Substack vs beehiiv
Pick beehiiv once paid subscriptions earn more than about $1,019 a month at 5,000 subscribers, because its flat fee beats Substack's 10% plus Stripe Billing from there. Pick Substack if you are starting from zero and want free publishing plus readers from its app. The deciding factor is revenue: under about $551 a month, Substack costs less.
| Substack | beehiiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on paid subscriptions | 10% | 0% |
| Card processing | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.7% Stripe Billing | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Free plan | Free at any list size, selling included | Free up to 2,500 subscribers, no paid subscriptions |
| Cheapest plan that can sell | Free | Lite, $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers |
| Price at 5,000 subscribers | $0 a month | Lite $109, Pro $199 a month |
| Payouts | Your own Stripe account, usually within 48 hours | Your connected Stripe account |
| Audience export | CSV of subscribers, no names | CSV with custom fields and statistics |
| Custom domain | One-time $50, emails still from substack.com | Paid plans, including a custom sending domain |
| Moving paid subscribers | They live in your own Stripe account | Import tool copies them from your old Stripe account |
| Growth tools | App, Notes, recommendations, referrals, Boost | Recommendation network, referral program, Ad Network |
| Sales tax | Substack collects and remits from December 1, 2026 | Your job, through Stripe Tax |
| You keep on $1,000 a month | $827 | $825 |
| You keep on $10,000 a month | $8,265 | $9,226 |
| Our score | 7.2 out of 10 | 8.1 out of 10 |
What you keep on $1,000 a month
Both platforms paid in $8 payments by US cards, each on whichever plan leaves you the most. The blue is yours. The hatched part is fees.
| Platform and plan | Share kept versus fees | You keep | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| SubstackSubstack | $827 | −$173 | |
| beehiivLite | $825 | −$175 |
On $10,000 a month: Substack $8,265, beehiiv $9,226. How we calculate this.
Pick Substack if
- you have no audience yet and want to publish for free.
- readers from its app, Notes, and recommendations matter more to you than fees.
- you want sales tax and VAT handled for you from December 1, 2026.
Pick beehiiv if
- paid subscriptions bring in more than about $1,019 a month at 5,000 subscribers.
- you want ad income from the beehiiv Ad Network alongside subscriptions.
- you want a full export with custom fields and email from your own domain.
Which is cheaper, Substack or beehiiv?
Substack is cheaper while you are small, and beehiiv is cheaper once you are not. Substack costs nothing up front and takes 10% of each payment. beehiiv takes 0% but its cheapest plan that can sell, Lite, costs $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 5,000.
Substack costs 10.7 points more per payment, because its help center lists Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on top of the 10%, while beehiiv lists only Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. That gap equals the plan price at about $551 a month at 1,000 subscribers and about $1,019 at 5,000. At $2,000 a month with 5,000 subscribers, Substack's extra cost is $214 against beehiiv's $109.
Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies to both, so it does not change the crossover. Check exact take-home pay at your revenue on our fee comparison.
Which has better growth tools?
beehiiv gives you more tools to run yourself. Substack gives you a network that can send readers to you. beehiiv's paid plans include a referral program, the recommendation network, A/B testing, automations, and the Ad Network, which brings sponsors to you.
Substack's draw is its reader app, Notes, recommendations between publications, and subscriber referrals. It also runs Boost, which offers discounts such as a default 20% off for a year to readers it predicts will convert. That lowers what you earn from each of those subscribers.
Which one lets you leave more easily?
beehiiv, by a small margin. Its full export includes custom fields and statistics, while Substack's export cannot include subscriber names. Substack also sends every email from a substack.com address, even with a custom domain.
Both keep paid subscriptions in a Stripe account in your name. beehiiv's import tool copies paid subscribers from your Substack Stripe account, and you then cancel the old subscriptions to avoid double charges. Read the full Substack review and beehiiv review for the details.
Frequently asked questions
Is beehiiv cheaper than Substack?
Only above a certain revenue. beehiiv Lite costs $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 5,000, with 0% of subscriptions. Substack is free but takes 10%, plus the 0.7% Stripe Billing fee its help center lists, so it costs less until you earn about $551 or $1,019 a month at those sizes.
Can I sell paid subscriptions on beehiiv's free plan?
No. beehiiv's free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers but cannot sell paid subscriptions. You need Lite or Pro.
Can I move from Substack to beehiiv?
Yes. beehiiv imports free and paid Substack posts, and its paid subscriber tool copies customers from the Stripe account you used on Substack. Keep paid subscriptions running on Substack until the import is done, then cancel them there.
Does Substack or beehiiv pay out faster?
Substack documents its timing and beehiiv does not. Substack says web payments usually reach your bank within 48 hours, and iOS app revenue arrives up to 45 days after the month ends. beehiiv sends subscription revenue to your connected Stripe account.