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Prices and details checked in October 2026. Platforms rework their pricing often, so we round fees and give ranges where plans differ.
In the Beehiiv vs Substack fight over a $10 newsletter, the number that settles it is 49. Below that many paying readers, Substack’s cut costs you less than Beehiiv’s flat fee. Above it, the fee wins.
You will see on which side of that line your project sits, and why Kit, the former ConvertKit, undercuts both on fees. The threshold comes from each platform’s own pricing page and from Stripe’s US rates, with a formula you can rerun at your price.
Contents
Beehiiv vs Substack: what each platform keeps from a payment
Start on Substack if nobody pays you yet, and move to Beehiiv once more than 49 readers pay $10 a month. Kit’s free plan keeps the most money at every level we modeled, though it is a sales tool first and a publishing tool second.
Substack costs nothing until a reader pays. After that, writers keep 90% of revenue minus card fees, according to its page for writers going paid.
Beehiiv works the other way round. Lite, its first plan that sells subscriptions, costs $49 a month billed yearly for a list of up to 1,000 subscribers. Billed month to month, it is $59, per the Beehiiv pricing page, and Beehiiv takes 0% of subscription revenue.
The price you charge is the real variable. Beehiiv’s study of paid newsletters, published in June 2026, puts the median monthly price at $10. The same study gives a median free-to-paid conversion rate of 0.62%. So a list of 1,000 free readers yields six or seven paying ones, not fifty.
Beehiiv vs Substack vs Kit, side by side
Same $10 monthly payment from a US card, same list of up to 1,000 subscribers.
| Platform | How it earns | Cheapest plan that sells | Taken from a $10 payment | Free plan | Payments setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | 10% of subscription revenue | Free | $1.59 (10% + card 59¢) | Free until a reader pays | Your Stripe account |
| Beehiiv | Monthly plan, 0% take rate | Lite, $49/month yearly or $59 monthly | $0.59 (card fee only) + plan | Up to 2,500 subscribers, no paid tier | Your Stripe account; paid subscribers can be imported |
| Kit | Fee on each transaction | Free Newsletter plan | $0.65 (3.5% + 30¢, card included) | Up to 10,000 subscribers, selling included | A new Stripe account, created at setup |
The proof: one $10 subscriber, then the break-even line
Start with a single $10 payment from a US card. Stripe’s standard US rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents, or 59 cents here. Substack then keeps its dollar, and you keep $8.41. On Beehiiv only the card fee comes off, which leaves $9.41 before the monthly plan.
On Kit, the charge is 3.5% plus 30 cents. Its commerce FAQ calls this the only cost of selling, so you keep $9.35. Stripe also lists a 0.7% Billing fee on recurring volume. We leave it out of every column, since it is not clear which platform triggers it.
| Monthly net, $10 price, list up to 1,000 | 10 paid subscribers | 50 paid subscribers | 150 paid subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack (10% + card) | $84.10 | $420.50 | $1,261.50 |
| Beehiiv Lite, yearly billing ($49/month + card) | $45.10 | $421.50 | $1,362.50 |
| Kit free Newsletter plan (3.5% + 30¢) | $93.50 | $467.50 | $1,402.50 |
| Kit paid plan, from $39/month | $54.50 | $428.50 | $1,363.50 |
Paid-subscriber threshold = Beehiiv’s monthly fee ÷ (10% × your monthly price).
At $10, the result is exactly 49 paying readers. At $5, the line doubles to 98. At $20, it drops to 24.5, so 25 readers.
Pay Beehiiv month to month at $59 and the line moves up to 59 readers. Beehiiv’s fee also climbs with the total list, free readers included: at up to 10,000 subscribers, Lite costs $1,428 a year. That works out to $119 a month, and a threshold of 119 paying readers.
An HR consultant writing a $10 letter for small-business owners, with 1,000 free subscribers, can expect about six payers in year one. Substack leaves her roughly $50 a month, Beehiiv about $7 once the plan is paid. The gap is roughly $43 a month in Substack’s favor.
An analyst who sells a $20 sector brief to 150 loyal readers sits far above his line of 25. Substack’s 10% would cost him $300 a month against Beehiiv’s $49. That is about $3,000 a year left on the table.
Beehiiv, Substack, Kit and MailerLite, one by one
Substack, the reader network
Substack suits the writer starting from zero, who counts on recommendations between writers and the reading app to find readers.
In March 2025, Substack announced 5 million paid subscriptions. The Substack app averages 4.9 out of 5 on the US App Store, from about 560,000 ratings. A reading teacher says posts on the science of reading helped them rethink how they teach.
A custom web address costs a one-time $50 per publication, according to Substack’s announcement of the feature.
Beehiiv, built to grow a list and sell ads
Lite opens one paid tier, the ad network and paid recommendations, with 10 live automations and three publications, according to the pricing page.
Beehiiv holds 3.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot across 413 reviews. A US reviewer with no prior experience wrote on October 6, 2026 that a niche newsletter passed 100 subscribers in two months. The reviewer credits the lead magnet feature and the website builder.
The complaint that comes back concerns plan changes after setup. One free-plan user reports that the guest author allowance dropped to one in early October. Screenshot your plan’s limits on the day you sign up, and recheck them before each renewal.
Kit, email built to sell
Kit targets creators who sell courses or ebooks alongside a letter. The free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited digital products and subscriptions.
Full sequences and automations need a paid plan, from $39 a month for 1,000 subscribers.
Kit scores 3.9 on Trustpilot from 164 reviews. An artist running a creative business called it user-friendly in October 2026, with responsive support. A US user has relied on it for about six years for simple email marketing, plugged into Thrivecart and Samcart checkouts.
The complaint that recurs is the price step when a list outgrows the free plan or crosses a subscriber tier. Price your list as it will stand in a year, not as it stands now.
MailerLite, for a free company newsletter
MailerLite’s paid plans start at $12 a month with Comfort, but we could not confirm which plans sell paid newsletters, so check before you count on it.
Readers abroad cost more on a US Stripe account
A US Stripe account adds a surcharge when your reader pays with a foreign card. Stripe lists 1.5% extra for international cards, plus 1% when currency conversion is needed.
On a $10 subscription paid from London, the card fee rises from 59 to 74 cents. With a conversion, it reaches 84 cents.
The surcharge hits Substack and Beehiiv alike, so the line of 49 stays put, but your margin shrinks when many readers live abroad.
How we compared
We read the pricing pages of Beehiiv, MailerLite and Stripe in October 2026, plus Substack’s page for writers. Kit’s pricing page refused our requests and Substack’s help page on costs did the same. We did not work around either, so Kit’s prices come from its help center.
The model uses a list of up to 1,000 subscribers, the default tier on Beehiiv’s page, and the $10 median price from Beehiiv’s study. Writer reviews were read on Trustpilot, reader ratings on Substack’s US App Store listing.
Before you buy
Keep your own Stripe account and domain from day one. Beehiiv’s import guide for paid subscribers copies customers from your old Stripe account in up to 72 hours and keeps their prices. Cancel billing on the old platform yourself.
Questions and answers
Beehiiv vs Substack: which is better for a paid newsletter?
Substack, while you have fewer than 49 paying readers at $10 a month. Above that, Beehiiv Lite keeps more money, because its flat fee costs less than Substack’s cut.
How much does Substack take from paid subscriptions?
Substack keeps 10% of each payment. Card fees come on top, so a $10 US subscriber leaves you about $8.41.
Can paid subscribers move from Substack to Beehiiv?
Yes, on Beehiiv’s paid plans. The import copies customer data between Stripe accounts in up to 72 hours, and readers keep their current price.
Which one to choose
No paying readers yet: take Substack and its reader network. Once you hold more than 49 paid subscribers at $10, the Beehiiv vs Substack question turns in Beehiiv’s favor.
A list that already converts: take Beehiiv Lite, and check the line again if you pay month to month. Courses or digital products: Kit’s free plan is the cheapest way to charge. A free company bulletin: MailerLite is the simpler tool.
Whichever you pick, keep your own domain and your Stripe access, so that a later move costs an evening. How subscription income is taxed in your state is a question for a CPA.
Sending a free company bulletin instead? The Brevo vs Mailchimp vs MailerLite breakdown prices the classic senders. If a foreign-owned LLC sees its payouts blocked, the Stripe account rejected guide lists the usual causes and fixes. Piping each new subscriber into a CRM is priced route by route in Zapier vs Make vs n8n.
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At Biz Deals Corner, we check prices and official statuses at the source, never in competing comparison sites. We detail what is billed outside the plan, we flag solutions wrongly presented as certified, and we give no personalized tax, legal or financial advice: for that, consult a qualified professional. Our affiliate policy.
