Kit
Free to 10,000 subscribers, with tagging and automations on paid plans.
- Free to 10,000
- Tags & automations
- Landing pages
Marketing
Kit vs beehiiv: which newsletter platform?
Short version: Kit suits creators who sell courses, products or memberships through email; beehiiv suits writers who treat the newsletter itself as the publication and want a website and growth tools built in.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) offers a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers with forms, landing pages and broadcasts; automations and integrations come with paid plans. beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends; a custom domain needs Lite at $59 a month, or $49 billed annually, for up to 1,000 subscribers, and it takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue (Stripe fees apply).
Based on FTC · Kit · beehiiv
Which one should you buy?
beehiiv
Free to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends; Lite from $49/mo billed yearly.
- Free to 2,500
- Publication website
- 0% subscription fee
Prices are official list prices as of October 2026 and can change. We don’t use affiliate links on this site. How we choose.
The short answer: Kit for a bigger free list and creator-focused automations. beehiiv if you want a newsletter website, referral and recommendation growth tools, and 0% platform fees on paid subscriptions.
This is a focused guide. For the full category with every pick, read the best email marketing software.
Kit vs beehiiv: feature by feature
Swipe the table sideways to see both →
| Spec | Best for creators who sellKit | Best for newsletter publishersbeehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends |
| Paid plans | Scales by subscribers (see Kit pricing) | Lite $59/mo or $49/mo yearly (≤1k subs); Pro $109 or $95 |
| Website | Landing pages and forms | Full publication website |
| Growth tools | Recommendations network | Referrals, recommendations |
| Monetization | Digital products and paid newsletters | Paid subscriptions, 0% platform fee (Stripe fees apply) |
| Best for | Creators selling products | Newsletter-first writers |
| Plans | See plans | See plans |
Why pick Kit?
Kit’s free plan is the largest in this comparison at 10,000 subscribers, which lets a growing list stay free far longer than on beehiiv’s 2,500.
It is built around tags and visual automations: segment people by what they bought or clicked and send them the right sequence. That suits course creators and coaches more than pure publishers.
There is no full newsletter website like beehiiv’s, and automations and integrations need a paid plan, priced by list size.
Great if you
- Sell courses, products or coaching
- Want a large free list
- Need tag-based automations
Skip it if you
- Want a newsletter website
- Want built-in referral programs
- Want ad-network revenue
Key specs
- Free plan
- Up to 10,000 subscribers (Oct 2026)
- Includes
- Forms, landing pages, broadcasts
- Formerly
- ConvertKit
KitPrices are list prices on each official site as of October 2026; taxes, promotions and renewals vary. These are not affiliate links.
See plans on the official site Why pick beehiiv?
beehiiv treats your newsletter as a publication: each issue becomes a web page with SEO, and the free plan includes unlimited sends to up to 2,500 subscribers.
Growth tools, such as recommendations and referral programs, are core to the product, and beehiiv takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue (you still pay Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢).
A custom domain needs Lite ($59 a month, or $49 billed yearly, up to 1,000 subscribers), and removing beehiiv branding needs Pro ($109, or $95 billed yearly) at October 2026 list prices.
Great if you
- Write a newsletter as your main product
- Want a website without extra tools
- Plan paid subscriptions
Skip it if you
- Need a big free list
- Sell products with complex automations
- Want the cheapest custom domain
Key specs
- Free plan
- Up to 2,500 subscribers (Oct 2026)
- Includes
- Website, newsletter editor, analytics
beehiivPrices are list prices on each official site as of October 2026; taxes, promotions and renewals vary. These are not affiliate links.
See plans on the official site How to choose between Kit and beehiiv
Ask what your email list is for: selling things, or being read.
Business model
Selling products and courses favors Kit. Ad and subscription revenue favors beehiiv.
List size and free limits
Kit is free to 10,000; beehiiv to 2,500.
Custom domain
Strongly recommended for deliverability; on beehiiv that starts at Lite.
Compliance
Both handle unsubscribes. CAN-SPAM still requires honest headers and a physical address.
KitPrices are list prices on each official site as of October 2026; taxes, promotions and renewals vary. These are not affiliate links.
See plans on the official site Kit vs beehiiv: common questions
Is Kit or beehiiv better for beginners?
Both are easy to start. beehiiv is simpler for a pure newsletter; Kit is better if you plan to sell.
Which has the bigger free plan?
Kit: up to 10,000 subscribers vs 2,500 on beehiiv (October 2026).
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
beehiiv says 0%; Stripe’s processing fees still apply.
Can I move from Kit to beehiiv?
Yes. Export subscribers as CSV and import them, keeping consent records.
Do I need a custom domain?
Strongly recommended for trust and deliverability. On beehiiv it requires a paid plan.
How we compared them
We compared Kit’s and beehiiv’s official pricing and feature pages as of October 2026. We did not include Kit paid prices because they vary by list size; check Kit’s pricing page for your count.
We have not hands-on tested these products; we compare published specifications, independent measurements and manufacturer documentation, and we update this page when models change. Read the full methodology.
What sources did we use?
- Kit: pricing (accessed October 23, 2026)
- beehiiv: pricing (accessed October 23, 2026)
- FTC: CAN-SPAM compliance guide (accessed October 23, 2026)