ConvertKitvsBeehiiv

ConvertKit vs Beehiiv

Creator ecosystem meets newsletter-first growth

TL;DR

ConvertKit ($139/mo) offers a mature creator ecosystem with courses, tips, and digital products. Beehiiv ($109/mo) is newer but built specifically for newsletters with superior growth tools like recommendations and referrals. Choose ConvertKit for diverse creator business, Beehiiv for pure newsletter growth.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Growth tools
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv has superior newsletter growth features including a recommendation network, built-in referral program, and Boosts for paid subscriber acquisition. ConvertKit's creator network is more basic.

Creator commerce
ConvertKit wins

ConvertKit offers digital product sales, courses, and tip jars beyond just paid newsletters. Beehiiv focuses purely on newsletter monetization through subscriptions and ads.

Automation depth
ConvertKit wins

ConvertKit has more sophisticated email automation with visual workflows and advanced tagging. Beehiiv's automation is simpler and more newsletter-focused.

Pricing
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv is $30/month cheaper at 10,000 subscribers ($109 vs $139). ConvertKit has a more generous free tier (10k vs 2.5k subscribers).

Newsletter-first design
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv is built from the ground up for newsletters with better web hosting, SEO, and publishing features. ConvertKit is more of a general creator platform.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

ConvertKit
$139/month

Creator plan with automation and integrations

Visit ConvertKit
Beehiiv
$109/month

Scale plan with monetization and advanced analytics

Visit Beehiiv
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$19/month

All features, Stripe integration, 10k emails/month

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
ConvertKit
Beehiiv
Sequenzy
Newsletter Growth
Recommendation network
Advanced
Referral program
Boosts (paid recommendations)
SEO-optimized web hosting
Basic
Advanced
Monetization
Paid newsletters
Digital product sales
Tip jar / donations
Ad network
Platform fee on revenue
0%
0%
0%
Email Features
Visual automation builder
Basic
A/B testing
Segmentation
Advanced
Advanced
Email templates
Minimal
Growing
50+
Pricing & Value
Free tier
10k subscribers
2.5k subscribers
500 subscribers
Price at 10k
$139/mo
$109/mo
$19/mo
Unlimited emails
Based on plan

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose ConvertKit if you...
  • Creators selling courses and digital products
  • Those who need advanced email automation
  • Creators wanting tip jars and donations
  • Users who prefer an established platform
  • Those starting with the generous free tier
Choose Beehiiv if you...
  • Newsletter-first creators focused on growth
  • Those wanting built-in referral programs
  • Creators interested in the ad network
  • Publishers wanting SEO-optimized web presence
  • Those who want to leverage recommendations
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe integration
  • Teams wanting the most affordable option
  • Developers preferring API-first tools
  • Startups needing transactional + marketing email
  • Those who don't need newsletter-specific growth tools

Why Sequenzy Is Better for SaaS Founders

85% cheaper pricing

At $19/month for 10,000 emails, Sequenzy costs a fraction of both ConvertKit ($139) and Beehiiv ($109). That's $90-120/month you keep.

Native Stripe integration

Neither ConvertKit nor Beehiiv integrates directly with Stripe for subscription billing. Sequenzy syncs your SaaS billing data for behavior-based automation.

Transactional + marketing unified

Password resets, receipts, and marketing from one platform. Newsletter tools focus only on marketing email.

Built for product-led growth

Event-based triggers and user behavior tracking designed for SaaS, not content creator newsletters.

No newsletter bloat

You don't need recommendation networks, referral programs, or ad networks. Sequenzy gives you what SaaS companies actually need.

Overview

ConvertKit and Beehiiv are two leading newsletter platforms, but they've evolved to serve slightly different needs within the creator economy.

ConvertKit is a mature creator platform with email marketing, automation, landing pages, and commerce features. Beehiiv is a newer, newsletter-first platform built specifically for growth with features like recommendations and referral programs.

Pricing Comparison

  • ConvertKit: $139/month for 10,000 subscribers (Creator plan)
  • Beehiiv: $109/month for 10,000 subscribers (Scale plan)
  • Sequenzy: $19/month for 10,000 emails with all features

Beehiiv is $30/month cheaper at this tier. Sequenzy is dramatically cheaper at $19/month - saving you $90-120/month compared to these newsletter platforms.

Where ConvertKit Wins

Creator commerce ecosystem

ConvertKit offers more ways to monetize: paid newsletters, digital products, courses, and tip jars. It's a complete creator business platform.

Advanced automation

ConvertKit's visual automation builder is more sophisticated with complex conditional logic and tagging workflows.

Generous free tier

ConvertKit's free plan includes up to 10,000 subscribers (with limited features), while Beehiiv caps at 2,500.

Where Beehiiv Wins

Newsletter growth tools

Beehiiv excels at subscriber growth with its recommendation network, built-in referral program, and Boosts for paid acquisition.

Better pricing at scale

Beehiiv costs $30/month less than ConvertKit at 10,000 subscribers and becomes even more cost-effective as you grow.

Newsletter-first design

Beehiiv's web hosting, SEO features, and publishing tools are superior because newsletters are its sole focus.

Why Sequenzy Beats Both for SaaS

If you're building a SaaS product, neither ConvertKit nor Beehiiv is designed for you. Here's why Sequenzy is the better choice:

Purpose-built for subscriptions

Sequenzy's native Stripe integration means you can trigger emails based on billing events. Neither newsletter platform offers this.

Massive cost savings

At $19/month, Sequenzy costs 85% less than ConvertKit and 83% less than Beehiiv. Over a year, that's $1,080-1,440 saved.

Unified email platform

Transactional and marketing emails from one platform. Newsletter tools require separate services for password resets and receipts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Beehiiv is better for pure newsletter growth with its recommendation network, referral program, and Boosts. These features are specifically designed to help newsletters acquire new subscribers.

ConvertKit offers more monetization variety (products, courses, tips). Beehiiv focuses on newsletter monetization through subscriptions and its ad network.

Yes, both platforms support subscriber import. Beehiiv offers migration assistance for larger lists.

Both are beginner-friendly. ConvertKit has a more generous free tier. Beehiiv's interface is often praised as more modern and intuitive.

Sequenzy offers native Stripe integration, unified transactional + marketing email, and costs just $19/month. Newsletter platforms aren't built for product-led SaaS businesses.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 20k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 125k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 875k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 2M emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 4.5M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Up to 100 subscribers in sequences
  • 2,000 emails/month
  • Email campaigns
  • Email sequences
  • Advanced analytics
  • Advanced segments
  • Stripe integration
  • API access
  • "Built by Sequenzy" branding

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Subscribers in sequences
  • Monthly email quota
  • Email campaigns
  • Email sequences
  • Advanced analytics
  • Advanced segments
  • Stripe integration (Segment by LTV & MRR)
  • API access
  • Priority support
  • No branding

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Unlimited subscribers
  • Unlimited emails
  • Advanced analytics
  • Advanced segments
  • Stripe integration
  • Dedicated support
  • Custom integrations
  • SLA guarantee
  • No branding

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

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