beehiiv vs Substack in 2026: Fees, Features and a Verdict

Both platforms are free to start and both sell paid newsletters, so the real question is how each one makes money from you:

• Substack is free to publish at any list size. When you turn on paid subscriptions, it keeps 10% of that revenue.
• beehiiv charges a plan fee that rises with your list size, and takes 0% of paid subscription revenue on Lite and above.

That one difference changes the math at every list size. Our short verdict: beehiiv suits writers who treat the newsletter as a business and expect to pass the break-even figures below. Substack suits writers who want no fixed cost and the pull of its network.

The tools

1. beehiiv: the better fit if you plan to monetize

beehiiv gives you more levers to pull: an ad network, paid recommendations, automations, digital products and an API. Paid subscriptions carry a 0% take rate on Lite and above, so you pay Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 and nothing more to beehiiv.

The cost is the plan fee. At 1,000 subscribers, Lite is $49/month with annual billing ($59 monthly) and Pro is $95 ($109 monthly). The Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers but has no paid subscriptions, ad network or custom domain.

Where it falls short: price scales with list size (Lite is $119/month at 10,000 subscribers on annual billing), Lite allows one paid tier, and beehiiv branding stays on your pages until Pro.

2. Substack: the better fit if you want reach and no fixed cost

Substack charges nothing until you earn. It then keeps 10% of subscription revenue, plus Stripe’s fees. In return you get its network: recommendations, Notes (its short-form feed), leaderboards and reader apps for iOS and Android. Substack says no other newsletter platform offers this kind of built-in discovery.

It also covers podcasts, video and live streams natively, with unlimited subscribers.

Where it falls short: the 10% cut grows with your revenue, and its feature list shows no self-serve ad network. Sponsorships run through a program where the Substack team matches brands with Bestsellers or publications with 100 or more paid subscribers.

Where they differ

Fees and pricing

Substack’s help center lists 10% of each subscription payment, plus Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment and a 0.7% Stripe Billing fee. For in-app iOS purchases, the 10% is based on your web price.

beehiiv’s prices depend on list size. The numbers below are for annual billing:

A rough break-even (our arithmetic; Stripe fees are the same on both, so they cancel out): at 1,000 subscribers, beehiiv Lite on annual billing costs what Substack’s 10% would cost at $490/month in paid revenue. At 10,000 subscribers, it’s $1,190/month. Below those figures Substack is cheaper. Above them, beehiiv is.

For example, a 10,000-subscriber list where 1,000 people pay $8/month brings in $8,000/month. Substack’s cut is $800. beehiiv Lite is $119.

Custom domains and design

Substack supports custom domains for a one-time $50. Its visual editor offers profile, newspaper, magazine and custom homepage layouts, color and font controls, navigation editing and custom CSS for emails.

On beehiiv, custom domains need Lite or above. Lite also adds the advanced website builder and custom HTML. Removing beehiiv branding needs Pro.

Monetization

• Paid subscriptions: both. Substack offers founding member tiers, free trials, coupons, gifts and group subscriptions. beehiiv Lite has one paid tier, while Pro adds unlimited tiers, group subscriptions and paid trials.
• Ads and sponsorships: beehiiv’s Ad Network is open on paid plans, with CPM or CPC campaigns set by advertisers and monthly payouts. beehiiv’s pricing card says the average is $39/month, which is beehiiv’s own figure. Substack’s native sponsorships are matched by the Substack team, and its help page describes a platform for connecting directly with brands as upcoming.
• “Boosts”: the same word means different things. beehiiv’s Boosts are now called paid recommendations: you earn for each verified subscriber you send to another newsletter. Substack Boost is a revenue tool that shows your readers discounts and offers, up to 20% off.

Discovery

Substack’s recommendations show up after someone subscribes, on your homepage and in digest emails. They sit alongside Notes, the app and category leaderboards.

beehiiv’s recommendation network is on every plan, including Free, and paid recommendations start on Lite. Its pricing page lists a referral program too, but no reader app or social feed.

Data export and ownership

Both let you export subscribers. Substack’s export is a zip with posts as CSV and HTML, your subscriber list and optional stats. beehiiv exports post content and subscribers as CSV, and the download links expire after 24 hours. On both, paid subscribers are billed through your own Stripe account, which is what makes a Stripe-to-Stripe move possible.

Analytics

beehiiv shows campaign analytics and subscriber metrics on every plan. Advanced analytics start on Lite, and the lookback window runs from 30 days on Free to 12 months on Lite to unlimited on Pro. Substack’s dashboard covers growth, retention, email performance, post-level conversions, traffic and revenue, and its stats export as CSV.

Quick comparison

Choose beehiiv if…

• You expect paid revenue above the break-even figures, or you plan to sell ads.
• You want a 0% platform cut and are happy to pay a plan fee that grows with your list.
• You want automations, digital products and an API in the same tool.
• Brand control matters, and you’ll pay for Pro to remove beehiiv branding.

Choose Substack if…

• You want to start for free and pay only when you earn.
• Readers finding you inside a network, through recommendations and Notes, is part of your growth plan.
• You publish podcasts or video alongside text.
• Your paid revenue will stay below the break-even figures for a while.

How to choose

1. Work out your break-even. Take your subscriber count, look up beehiiv Lite’s price for it, and divide by 0.10. If your paid revenue is below that number, Substack costs less.
2. Decide whether you need ads. beehiiv’s Ad Network is open to paid plans. Substack’s sponsorship program is by invitation.
3. Check your domain and branding needs. Both support a custom domain. beehiiv needs Lite for it and Pro to remove its branding.
4. Don’t treat the choice as permanent. Both export subscribers and both handle Stripe-based migrations, although comments and some paid posts don’t carry over cleanly.

If neither fits, see our guide to Substack alternatives and the wider newsletter platform roundup.