What is the difference between Beehiiv and MailerLite?

Beehiiv is best for Newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization, while MailerLite is best for Small businesses and creators wanting simple email. Beehiiv starts at Free and MailerLite starts at Free.

Is Beehiiv or MailerLite cheaper?

Beehiiv starts at Free and is free. MailerLite starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to MailerLite?

Both Beehiiv and MailerLite offer free tiers.

Beehiiv vs MailerLite

Beehiiv is newsletter platform built for growth — with built-in referral programs, monetization, and analytics, while MailerLite is email marketing platform with landing pages, automations, and a generous free tier. Beehiiv is built for newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization, whereas MailerLite targets small businesses and creators wanting simple email.

At a glance

	Beehiiv	MailerLite
Best for	Newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization	Small businesses and creators wanting simple email
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Ad Network	✓	—
Analytics	✓	—
Automations	—	✓
Custom Domains	✓	—
Email Campaigns	—	✓
Landing Pages	—	✓
Monetization	✓	—
Referral Program	✓	—
Surveys	—	✓

Beehiiv

Strengths

Built-in referral program for growth
Ad network for monetization
Clean writing experience
Generous free tier (up to 2,500 subscribers)

Weaknesses

Focused on newsletters — not general email marketing
Limited automation compared to ConvertKit
Fewer integrations
Still a young platform

Try Beehiiv → Full review

MailerLite

Strengths

Includes Email Campaigns as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Includes Landing Pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Free for 1000 subscribers — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 16+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Deliverability depends on your sender reputation, which takes time to build
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try MailerLite → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Beehiiv and MailerLite are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Beehiiv offers Ad Network, Analytics and Custom Domains that MailerLite lacks. MailerLite brings Automations, Email Campaigns and Landing Pages that Beehiiv does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Beehiiv's biggest strengths are: built-in referral program for growth. ad network for monetization. MailerLite's biggest strengths are: includes email campaigns as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows. includes landing pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows.

Watch out for: With Beehiiv, users commonly note that focused on newsletters — not general email marketing. With MailerLite, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Beehiiv if...

You need a tool built for newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization
You specifically need Ad Network and Analytics
You care about ad network for monetization

Choose MailerLite if...

You need a tool built for small businesses and creators wanting simple email
You specifically need Automations and Email Campaigns
You care about includes landing pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 1000 subscribers