beehiiv vs Substack: where should a beginner start a newsletter?
Use Substack if you want to write today with little setup and you are fine giving up a cut of paid subscriptions. Use beehiiv if you want a flat-price tool with your own branding, a website, and growth features as the list grows. Neither one finds subscribers.
Checked October 2026.
| beehiiv | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pick it when | You want a set monthly price, your own branding, and room to add growth features later. | You want to publish today without a monthly fee, and a 10% cut of paid subscriptions is acceptable. |
| What it does | Hosts an email newsletter and a simple newsletter site, with writing help in the editor. | Hosts a newsletter you can start and publish without a monthly fee. |
| Who it is for | People who want to email their own list and are fine starting without a paid plan. | People who want to write today with little setup and can accept a cut of paid subscriptions. |
| Free plan | Free is $0, up to 2,500 subscribers. | It is free to start and free to publish. |
| Price we checked | Lite is $49 a month and Pro is $95 a month, both shown with yearly billing. A monthly toggle is on the page. Checked 2026-10-16 at https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing. | There is no monthly plan price on this page. If you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of that subscription revenue, plus card fees. Substack's page says writers keep 90% of that revenue minus credit card fees. That is the fee, not an earnings example. Checked 2026-10-16 at https://substack.com/going-paid. |
| The catch | Tools for growing the list and for paid subscriptions sit on paid plans. The bill rises as the list gets larger. | The 10% cut does not stop as the list grows. You have less control over the design and over a domain. |
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Questions
- Does Substack charge a monthly fee to publish?
- No. It is free to start and free to publish. If you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of that subscription revenue, plus card fees.
- How much is beehiiv?
- Free is $0, up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite is $49 a month and Pro is $95 a month, shown with yearly billing. A monthly toggle is on the page. Read https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing.
- Will either tool find subscribers?
- No. They email people who already signed up.
- Which Visit link is an affiliate link?
- beehiiv. Substack's button goes to the official site. Substack is not a listing. The order is the pair in the title, not a commission rank.