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. Check our guide on email design and email campaigns for newsletter best practices.

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. Read our guide to email marketing tools to compare different approaches.

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. See our ConvertKit comparison.

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. Check our open rate glossary to understand newsletter metrics.

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. Explore analytics tools to track your newsletter performance.

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

See our full pricing comparison page for more options.

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. Use our email validator to ensure list quality and A/B test calculator to optimize your newsletter performance before deciding to switch.