beehiiv vs Omnisend
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
beehiiv
OmnisendWhich one, for whom
- Starting out with no budgetOmnisendOmnisend 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 Omnisend
- A list already in the thousandsbeehiivbeehiiv stays free to 2,500 subscribers against Omnisend's 250.Start free on beehiiv
- Worried about being locked inbeehiivbeehiiv keeps your subscribers and automations when you cancel, rather than deleting them.
- Selling the course from the same toolbeehiivbeehiiv can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| beehiiv | Omnisend | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2,500 subscribers | 250 subscribers |
| Free sends | Unlimited sends | 500 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | Yes |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Not listed |
| 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 | $11.20/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. | 500 free emails a month is roughly 2 sends to a 250-person list. |
| G2 score | 4.5 out of 5, from 40 reviews | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,246 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.0 out of 5, from 386 reviews | 4.4 out of 5, from 506 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, Omnisend on G2, Omnisend 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.
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
OmnisendEasy to leave
Cancelling a paid plan does not delete anything by itself: their help centre says you drop to the free plan and your contacts, campaigns and reports "remain accessible in read-only mode." The real risk is inactivity rather than cancellation: an account with no login for several months can be treated as inactive and permanently deleted, and a deliberate account deletion is instant and irreversible. Export your list if you plan to leave the account untouched for a while. Source
beehiiv vs Omnisend, answered
- Is beehiiv or Omnisend better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Omnisend if you are starting out with no budget. beehiiv if you are a list already in the thousands. beehiiv if you are worried about being locked in. beehiiv if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of beehiiv and Omnisend 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 Omnisend 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 breakdownOmnisendOnly if you also ship physical products
$11.20/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 250. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on OmnisendRead the full Omnisend 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.