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beehiiv alternatives: cheaper options at 1k–25k subscribers (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, monthly billing, excluding tax
Prices change often. Every price here was checked against the platform's official pricing page on the date shown, but plans, promos and taxes vary. Always confirm on the official site before you buy or switch. Not financial advice.
beehiiv raised prices on October 1, 2026 (Scale became Lite, Max became Pro). Existing customers move to the new prices at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026.
Short answer
- With automations, 5,000 subscribers: beehiiv Lite costs $109/mo. Cheapest alternative: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo (saves $80/mo, $960/yr).
- Basic newsletter, 5,000 subscribers: beehiiv Lite costs $109/mo. Cheapest alternative: Kit Free at $0/mo (saves $109/mo, $1,308/yr).
- Paid newsletter (5% pay $8/mo, fees included), 5,000 subscribers: beehiiv Lite costs $256/mo. Cheapest alternative: Kit Free at $145/mo (saves $111/mo, $1,332/yr).
Try Buttondown Try EmailOctopus
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Recently flagged: Kit: 25% off the first year of Pro on annual billing (limited-time offer) (20 Oct 2026) · beehiiv renames plans and raises prices (Scale → Lite, Max → Pro) (1 Oct 2026)
All alternatives at 5,000 subscribers (with automations)
beehiiv Lite: $109/mo. Cheapest fitting plan on each platform, monthly billing. Diff = monthly cost compared with beehiiv (− = cheaper).
| # | Alternative and plan | Total /mo | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) Visit site | $29 | −$80 |
| 2 | EmailOctopus Pro Visit site | $31.50 | −$77.50 |
| 3 | Brevo Starter, limited Visit site | $32 | −$77 |
| 4 | MailerLite Comfort Visit site · vs beehiiv | $49 | −$60 |
| 5 | GetResponse Starter, limited Visit site | $54 | −$55 |
| 6 | AWeber Lite, limited Visit site (paid link) · vs beehiiv | $60 | −$49 |
| 7 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited Visit site · vs beehiiv | $75 | −$34 |
| 8 | Constant Contact Lite, limited Visit site | $80 | −$29 |
| 9 | Kit Creator Visit site · vs beehiiv | $89 | −$20 |
| 10 | ActiveCampaign Starter Visit site | $99 | −$10 |
Not available or not verified for this scenario: Ghost, Substack.
Cheapest alternative at each list size
With automations
beehiiv plan used: Lite.
| Subscribers | beehiiv | Cheapest alternative | Saving /mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $59 | EmailOctopus $0 Free, limited | $59 |
| 2,500 | $79 | EmailOctopus $0 Free, limited | $79 |
| 5,000 | $109 | Buttondown $29 Paid (usage-based) | $80 |
| 10,000 | $139 | EmailOctopus $44.50 Pro | $94.50 |
| 25,000 | $199 | Brevo $82 Starter, limited | $117 |
Basic newsletter
beehiiv plan used: Free, Lite.
| Subscribers | beehiiv | Cheapest alternative | Saving /mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0 | none cheaper | — |
| 2,500 | $0 | none cheaper | — |
| 5,000 | $109 | Kit $0 Free | $109 |
| 10,000 | $139 | Kit $0 Free | $139 |
| 25,000 | $199 | Substack $0 Free + 10% of paid revenue | $199 |
Paid newsletter (5% pay $8/mo, fees included)
beehiiv plan used: Lite.
| Subscribers | beehiiv | Cheapest alternative | Saving /mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $88.40 | Kit $29 Free | $59.40 |
| 2,500 | $152.50 | Kit $72.50 Free | $80 |
| 5,000 | $256 | Kit $145 Free | $111 |
| 10,000 | $433 | Kit $290 Free | $143 |
| 25,000 | $934 | Ghost $904 Publisher | $30 |
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and needs. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack and AWeber); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees. "limited" = feature capped on that plan.
Switching? beehiiv → Buttondown cost · beehiiv → EmailOctopus cost · Rank all platforms for your needs · beehiiv price increase 2026: what you'll pay and cheaper alternatives · Moving from beehiiv to Kit: costs, steps and gotchas · Moving from beehiiv to MailerLite: costs, steps and gotchas · Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost: real cost at 1k, 10k and 50k subscribers · Is beehiiv worth it in 2026? Break-even vs Substack, Kit and MailerLite · beehiiv Free plan (2026): what's included, the 2,500 limit and what 2,501 costs
What you'd give up
Cost isn't everything. What beehiiv does well, from its official pages: Newsletter-first publishers who want built-in growth and monetization tools (ad network, referrals, website) in one place.
- Bundles growth tools beyond email: website builder, ad network and referral program (ad network not on Free). source
- Takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue on paid plans; Stripe fees apply. source
- Raised prices on October 1, 2026 (Scale→Lite, Max→Pro); existing customers move at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026. source
FAQ
What is the cheapest beehiiv alternative?
With automations at 5,000 subscribers: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo vs beehiiv $109/mo. Basic newsletter at 5,000 subscribers: Kit Free at $0/mo vs beehiiv $109/mo. Paid newsletter (5% pay $8/mo, fees included) at 5,000 subscribers: Kit Free at $145/mo vs beehiiv $256/mo. Monthly billing, prices verified 2026-10-20.
Is beehiiv more expensive than the alternatives?
For a newsletter with automations, at least one tracked platform is cheaper than beehiiv at 5 of the 5 list sizes we checked (1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000). Cheaper is not always better: check the features you need on each platform page.
How much would I save by switching from beehiiv?
Use the migration cost calculator with your own list size. At 5,000 subscribers (with automations), the cheapest alternative saves $80 a month.
Sources
- beehiiv pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Kit pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- MailerLite pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Ghost pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Buttondown pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Substack pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- EmailOctopus pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Brevo pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- AWeber pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Constant Contact pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- ActiveCampaign pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- GetResponse pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
- Stripe Billing pricing (0.7% on recurring payments)
More: Substack alternatives · Mailchimp alternatives · Kit alternatives · beehiiv pricing · best platform by use case · cheapest by list size