AWeber vs beehiiv
AWeber
Reliable email marketing and automation for independent publishers and small media businesses
Publishers using it: 3 · incl. Fictive Universe, The Bama Buzz, Fable and Folly
beehiiv
The newsletter-first operating system for modern media brands, creators, and digital publishers.
Publishers using it: 17 · incl. TechCrunch, The Texas Tribune, Almost Friday
Last verified Oct 19, 2026
At a glance
- AWeber scores 2.8/5 and beehiiv scores 4.2/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent email newsletter platforms benchmark, both assessed on the same 10 criteria.
- The widest gaps are monetisation (AWeber 2.8, beehiiv 4.8) and analytics after apple mail privacy protection (AWeber 1.6, beehiiv 3.5); they are within 0.3 on 3 of 10 criteria.
- AWeber is built for small publishers; beehiiv for small and mid-market.
- On total cost of ownership AWeber scores 3.2 and beehiiv 4.5 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 3 publishers use AWeber and 17 use beehiiv.
- Scores last verified 19 Oct 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
AWeber is stronger on integrations & API (4.2 vs 2.8).
beehiiv is stronger on monetisation (4.8 vs 2.8), analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection (3.5 vs 1.6) and audience growth tools (4.8 vs 3.2).
Which one fits
Choose AWeber if…
- You publish at small scale.
- You weight integrations & API, deliverability & inbox placement and compliance & list hygiene heavily — AWeber leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose beehiiv if…
- You publish at small and mid-market scale.
- You weight monetisation, analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection and audience growth tools heavily — beehiiv leads on those in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to AWeber and beehiiv in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 3.6FlowletterWordPress-integrated newsletter platform for publishers using Leaky Paywall subscription modelsRead review
- 3.8LetterheadMake it. Measure it. Improve it.Read review
- 3.9PostUpEmail marketing and audience development platform purpose-built for media companies and digital publishers. Now operating independently as PostUp LLC following its divestiture from Upland Software.Read review
- 3.6SubstackA subscription-based publishing platform empowering creators to build independent media businesses and own their audience.Read review
All 7 scored tools are in Best Email Newsletter Platforms.
Who uses them
Publishers we have detected running each tool, from ads.txt, site code and published case studies. Agencies, brands and vendors are excluded.
Head to head
| Criterion | AWeber | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverability & inbox placement16% of capability | 4.6 | 3.5 |
| Audience growth tools12% of capability | 3.2 | 4.8 |
| Monetisation12% of capability | 2.8 | 4.8 |
| Segmentation & automation12% of capability | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection10% of capability | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| Editor & template design10% of capability | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Integrations & API8% of capability | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| Subscriber management & data portability8% of capability | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Compliance & list hygiene6% of capability | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Sending performance at scale6% of capability | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Capability45% of composite | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 2.0 | 4.5 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 3.2 | 4.5 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | AWeber | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.8 | 4.8 |
| Entry cost | 3.9 | 4.7 |
| Implementation cost | 3.8 | 4.6 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 2.0 | 4.5 |
| Ongoing cost | 2.4 | 3.8 |
AWeber pricing
Per-subscriber SaaS tiers
beehiiv 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.
What users say
AWeber
7 positive · 15 neutral · 10 negative
beehiiv
69 positive · 27 neutral · 16 negative
Mentions we could not tie to a real user, and those flagged as promotional, are excluded. Sentiment is opinion, and is independent of the verified publisher adoptions above.
AWeber scores 2.8 and beehiiv scores 4.2 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Email Newsletter Platforms benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/aweber/beehiiv, verified Oct 19, 2026)
Common questions
How do AWeber and beehiiv differ?
AWeber is stronger on integrations & API (4.2 vs 2.8). beehiiv is stronger on monetisation (4.8 vs 2.8), analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection (3.5 vs 1.6) and audience growth tools (4.8 vs 3.2). Neither is better in the abstract — which one suits you depends on which of those dimensions carries the most weight in your operation.
Which is cheaper, AWeber or beehiiv?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — AWeber scores 3.2/5 and beehiiv scores 4.5/5. A higher score means better value, not a lower sticker price.
How are these scores calculated?
Each tool is assessed against its category's published criteria (10 in this benchmark), which make up Capability (45% of the composite), Publisher fit (40%) and Total cost of ownership (15%). Assessment is carried out by SODP's editorial team against a published methodology. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, scores or positions.
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Both tools are scored in Best Email Newsletter Platforms. See alternatives to AWeber or alternatives to beehiiv.
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Where to next
Related comparisons
Other head-to-heads publishers look at in Best Email Newsletter Platforms.
