An Overview of Substack and Beehiiv

Substack* and Beehiiv* are two popular email newsletter publishing platforms in 2024. They share similarities but also some key differences.

What is Substack?

You can find a comprehensive Substack review here:

Founded in 2017, Substack is a well-known newsletter publishing platform. It offers a streamlined interface to create, design, manage and analyze newsletters.

Substack enables writers to monetize newsletters through paid subscriptions. It takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue.

With its emphasis on independent writing and journalism, Substack has built a vibrant community of creators and readers.

What is Beehiiv?

You can find a comprehensive Beehiiv* review here:

Launched in 2021, Beehiiv is a newer newsletter platform quickly gaining popularity. It provides tools to create visually appealing newsletters and scale audience growth.

A key advantage of Beehiiv is its pricing model. It does not take any commissions on subscriber revenue, only payment processing fees.

Beehiiv focuses on helping creators optimize and monetize their newsletters through subscriptions without platform fees.

Comparing Core Features

While Substack and Beehiiv share common newsletter capabilities, Beehiiv offers more advanced options in certain areas.

Newsletter Creation

• Both have intuitive drag and drop builders and starter templates to design newsletters.
• Beehiiv provides more customization options and templates.
• Substack offers a simpler text-based editor focused on writing.

Audience Management

• Both allow unlimited subscribers and public signup forms.
• Beehiiv has more advanced segmentation and collaborative team features.
• Substack offers basic subscriber management for individuals.

Analytics and Reports

• Open and click tracking provided by both platforms.
• Beehiiv includes more detailed campaign performance reporting.
• Substack offers top-level subscriber growth and engagement insights.

Email Delivery

• Integration with top providers ensures reliable delivery.
• Scheduling and automation capabilities on both, but more limited on Substack.
• Beehiiv provides more options for complex email journeys.

Monetization Models

A key point of comparison is how Substack and Beehiiv allow creators to monetize newsletters.

Paid Subscriptions

• Both platforms enable paid newsletter subscriptions.
• Substack charges a 10% fee on top of payment processing.
• Beehiiv does not take any commissions, only payment processor charges.

Additional Revenue Streams

• Beehiiv offers more monetization options like affiliate programs, events, and ads.
• Substack is solely focused on subscriptions.

Integrations and Expandability

Integrating other apps expands newsletter capabilities.

• Beehiiv has Zapier integration and some native app integrations.
• Substack has no API or integrations
• Beehiiv provides more flexibility to link marketing and sales tools.
• You can integrate SparkLoop on Beehiiv

Pricing and Plans

Pricing is an important differentiator between the two platforms.

Substack

• Free version with unlimited subscribers and newsletters.
• 10% commission on subscription revenue.
• Payment processing fees extra.
• No monthly platform fees.

Beehiiv

• Free plan for under 2,500 subscribers.
• Three paid tiers based on number of subscribers.
• Monthly or annual pricing from $42/month to $99/month.
• No commissions, only payment processor charges.

Use Cases and Ideal Users

The platforms cater to slightly different creators and use cases.

Substack Best For:

• Independent writers and journalists.
• Individuals wanting to build an audience.
• Creators seeking subscription income.
• Anyone new to newsletters.

Beehiiv Best For:

• Larger publishers and brands.
• Teams collaborating on newsletters.
• Creators focused on monetization and conversions.
• Existing businesses with audience.

Substack vs. Beehiiv: Key Considerations

When choosing between Substack and Beehiiv, keep these factors in mind:

• Substack simpler and more affordable for individuals starting out.
• Beehiiv has more advanced features and analytics but higher pricing (at the start).
• Substack takes 10% on subscriptions, Beehiiv takes no commission.
• Substack better suited for solo creators building an audience.
• Beehiiv better for monetizing large creators, newsletter businesses and teams.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, the choice depends on your specific needs and goals:

• Substack* streamlined for beginners focused on writing.
• Beehiiv* built for established creators, monetizing seriously.
• Assess pricing, features, use cases and future plans.
• For sizable revenue, Beehiiv’s zero commissions provide significant savings.
• For simplicity when starting out, Substack is highly affordable.

Both Substack and Beehiiv deliver excellent value, so choose the one that best matches your current stage and objectives.

I use Substack for now. It’s a great choice. But I have tried Beehiiv as well and was impressed with the features and feel of it.

If neither sound right for you, you might want to look at ConvertKit or EmailOctopus instead!