Honest take: Is Beehiiv right for you?

Beehiiv is genuinely excellent for newsletter monetization. The ad network, referral programs, and paid subscription support are purpose-built for creators who want to make money from their newsletter.

But not everyone needs those features. Here's when alternatives make more sense:

If you want simplicity: Substack

Substack is free and simple. No complex features, no ad networks, just write and publish. They take 10% of paid subscriptions, which is steep if you're making real money, but the simplicity is unmatched.

The Substack network also helps with discovery - readers can find you through recommendations.

If you sell products: ConvertKit

ConvertKit lets you sell digital products, courses, and ebooks directly. If your business model is products with newsletter as marketing, ConvertKit makes more sense than Beehiiv.

If you're technical: Buttondown

Buttondown is what newsletter software looks like without the bloat. Markdown support, clean API, $29/month for 10k subscribers. No fancy monetization features, just email that works.

If you want full control: Ghost

Ghost is open-source and can be self-hosted. You own everything. Built-in membership support, beautiful themes, and independence from any platform.

The pricing comparison

At 10,000 subscribers:

• Beehiiv: $99/month (Max plan)
• Substack: Free (10% of paid subs)
• ConvertKit: $119+/month
• Buttondown: $29/month
• Ghost: $25/month (managed)
• MailerLite: $50/month

When Beehiiv is still the right choice

Stick with Beehiiv if:

• Newsletter monetization is your primary goal
• You want the ad network (requires audience size)
• Referral programs are part of your growth strategy
• You're building a media business, not a product business

Beehiiv was built by the Morning Brew team after growing to 4 million subscribers. If your goal is similar - building a monetized newsletter business - it's purpose-built for that.