--- title: beehiiv canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/beehiiv/ category: Newsletter Platforms points: 97 rank: 1 of 12 facts_checked: 2026-10-09 --- # beehiiv Newsletter platform with a free plan to 2,500 subscribers and a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions. 97 points out of 100. #1 of 12 newsletter platforms. Vendor: beehiiv. Website: https://www.beehiiv.com/ - The free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends [1]. - beehiiv takes 0% of paid-subscription and digital-product revenue; Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 still applies [1]. - Lite costs $49 a month and Pro $95 a month, both billed yearly [1]. - Custom domains, the ad network, referrals, A/B tests and automations need a paid plan [4][7][8][9][10]. - Subscriber CSV export and import work on every plan [5][6]. Verdict: beehiiv suits writers who want to start free and grow, since the free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and the platform keeps no cut of paid subscriptions [1]. Most growth and money tools, including the ad network, referrals, A/B tests and a custom domain, sit behind Lite at $49 a month [4][7][8][9][10]. Paid subscriptions are not listed on the free plan [1]. Best for: Writers who want an ad network, referrals and growth tools. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Earning | Paid subscriptions | Yes | 8/8 | Paid subscriptions are listed under the Lite plan, with a 0% take rate [1]. | | Earning | Fee on paid subscriptions | 0 | 10/10 | FAQ: beehiiv takes 0% of paid-subscription and digital-product revenue; Stripe's fee still applies [1]. | | Earning | Built-in sponsorship or ad network | Yes | 4/4 | beehiiv runs an Ad Network marketplace for claiming ad offers; paid plans. Features page lists it too [2][7]. | | Earning | Sell digital products | Yes | 3/3 | File and download products are available on all plans; paid products need a Stripe account [3]. | | Your list | Export your subscriber list | Yes | 8/8 | Settings > General Info > Export Data exports all subscribers to CSV; article lists all plans [5]. | | Your list | Import subscribers | Yes | 5/5 | Import free subscribers from a CSV file or pasted list; listed for all plans [6]. | | Your list | Website on your own domain | Yes | 7/7 | Custom domain for the web address of your publication, on all paid plans; free uses a beehiiv subdomain [4]. | | Your list | Send from your own domain | Yes | 5/5 | Custom domain setup creates SPF and DKIM CNAME records; paid plans only [4][13]. | | Your list | Open source | Not published | 0/3 | Not published on the vendor's pricing page [1]. | | Your list | Public API | Yes | 4/4 | Developer docs list endpoints to create, list and update subscriptions; free plan lists API access [1][11]. | | Growth | Recommendation network | Yes | 6/6 | Recommendation network is included in the Free plan [1]. | | Growth | Referral program | Yes | 4/4 | Referral Program rewards subscribers for referrals; all paid plans [8]. | | Growth | Send to a tag or segment | Yes | 5/5 | Posts can be sent to a segment from the Audience page; publishing to a segment requires a paid plan [12]. | | Growth | Automated email sequences | Yes | 4/4 | Welcome automation can include multiple emails, started by the Signed Up trigger; pricing page lists Automations under Lite [10][1]. | | Growth | Subscriber source reports | Yes | 4/4 | Subscribers Report shows new subscribers by acquisition source, with UTM filters; all paid plans [14]. | | Growth | Subject-line A/B tests | Yes | 3/3 | Test up to four subject lines on part of the list; winner goes to the rest; paid plans [9]. | | Price | Free plan | Yes | 8/8 | Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends [1]. | | Price | Cost at 1,000 subscribers | $0 | 9/9 | Free plan sends unlimited emails to up to 2,500 subscribers, so 1,000 subscribers cost nothing [1]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Free | Free [1] | $0 | | Lite | $49/month, billed yearly [1] | $49 | | Pro | $95/month, billed yearly [1] | $95 | The pricing page shows yearly-billing prices only, and says yearly billing saves up to 20% over monthly [1]. ## Strengths - Free plan: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, a recommendation network and API access [1]. - 0% take rate on paid subscriptions and digital products [1]. - Runs its own ad network on paid plans and documents a subscriber API with segment and automation endpoints [7][11]. - Full subscriber export and CSV import on all plans [5][6]. ## Limits - Paid subscriptions, custom domain, ad network, referrals and A/B tests need a paid plan, from $49 a month billed yearly [1][4][7][8][9]. - Sending to a segment requires a paid plan [12]. - The pricing page shows only yearly-billing prices for Lite and Pro [1]. ## Vendor claims (not scored) - beehiiv says its ad monetization averages $39 a month on Lite and Pro [1]. ## Sources 1. [beehiiv pricing](https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing), beehiiv, accessed 2026-10-09 2. [beehiiv features](https://www.beehiiv.com/features), beehiiv, accessed 2026-10-09 3. [Creating digital products for your website](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/36315392222615-creating-digital-products-for-your-website), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 4. [How to use a custom domain for your publication](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/14492990172823-how-to-use-a-custom-domain-for-your-publication), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 5. [Exporting post content or subscriber data from beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/12258595483543-exporting-post-content-or-subscriber-data-from-beehiiv), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 6. [How to import free subscribers and map custom fields or tags](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/4412705350679-how-to-import-free-subscribers-and-map-custom-fields-or-tags), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 7. [Using the beehiiv Ad Network](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/17525818225431-using-the-beehiiv-ad-network), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 8. [Referral Program: Getting set up, sharing, and monitoring](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/13090888705943-referral-program-getting-set-up-sharing-and-monitoring), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 9. [Creating and using A/B tests in your beehiiv posts](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/9479415454615-creating-and-using-ab-tests-in-your-beehiiv-posts), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 10. [Welcome email vs. welcome automation](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/38813477234071-welcome-email-vs-welcome-automation-which-should-you-use), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 11. [beehiiv developer documentation index](https://developers.beehiiv.com/llms.txt), beehiiv, accessed 2026-10-09 12. [Creating and using segments in beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/9366426644503-creating-and-using-segments-in-beehiiv), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 13. [Setting up DMARC for a custom domain](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/13650078276375-setting-up-dmarc-for-a-custom-domain-how-to-create-a-record-and-authenticate), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09 14. [Understanding your Subscribers Report](https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/14492955466007-understanding-your-subscribers-report), beehiiv Support, accessed 2026-10-09