beehiiv Alternatives (2026): Prices and Real Switching Costs

Short answer: if you mainly send a newsletter, MailerLite costs less than beehiiv at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers and takes 0% of paid subscriptions too: $529.20 a year on MailerLite Comfort against $1,140 on beehiiv Lite at 5,000 subscribers. Kit has the biggest free plan, at 10,000 subscribers. beehiiv's new prices reach existing customers at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026.

What changes on November 1

beehiiv moved new customers to new prices on October 1, 2026. If you already pay beehiiv, the new price reaches you at your first renewal on or after November 1, 2026. Monthly customers get at least 30 days' notice before the first bill at the new price, and annual customers keep their current price through the end of their term ^[source].

beehiiv also moved some accounts that had grown past the tier they were billed for to a bigger tier, billed from that same first renewal. It says removing subscribers can bring you back down a tier ^[source]. The free plan stays at up to 2,500 subscribers, and beehiiv still takes 0% of paid subscription revenue. So the real question isn't whether beehiiv got worse. It's whether you now pay for features you don't use.

Quick comparison

The table uses each tool's entry paid plan at the same list sizes, read from the slider on each official pricing page. "Yearly" is the per-month price when you pay for a year.

beehiiv prices here are its current list prices, as shown on beehiiv's pricing page on November 2, 2026. They're the prices new customers have paid since October 1, 2026. beehiiv doesn't publish a separate renewal price list for existing customers, so check your account's billing page to see what your renewal will be ^[source].

Free plans: beehiiv covers up to 2,500 subscribers, Kit up to 10,000, and MailerLite 250 subscribers with 2,500 emails a month. Ghost(Pro) has no free plan. Substack charges no plan fee and keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus card fees ^[source]. MailerLite Comfort caps monthly emails at 10 times your subscriber tier (50,000 a month at 5,000 subscribers); Power has no cap ^[source].

Prices in USD per month, read live November 2, 2026 from each tool's official pricing page ^{[source] [source] [source] [source]}. Each figure was read twice from the same official page, a few minutes apart. Kit's and Ghost's yearly prices are the per-month figures they display. Taxes may apply.

What switching really costs

The plan price is only half of it. Here's the yearly bill at 5,000 subscribers if you pay for a year up front, then the costs that don't show up on a pricing page.

beehiiv Lite's $1,140 and Kit's $890 and MailerLite's $529.20 are the yearly totals each page shows. Ghost shows $63 a month billed yearly, so $756 is our 12-month total. Sources: ^{[source] [source] [source] [source]}. MailerLite migration help: ^[source].

The costs that don't show up on a pricing page:

• Paying twice. If you're on a beehiiv annual plan, you've already paid to the end of your term. Moving early means paying for two tools at once. Start the new tool's free trial a few weeks before your renewal instead ^[source].
• Paid subscribers. Moving paid readers takes extra work. MailerLite's own guide for moving paid readers from Substack is a re-subscribe campaign, with a discount and follow-up emails ^[source]. Plan for some paid readers not making the move, and check the new tool's help for Stripe options before you switch.
• Your setup time. MailerLite says migration time depends on how many automations and forms you need to rebuild, and that some features won't move over exactly ^[source]. Kit offers a free migration on its paid Creator and Pro plans, not on Free ^[source].
• Your list. Import only active, opted-in contacts; MailerLite asks you to leave out unsubscribed and bounced addresses ^[source]. A cleaner list can also put you in a cheaper tier on the new tool.

So at 5,000 subscribers, the move to MailerLite Comfort pays back $610.80 a year at list price if you mainly send a newsletter and don't earn from beehiiv's ad network. beehiiv shows Lite publishers at that size averaging $78 a month in ad income, about $936 a year, so if your ads earn more than the gap, staying wins ^[source]. Time the move to your renewal and stay within 50,000 emails a month. By our maths, a weekly send to 5,000 people is about 20,000 to 25,000 emails a month (4 to 5 sends × 5,000).

Fees on paid newsletters

If you charge readers, the platform's cut can matter more than the plan price.

Sources: beehiiv pricing FAQ ^[source], MailerLite vs Substack page ^[source], Ghost pricing ^[source], Substack going paid ^[source]. Checked November 2, 2026.

MailerLite: lowest entry price

MailerLite says every paid plan gets its full feature set, and you pay more only for a bigger list or more sending ^[source]. At 1,000 subscribers, Comfort is $17.10 a month billed yearly or $19 monthly. Power, which removes the monthly email cap, is $35.10 billed yearly or $39 monthly ^[source].

It sells paid newsletters, digital products and bookings, and takes 0% commission on paid subscriptions; you pay Stripe's fees ^[source]. The free plan is small (250 subscribers), so it suits a new list more than a big migration. MailerLite also has an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT that it says is free to connect ^[source].

Try MailerLite free

Kit: biggest free plan

Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers ^[source], four times beehiiv's 2,500. Paid Creator is $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year) or $39 monthly for 1,000 subscribers, and adds unlimited visual automations and email sequences ^[source]. Kit fits if you sell your own products and want automations more than an ad network. See Kit's pricing page.

Ghost: own your site

Ghost(Pro) is a website and newsletter in one. Paid subscriptions start on the Publisher plan at $29 a month billed yearly or $35 monthly for 1,000 members, with 0% Ghost transaction fees ^[source]. The cheaper Starter plan doesn't include paid subscriptions ^[source]. See Ghost's pricing, or our beehiiv vs Ghost comparison.

Substack: free to start, 10% later

Substack has no plan fee. Writers keep 90% of paid revenue, minus card fees ^[source]. That makes it the cheapest option while you earn little and the most expensive one as paid revenue grows. See Substack's page.

When staying on beehiiv makes sense

Stay if you use the ad network, the recommendation network or the website builder, or if your list is under 2,500 and the free plan still covers you ^[source]. If your tier went up, beehiiv says cleaning out disengaged subscribers may move you to a lower one ^[source]. Our beehiiv pricing 2026 guide has the full plan table.

See beehiiv's plans

FAQ

Does beehiiv's price change hit me on November 1? Only at your first renewal on or after that date. Annual plans keep the current price until the term ends ^[source].

Which alternative is cheapest? At 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers, MailerLite Comfort had the lowest price of the four paid plans we compared. For a large free list, Kit's free plan goes furthest.

How much does switching save? At 5,000 subscribers billed yearly, MailerLite Comfort is $610.80 a year less than beehiiv Lite at list price, unless beehiiv ads pay you more than that. Count the time to rebuild automations and any paid readers who don't re-subscribe.

Can I move my subscribers? All of these tools import subscriber lists. Paid subscribers tied to Stripe need extra steps, so check the new tool's migration help first.

Bottom line

Check your renewal date before you move. If you mostly send a newsletter and sell a few products, MailerLite costs less. If you need a big free list, pick Kit. If beehiiv's growth tools pay for themselves, stay.