ListmonkvsBeehiiv

Listmonk vs Beehiiv

Free self-hosted vs modern newsletter platform

TL;DR

Listmonk is free, self-hosted, and simple. Beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform with monetization, referrals, and growth tools. Listmonk costs nothing but requires technical skills. Beehiiv costs money but helps you grow and monetize your newsletter.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Monetization
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv has built-in monetization: paid subscriptions, ad network, sponsorship marketplace, Boosts for cross-promotion. Listmonk has none. If making money from your newsletter matters, Beehiiv has the infrastructure.

Cost
Listmonk wins

Listmonk total: ~$15/month. Beehiiv: Free tier (2,500 subs) or $59/month for Scale. Listmonk is cheaper, but Beehiiv's monetization features can generate revenue that offsets the cost.

Growth Tools
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv offers referral programs, magic links, subscriber polls, SEO-optimized web pages. Listmonk has basic archives. For newsletter growth, Beehiiv provides real tools.

Technical Requirement
Beehiiv wins

Listmonk needs Docker, server management, SMTP setup. Beehiiv needs an email address. For newsletter creators (typically not DevOps people), Beehiiv is dramatically easier.

Design Quality
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv has beautiful, modern templates and a polished editor. Web archives look professional. Listmonk uses basic HTML templates. Design-conscious creators prefer Beehiiv.

Pricing Comparison

At 5,000 subscribers

Listmonk
$0/month

Free forever. Only pay for hosting (~$10/mo) and SMTP.

Visit Listmonk
Beehiiv
$59/month

Scale plan. Includes ad network and premium features.

Visit Beehiiv
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$29/month

5k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Listmonk
Beehiiv
Sequenzy
Monetization
Paid Subscriptions
Yes (via Stripe)
Ad Network
Beehiiv Ad Network
Sponsorship Marketplace
Boosts (Cross-promotion)
Growth Features
Referral Program
Built-in
Magic Links
Subscriber Polls
SEO-Optimized Web
Basic
Excellent
Cost & Hosting
Software Cost
Free
$0-99/month
$29/month at 5k
Free Tier
Always free
2,500 subscribers
Trial only
Hosting
Self-hosted
Fully managed
Fully managed
Technical Skill
Docker required
None required
None required
Newsletter Features
Email Editor
HTML templates
Modern, clean
Good
Templates
BYO templates
Beautiful library
Clean templates
Analytics
Basic
Comprehensive
Good
Custom Domains
Via setup
Built-in

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Listmonk if you...
  • Technical users maximizing savings
  • Simple newsletter needs
  • Privacy-focused publishers
  • Developers wanting control
Choose Beehiiv if you...
  • Newsletter creators wanting to monetize
  • Growth-focused publishers
  • Non-technical writers
  • Those wanting beautiful design
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders with Stripe billing
  • Companies needing subscription automation
  • Teams wanting managed + SaaS features
  • Founders combining product + marketing email

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Focused Platform

Beehiiv is for newsletter businesses. Listmonk is general purpose. Sequenzy is built for SaaS with native Stripe integration and subscription lifecycle automation.

Lower Cost Than Beehiiv

At 5k contacts, Sequenzy is $29/month vs Beehiiv Scale at $59/month. If you don't need newsletter monetization features, meaningful savings.

Product + Newsletter Combined

If you're a SaaS founder sending both product emails and newsletters, Sequenzy handles both. Beehiiv is newsletter-only.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Listmonk and Beehiiv both serve newsletter creators, but with completely different philosophies. Listmonk is minimal, free, and self-hosted. Beehiiv is feature-rich, monetization-focused, and managed. One saves money. The other helps make money.

The Monetization Question

Do you want to make money from your newsletter? Paid subscriptions? Sponsorships? Ad revenue?

Beehiiv has built-in tools: ad network, paid subscriptions via Stripe, sponsorship marketplace, Boosts for cross-promotion revenue.

Listmonk has none of these. You'd need external tools and manual management.

If monetization is your goal, Beehiiv's infrastructure matters.

Cost Analysis

Listmonk: ~$15/month total (hosting + SMTP). Beehiiv: Free (2,500 subs) or $59/month for Scale plan.

Pure cost, Listmonk wins. But Beehiiv's monetization features can generate revenue. A newsletter making $500/month in ads can easily justify $59/month.

Growth Tools

Beehiiv offers: built-in referral programs, magic links for passwordless login, subscriber polls for engagement, SEO-optimized web pages.

Listmonk offers: basic archives and embed forms.

For growing a newsletter audience, Beehiiv provides real tools. Listmonk requires building or integrating your own.

Design Quality

Beehiiv has beautiful, modern templates. The editor is clean. Web archives look professional. Everything feels polished.

Listmonk uses HTML templates. Functional but not beautiful. You need design skills to make it look good.

For newsletter creators who care about aesthetics, Beehiiv is superior.

Technical Reality

Beehiiv: Sign up, choose template, start writing. No technical skills needed.

Listmonk: Install Docker, configure PostgreSQL, set up SMTP, manage server. Technical skills required.

Newsletter creators are typically writers, not DevOps engineers. Beehiiv removes that friction.

Feature Depth

Beehiiv: comprehensive analytics, subscriber engagement tracking, revenue metrics, A/B testing, audience segments.

Listmonk: basic opens and clicks.

If you want to understand your audience deeply, Beehiiv provides the data.

For SaaS Companies

Neither is ideal. Beehiiv is newsletters only. Listmonk lacks automation. For SaaS companies needing subscription lifecycle automation, consider Sequenzy. Built for SaaS, not newsletters.

Making the Choice

Choose Listmonk if you're technical, want free software, and don't need monetization features. Choose Beehiiv if you want to grow and monetize a newsletter business. For SaaS companies needing payment-triggered automation, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

For newsletter creators wanting monetization and growth tools, yes. Beehiiv's ad network and paid subscriptions can generate revenue. For technical users just sending newsletters, Listmonk saves money.

Yes. 2,500 subscribers with most features. Great for starting. Listmonk is unlimited free but requires self-hosting.

Not built-in. You'd need external tools for payments and manual sponsor management. Beehiiv has ad network, paid subscriptions, and sponsorship marketplace built in.

Beehiiv. Comprehensive analytics, subscriber engagement tracking, revenue metrics. Listmonk has basic opens and clicks.

Yes, for newsletters with sufficient reach. CPM rates vary by audience. Not viable for small lists but scales well. Listmonk has no equivalent.

Beehiiv. SEO-optimized web pages, proper meta tags, fast loading. Helps your archives rank in search. Listmonk has basic archives without SEO optimization.

No. Beehiiv is newsletters only. No transactional email, no user event tracking. For SaaS, consider Loops or Sequenzy.

Yes, built-in. Configure rewards, track referrals, grow your list. Listmonk has no referral features.

Export subscribers from Beehiiv. Set up Listmonk with Docker. Import subscribers. Recreate templates in HTML. Note that all monetization, referral programs, and growth features will be lost.

Export subscribers from Listmonk. Import into Beehiiv. Set up your publication design. Configure monetization (paid subscriptions, ads). Set up referral program. Much richer feature set available.

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.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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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) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M 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)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

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

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

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

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com