Beehiiv emerged as the newsletter platform of choice for operators who take growth seriously. Built by former Morning Brew employees, it reflects what happens when people who scaled a newsletter to millions build the tool they wished they had.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Beehiiv?

Beehiiv is an all-in-one newsletter platform that combines publishing, website hosting, monetization, and growth tools. Unlike traditional email platforms designed for marketing, Beehiiv was built specifically for newsletter creators.

The platform handles:

  • Newsletter creation and sending
  • Website and blog hosting
  • Subscriber management
  • Monetization (ads, paid subscriptions, digital products)
  • Growth tools (referrals, recommendations, boosts)
  • Analytics and reporting

Pricing Breakdown

Launch (Free)

  • Up to 2,500 subscribers
  • Unlimited email sends
  • Basic analytics
  • Web hosting included
  • Beehiiv branding on emails

The free tier is genuinely usable—not a crippled trial designed to force upgrades.

Scale ($49/month)

  • Custom domains
  • Monetization features
  • Surveys and polls
  • A/B testing
  • AI writing tools
  • Remove Beehiiv branding from emails (partial)

Max ($109/month)

  • Everything in Scale
  • Full branding removal
  • Priority support
  • NewsletterXP course access
  • Advanced automation

Enterprise (Custom)

  • For 100,000+ subscriber lists
  • Dedicated account manager
  • Migration assistance
  • Dedicated IP address
  • Custom integrations

Pricing scales with subscriber count. The base prices above are starting points.

Key Features

Boosts

Beehiiv’s standout feature. Boosts create a two-sided marketplace for newsletter growth:

As a buyer: Pay other newsletters to recommend yours. You set a price per subscriber and only pay for actual signups.

As a seller: Earn money by recommending other newsletters to your audience. Get paid per subscriber you refer.

This creates organic cross-promotion between newsletters with aligned audiences.

Ad Network

Beehiiv operates its own advertising network, connecting newsletter operators with advertisers. You can:

  • Apply to join the ad network
  • Get matched with relevant sponsors
  • Insert ads with a single click
  • Track performance automatically

The platform handles billing and payment, taking a cut of ad revenue.

SEO-Optimized Web Versions

Every newsletter automatically becomes a web page with its own URL. Beehiiv generates these pages with proper SEO structure:

  • Clean URLs
  • Meta descriptions
  • Structured data
  • Fast loading times

This means your newsletter content ranks in search engines, bringing in subscribers who never signed up for an email.

Referral Program

Built-in referral tracking lets you reward subscribers for sharing your newsletter. You define milestones and rewards—subscribers track their progress in a dashboard.

No third-party tools or custom development needed.

Digital Products (New)

As of late 2025, Beehiiv added a digital products marketplace with zero commission on transactions. Sell courses, templates, or guides directly to your audience without external platforms taking a cut.

AI Features

AI writing assistance helps with:

  • Subject line generation
  • Content suggestions
  • Headline optimization
  • Translation

Not a replacement for good writing, but useful for overcoming blank page syndrome.

Who Should Use Beehiiv?

Ideal for:

  • Newsletter operators focused on growth
  • Creators wanting to monetize through ads
  • Publishers building media businesses
  • Teams needing collaboration features
  • Anyone scaling past 5,000 subscribers

Less ideal for:

  • E-commerce businesses (use Klaviyo)
  • SaaS companies (use ConvertKit or Mailchimp)
  • Simple blogs that occasionally email (use Substack)
  • Budget-conscious hobbyists (use free Substack)

Beehiiv vs Alternatives

vs Substack: Beehiiv offers more monetization options, better analytics, and actual growth tools. Substack is simpler but takes 10% of paid subscriptions forever. Beehiiv charges a flat monthly fee regardless of revenue.

vs ConvertKit: ConvertKit excels at automation and integrations for course creators. Beehiiv wins on newsletter-specific features like boosts and the ad network.

vs Mailchimp: Mailchimp is a general marketing platform that happens to send newsletters. Beehiiv is a newsletter platform that happens to do marketing. Different focus, different strengths.

Migration Considerations

Moving to Beehiiv from another platform:

  • Subscriber import is straightforward (CSV upload)
  • Open/click history may not transfer
  • Custom integrations need rebuilding
  • Paid tiers include migration assistance

Most operators report migration taking a few hours for small lists, a few days for larger operations with complex setups.

The Bottom Line

Beehiiv makes sense if you’re serious about building a newsletter business. The platform assumes you want to grow and eventually monetize—every feature supports those goals.

If you’re starting from scratch with growth ambitions, the free tier gives you a real platform to build on. If you’re migrating from another tool and hitting growth ceilings, Beehiiv’s unique features (boosts, ad network, referrals) justify the price.

The platform isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. It’s specifically for newsletter operators who see their publication as a business, not a hobby.