How much does beehiiv cost in 2026?

Lite, 1,000 subscribers: $49 a month on annual billing ($59 billed monthly); Lite, 2,500 subscribers: $69 a month on annual billing ($79 billed monthly); Pro, 1,000 subscribers: $95 a month on annual billing ($109 billed monthly); Pro, 2,500 subscribers: $129 a month on annual billing ($149 billed monthly). Up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. Checked October 26, 2026.

Newsletter publishing and monetization

Should you build your own beehiiv?

Q: Should you build your own beehiiv?

Buy it. beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends. Lite costs $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, about $1,760 over three years, and adds automations, paid subscriptions at a 0% take rate and the ad network. A homemade newsletter platform would cost about $4,600 over the same period, and deliverability and payments stay your problem. Ghost (41% less) and Kit (33% less) are worth a look if you don’t use the ad network.

Q: What is a cheaper alternative to beehiiv?

Ghost (Ghost(Pro) Publisher: $29/mo billed yearly for 1,000 members; free to self-host), Substack (Free to publish; Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue), Kit (Creator, 1,000 subscribers: $33/mo billed yearly; free up to 10,000), MailerLite (Comfort, 1,000 subscribers: $17.10/mo billed yearly; free up to 250). Costs nothing until you charge readers, but you give up beehiiv’s automations and ad network.

Buy it, but stay on the free plan until you need paid subscriptions or automations.

BUY

Short answer

beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends. Lite costs $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, about $1,760 over three years, and adds automations, paid subscriptions at a 0% take rate and the ad network. A homemade newsletter platform would cost about $4,600 over the same period, and deliverability and payments stay your problem. Ghost (41% less) and Kit (33% less) are worth a look if you don’t use the ad network.

Buy for 3 years: $1,764
Build and run for 3 years: $4,645
Verdict: BUY

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Cheaper options

CheaperGhostGhost(Pro) Publisher: $29/mo billed yearly for 1,000 members; free to self-hostPaid subscriptions with 0% fees on your own site, but you give up beehiiv’s ad network.FreeSubstackFree to publish; Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenueCosts nothing until you charge readers, but you give up beehiiv’s automations and ad network.CheaperKitCreator, 1,000 subscribers: $33/mo billed yearly; free up to 10,000Built around automations and selling to your audience, but it has no ad network like beehiiv’s.CheaperMailerLiteComfort, 1,000 subscribers: $17.10/mo billed yearly; free up to 250Best if you send a plain newsletter with automations, since it has no ad network.

beehiiv pricing in 2026

Plan	Billed yearly	Billed monthly
Lite, 1,000 subscribers Typical	$49/mo	$59/mo
Lite, 2,500 subscribers	$69/mo	$79/mo
Pro, 1,000 subscribers	$95/mo	$109/mo
Pro, 2,500 subscribers	$129/mo	$149/mo

Free plan: Up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends

Paying too much? The Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, so stay there until you need automations, paid subscriptions at a 0% take rate or the ad network.

Billed yearly, read in USD on beehiiv’s pricing page by list size. Billed monthly, the same Lite and Pro plans cost $59 and $109 at 1,000 subscribers, and $79 and $149 at 2,500. Checked October 26, 2026.

Run your own numbers

Defaults are a typical small team at $30/hour. Change anything.

If you buy beehiiv

Plan

If you build it

Your time, $ per hour

Hours to build

Upkeep, hours per month

Hosting and services, $ per month

Buy

$1,764

Build

$4,645

Buying is about $2,881 cheaper over 3 years.

3-year totals. Building includes your time, upkeep, running costs and one month of an AI app builder ($25). Change any number to match your situation.

What you’d build

A newsletter editor and public archive on your own domain
Signup forms that write to your own subscribers table
Sending through an email API with unsubscribe and bounce handling
Paid subscriptions through Stripe Checkout
A basic stats page for opens and clicks

Our estimate for an email-sending API, hosting and storage at modest volume. Stripe fees are extra.

What you’d give up

beehiiv’s ad network and recommendation network
Built-in growth tools such as polls and referrals
A podcast host and website builder in the same plan
Sending infrastructure with an established reputation

Risks the price doesn’t show

DeliverabilityHigh

A new sending setup lands in spam easily, and a fresh domain takes weeks to warm up.

Paid subscriptionsHigh

Billing means failed cards, refunds, tax and disputes, and every one lands on you.

Growth networkMedium

Recommendations and ads are why many creators pick beehiiv, and you can’t copy a network.

When the verdict flips

Switch to Ghost or Kit if you don’t use the ad network or automations. Either would save $580 to $720 over three years.

Sources

beehiiv pricing

Build hours are our estimates for one person using an AI app builder. How we score. Spotted a wrong price? Tell us on X @BuildictHQ.

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SWITCH

Switch to MailerLite. At 1,000 subscribers it costs $17.10 a month against Kit’s $33.

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