NEWSLETTER PLATFORM DECISION ENGINE

beehiiv vs Substack

Compare fixed subscription fees with a share of paid newsletter revenue.

Your platform shortlist

Planning for 1,000 subscribers

Full-year cost at planning size · Two-platform comparison · USD

Provisional result: some qualifying plans need a price or fee check. Unknown prices are never treated as free.

Best fit

beehiiv / Lite

$588.00 / year

Estimated annual platform cost

Subscription $588.00 · Revenue share $0.00 · Required add-ons $0.00

Meets the modeled feature requirements. Paid publishing with no platform revenue share.

Feature 62 + monetization 20 + cost 30 = 112 points.

One paid subscription tier, three products, ten live custom automations, three publications and two team seats. Advertising and paid recommendations require eligibility; income is not guaranteed.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you sign up or purchase through this beehiiv link. Affiliate relationships and commission amounts do not determine rankings, recommendations, or diagnostic results. We may recommend services even when no affiliate relationship exists. Full disclosure.

Visit beehiiv official site ↗Payment processing and taxes are additional. Check the official quote before purchase.

Alternative

Substack / Standard

$1,200.00 / year

Estimated annual platform cost

Subscription $0.00 · Revenue share $1,200.00 · Required add-ons $0.00

Meets the modeled feature requirements.

Why not #1: 65.88 points versus 112; the difference comes from the published fit and cost rules.

Feature 50 + monetization 0 + cost 15.88 = 65.88 points.

Discovery and recommendations are not modeled as a paid advertising network.

Affiliate disclosure: This is a regular official link. Affiliate relationships and commission amounts do not determine rankings, recommendations, or diagnostic results. We may recommend services even when no affiliate relationship exists. Full disclosure.

Visit Substack official site ↗Payment processing and taxes are additional. Check the official quote before purchase.

Cheapest viable option

beehiiv / Lite

$588.00 / year

Estimated annual platform cost

Subscription $588.00 · Revenue share $0.00 · Required add-ons $0.00

Meets the modeled feature requirements. Paid publishing with no platform revenue share.

Lowest known quote only. Other qualifying quotes are incomplete.

Feature 62 + monetization 20 + cost 30 = 112 points.

One paid subscription tier, three products, ten live custom automations, three publications and two team seats. Advertising and paid recommendations require eligibility; income is not guaranteed.

Visit beehiiv official site ↗Payment processing and taxes are additional. Check the official quote before purchase.

Compare the underlying numbers

Annual platform costs; payment processing and taxes excluded
Platform	Required plan	At current size	At planning size
beehiiv	Lite (provisional)	$588.00	$588.00
Substack	Standard	$1,200.00	$1,200.00

Not a first-year billing forecast. Excludes payment processing, recurring billing fees, taxes, domain fees and product/course transaction fees. Send and product limits apply. See assumptions and scoring.

When does fixed pricing cost less?

Divide a verified beehiiv annual quote by 10% to find the annual newsletter revenue where its subscription equals Substack’s platform share. For example, Lite at up to 1,000 active subscribers is $588/year using the yearly-billed $49/month equivalent, giving a $5,880/year ($490/month) revenue threshold. Use the quote for your actual subscriber tier. Processing and billing fees can change the total.

beehiiv plans · new customers, October 2026

USD entry prices at up to 1,000 active subscribers; higher subscriber tiers cost more
Plan	Monthly billing	Yearly billing	Subscriber limit / included features
Free	$0.00/month	$0.00/year ($0.00/month equivalent)	2,500 active subscribers. One digital product; no paid subscriptions or custom automations. One publication and one team seat.
Lite	$59.00/month	$588.00/year ($49.00/month equivalent)	100,000 active subscribers. One paid subscription tier, three products, ten live custom automations, three publications and two team seats. Advertising and paid recommendations require eligibility; income is not guaranteed.
Pro	$109.00/month	$1,140.00/year ($95.00/month equivalent)	250,000 active subscribers. Unlimited products and live custom automations, ten publications and ten team seats; branding removal, webhooks and click-triggered automations.
Enterprise	Custom quote	Custom quote	Custom limits. Custom subscriber limits and pricing; contact sales. SSO/SAML, dedicated IPs and concierge support.

Active subscribers are summed across workspace publications. Existing customers move to these plans on their first renewal on or after 1 November 2026. Official beehiiv pricing · Checked 2026-10-07.

Explore a comparison

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Sources dated by provider: beehiiv updated 7 October 2026; other providers reviewed 2026-09-25. Other providers have partial price coverage. View sources and verification notes.