Newsletter Ledgerbeehiiv vs Kit: what each costs at your list size
On price alone, Kit is hard to beat up to 10,000 subscribers: its Free plan costs $0 and can already sell paid subscriptions. beehiiv's Free plan stops at 2,500 subscribers and cannot sell subscriptions, so a paid beehiiv newsletter starts on the Lite plan. At 25,000 subscribers they cost about the same, and at 50,000 beehiiv Lite is the cheaper of the two in our data. Checked .
Quick answer
- Under 10,000 subscribers: Kit Free is $0, including paid subscriptions. beehiiv is $0 only for a free newsletter under 2,500.
- 10,000 to 25,000: Kit needs its Creator plan; the gap to beehiiv Lite narrows.
- 25,000 and up: about equal at 25,000; beehiiv Lite is cheaper at 50,000. Compare the exact tier for your size below.
Monthly cost side by side
| Subscribers | beehiiv, free newsletter | Kit, free newsletter | beehiiv, paid newsletter | Kit, paid newsletter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0.00 Free | $0.00 Free | $75.60 Lite | $29.00 Free |
| 5,000 | $95.00 Lite | $0.00 Free | $228.00 Lite | $145.00 Free |
| 10,000 | $119.00 Lite | $0.00 Free | $385.00 Lite | $290.00 Free |
| 25,000 | $169.00 Lite | $165.83 * Creator | $834.00 Lite | $890.83 * Creator |
| 50,000 | $249.00 Lite | $379.00 * Creator | $1,579.00 Lite | $1,829.00 * Creator |
Per month, US dollars, plans billed yearly. "Paid newsletter" assumes 5% of the list pays $8/month and includes the plan, the platform's fee and Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. * = includes a tier price not yet confirmed on the vendor's own page. Change the inputs in the cost calculator.
Disclosure: links to platforms go through /go/ redirects. Some are affiliate links (currently beehiiv and Systeme.io): if you sign up and pay, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. That never changes the numbers or the order of results. Full disclosure.
Visit beehiiv (opens in a new tab) · Visit Kit (opens in a new tab)
Fees on paid subscriptions
beehiiv's pricing FAQ says it "takes 0% of your paid subscription and digital product revenue"; you pay only Stripe. Kit charges "3.5% + 30c" per transaction, which its pricing page says is "inclusive of credit card processing fees, so Kit only takes 0.6%".
Worked example: 100 readers paying $5/month is $500/month. Card fees come to $44.50 on beehiiv and $47.50 on Kit, so Kit's share costs $3/month. For comparison, Substack would take $50 on top of the same card fees. At these sizes the plan price matters far more than the 0.6%.
Free plans compared
| beehiiv Free | Kit Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriber cap | 2,500 | 10,000 |
| Paid subscriptions | No (Lite and up) | Yes |
| Automations | No (Lite: 10) | No (Creator: unlimited) |
| Referral program | No (Lite and up) | No (Pro plan only) |
| Landing pages | Website builder, 1 custom page | Unlimited forms and landing pages |
Sources: beehiiv pricing, Kit pricing and Kit's Free plan article.
Features that change what you pay
- Referral program: included from beehiiv Lite. On Kit it is part of the Pro plan, not Creator, so a referral program costs more on Kit. Our data does not yet price Kit Pro.
- Ads and sponsorships: beehiiv's ad network is on Lite and up. Kit offers newsletter sponsorships on Creator and up, and Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% fee.
- Automations: beehiiv Lite allows 10 live automations; Kit Creator has unlimited automations and email sequences.
- Paid tiers: beehiiv Lite allows one paid tier and no paid trials (Pro removes both limits).
Who each suits, on cost
Kit
Lists under 10,000 that want to charge readers from day one at $0 platform cost, and creators who need many automations on the Creator plan.
beehiiv
Publishers who want 0% on subscription revenue plus an ad network and referral program on the entry paid plan, and larger lists where Lite matches or undercuts Kit Creator.
We have not used either product as a publisher; this page compares published prices and plan limits only. See the methodology.