiv includes web hosting, subscribe forms, templates and link-in-bio functionality across Launch, Scale, Max and Enterprise. For many newsletter operators this removes the need for a separate site, which is a real cost saving that rarely appears in a pricing comparison.
What are the best beehiiv alternatives?
Substack if you want zero fixed cost and accept a 10% cut of paid subscriptions. Kit if your newsletter feeds product sales and you need serious automation. Ghost if you want open-source software you can self-host. Mailchimp if you are really doing ecommerce email marketing rather than publishing a newsletter.
What is the beehiiv partner program?
beehiiv runs an affiliate or partner program that pays commission for referring new customers. We use it: the links on this page are affiliate links, which we disclose because it is the honest thing to do and because you should weigh any recommendation accordingly. The pricing on this page comes from beehiiv, not from us.
Is there a beehiiv promotion code?
beehiiv's published saving is annual billing, which takes Scale to $517 a year and Max to $1,151 a year. Scale and Max also offer a free trial. Coupon aggregator sites frequently list codes that are expired or invented to earn affiliate clicks, so check any code against beehiiv's own checkout before relying on it.
What is beehiiv's valuation?
We do not publish a figure for this. Valuation numbers circulating for private companies come from funding-round reporting that is often approximate, sometimes second-hand, and quickly out of date. If you need it for research, go to the company's own funding announcements and reputable financial press rather than an article restating a number from elsewhere.