beehiiv alternatives
At 10k subs, beehiiv costs $139 a month. 8 newsletter platforms cost less, from $4.30 (Sendy + SES). Ranked by price at the size you pick, with free plans, price hikes and how to switch.
Alternatives to beehiiv at 10k subs, cheapest first
- Substack: free +10% of paid subs (No plan fee). Free plan: unlimited subscribers.
- Sendy + SES: $4.30/mo +$69 license, own server (Self-hosted, SES à la carte at $0.10 per 1k). Free plan: none.
- MailCheap: $39/mo, $1,200 a year less than beehiiv (Plan for one issue a week (~4.3 emails per subscriber)). Free plan: none.
- Flodesk: $72/mo, $804 a year less than beehiiv (Lite plan (Pro above 25k)). Free plan: none. Last price hike: Dec 2025.
- Bento: $79/mo, $720 a year less than beehiiv (Marketing Platform). Free plan: none.
- Buttondown: $79/mo, $720 a year less than beehiiv (Base plan, no add-ons). Free plan: up to 100 subscribers. Last price hike: Mar 2023.
- MailerLite: $89/mo, $600 a year less than beehiiv (Comfort plan). Free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo. Last price hike: Jun 2026.
- Ghost(Pro): $105/mo, $408 a year less than beehiiv (Starter (Publisher above 1k)). Free plan: none. Last price hike: Jul 2025.
- Mailchimp: $110/mo, $348 a year less than beehiiv (Essentials (Standard above 50k)). Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo. Last price hike: Apr 2026.
- Kit: $139/mo (Creator plan). Free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers, no automations. Last price hike: Sep 2025.
Prices at every size
- beehiiv: 1k subs $59/mo, 5k subs $109/mo, 10k subs $139/mo, 25k subs $199/mo, 50k subs $299/mo, 100k subs $469/mo
- Substack: 1k subs free, 5k subs free, 10k subs free, 25k subs free, 50k subs free, 100k subs free (+10% of paid subs)
- Sendy + SES: 1k subs $0.43/mo, 5k subs $2.15/mo, 10k subs $4.30/mo, 25k subs $10.75/mo, 50k subs $21.50/mo, 100k subs $43/mo (+$69 license, own server)
- MailCheap: 1k subs $19/mo, 5k subs $39/mo, 10k subs $39/mo, 25k subs $79/mo, 50k subs $149/mo, 100k subs $149/mo
- Flodesk: 1k subs $25/mo, 5k subs $52/mo, 10k subs $72/mo, 25k subs $162/mo, 50k subs $389/mo, 100k subs $689/mo
- Bento: 1k subs $29/mo, 5k subs $29/mo, 10k subs $79/mo, 25k subs $229/mo, 50k subs $479/mo, 100k subs $929/mo
- Buttondown: 1k subs $9/mo, 5k subs $29/mo, 10k subs $79/mo, 25k subs $239/mo, 50k subs $319/mo, 100k subs custom pricing
- MailerLite: 1k subs $19/mo, 5k subs $49/mo, 10k subs $89/mo, 25k subs $179/mo, 50k subs $319/mo, 100k subs $439/mo
- Ghost(Pro): 1k subs $18/mo, 5k subs $75/mo, 10k subs $105/mo, 25k subs $169/mo, 50k subs $249/mo, 100k subs $329/mo
- Mailchimp: 1k subs $26.50/mo, 5k subs $75/mo, 10k subs $110/mo, 25k subs $270/mo, 50k subs $385/mo, 100k subs $800/mo
- Kit: 1k subs $39/mo, 5k subs $89/mo, 10k subs $139/mo, 25k subs $199/mo, 50k subs $379/mo, 100k subs $679/mo
Cheapest paid plan that can send a weekly newsletter to the whole list, billed monthly. Plans priced by emails sent assume one issue a week, about 4.3 emails per subscriber a month.
How to move from beehiiv to MailCheap
- 1. Export your subscribers from beehiiv. Settings → General Info → Export Data → Export Subscribers → Export All Subscribers (the full CSV, with custom fields). The download link is emailed to you and expires after 24 hours. beehiiv's guide
- 2. Export your posts. Same screen: Export Posts → Export All Posts gives a CSV of every post, including drafts and archived ones.
- 3. Import into MailCheap. Upload the subscriber CSV; MailCheap has an importer for beehiiv exports. You pay for emails sent, so prune dormant subscribers first to land on a smaller plan. mailcheap.ai
- 4. Sort out paid subscriptions. MailCheap's feature list doesn't mention paid subscriptions. If you sell them, check with MailCheap before moving, or keep that part of the business elsewhere.
- 5. Move your domain. Removing your domain inside beehiiv doesn't delete its DNS records (there are about a dozen), so delete them at your DNS host, then add MailCheap's records including SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Allow 24–48 hours. beehiiv's guide
- 6. Keep old links working. beehiiv post URLs live under /p/ and tags under /t/. Add 301 redirects on MailCheap so old links and search rankings survive.
- 7. Send a test, then a short 'we moved' issue. Send to yourself first. A few unsubscribes after the first send from a new platform is normal.
- 8. Cancel beehiiv at the right moment. Monthly plans switch to the new price at the first renewal on or after Nov 1, 2026; annual plans keep the old price until the term ends. Cancel after your first clean send from MailCheap.
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Everything about beehiiv's own prices and price hikes: beehiiv.