At a glance
beehiiv
- Free plan
- Up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends. A welcome email, but no automations or custom domain.
- Paid plans from
- $59 a month (Lite, up to 1,000 subscribers), or $49 a month billed yearly
- Best for
- Newsletter writers who want a website too, and may charge readers later
- Skip it if
- You need automations or a custom domain without paying $49+ a month
Prices checked 2026-10-21 · Sources
Quick answer
beehiiv is built for newsletters. Its Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends, a website and a welcome email, and beehiiv will even put its own business address in your footer. What Free doesn't have is automations, a custom domain or the option to remove the "Powered by beehiiv" branding. If you outgrow it, the paid plans cost more than most: Lite starts at $59 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers ($49 billed yearly), and Pro at $109 ($95 yearly).
Is the free plan enough?
Enough for you if you write a newsletter for up to 2,500 people and don't need emails that go out on their own. beehiiv Free includes:
- up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited email sends
- 1 publication and 1 team seat
- a welcome email
- a website with 1 custom page, 3 segments and 30 days of analytics history
- a footer address: a physical address is required, but if you leave it blank beehiiv uses its own business address in New York, so you don't have to publish yours
Not enough if you need any of these:
- automations (Lite allows 10 live automations)
- a custom domain for your newsletter or website
- emails without "Powered by beehiiv" (removing it needs Pro or Enterprise)
- paid subscriptions (they start on Lite)
- the Send API
Sources: beehiiv pricing, plan types, footer address.
What it costs when you outgrow it
beehiiv charges by active subscribers. Prices in USD, billed monthly / billed yearly (per month):
| Subscribers | Lite | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $59 / $49 | $109 / $95 |
| 2,500 | $79 / $69 | $149 / $129 |
| 5,000 | $109 / $95 | $199 / $169 |
| 10,000 | $139 / $119 | $239 / $199 |
Source: www.beehiiv.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-21. Prices change; the vendor's page is the final word.
From the subscriber slider on beehiiv's pricing page. Free shows as unavailable from 5,000 subscribers. Yearly Lite at 1,000 subscribers is $588 a year.
- What Lite adds: paid subscriptions, ad monetization, 10 live automations, custom domains, 2 team seats, 3 publications and 12 months of analytics history. Lite goes up to 100,000 subscribers.
- What Pro adds: removing the "Powered by beehiiv" branding, the Send API, 10 team seats, 10 publications and unlimited analytics history. Pro goes up to 250,000 subscribers.
- Paid subscriptions: they start on Lite, and beehiiv takes 0% of the revenue. Stripe's processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) still apply.
- Trial: a 14-day trial of Pro features with no credit card. You stay on the Free plan during the trial, and it ends back on Free.
Sources: beehiiv pricing, free trial.
Catches to know
- All your publications share one count. beehiiv counts active subscribers across every publication in your account. Unsubscribed and inactive subscribers don't count (plan types).
- Going over can delay your sends. You can turn on automatic upgrades, which are charged pro rata. Without it, sends may be delayed once you pass your tier, and at the top of a plan type you have to move up a plan (plan types).
- Paid plans start high. Lite costs $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers. That's more than Kit Creator ($39), MailerLite Comfort ($19) or Mailchimp Standard ($45 for 1,500) at a similar size (beehiiv pricing).
- No refunds. beehiiv says all sales are final. It doesn't refund unused time, forgotten cancellations, missing features or purchases made by mistake (refunds).
- Downgrades wait for the period to end. A downgrade takes effect at the end of the billing period. Moving from yearly to monthly waits until the yearly plan ends. Monthly plans can be paused for up to 30 days. Dropping to Free turns your automations off (change your plan).
beehiiv vs Kit, MailerLite and Mailchimp at a glance
| beehiiv Free | Kit Free | MailerLite Free | Mailchimp Free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free subscribers | Up to 2,500 | Up to 10,000 | 250 | 250 |
| Free sends | Unlimited | No sending limits | 2,500 a month | 500 a month, 250 a day |
| Automations on Free | None (welcome email only) | None | 3, up to 5 steps each | None (preview only) |
| Cheapest paid plan (monthly) | $59 (Lite, 1,000) | $39 (Creator, 1,000) | $12 (Comfort, 500) | $13 (Essentials, 500) |
| Free footer address | Yes, beehiiv's business address | Yes, Kit's shared address | No | No |
Sources: beehiiv pricing, Kit pricing, MailerLite pricing, Mailchimp compare plans. More detail in our Kit, MailerLite and Mailchimp reviews.
Who should pick beehiiv, and who should skip it
Pick beehiiv if you're starting a newsletter, want a website in the same tool, and can live without automations until you pass 2,500 subscribers. If you plan to charge readers, paid subscriptions start on Lite and beehiiv takes 0% of the revenue. Not having to publish your home address is a real plus.
Skip beehiiv if you need automations or a custom domain on a small budget (MailerLite Free includes 3 automations; MailerLite Comfort is $12 a month), you expect to pass 2,500 subscribers soon and want to stay free (Kit Free goes up to 10,000), or you want a refund option.
FAQ
Is beehiiv really free?
Yes, for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends. Free has no automations or custom domains, and emails show "Powered by beehiiv".
How much is beehiiv after the free plan?
Lite costs $59 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers, $79 at 2,500, $109 at 5,000 and $139 at 10,000. Yearly billing brings those to $49, $69, $95 and $119 a month. Pro starts at $109 a month. Prices checked October 21, 2026.
Do I have to put my home address in beehiiv emails?
No. A physical address is required, but if you leave it blank, beehiiv uses its own business address in New York.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
beehiiv says it takes 0%. Paid subscriptions need Lite or higher. Stripe's processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 still apply.
Does the beehiiv trial need a credit card?
No. The 14-day trial of Pro features needs no card. Your account stays on Free and returns to the Free features when the trial ends.
What changed
- 2026-10-21: Written from beehiiv's official pricing and help pages.
Sources
All accessed 2026-10-21 (America/New_York).
- beehiiv pricing and subscriber slider: https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing (1,000, 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers; USD; monthly and yearly)
- beehiiv, free trial: https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/22101553752471
- beehiiv, plan types and subscriber counting: https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/23874462928663
- beehiiv, change your plan and downgrades: https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/13092031997847
- beehiiv, "Am I eligible for a refund?": https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/13092084756631-am-i-eligible-for-a-refund
- beehiiv, footer physical address: https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/12293012097175
- beehiiv, customize your footer: https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/6049111808279
- Kit pricing (checked 2026-10-19): https://kit.com/pricing
- MailerLite pricing (checked 2026-10-21): https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing
- Mailchimp compare plans (checked 2026-10-21): https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans/