beehiiv vs MailerLite
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on a couple of things that matter more than the monthly price.
beehiiv 
MailerLite Which one, for whom
- Starting out with no budget MailerLite MailerLite can run an automated welcome sequence on its free plan. beehiiv cannot, so a new subscriber hears nothing from you until you pay.
- A list already in the thousands beehiiv beehiiv stays free to 2,500 subscribers against MailerLite's 250.
Side by side
| beehiiv | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2,500 subscribers | 250 subscribers |
| Free sends | Unlimited sends | 2,500 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | Yes |
| Paid from | $43/mo | $12/mo |
| At 5,000 subscribers | $78 | $44.10 |
| At 25,000 subscribers | $149 | $161.10 |
| The catch | No paid subscriptions or digital products on the free tier. | Their logo stays on your emails until you pay. |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 5 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.
Getting your list back out
beehiiv
We have not been able to confirm their cancellation terms, so treat this as unchecked.
MailerLite
Cancel any time without penalty. Their terms describe still being able to log in, export and migrate your data after a plan lapses.
Try either one
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beehiiv Best if the course sits beside a newsletter
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Start free on beehiiv Read the full beehiiv breakdown MailerLite Best free plan for a real welcome sequence
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Start free on MailerLite Read the full MailerLite breakdownbeehiiv vs MailerLite, answered
- Is beehiiv or MailerLite better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. MailerLite if you are starting out with no budget. beehiiv if you are a list already in the thousands.
- Which of beehiiv and MailerLite has the better free plan?
- beehiiv allows more free subscribers (2,500 against 250). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company.
- Can I move from beehiiv to MailerLite later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep the tag that says who bought from you. We wrote the order of operations up separately.
Moving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer four questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.