Up to 4 at once.
| Criteria | beehiiv | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Score | 4.2/5 | 3.6/5 |
| Pricing | Free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers; Lite from $49/month (up to 100,000 subscribers) and Pro from $95/month (up to 250,000), billed annually; custom Enterprise pricing. | Free to publish; Substack takes a 10% commission on paid subscription revenue plus standard Stripe processing fees. |
| Platform Type | Email newsletter platform | Subscription management |
| Deliverability & inbox placement | 3.5/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Audience growth tools | 4.8/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Segmentation & automation | 3.8/5 | 1.5/5 |
| Monetisation | 4.8/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Editor & template design | 4.5/5 | 2.0/5 |
| Analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection | 3.5/5 | 3.0/5 |
| Integrations & API | 2.8/5 | 1.2/5 |
| Subscriber management & data portability | 3.5/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Compliance & list hygiene | 3.0/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Sending performance at scale | 3.5/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Strengths | ✓ Creator-friendly with both web hosting and newsletter platform capabilities ✓ Multiple monetization options including affiliate programs, paid newsletters, and ad networks | ✓ Direct-to-subscriber model ✓ Multimedia support |
| Limitations | ✗ Free plan restricts features like custom domains and segmentation ✗ Newer platform (entered market in 2021) with less track record than established competitors | ✗ Could do better with advanced content discovery features ✗ Substack takes 10% of revenue from paid subscriptions |
beehiiv
4.2
Rating
★ 4.2/5
Pricing
Free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers; Lite from $49/month (up to 100,000 subscribers) and Pro from $95/month (up to 250,000), billed annually; custom Enterprise pricing.
Platform
Email newsletter platform
Scores
Deliverability & inbox placement
3.5
Audience growth tools
4.8
Segmentation & automation
3.8
Monetisation
4.8
Editor & template design
4.5
Analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection
3.5
Integrations & API
2.8
Subscriber management & data portability
3.5
Compliance & list hygiene
3.0
Sending performance at scale
3.5
Strengths
✓ Creator-friendly with both web hosting and newsletter platform capabilities
✓ Multiple monetization options including affiliate programs, paid newsletters, and ad networks
Limitations
✗ Free plan restricts features like custom domains and segmentation
✗ Newer platform (entered market in 2021) with less track record than established competitors
Substack
3.6
Rating
★ 3.6/5
Pricing
Free to publish; Substack takes a 10% commission on paid subscription revenue plus standard Stripe processing fees.
Platform
Subscription management
Scores
Deliverability & inbox placement
4.2
Audience growth tools
4.6
Segmentation & automation
1.5
Monetisation
4.7
Editor & template design
2.0
Analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection
3.0
Integrations & API
1.2
Subscriber management & data portability
4.0
Compliance & list hygiene
3.5
Sending performance at scale
4.0
Strengths
✓ Direct-to-subscriber model
✓ Multimedia support
Limitations
✗ Could do better with advanced content discovery features
✗ Substack takes 10% of revenue from paid subscriptions
