beehiiv vs EmailOctopus
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
beehiiv
EmailOctopusWhich one, for whom
- Starting out with no budgetEmailOctopusEmailOctopus can run an automated welcome sequence on its free plan. beehiiv cannot, so a new subscriber hears nothing from you until you pay.Start free on EmailOctopus
- Worried about being locked inbeehiivEmailOctopus's terms cut off access to your contact data when you cancel. beehiiv does not do that.Start free on beehiiv
- Selling the course from the same toolbeehiivbeehiiv can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| beehiiv | EmailOctopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2,500 subscribers | 2,500 subscribers |
| Free sends | Unlimited sends | 10,000 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | Yes |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Through Zapier |
| Connects to Kajabi | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Podia | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Thinkific | Not listed | Not listed |
| Paid from | $43/mo | $9/mo |
| At 5,000 subscribers | $78 | Not published |
| At 25,000 subscribers | $149 | Not published |
| The catch | You cannot sell anything from the free plan: paid subscriptions and digital products both need a paid plan. | Fewer features than the others by design. Good if you only need to send, thin if you need funnels. |
| G2 score | 4.5 out of 5, from 40 reviews | 4.2 out of 5, from 46 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.0 out of 5, from 386 reviews | 4.8 out of 5, from 267 reviews |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 9 September 2026. Where a row says not published, that vendor does not state a price at that list size and we will not invent one.
The last two rows are other people's scores, not ours, read on 6 September 2026. Check them yourself:beehiiv on G2, beehiiv on Trustpilot, EmailOctopus on G2, EmailOctopus on Trustpilot.
- beehiiv: The G2 score rests on 40 reviews, which is a small enough number that a handful of unhappy or delighted people can move it.
- EmailOctopus: The G2 score rests on 46 reviews, which is a small enough number that a handful of unhappy or delighted people can move it.
Getting your list back out
beehiivEasy to leave
Cancelling a paid plan alone does not delete anything: downgrading to the free Launch plan "keeps your account and all your content intact," per their own help centre. Data is destroyed only if you take the separate, explicit step of deleting the publication or workspace, which their docs call irreversible and warn will delete any subscribers and segments tied to it. Their terms also disclaim any general duty to preserve data after cancellation, so exporting your list is worth doing as routine practice either way. Source
EmailOctopusHard to leave
Cancelling the paid plan on its own just drops you to the free tier: contacts and lists are retained, though automations pause. Their Terms of Use go further than that, though: "Once terminated, we may permanently delete your account and all the data associated with it, including your Content from our Website." A full, deliberate account deletion is described in their own help article as removing everything, including lists, campaigns and reports, and is irreversible. Export your list before deleting anything, not just before cancelling. Source
beehiiv vs EmailOctopus, answered
- Is beehiiv or EmailOctopus better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. EmailOctopus if you are starting out with no budget. beehiiv if you are worried about being locked in. beehiiv if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of beehiiv and EmailOctopus has the better free plan?
- They allow the same number of free subscribers. The difference is what you can do with them: beehiiv cannot automate a welcome sequence free, EmailOctopus can.
- Can I move from beehiiv to EmailOctopus later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep whatever marks who bought from you. We wrote the whole running order up separately.
Try either one
beehiivBest if the course sits beside a newsletter
$43/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 2,500. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on beehiivRead the full beehiiv breakdownEmailOctopusCheapest way to run a plain list
$9/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 2,500. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on EmailOctopusRead the full EmailOctopus breakdownMoving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer 5 questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.
Neither of these? See all 14, including which ones connect straight to Teachable, Kajabi, Podia or Thinkific, or compare what they cost as your list grows.