beehiiv is an email marketing tool that's used mostly by newsletter authors, as it's one of the easiest ways to get started. It also comes with other built-in features, like the ability to convert your newsletter into a blog, accept payments, and much more. These specific features are why many newsletter authors pick beehiiv over other tools.
However, if you are a small business owner, an NGO/charity, or have a use case where the added features aren't very helpful to you, then it may not be the best or most affordable fit for you.
What changed in 2026
Note: This blog was originally published in 2024 and then later updated in 2026.
Three changes are worth knowing before you compare plans.
Free plans got smaller. Mailchimp now allows 250 contacts and 500 emails a month on its free plan. On 16 June 2026, MailerLite also cut its free plan from 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails.
Plan names changed. MailerLite renamed Growing Business and Advanced to Comfort and Power. Campaign Monitor renamed Basic and Unlimited to Lite and Essentials, with noticeably higher prices.
Entry prices went up. Kit's Creator plan rose from $15 to $39 a month. Drip now costs at least $39 a month, regardless of list size. Beehiiv's Scale plan costs $49 a month.
Best beehiiv alternatives
Below is a side-by-side view of the beehiiv alternatives, so you can narrow things down before reading the detail.
Free plan comparison
Tool | Free tier (max subscribers) | Free tier (max emails/mo.) |
|---|---|---|
beehiiv | 2,500 | No capping |
EmailOctopus | 2,500 | 10,000 |
Substack | No capping | No capping |
Mailchimp | 250 | 500 (max 250/day) |
Constant Contact | Not available | Not available |
Klaviyo | 250 active profiles | 500 |
MailerLite | 250 | 2,500 |
Campaign Monitor | Not available | Not available |
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | 10,000 * Limited to one basic automation, with no email sequences and Kit branding on every send | No capping |
Drip | Not available | Not available |
Paid plan comparison
All prices below are on monthly billing.
Tool | Pricing/mo. (entry tier) | Approx. pricing/mo. (10K subscribers) |
|---|---|---|
beehiiv | From $49 (up to 1,000 subscribers) | ~$109 |
EmailOctopus | $10 (up to 500 subscribers) | ~$44.50 |
Substack | N/A, takes 10% commission fees | N/A, takes 10% commission fees |
Mailchimp | From $13 (up to 500 contacts) | ~$110 |
Constant Contact | From $12 (up to 500 contacts) | ~$110 |
Klaviyo | From $20 (251–500 profiles) | ~$150 |
MailerLite | From $12 (up to 500 subscribers) | ~$89 |
Campaign Monitor | From $13 (up to 500 contacts) | ~$117 |
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | From $39 (up to 1,000 subscribers) | ~$139 |
Drip | From $39 (up to 2,500 subscribers) | ~$154 |
EmailOctopus
If you're looking for a beehiiv alternative that is easy to use and affordable, then EmailOctopus is the best choice.
It has all the essential features, like a drag and drop email builder, no-code signup forms, automated emails, and much more, for a fraction of what beehiiv charges. Additionally, there's just one pricing plan: everything is included, and the price changes only based on your subscriber count.
Features:
- Easy to use drag and drop email builder
- List segmentation
- No-code signup, popup forms and landing pages
- Email automation
- Zapier and Make integrations
Pricing:
Free for up to 2,500 subscribers, with paid plans starting from $10/mo. You can check what you'd pay at your list size with our savings calculator.
Substack
Substack is very similar to beehiiv, as it integrates email marketing and blogging into a single tool. However, the difference between Substack and other email marketing tools is its simplicity, as it's the easiest tool to get started with. For the same reason, it's also the least customisable tool.
Additionally, there are no paid plans or pricing tiers for using Substack, as it's completely free to use, but it takes a 10% cut in case you want to run a paid newsletter.
There's also a one-off $50 fee if you wish to connect your domain.
Features:
- Email editor
- Forms (basic)
- Podcast hosting
Pricing:
Free to use, but takes a 10% revenue share on paid subscriptions. A custom domain costs a one-time $50 fee.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools that has been out there for years. The reason for its popularity was its previous free plan, which offered 12,000 emails and a 2,000-subscriber limit.
That free plan now covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with a 250 mails per day capping. On top of restricted free plan, the paid plans have also become significantly expensive with price hikes happening on a regular basis.
Features:
- Email automation
- Segmentation
- Forms & landing pages
- Dynamic content
- A/B testing
Pricing:
A free plan exists for testing, but it's too small for most real use cases. Paid plans start at $13/mo on Essentials.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact started off as an email marketing tool, but as of 2026, they have expanded into a full-fledged marketing communications platform. They now offer SMS marketing, social media marketing, ecommerce, and event marketing.
Though Constant Contact is a robust tool, but it's on the expensive side and there's no free plan to begin with.
Features:
- Email automation
- List segmentation
- Forms & landing pages
- Dynamic content
- A/B testing
- AI assistant
Pricing:
No free plan. Lite starts at $12/mo, Standard at $35/mo and Premium at $80/mo, all at 500 contacts.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is similar to Constant Contact but focuses on ecommerce and D2C businesses. In addition to email marketing, Klaviyo offers SMS marketing, push notifications, and product review management.
Since 2025 it bills on active profiles, which means every contact you could email counts, whether you email them or not. List hygiene has a direct effect on your invoice.
Features:
- Email automation
- List segmentation
- Forms & landing pages
- Dynamic content
- Native ecommerce integrations
- AI assistant
Pricing:
Free for up to 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. Paid Email plans start at $20/mo.
MailerLite
MailerLite is a popular email marketing platform known for offering useful features at an affordable price.
However, after price increases in 2023 and 2026, it's no longer as affordable for many email marketers. The free plan now includes just 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, down from 500 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails.
Features:
- Easy to use drag and drop email builder
- List segmentation
- No-code signup and popup forms
- Extensive landing pages builder
- Email automation
- Zapier and Make integrations
Pricing:
Free for up to 250 subscribers. Comfort starts at $12/mo and Power at $25/mo, both at 500 subscribers.
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is a marketing tool for email, SMS, and transactional messages. It also includes features for personalisation, automation, and audience segmentation.
However, recently their plans were rebranded as Lite, Essentials and Premier, and prices went up with them.
Features:
- Easy to use drag and drop email builder
- List segmentation
- A/B testing
- Loyalty & referral tool
- No-code signup and popup forms
- Extensive landing pages builder
- Email automation
- Zapier and Make integrations
Pricing:
No free tier. Lite starts at $13/mo, Essentials at $31/mo and Premier at $171/mo, all at 500 contacts.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in 2024. It's an email marketing tool for creators, helping them grow and monetise their newsletters. Every feature is designed to support their growth.
If you're a creator, Kit is an excellent choice, but for most people, there are better and much more affordable alternatives available.
Features:
- Easy to use drag and drop email builder
- List segmentation
- Natively supports paid newsletters
- Extensive landing pages builder
- Email automation
- Zapier and Make integrations
- Monetise your newsletter with paid recommendations and ads
Pricing:
Free for up to 10,000 subscribers with limits. Creator starts at $39/mo and Creator Pro at $79/mo.
Drip
Drip started as a popup tool and has evolved into an email marketing platform. It's designed to integrate seamlessly with Shopify and includes all the features needed to scale your ecommerce business.
Features:
- Email automation
- List segmentation
- Large popup template collection
- Dynamic content
- A/B testing
Pricing:
No free tier. Paid plans start at $39/mo for up to 2,500 subscribers, with a 14-day trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is beehiiv used for?
beehiiv is a content platform built to host blogs and send them as newsletters via email. It's aimed at creators and publishers who want website hosting, email sending and monetisation in one place.
Is beehiiv still free in 2026?
Yes. The Launch plan is free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. Monetisation tools, automations and A/B testing all sit on the paid Scale plan, which starts at $49/mo.
What's the most affordable beehiiv alternative?
EmailOctopus is the most affordable beehiiv alternative. It's free for up to 2,500 subscribers and paid plans starts at just $10/mo. ($9/mo. when paid yearly).
