What is the difference between Beehiiv and Substack?

Beehiiv is best for Newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization, while Substack is best for Writers who want to monetize with paid subscriptions. Beehiiv starts at Free and Substack starts at Free.

Is Beehiiv or Substack cheaper?

Beehiiv starts at Free and is free. Substack starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Substack?

Both Beehiiv and Substack offer free tiers.

Beehiiv vs Substack

Beehiiv is newsletter platform built for growth — with built-in referral programs, monetization, and analytics, while Substack is newsletter and publishing platform with built-in paid subscriptions. Beehiiv is built for newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization, whereas Substack targets writers who want to monetize with paid subscriptions.

At a glance

	Beehiiv	Substack
Best for	Newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization	Writers who want to monetize with paid subscriptions
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Ad Network	✓	—
Analytics	✓	—
Community	—	✓
Custom Domains	✓	—
Discovery Network	—	✓
Mobile App	—	✓
Monetization	✓	—
Paid Subscriptions	—	✓
Podcasts	—	✓
Referral Program	✓	—

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

Substack

Strengths

Free to use — takes 10% of paid subscriber revenue
Built-in discovery and recommendation network
Simple, distraction-free writing experience
Mobile app for readers

Weaknesses

10% revenue cut is steep at scale
Very limited customization
Basic analytics
No automation or segmentation

Try Substack → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Beehiiv and Substack are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Beehiiv offers Ad Network, Analytics and Custom Domains that Substack lacks. Substack brings Community, Discovery Network and Mobile App 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. Substack's biggest strengths are: free to use — takes 10% of paid subscriber revenue. built-in discovery and recommendation network.

Watch out for: With Beehiiv, users commonly note that focused on newsletters — not general email marketing. With Substack, the main complaint is that 10% revenue cut is steep at scale.

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