Ranked
9 Best Beehiiv Alternatives (2026) at 10,000 Subscribers
Nine Beehiiv alternatives priced at 10,000 subscribers against Beehiiv's $139 a month, with what each takes when readers pay. Checked 21 October 2026.
Some links here are referral links, and where a provider gives our readers a better price than its own site, that is the price you get by using one. It costs you nothing extra, and every option here is judged on the same test either way.
Beehiiv is free until your list passes 2,500 subscribers, and its free plan even sends new readers a welcome email. After that you need its Lite plan, which costs $79 a month at 2,500 and $139 a month at 10,000 on monthly billing. That bill is usually what starts the search. The other reasons are a bigger free plan, a list that's fully yours, or automations that sell for you.
So I've priced every alternative for a weekly newsletter at 10,000 subscribers, on the cheapest plan that welcomes new subscribers by itself, next to the $139 Beehiiv charges for the same list. That price sets the order. If you charge readers, a second table adds what each platform keeps from a $1,000 month.
Every platform here beats Beehiiv on at least one of those things, checked against Beehiiv's own price list on the same day. None of them beats it on paid subscriptions, though, because Beehiiv takes 0% of them. Ghost, MailerLite and GetResponse only match it.
I haven't run a newsletter on all nine of these, so there are no scores out of ten here. What you get instead is each one's price at 1,000 and 10,000 subscribers, the one thing it does better than Beehiiv, what comes with you when you move, and three questions at the end that pick one for you.
How I ranked them
Each platform had to pass the same three checks to be ranked. Then one number set the order.
Open to start on your own
You can begin on the platform's own site with a free plan or a trial, without a sales call.
Priced on a plan with a welcome email
I priced the cheapest plan that sends every new subscriber a welcome email by itself, at 1,000 and 10,000 subscribers, mailed weekly. A cheaper plan that can't do that would be a different product.
Better than Beehiiv at something
A lower price, a bigger free plan, a smaller cut of paid subscriptions, a list you can take with you, or automations Beehiiv's plan at the same price doesn't have.
Then I ranked on the monthly price at 10,000 subscribers. If your list is much smaller, Beehiiv's own free plan may still be the cheapest place to be, and the questions at the end take that into account.
The nine, priced at 10,000 subscribers
Let's start with what Beehiiv charges, because I've set every row in the table against it. A weekly newsletter to 10,000 subscribers is about 43,300 emails a month, and on Beehiiv that costs this much.
Each platform's cheapest plan that welcomes new subscribers by itself, a month at 1,000 and 10,000 subscribers, with what it takes when readers pay.
Beehiiv alternatives, a month at 10,000 subscribers
| At 1,000 | At 10,000 | Paid cut | Beats Beehiiv on | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | $0 | $0 | 10% | Free at any list size | See it |
| Systeme.io Webinar | $0 on Free | $47 | 0% transaction fees | Lowest paid plan at 10,000 | See it |
| GetResponse Starter | $19 | $79 | 0% on Creator | $60 a month less | See it |
| MailerLite Comfort | $19 | $89 | 0% | $50 a month less | See it |
| Mailchimp Essentials | $24.72 | $92.86 | None listed | $46.14 a month less | See it |
| AWeber Lite | $25 | $100 | 1% of sales on Lite | $39 a month less | See it |
| Brevo Standard | $0 on Free | $104 | None listed | Free plan holds 100,000 contacts | See it |
| Ghost Publisher | $18 on Starter | $105 | 0% on Publisher | Open source, self-hostable | See it |
| Kit Creator | $39 | $139 | 0.6% plus card fees | Free plan to 10,000 | See it |
US dollars as each platform shows them to a US visitor, billed monthly, for about 43,300 emails a month at 10,000 subscribers. For comparison, Beehiiv is $0 at 1,000 on its free plan, which runs to 2,500 subscribers, and $139 on Lite at 10,000. Brevo prices by emails sent, so its 10,000 price is the Standard step that covers a weekly send (60,000 emails). At 1,000, its free plan sends 300 emails a day with automation for up to 2,000 contacts, and puts Brevo's logo on your emails. Mailchimp and AWeber price in bands, and 10,000 sits at the top of theirs. Ghost's Starter plan doesn't support paid subscriptions. Card processing is left out of the cut, because almost everyone here pays it to Stripe. Ghost's pricing page doesn't say whether its welcome emails come with Starter, so its 1,000 price assumes they do.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
Eight of the nine cost less than Beehiiv's Lite plan at 10,000 subscribers, and Kit costs the same. Under 2,500, Beehiiv's own free plan is the price to beat.
The table only counts the bill, though. Beehiiv's recommendation network, Paid recommendationsSign-ups one newsletter pays another to send its way, when a publication recommends it to new readers. The platform keeps a share: Beehiiv builds a 20% fee into the price, and Kit keeps 23.5% of what you earn. Beehiiv used to call them Boosts.What the platform keepsOn Beehiiv, a publisher paying $2.50 for each new subscriber pays the newsletter that recommended it $2, because Beehiiv's 20% fee is built into the price. Kit keeps 23.5% of what you earn from paid recommendations on its Creator and Pro plans.A paid recommendation is a sign-up you pay for, or are paid for, when one newsletter suggests another to its readers. Beehiiv used to call them Boosts. You pay only for subscribers who are verified, and the platform takes a share in between. Kit runs its version with SparkLoop, so the newsletters recommending you don't have to be on Kit.See every term in the glossary and ad network stay behind when you leave, and among these nine, only Kit and Ghost list a recommendation network on their price lists. If Beehiiv's ad network pays you today, count that money before you move.
1. Substack - free at any list size
Substack is first because it charges nothing to run your newsletter, however big your list gets. At 10,000 subscribers that's $0 a month against Beehiiv's $139, and it sends a welcome email to every new free, paid, imported and founding subscriber.
It earns its money another way. Once you turn on payments, Substack keeps 10% of each subscription, and Stripe adds its own fees on top. For a free newsletter that's nothing at all.
1Free at any list size
Substack
Why it ranks first
Substack charges nothing at any list size, so 10,000 subscribers cost $0 a month against Beehiiv's $139. It keeps 10% only when readers pay.
- When readers pay10% of each payment, plus Stripe's fees
- Welcome emailsFor free, paid, imported and founding subscribers
- Custom domain$50, paid once
- Subscriber exportA CSV, without subscribers' names
you'll go to substack.com
Moving from Beehiiv is mostly a CSV. Substack's own guide has you export your full subscriber list from Beehiiv and import it, and everyone arrives as a free subscriber. Its guide says Beehiiv exports your free posts but only previews of paid ones, so paid posts need copying across by hand. The guide doesn't cover paying subscribers' billing, so plan how you'll ask them to rejoin before you switch.
If you want to pay nothing until readers pay, start here. The 10% does get expensive as you grow, though. Once paying readers bring in more than $890 a month, MailerLite's Comfort plan at 10,000 subscribers costs less than Substack's cut, by our sums.
2. Systeme.io - the lowest paid plan at 10,000
At 10,000 contacts, Systeme.io charges $47 a month on its Webinar plan, which is $92 under Beehiiv. It's built for selling, with sales funnels, course hosting and evergreen webinars next to the newsletter, and every plan sends unlimited emails.
Under 2,000 contacts it's free, with one automation rule and one email campaign, enough for a single welcome email. You pay by contacts rather than by list-size steps, so 10,000 is Webinar's ceiling, and the next subscriber moves you to Systeme.io's Unlimited plan at $97, still $42 under Beehiiv.
2Lowest paid plan at 10,000
Systeme.io
Why it ranks here
Systeme.io's Webinar plan covers 10,000 contacts for $47 a month, $92 less than Beehiiv's Lite, with 100 automation rules and 0% transaction fees on what you sell.
- Free plan2,000 contacts, 1 automation rule
- EmailsUnlimited, on every plan
- Also hostsCourses, sales funnels, a blog and webinars
- Free migrationOn Unlimited, or any yearly plan
Systeme.io's offer today2 months free when you pay yearlyShown on systeme.io on 21 Oct 2026.
My recommendations on Systeme.io's plans
Starting out? At 10,000 subscribers, start on Webinar. Its 100 automation rules and 100 email campaigns let a welcome sequence and a course launch run side by side.
Growing or switching? Move to Unlimited when you pass 10,000 contacts. At $97 a month it has no contact limit, which at 50,000 subscribers is $202 less than Beehiiv's Lite, by our sums.
Next to Kit? Kit's Creator plan costs $92 a month more at 10,000 subscribers. What you get for it is unlimited visual automations and sequences against Webinar's 100 automation rules, plus paid recommendations and sponsorships.
Every plan includes unlimited emails and newsletters, sales funnels, a blog and course hosting, with payments through Stripe or PayPal at 0% transaction fees.
View all 4 Systeme.io plansPriced by contacts, billed monthly, in US dollars
Mirrored from systeme.io These are Systeme.io's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 21 Oct 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on Systeme.io.
- 2,000 contacts
- Unlimited emails
- 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign
- 1 website, 1 blog and 1 course
- 0% transaction fees
- No credit card needed
- 5,000 contacts
- Unlimited emails
- 10 automation rules and 10 email campaigns
- 3 custom domains
- 0% transaction fees
- 10,000 contacts
- Unlimited emails
- 100 automation rules and 100 email campaigns
- Evergreen webinars
- 0% transaction fees
- Unlimited contacts
- Unlimited automation rules, funnels and domains
- Free migration done for you
- 0% transaction fees
Annual billing gives 2 months free. Free migration comes with Unlimited billed monthly, or any annual plan. · Checked 21 Oct 2026
Start on Systeme.io's Webinar plan
you'll go to systeme.io
Systeme.io takes payments through Stripe or PayPal at 0% transaction fees, but its price list doesn't name a paid newsletter, so it isn't in the paid table below. Its free migration names Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and course platforms, not Beehiiv, and comes only with Unlimited billed monthly or a yearly plan.
I'd pick Systeme.io if you sell a course or coaching next to the newsletter and want the bill under $50 at 10,000. If the newsletter itself is what readers pay for, MailerLite or Ghost will suit you better.
3. GetResponse - a welcome series for $79
For a free newsletter at 10,000 contacts, GetResponse's Starter plan comes to $79 a month, which saves you $60 on Beehiiv's Lite. It sends unlimited emails and comes with a welcome email series and one custom automation workflow.
Paid newsletters live a plan higher. GetResponse's Creator plan, $134 at 10,000, adds premium newsletters through your own Stripe account, and GetResponse says it charges no fee of its own on those payments, so you keep everything but Stripe's cut.
3A welcome series for $79
GetResponse
Why it ranks here
GetResponse's Starter plan is $79 a month at 10,000 contacts, $60 less than Beehiiv's Lite, with unlimited sends and a welcome email series.
- Paid newslettersOn Creator, $134 at 10,000
- GetResponse's cutNone, only Stripe's fees
- Automation on StarterA welcome series and 1 custom workflow
- Also on CreatorWebinars, and courses for up to 500 students
What GetResponse gives everyone
- A 14-day free trial, with no credit card needed
- Pay monthly, or 12 months upfront for 18% less
More from GetResponse
- Charities and NGOs get 50% off every monthly plan
Last checked on 23 October 2026
GetResponse's offer today18% off when you pay yearlyShown on getresponse.com on 21 Oct 2026.
My recommendations on GetResponse's plans
Starting out? Start on Starter if your newsletter is free to read. At $79 a month for 10,000 contacts it welcomes every new subscriber with a series and sends as much as you like.
Growing or switching? Move to Creator, $134 at 10,000, when you start charging readers. That's $5 a month less than Beehiiv's Lite, and GetResponse keeps nothing from what readers pay.
Next to Kit? Kit's Creator plan is $139 at 10,000, $5 more than GetResponse's Creator, and keeps 0.6% of paid subscriptions. Kit's free plan, though, holds the same 10,000 subscribers if you only send broadcasts.
Every plan includes email marketing, signup forms and landing pages.
View all 3 GetResponse plans below EnterprisePriced at 10,000 contacts, billed monthly, in US dollars
Mirrored from getresponse.com These are GetResponse's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 21 Oct 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on GetResponse.
- Unlimited monthly email sends
- A welcome email series
- 1 custom automation workflow
- Landing pages, signup forms and popups
- One custom workflow
- Unlimited monthly email sends
- Unlimited automation workflows
- Advanced audience segmentation
- Promo codes and reports
- Unlimited web push notifications
- Everything in Marketer
- Premium (paid) newsletter subscriptions
- Webinars
- A website builder
- Courses for up to 500 students
- GetResponse charges no fee on premium newsletter payments; Stripe's fees apply
Yearly billing is 18% less. Enterprise is priced separately. · Checked 21 Oct 2026
Start on GetResponse's Starter plan
Start on the free account, with premium features open for 14 days.
you'll go to www.getresponse.com
Your premium newsletter sits on your GetResponse Creator profile, and readers can take it free or paid, with the two groups kept as separate segments. That split makes it easy to send the paid issue to paying readers and a teaser to everyone else.
If your newsletter is free today but you might charge later, GetResponse spares you a second move. Charging readers is an upgrade to Creator, on the same platform.
4. MailerLite - paid newsletters for $89, with 0% taken
MailerLite is the one I'd look at first if you're leaving Beehiiv because of the bill. Its Comfort plan covers 10,000 subscribers for $89 a month, $50 less than Lite, with 100,000 emails a month and 50 automations of up to 100 steps.
It also takes nothing from paid subscriptions. MailerLite says it charges a flat monthly fee and 0% commission, with only Stripe's fees on top, and its price page says every paid plan gets the full feature set. If you pay for the year, MailerLite takes another 10% off.
4Paid newsletters for $89
MailerLite
Why it ranks here
MailerLite's Comfort plan is $89 a month at 10,000 subscribers, $50 less than Beehiiv's Lite, and MailerLite takes 0% of paid subscriptions.
- Emails100,000 a month on Comfort
- Automations50, of up to 100 steps each
- Paid subscriptions0% to MailerLite, Stripe's fees apply
- Free plan250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month
MailerLite's offer today10% off when you pay for a year upfrontShown on mailerlite.com on 1 Oct 2026.
My recommendations on MailerLite's plans
Starting out? Start on Comfort. At 10,000 subscribers its 100,000 emails a month cover a weekly issue twice over, for $89 a month.
Growing or switching? Move to Power, $129 at 10,000, when you send more than ten emails per subscriber a month or need more than three people in the account. It's still $10 a month under Beehiiv's Lite.
Only send broadcasts? Kit's free plan holds up to 10,000 subscribers for nothing if you don't need a welcome sequence. MailerLite's free plan stops at 250.
Every plan includes email campaigns, automations, signup forms, a landing page and 100+ integrations.
View all 2 MailerLite plans under 200 000 subscribersPriced at 10,000 subscribers, billed monthly, in US dollars
Mirrored from mailerlite.com These are MailerLite's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 21 Oct 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on MailerLite.
- 100,000 emails a month
- 50 automations
- 10 sites and 5 digital products
- 3 user seats
- MailerLite logo removed
- Email support
- Unlimited emails
- Unlimited automations, with multiple triggers
- Unlimited sites and digital products
- Unlimited user seats
- Live chat and email support
The free plan stops at 250 subscribers. Yearly billing is 10% less. · Checked 21 Oct 2026
Start on MailerLite's Comfort plan
Try every feature free for 14 days, no card needed.
you'll go to www.mailerlite.com
MailerLite gives you the lowest bill here for a paid newsletter that welcomes new readers by itself. In the paid table below it comes to $89 a month on a $1,000 month, against $139 on Beehiiv, by our sums. MailerLite's own comparison with Substack prices paid newsletters on Power, so if you'd rather go by that, it's $129, still under Beehiiv.
What you give up is Beehiiv's ad network and recommendations, which aren't on MailerLite's price list. If neither brings you readers or money today, MailerLite does Beehiiv's job for less.
5. Mailchimp - short automations, and 15% off for a year
On Mailchimp's Essentials plan, a list of up to 10,000 contacts costs $92.86 a month, $46.14 under Beehiiv's Lite. At that size Mailchimp also shows 15% off for the first 12 months, which brings Essentials to $78.93.
Automation is where it falls short. Mailchimp's Essentials plan runs flows of up to four steps, enough for a welcome email and a follow-up, where Beehiiv's Lite runs ten live automations with branches.
5Short automations, 15% off a year
Mailchimp
Why it's on this list
Mailchimp's Essentials plan is $92.86 a month at 10,000 contacts, $46.14 less than Beehiiv's Lite, or $78.93 for the first 12 months with its 15% offer.
- AutomationFlows of up to 4 steps
- Emails100,000 sends a month
- Paid newslettersNone on its price list
- Free plan250 contacts, no automation flows
Mailchimp's offer for bigger lists15% off for the first 12 months, on lists of 10,000 contacts or moreShown on mailchimp.com on 21 Oct 2026.
My recommendations on Mailchimp's plans
Starting out? Start on Essentials if a welcome email and one follow-up is all you automate. It's $92.86 a month at 10,000 contacts, or $78.93 for the first year with Mailchimp's 15%.
Growing or switching? Move to Standard, $123.01 at 10,000, when you want longer journeys that branch on what readers open and click.
Next to MailerLite? MailerLite's Comfort plan is $3.86 a month less at 10,000, and its automations run to 100 steps against Essentials' four.
Every plan includes forms, landing pages, pop-up forms, tags, surveys and 300+ integrations.
View all 3 Mailchimp plansPriced in US dollars at 5,001 to 10,000 contacts, billed monthly
Mirrored from mailchimp.com These are Mailchimp's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 21 Oct 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on Mailchimp.
- 100,000 email sends a month
- Automation flows of up to 4 steps
- 3 user seats
- Mailchimp branding removed
- Unsubscribed contacts count toward your plan
- 120,000 email sends a month
- Up to 200 automation flows
- 5 user seats
- 14-day free trial
- 150,000 email sends a month
- Everything in Standard
- Unlimited user seats
At 10,000 contacts Mailchimp shows 15% off for the first 12 months: Essentials $78.93, Standard $104.56, Premium $287.02. The offer can't be combined with other Mailchimp offers. · Checked 21 Oct 2026
Start on Mailchimp's Essentials plan
Essentials and Standard are free for the first 14 days.
you'll go to mailchimp.com
Mailchimp's price list shows no paid newsletter, so it isn't in the paid table either. Pick it if your newsletter is free, your welcome is one or two emails, and you'd rather use a tool your team already knows.
6. AWeber - $39 a month less, with support around the clock
The last four cost between $100 and $139 at 10,000, and each still beats Beehiiv at one thing. AWeber's Lite plan is $100 a month for 7,501 to 10,000 subscribers, $39 under Beehiiv's Lite, with three email automations.
AWeber
AWeber's Lite plan is $100 a month at 10,000 subscribers, $39 less than Beehiiv's Lite, with three email automations.
If you mostly want a smaller bill: AWeber
AWeber is a plain way to send a weekly newsletter for $39 a month less than Beehiiv at 10,000 subscribers. Lite runs three email automations, enough for a welcome and two more, and Plus, $135 at 10,000, makes them unlimited. It takes 1% of what you sell on Lite and 0.6% on Plus.
Where it stands out
- Support from people, around the clock
- A free plan for up to 500 subscribers
- Sales tracking for products you sell
Buy it if
- Your newsletter is free and a welcome plus two follow-ups is enough
- You want 24/7 support while you learn the tool
Skip it if
- You want more than three automations for under $135
- You plan to charge readers, where Ghost and MailerLite take nothing
Want more automations? MailerLite
MailerLite's Comfort plan is $11 a month less at 10,000 and runs 50 automations to Lite's three.
So AWeber's for a free newsletter that wants a smaller bill and a person to ask when something breaks. If you mail less often than weekly, though, the next platform charges by the email rather than the subscriber, and that can bring the bill down further.
7. Brevo - a free plan that stores 100,000 contacts
Brevo prices by the emails you send, not by subscribers. A weekly issue to 10,000 readers needs its 60,000-email Standard step, $104 a month, because the 30,000 step falls short. Where it beats Beehiiv is the free plan, which stores up to 100,000 contacts and runs automations for up to 2,000 of them, but sends at most 300 emails a day.
Brevo
Brevo's Standard plan at 60,000 emails a month covers a weekly issue to 10,000 subscribers for $104, $35 less than Beehiiv's Lite, and its free plan stores 100,000 contacts.
If you send less often than weekly: Brevo
Brevo charges for the emails you send, so it rewards a newsletter that goes out less often. Weekly at 10,000 subscribers, Standard is $104 a month. Mailed every other week, the same list needs about 21,700 emails, which the $79 step covers, by our sums. Standard removes Brevo's logo and runs automations for every contact.
Where it stands out
- Pay for sends, not subscribers
- Free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts
- Automations for every contact on Standard
Buy it if
- You mail every two weeks or monthly
- You want a big list stored for free while you decide
Skip it if
- You charge readers, because Brevo's price list has no paid newsletter
- You send weekly, where MailerLite costs $15 a month less
Mail every week? MailerLite
MailerLite charges by list size, $89 a month at 10,000 subscribers for up to 100,000 emails.
So the less often you send, the better Brevo looks. It also works as a free place to keep a big list while you decide where to send from.
8. Ghost - open source, and 0% of paid members
Ghost is the one to pick if you want to own the whole thing. It's open source, so you can run it on your own server, and Ghost(Pro), its hosted service, takes 0% of paid memberships. At 10,000 members its Publisher plan is $105 a month, $34 less than Beehiiv's Lite.
Ghost
Ghost is open source, its Publisher plan is $105 a month at 10,000 members, $34 less than Beehiiv's Lite, and it takes 0% of paid memberships.
If you want to own your list and archive: Ghost
Ghost is a publication you own, with a newsletter built in. Members export with their labels and subscription status, posts export as a file you can take anywhere, and Ghost takes nothing from what members pay. It sends welcome emails to free and paid members, and longer sequences are in beta.
Where it stands out
- Open source, so you can self-host it
- 0% of paid memberships on Publisher and up
- A free custom domain on every plan
Buy it if
- You want your archive, members and paying status portable
- You want 0% taken and a custom domain included
Skip it if
- You want a free plan, because Ghost(Pro) has a 14-day trial only
- You want automations that branch, which Ghost's beta doesn't do yet
Want it free until readers pay? Substack
Substack costs nothing at any list size and keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, so it's cheaper than Ghost until readers pay more than $1,050 a month.
At 1,000 members Ghost's Starter plan is $18 a month. Its pricing page doesn't say whether welcome emails come with it, and it doesn't support paid subscriptions, so a paid newsletter starts on Publisher at $35. Ghost has a built-in Substack migrator, and its guide has you connect the same Stripe account, though Substack keeps its 10% on existing subscriptions. A Beehiiv list comes in through Ghost's member import.
9. Kit - a free plan to 10,000 subscribers
Kit (it used to be ConvertKit) is last on price, because its Creator plan is $139 a month at 10,000 subscribers, the same as Beehiiv's Lite. It's here for two other reasons. Its free plan holds up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, against Beehiiv's 2,500, and Creator runs unlimited visual automations and email sequences.
The free plan has no automations, so there's no welcome sequence until you pay. It does let you sell a paid newsletter, though, and Kit keeps 0.6% of each payment on any plan.
Kit
Kit's free plan holds up to 10,000 subscribers, four times Beehiiv's free limit, and its Creator plan runs unlimited automations for $139 a month at 10,000.
If you sell to your readers with automations: Kit
Kit costs what Beehiiv costs at 10,000, and it suits a newsletter that sells something. Creator runs unlimited visual automations and sequences, with paid recommendations and sponsorships on top, and Kit's team moves your forms, templates and automations over for free on a paid plan. Paying subscribers are the exception, because they have to sign up again on Kit.
Where it stands out
- Free plan to 10,000 subscribers, broadcasts only
- Unlimited automations and sequences on Creator
- Free migration on Creator and Pro
Buy it if
- You sell courses, products or coaching with automated sequences
- Your list is under 10,000 and you only send broadcasts
Skip it if
- You'd lose many paying subscribers by asking them to rejoin
- A smaller bill is the main reason you're leaving Beehiiv
Want it for less? Systeme.io
Systeme.io's Webinar plan is $92 a month less at 10,000 contacts, with 100 automation rules and course hosting.
Kit's help article on moving from Beehiiv is plain about paid subscribers. There's no way to bring their subscriptions across, so you cancel them on Beehiiv and ask readers to subscribe again on Kit. For a free newsletter that doesn't matter. And if you want readers to bring in more readers, Kit's Pro plan, $189 at 10,000, adds a referral programme through SparkLoop. If it's down to Kit and Beehiiv, Kit vs Beehiiv weighs the two on growth tools, automations and what each keeps when readers pay.
If you charge readers
Once readers pay, the order changes, because now the plan price and the platform's cut add up. To make that concrete, I've used 200 paying readers at $5 a month, $1,000 in all, on a list of 10,000.
What each platform that sells paid subscriptions costs in a $1,000 month at 10,000 subscribers, plan and cut together, by our sums.
If readers pay: a month at 10,000 subscribers
| Plan | Plan price | Platform's cut | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | Comfort | $89 | $0 | $89 | See it |
| Substack | None, free to use | $0 | $100 | $100 | See it |
| Ghost | Publisher | $105 | $0 | $105 | See it |
| GetResponse | Creator | $134 | $0 | $134 | See it |
| Beehiiv | Lite | $139 | $0 | $139 | See it |
| Kit | Creator | $139 | $6 | $145 | See it |
Our example: 200 readers paying $5 a month, $1,000 in all. Card processing is left out, because each platform here uses Stripe, and Beehiiv, Kit and Substack quote it at 2.9% plus $0.30 for a US card. Substack also lists 0.7% for Stripe Billing on recurring payments. Kit quotes 3.5% plus 30c with processing included, and says its own share is 0.6%. MailerLite's comparison with Substack prices paid newsletters on Power, $129. Systeme.io and AWeber charge on sales but name no paid newsletter on the pages checked, so they're left out.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
Among plans that welcome new readers by themselves, MailerLite costs least at $1,000 a month from readers and Kit most. Substack's 10% is the cheapest route until readers pay more than $890 a month.
Kit's row has a cheaper version too. Its free plan takes paid subscriptions up to 10,000 subscribers, so the same month costs $6, as long as you don't need a welcome sequence. Whichever you pick, paying readers are the part to plan, and the list of what moves further down shows which platforms can carry their billing and which ask them to re-subscribe.
What comes with you when you leave Beehiiv
Your subscriber list moves easily. Beehiiv lists data exports on every plan, and Substack, Ghost and Kit all take your subscribers in as a CSV. The rest takes more planning.
Subscribers move as a CSV
Export the full list from Beehiiv's settings. Substack's guide notes that everyone arrives as a free subscriber, and Kit can also pull your list straight from Beehiiv with an API key.
Paying readers depend on Stripe
Beehiiv's help centre says paid subscriptions sit in your own personal Stripe account. Ghost's guide for Substack movers has you connect the same Stripe account, while Kit asks paying readers to subscribe again.
Automations are rebuilt by hand
Kit's guide for Beehiiv movers has you recreate forms, templates, automations and your newsletter site by hand, and Kit's team will do it for free on a paid plan.
Your posts export too, though Substack's guide says Beehiiv's export carries free posts and only previews of paid ones, so keep a copy of your paid archive before you close the account.
If you'd rather stay on Beehiiv
Moving costs time, and Beehiiv's growth tools don't come with you. If those weigh more than the bill, there's a cheaper way to stay.
So which one should you move to?
All nine send a weekly newsletter and welcome new subscribers by themselves. What separates them at 10,000 subscribers is the monthly bill, what each keeps when readers pay, and how much of your Beehiiv setup you'd rebuild.
My pick for most people leaving Beehiiv over the bill: MailerLite, because it's $50 a month less at 10,000 and takes nothing from paid subscriptions. Take Substack if you want to pay nothing until readers do, and Ghost if owning the archive and the list matters most.
If you sell courses or products, look at Systeme.io for the lowest bill or Kit for the deepest automations. GetResponse, Mailchimp and AWeber cut the bill for a free newsletter, and Brevo suits one that goes out every other week.
Still between two? The three questions below ask how big your list is, whether readers pay, and what you want most from the move, and they'll give you one platform with the reason. One answer may even tell you to stay.
Three questions
Which Beehiiv alternative fits your newsletter?
Answer for your newsletter as it is today, and the recommendation updates as you go.
1How many subscribers do you have?
2Do readers pay for your newsletter?
3What do you want most from the move?
Before you answer
MailerLite, for most people leaving over the bill
At 10,000 subscribers MailerLite costs $50 a month less than Beehiiv's Lite, and like Beehiiv it takes nothing from paid subscriptions.
The trade-off: Beehiiv's recommendation network and ad network don't come with you. If readers don't pay yet and you'd rather pay nothing, Substack costs $0 at any size.
Prices last checked on 21 October 2026, in US dollars, billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers.
