beehiiv Review

Heads-up: This beehiiv review includes affiliate links—if you click and sign up, I may earn a commission. I only spotlight tools I’d genuinely use.

beehiiv is a newsletter platform built by creators, for creators. It stands out by combining robust publishing tools, intuitive design, and built-in monetization—all with no platform commission on income. Whether you’re launching your first newsletter or growing an independent media brand, beehiiv is purpose-built to help you scale efficiently.

This review dives deep into the platform’s strengths, pricing nuances, real-world use cases, and what really makes it exciting for serious newsletter creators.

Table of Contents

Quick Answers

1. What is beehiiv? A creator-focused newsletter platform with publishing, analytics, and monetization baked in.
2. Free plan? Yes—Launch includes up to 2,500 subscribers and core features at no cost.
3. Best for who? Independent creators, writers, journalists, and small media brands looking to grow and monetize.
4. Key strengths? Creator monetization (ads, referrals, subscriptions), clean UI, powerful analytics, and continuous innovation.
5. Main drawbacks? Template variety could improve, paid plans jump steeply, fewer integrations than bigger ESPs.
6. Where to start?
    Start with beehiiv Free Plan →

1. Features & Capabilities

beehiiv is built around simplicity and effectiveness—each feature supports creators’ goals: audience growth, content delivery, and audience monetization.

The Launch plan already gives you:

• Custom newsletter website with SSL and custom domain
• Unlimited email sends and posts
• Granular campaign analytics and reader metrics
• Recommendation network, magic links, and optimized deliverability
• API access (excluding Send API)

With the Scale plan, you add:

• Ad network, Boosts, referral program, paid subscriptions (0% platform commission)
• Email automations, surveys, polls, A/B testing
• beehiiv AI, 3D analytics, segment publishing, webhooks
• Team collaboration (3 seats), priority onboarding, and human support

The Max plan further upgrades your toolkit with:

• Removal of beehiiv branding
• Multiple publications (up to 10), RSS & audio newsletter support, sponsorship tools
• Access to NewsletterXP course and unlimited team seats
• Priority human support, AI enhancements, Podcast functionality

The Enterprise plan is all about scale: custom subscriber limits, dedicated IPs, VIP-level support, onboarding help, and soon, dynamic content and deliverability reports.

Bonus features include intuitive dynamic content insertion, personalization tokens, spam testing, and device/email previews, all of which help elevate content quality.

2. Pricing & Value

beehiiv’s pricing balances generous free access with scalable paid tiers:

Launch—$0/month, up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited email sends, core tools.

Scale—~$49/month (monthly) or ~$43/month (annual). Pricing scales with subscriber count up to 100k. Adds monetization, AI, analytics, automations.

Max—~$109/month (monthly) or ~$76–96/mo (annual). Removes branding, unleashes multiple publications, courses, podcasts, priority support.

Enterprise—Custom pricing with advanced features like VIP support, dedicated IPs, and concierge onboarding.

The jump from free to paid is significant—but the ROI potential is clear. Monetization tools often cover your cost early in the first few paid campaigns.

Notably, there are no hidden fees—everything is subscription-based, without revenue cuts.

3. Ease of Use & Onboarding

Users consistently highlight beehiiv’s modern, clean interface and minimal learning curve. From signing up to sending your first email, it’s smooth sailing.

The email editor is intuitive and distraction-free, with drag-and-drop blocks, styling, and HTML editing. Designers will appreciate real-time previews and preview-on-device support.

Merchant-level features—like polls, automations, and monetization—are logically placed and self-explanatory. You’ll never feel lost navigating campaign setup. Paid users also get guided onboarding and human support.

4. Case Studies & Reputation

beehiiv is tailored for creators who want autonomy and revenue. Some real-life highlights:

One creator earned around $92/month using ads and Boosts on a small subscriber base—real monetization on day one.

Newsletter growth stories are common—Smart Nonsense jumped to 10k subscribers in one month. Founder Tyler Denk revealed beehiiv doubled ARR in 3 months after hitting $1M.

Reviewers consistently highlight beehiiv’s potent combination of growth and monetization tools.

WIRED lists beehiiv as a top Substack alternative—especially for creators who don’t want their revenue sliced by platform fees.

beehiiv’s journalism fund is another feather in its cap—supporting independent writers financially and operationally.

5. Customer Support & Reliability

Support varies by plan—free users rely on documentation and community, Scale users get human support, and Max/Enterprise get priority & VIP-level help.

Infrastructure is solid, with fast sending speeds, excellent deliverability, and robust analytics. beehiiv is also proactive with feature releases and updates.

6. Summary & Final Rating

Pros

Cons

Final beehiiv Review Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.2/5)

beehiiv nails the modern creator’s needs: building, monetizing, and growing a newsletter without hidden fees or unnecessary complexity. For creators serious about converting content into income and owning audience relationships, beehiiv is a compelling platform. Start free, scale when ready, and keep control (and profits) entirely in your hands.

Start with beehiiv Free Plan →