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beehiiv vs Substack

Updated

beehiiv or Substack: which should you pick?

Subscription vs revenue share. Free plans, pricing basis, automation and transactional email from each vendor's pricing page, plus who should pick which.

beehiiv free emails
Unlimited
beehiiv free emails
Substack free subscribers
Unlimited
Substack free subscribers
Lumail free emails
3,000/mo
Lumail free emails

TL;DR

Substack costs nothing until you charge readers, then takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue plus Stripe fees. beehiiv charges a subscription instead (free to 2,500 subscribers, Lite from $49 a month billed annually) and adds automations, an ad network and a hosted website. Free newsletter of any size: Substack. Growing a paid or ad-supported publication: beehiiv.

beehiiv vs Substack side by side

Every beehiiv and Substack cell comes from the vendor's public pricing page, verified on August 17, 2026. Lumail is the third column, as the alternative.

beehiiv vs Substack comparison with Lumail
beehiivSubstackLumail (alternative)
Free plan2,500 subscribers and unlimited sendsFree publishing for any subscriber count$0, 3,000 emails/month
Paid fromLite from $49/month billed annually10% of paid-subscription revenue, plus Stripe fees$20/month, 40,000 included, then $0.60/1,000
Pricing basisPlan and subscriber tierRevenue share when paid subscriptions are enabledUnlimited subscribers; pricing follows email volume
AutomationAvailable on Lite and abovePublication and subscriber features rather than graph workflowsGraph workflows with triggers, branches, goals, exits, and A/B paths
AI and developer accessbeehiiv MCP on Lite and aboveNo equivalent organization-wide MCP, CLI, SDK, and REST surfaceChatGPT OAuth, MCP, skills, CLI, SDK, REST API, and visual editor
Transactional emailSend API reserved for EnterpriseNot a transactional email APIIncluded through API, SMTP, SDK, CLI, and agent tools
PublishingHosted newsletter website, podcast, and publication toolsHosted publication, app, community, and paid subscriptionsCapture pages and custom web domains; not a general website builder
Best forNewsletter publishers focused on audience growth and monetizationWriters who want the shortest path to a hosted paid publicationTeams that want campaigns, workflows and transactional email priced by volume

Choose beehiiv if

  • You want an ad network and recommendations to monetize
  • You want automations, available on Lite and above
  • You prefer a fixed subscription over a cut of paid revenue

Choose Substack if

  • You want free publishing for any subscriber count
  • Substack's reader network is part of your growth strategy
  • You want the shortest path to a hosted paid publication

Where Lumail fits

Neither offers a general transactional email API. If you also send product or receipt email, or want to keep your list outside a publication platform, look at Lumail.

Lumail prices by emails sent, with unlimited subscribers on every plan: $0 for 3,000 emails a month, Premium at $20 a month for 40,000 emails then $0.60 per 1,000, and Business at $200 a month for 400,000 emails then $0.40 per 1,000. Campaigns, graph workflows and transactional email (API and SMTP) live in one account, and agents can run it through MCP, the CLI or the SDK.

Read the full Lumail vs beehiiv and Lumail vs Substack breakdowns, or the long-form beehiiv and Substack articles.

Start for freeSee Lumail pricing

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How much does Substack take compared to beehiiv?

Substack takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue plus Stripe fees and charges nothing for free publications. beehiiv is a subscription: free up to 2,500 subscribers, Lite from $49 a month billed annually.

Can I run automations on Substack?

Substack focuses on publication and subscriber features rather than graph workflows. beehiiv offers automations on Lite and above.

Do beehiiv and Substack include transactional email?

beehiiv: Send API reserved for Enterprise. Substack: Not a transactional email API.

Is there an alternative to beehiiv and Substack that prices by emails sent?

Lumail. It is $0 for 3,000 emails a month, then $20 a month for 40,000 emails and $0.60 per extra 1,000, with unlimited subscribers on every plan. Campaigns, workflows and transactional email share one account.

Where do these numbers come from?

From each vendor's public pricing page (beehiiv pricing and Substack fees), last verified on August 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.

Keep comparing

Not sold on beehiiv or Substack?

3,000 emails a month free. Unlimited subscribers on every plan. Campaigns, automations and transactional email on one domain.

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