beehiiv
Best if the course sits beside a newsletter
2,500 free subscribers with unlimited sends, a custom domain and a website included at no cost.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
Worth your time if
- Your list is at or under 2,500 and you want to start free.
- You publish a newsletter as well as running a course.
- You sell a membership or a paid subscription.
Look elsewhere if
- No paid subscriptions or digital products on the free tier.
- You need day-one automation without paying. MailerLite allows it on its free plan.
- You want a bigger free allowance. Kit gives 10,000.
The details that decide it
The things that bite six months in, read off beehiiv's own pages. Where we could not read a page reliably, the row is left out rather than guessed at.
- Course platforms
- No course platform appears in their integrations directory. They point to Zapier for anything not listed. Source
- Moving your list in
- Self-serve, with a published walkthrough for moving from Substack. We found no done-for-you migration offer. Source
- What else it costs
- The Scale plan advertises a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions. Whether that 0% also applies on the free Launch plan is not stated on their pricing page. Source
beehiiv, answered
- Does beehiiv have a free plan?
- Yes. beehiiv's free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends. We read this off their pricing page on 5 September 2026.
- Can beehiiv send an automated welcome sequence on the free plan?
- No. Automations need the Scale plan. If an automated welcome sequence is the thing you need on day one, MailerLite allows it free.
- What does beehiiv cost once the free plan runs out?
- The entry paid plan is Scale at $43/mo, at 1,000 subscribers. Prices on every platform here move with list size, so treat that as the floor rather than the bill.
- What is the catch with beehiiv?
- No paid subscriptions or digital products on the free tier.
beehiiv against one other
Already down to two? These go straight to the head-to-head.
