beehiiv vs Letterhead
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 Nov 12, 2026
At a glance
- beehiiv scores 4.2/5 and Letterhead scores 3.8/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent email newsletter platforms benchmark, both assessed on the same 10 criteria.
- The widest gaps are integrations & api (beehiiv 2.8, Letterhead 4.5) and audience growth tools (beehiiv 4.8, Letterhead 3.2); they are within 0.3 on 4 of 10 criteria.
- beehiiv is built for small and mid-market publishers; Letterhead for small, mid-market and enterprise.
- On total cost of ownership beehiiv scores 4.5 and Letterhead 2.0 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 17 publishers use beehiiv and 1 use Letterhead.
- Scores last verified 12 Nov 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
beehiiv is stronger on audience growth tools (4.8 vs 3.2), sending performance at scale (3.5 vs 2.2) and editor & template design (4.5 vs 3.5).
Letterhead is stronger on integrations & API (4.5 vs 2.8).
Which one fits
Choose beehiiv if…
- You publish at small and mid-market scale.
- You weight audience growth tools, sending performance at scale and editor & template design heavily — beehiiv leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose Letterhead if…
- You publish at small, mid-market and enterprise scale.
- You weight integrations & API, segmentation & automation and deliverability & inbox placement heavily — Letterhead leads on those in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to beehiiv and Letterhead in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 3.1Campaign MonitorProfessional email marketing and automation platform featuring designer-grade templates and visual journeysRead review
- 3.6FlowletterWordPress-integrated newsletter platform for publishers using Leaky Paywall subscription modelsRead 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 | beehiiv | Letterhead |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverability & inbox placement16% of capability | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Audience growth tools12% of capability | 4.8 | 3.2 |
| Monetisation12% of capability | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| Segmentation & automation12% of capability | 3.8 | 4.5 |
| Analytics after Apple Mail Privacy Protection10% of capability | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Editor & template design10% of capability | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Integrations & API8% of capability | 2.8 | 4.5 |
| Subscriber management & data portability8% of capability | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Compliance & list hygiene6% of capability | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| Sending performance at scale6% of capability | 3.5 | 2.2 |
| Capability45% of composite | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 4.5 | 2.0 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | beehiiv | Letterhead |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 4.8 | 1.0 |
| Entry cost | 4.7 | 1.0 |
| Implementation cost | 4.6 | 2.8 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 4.5 | 2.5 |
| Ongoing cost | 3.8 | 2.6 |
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.
Letterhead pricing
Custom quote based on number of newsletters and audience size; no public plans or free tier.
What users say
beehiiv
69 positive · 27 neutral · 16 negative
Letterhead
6 positive · 1 neutral · 0 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.
beehiiv scores 4.2 and Letterhead scores 3.8 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Email Newsletter Platforms benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/beehiiv/letterhead, verified Nov 12, 2026)
Common questions
How do beehiiv and Letterhead differ?
beehiiv is stronger on audience growth tools (4.8 vs 3.2), sending performance at scale (3.5 vs 2.2) and editor & template design (4.5 vs 3.5). Letterhead is stronger on integrations & API (4.5 vs 2.8). 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, beehiiv or Letterhead?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — beehiiv scores 4.5/5 and Letterhead scores 2.0/5. 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 beehiiv or alternatives to Letterhead.
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Where to next
Related comparisons
Other head-to-heads publishers look at in Best Email Newsletter Platforms.
