Beehiiv vs Substack: Best Newsletter Platform In 2025?

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Beehiiv vs Substack Best Newsletter Platform Comparison in 2025

Beehiiv vs Substack: Best Newsletter Platform Comparison in 2025

Choosing between Beehiiv and Substack can honestly make or break your newsletter business. Both platforms help creators build audiences and publish content, but they work pretty differently when it comes to costs and features.

Beehiiv charges no fees on paid subscriptions while Substack takes 10% of all membership revenue, making Beehiiv the better choice for creators planning to monetize their newsletters. If you want to charge readers for your content, this difference can save you hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars each month as your subscriber base grows.

The decision between these newsletter platforms really depends on your goals and budget. Substack offers unlimited free subscribers with no monthly costs, so it’s perfect for creators who don’t plan to charge readers.

Beehiiv provides more advanced growth tools and AI features, but you’ll have to pay a monthly fee once you go over 2,500 subscribers. That’s something to keep in mind.

Key Takeaways

  • Beehiiv takes 0% of subscription revenue while Substack charges 10%, making Beehiiv cheaper for paid newsletters
  • Substack works better for free newsletters since it has no monthly fees and unlimited subscribers
  • Beehiiv offers more advanced features like AI writing tools and better growth options for scaling your audience

Beehiiv vs Substack: Key Comparison Overview

Beehiiv focuses on growth tools and monetization features. Substack, on the other hand, emphasizes simplicity and community building.

Understanding these core differences will help you choose the right platform for your newsletter goals. It’s not always clear-cut, but let’s dig in.

Fundamental Differences and Similarities

Core Philosophy
Beehiiv builds around growth hacking and revenue optimization. The platform offers advanced analytics and marketing tools from the start.

Substack centers on writing and reader relationships. It keeps features simple to help creators focus on content creation.

Key Similarities

  • Both platforms handle email delivery and basic newsletter creation
  • Each offers free plans to get started
  • Mobile apps available for both platforms
  • Support for paid subscriptions

Major Differences

Feature Beehiiv Substack
Analytics Advanced tracking and growth metrics Basic subscriber stats
Monetization Multiple revenue streams Subscription-focused
Customization Extensive design options Limited templates
Marketing Tools Built-in referral programs and A/B testing Basic promotional features

Beehiiv launched in 2021 with modern newsletter needs in mind. Substack started earlier and focuses on the writing experience above all else.

Pros and Cons for Creators

Beehiiv Advantages

  • Advanced Analytics: Track open rates, click rates, and subscriber behavior in detail
  • Growth Tools: Built-in referral systems and recommendation networks
  • Monetization Options: Ads, sponsorships, and subscription tiers
  • Design Freedom: Custom branding and layout options

Beehiiv Drawbacks

  • Steeper learning curve for beginners
  • Can feel overwhelming with too many features
  • Less established community compared to Substack

Substack Benefits

  • Simple Setup: Start publishing within minutes
  • Strong Community: Built-in discovery through Substack network
  • Focus on Writing: Clean interface without distractions
  • Proven Model: Many successful creators already using the platform

Substack Limitations

  • Limited customization options
  • Fewer marketing and growth tools
  • Basic analytics reporting
  • Less control over monetization methods

Who Each Platform Is Best: Monetize Your Newsletter

Choose Beehiiv If You

  • Want detailed analytics to track growth
  • Plan to use multiple revenue streams
  • Need advanced marketing features
  • Prefer custom branding and design control
  • Have experience with newsletter marketing

Business newsletters and growth-focused creators tend to prefer Beehiiv. The platform works well for folks who want to treat their newsletter like a real business, not just a hobby.

Choose Substack If You

  • Value simplicity over advanced features
  • Focus primarily on writing quality content
  • Want to tap into Substack’s existing reader network
  • Prefer straightforward subscription-based income
  • Are new to newsletter creation

Writers, journalists, and content creators who care most about community building often go with Substack. The platform suits anyone who wants to start quickly without technical headaches.

Consider Your Goals
Your choice between Beehiiv and Substack should match your newsletter goals. Growth-focused creators get more out of Beehiiv’s tools, while content-first creators often prefer Substack’s simplicity.

Platform Features and Capabilities

Both platforms offer solid newsletter tools and blog features, but their approaches aren’t really the same. Beehiiv leans into advanced email marketing capabilities, while Substack is all about content discovery and community building.

Newsletter Creation Tools

Substack keeps newsletter creation simple with a basic editor. You get standard formatting options like bold, italics, and links—nothing fancy, but it works.

You can add images and embed videos pretty easily. Substack automatically formats your newsletter for both email and web viewing, so you don’t have to worry about that part.

Beehiiv offers more advanced newsletter tools. There’s a drag-and-drop editor for custom layouts, plus A/B testing for subject lines and send times.

Advanced features include:

  • Poll creation within emails
  • Custom call-to-action buttons
  • Advanced segmentation options
  • Referral program tools

Beehiiv lets you choose whether each post becomes a newsletter, a blog post, or both. Substack just publishes everything as both email and web content by default.

Email Builder and Templates

Substack provides a pretty minimal template system. Your newsletter design matches your publication’s overall look, but you can’t customize layouts much beyond the basics.

The platform focuses on clean, readable formats. That’s great if you want simple, text-focused newsletters and don’t care about fancy visuals.

Beehiiv offers more template variety and customization. You can create different layouts for different content types, and the drag-and-drop builder lets you design unique newsletter formats.

Template options include:

  • Multiple column layouts
  • Image-heavy designs
  • Product showcase formats
  • Event announcement styles

You can save custom templates for later, which helps keep your branding consistent across all your email campaigns.

Blog and Website Integration

Both platforms combine newsletter and blog functions, but in different ways. Substack acts like a blogging platform with email features built in. Every post appears on your public profile automatically, whether you want it or not.

Substack includes social features like comments and likes. Readers can discover your content through the platform’s recommendation system, which is actually pretty handy.

Beehiiv gives you more control over what’s public and what stays email-only. You decide what content goes on your website and what doesn’t.

The platform offers better SEO tools for blog posts, too. You can customize meta descriptions, URLs, and alt tags for images. That means your content has a better shot at ranking in search results.

Both platforms let you use custom domains, so your newsletter and website look more professional and branded to your audience.

Ease of Use and User Experience

Both platforms approach user experience differently. Substack goes for simplicity, while Beehiiv offers more customization options—but that means more setup time.

Onboarding and Setup

Substack is the winner for simplicity during setup. You can create an account and publish your first newsletter in minutes, honestly.

The interface is clean and straightforward. Just pick a name, write your content, and hit publish. Most people can start sending newsletters the same day they sign up, no sweat.

Beehiiv takes a bit more initial setup time. You’ll need to configure settings and choose from multiple customization options during onboarding, which can feel a bit much if you just want to get going.

But Beehiiv’s setup process gives you more control from the start. You can set up advanced features like audience segmentation and custom branding right away, which pays off later if you stick with it.

Platform Customization

Beehiiv offers tons of customization options to help you create a unique brand identity. You can tweak newsletter templates, adjust colors, fonts, and layouts to match your vibe.

The platform includes custom HTML integration for advanced users. You can also remove Beehiiv branding completely on paid plans, so your newsletter looks fully professional.

Substack, meanwhile, takes a minimalist approach. You get basic theme options and limited design flexibility, but the platform keeps a consistent look across all newsletters.

This uniform design is fine for some, but if you want more visual control, it might feel a bit restrictive.

Ease of Managing Content

Substack really shines when it comes to content management simplicity. The writing interface is basically a basic word processor—no distractions, no fuss.

Publishing is straightforward, with clear options for free or paid content. The platform handles subscriber management automatically, so you don’t have to mess with it much.

Beehiiv provides more advanced content management tools. You get detailed analytics, A/B testing, and sophisticated audience segmentation options.

The extra features mean a bit more learning, but you get better insights into your audience. You can track open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber behavior way more effectively than on Substack.

Monetization and Revenue Options

Beehiiv and Substack take very different approaches to helping you monetize. Beehiiv offers multiple revenue streams, including ads and affiliates, while Substack mainly focuses on paid subscriptions with a 10% fee structure.

Paid Subscriptions OR Paid Subscribers

Both platforms let you create paid newsletters, but their fee structures are worlds apart. Substack takes 10% of all subscription revenue, plus payment processing fees. So, if you earn $1,000 monthly, Substack keeps $100—forever.

Beehiiv charges no platform fees on subscription revenue. You only pay standard payment processing fees through Stripe, which makes Beehiiv much cheaper for high-earning creators.

Substack subscription features:

  • Monthly and annual billing options
  • Free and paid tier combinations
  • Built-in payment processing
  • Simple pricing setup

Beehiiv subscription features:

  • Multiple pricing tiers
  • Advanced subscriber segmentation
  • Custom billing cycles
  • No revenue sharing

If you’re earning over $500 monthly, Beehiiv’s zero-fee model can save you a lot of money compared to Substack’s 10% cut. It adds up fast.

Ad Network Integration: Substack vs Beehiiv

This is where you really see the difference. Substack doesn’t support ads or sponsored content. Your only monetization option is paid subscriptions—period.

Beehiiv, on the other hand, offers a native ad network that connects you with advertisers. You can earn money from ads and keep 100% of the ad revenue. The Beehiiv ad network handles advertiser matching and payment processing, which is actually pretty convenient.

Beehiiv ad benefits:

  • Access to premium advertisers
  • Automated ad placement
  • Performance tracking
  • No revenue sharing on ads

The ad network works best if you’ve got at least 1,000 subscribers. Smaller lists might not qualify for premium advertisers right away, but it’s something to grow towards.

Affiliate and Referral Programs

Beehiiv’s got some pretty advanced referral tools for growing your audience. You can set up custom rewards for subscribers who bring in friends.

The system just tracks referrals for you and—pretty handy—sends out rewards automatically.

Substack, on the other hand, has a basic referral network. It’ll recommend your newsletter to other readers, but you can’t really tweak rewards or track performance in any real detail.

Referral program comparison:

  • Beehiiv: Custom rewards, detailed tracking, automated payouts
  • Substack: Basic recommendations, limited customization

Beehiiv also lets you do affiliate marketing through its ad network. You can promote products that fit your vibe and earn commissions.

Substack doesn’t have any affiliate program integration at all.

Subscriber Management and Growth

Beehiiv’s subscriber management tools are pretty advanced, with analytics and segmentation that actually tell you something. Check them out here if you’re curious.

Substack is simpler. It sticks to basic subscriber lists and honestly, doesn’t offer much for growth tools.

Audience Segmentation Tools

Beehiiv lets you organize your subscribers into all sorts of different groups. You can tag people based on behavior, interests, or even how much they engage—super flexible.

The platform will auto-segment folks based on things like clicks and opens. That’s a nice touch.

You can send targeted emails to those specific groups. That usually bumps up your open rates since people get stuff that actually interests them.

Substack’s system is much more basic. You’re stuck with set lists and not much in the way of tagging or custom segments.

You can’t really personalize content for different types of subscribers on Substack. If targeted messaging is your thing, Beehiiv just gives you more to work with.

Subscriber Analytics

Beehiiv’s analytics are detailed. You’ll see where subscribers come from and which content hits the mark.

It’ll show you engagement patterns, so you can figure out what gets people to subscribe—or leave.

You get data on open rates, click rates, and how your list grows over time. That stuff really helps you make smarter content decisions.

Substack’s analytics are kind of barebones. You’ll get growth, open rates, and some general engagement numbers, but not much else.

Both platforms do let you track subscriber sources though. That’s always useful for figuring out which marketing actually works.

List Management – Beehiiv vs Substack Comparison

Beehiiv makes importing and exporting lists a breeze. You can move subscribers between segments and juggle multiple lists from one account.

It’s got advanced features for managing big lists, so you don’t lose your mind as things scale up.

You keep total control of your data. If you ever want to bail, you can just export everything.

Substack lets you export your list, but that’s about it for management tools. No easy way to organize people into categories or shuffle them around.

It’s very much about keeping things simple. That’s fine for beginners, but as your list grows, you might feel boxed in.

Email Marketing and Automation – Substack or Beehiiv

Beehiiv and Substack approach email automation very differently. Beehiiv’s got serious tools for marketers, while Substack is more, well, basic.

Email Sequences and Scheduling

Beehiiv lets you build automated email sequences—welcome series, drip campaigns, follow-ups, the whole lot. There’s a visual builder, which is actually kind of fun to use.

You can set triggers and timing between emails. Plus, it’ll update subscriber statuses as folks move through your sequence.

Substack only gives you a single welcome email. No multi-part sequences or fancy drip setups. That makes nurturing new subscribers a bit of a headache.

For scheduling regular newsletters, both platforms are fine. You can write ahead and set a date for sending.

Beehiiv gives you more options for timing and frequency. Substack keeps it straightforward—it works, but there’s not much to play with.

Automation Features

Beehiiv puts automation behind their Scale plan (about $30/month). Once you’re in, you get the visual builder and advanced triggers.

You can segment your audience and send different sequences to each group. Plus, you’ll see how people move through your flows—good for tweaking.

Substack is super limited here. One welcome email, and then you’re on your own for sending everything else.

If you want to nurture leads or do complex funnels, Substack’s probably not going to cut it.

Deliverability and Performance

Both platforms are solid for deliverability. Your newsletters should land in inboxes, not spam, as long as you follow best practices.

Beehiiv gives you detailed analytics for email performance—open rates, clicks, growth, all that.

You can see which content works best, where your subscribers are coming from, and how they’re engaging.

Substack has basic performance stats—subscriber counts, some engagement metrics.

Either way, both platforms help you stay out of spam folders if you’re playing by the rules.

SEO and Audience Discovery

Beehiiv’s got stronger SEO tools and more ways to customize, while Substack leans on its domain authority to get your content ranking. They really take different routes for helping readers find you through search.

SEO Features and Limitations

Beehiiv gives you more control over SEO. You can customize your site themes, add custom HTML, and the platform creates SEO-optimized sites for your newsletter automatically.

You also get analytics that show how people find you. That’s a big help for figuring out what topics actually bring in traffic.

Substack keeps SEO simple. All your posts live on their domain, which has a lot of authority with Google and friends, so your stuff might rank faster.

But you can’t add custom meta tags or mess with technical SEO. Branding is limited, too—everything looks like Substack.

Platform Visibility and Search

Substack has its own discovery system. Readers can browse categories and stumble onto your newsletter inside the platform.

Your content gets into Substack’s recommendation engine, so you might pick up new subscribers that way.

The platform’s domain authority helps your posts show up in Google. Lots of Substack newsletters rank well just because of this.

Beehiiv doesn’t have internal discovery like that. You’re relying more on your own marketing and SEO efforts.

Your newsletter lives on your own domain or subdomain, so you own it, but you’ve got to work harder to get noticed.

Growth Through Organic Search

Beehiiv gives you better tools for long-term SEO. You can build content strategies around their analytics and use segmentation to figure out which search terms bring in the best readers.

Your site can build domain authority over time, which is a big deal if you want to own your audience for the long haul.

Substack is faster out of the gate thanks to its domain authority. Your posts might start ranking sooner, which is tempting.

But you’re trading away control. You can’t really do advanced SEO, and you’re stuck with whatever Substack decides to do with the platform.

Pricing Models and Costs

Beehiiv and Substack price things totally differently, and it’ll impact your budget depending on how fast you plan to grow. Beehiiv does monthly subscriptions, while Substack is free unless you start charging for memberships—then they take a cut.

Free Plans

Beehiiv gives you a free Launch plan for up to 2,500 subscribers. You get basic newsletter tools and sending, but after that, you’ll need to upgrade.

Substack is free for unlimited subscribers—as long as your newsletters are free. No monthly fees, no matter how big your list gets. That’s a big plus if you never plan to charge.

The big difference? Beehiiv caps you at 2,500 free subscribers. Substack doesn’t have a cap for free lists.

Paid Plans and Tiers

Beehiiv offers three main paid tiers:

  • Grow Plan: $42/month (annual) or $49/month for up to 10,000 subscribers
  • Scale Plan: $84/month (annual) or $99/month for 10,000+ subscribers
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing for 100,000+ subscribers

Substack skips monthly fees but takes 10% of your paid subscription revenue plus Stripe’s processing fees. There’s also a $50 setup fee if you want a custom domain.

So, say you make $7,000 a month from 1,000 paid subs at $7 each—Beehiiv costs you $42, Substack takes $700. Ouch.

Value for Money

Beehiiv is more cost-effective once you’re making about $400+ a month from paid subs. Substack’s 10% fee scales up with your income, while Beehiiv’s flat fee stays the same.

Substack is better value if your newsletter is free or you’ve got very little paid revenue. No monthly costs at all.

Break-even analysis: With $500 a month in paid subs, Substack costs $50 in fees, Beehiiv’s plan is $42. Make more, and Beehiiv just keeps getting cheaper.

Integrations and Third-Party Tools

Beehiiv plays nice with a lot of other tools and offers solid API support. Substack, honestly, is more of a closed system with very limited integrations. Beehiiv’s better if you want to connect lots of marketing tools or automate stuff.

Supported Integrations

Beehiiv connects to tons of popular tools—native integrations and Zapier support. You can link Stripe for payments, Calendly for meetings, and a bunch of marketing platforms.

Here’s what you can hook up:

  • Payment systems: Stripe for managing subscriptions
  • Analytics tools: Google Analytics and others
  • Marketing platforms: Lots of email and automation tools
  • Social media: Multiple social platforms
  • Event platforms: Hopin and similar services

Substack goes the other way—basically no third-party connections. It keeps you inside its own ecosystem.

Integrations are limited to:

  • Basic social sharing
  • Simple payment processing
  • Minimal analytics

If you’re coming from ConvertKit or another Substack alternative with lots of integrations, switching to Substack can be a pain.

API and Webhooks

Beehiiv provides full API access and supports webhooks. You can build custom integrations and automate whatever workflows you need.

The API lets you:

  • Sync subscriber data between platforms
  • Automate content publishing
  • Create custom analytics dashboards
  • Set up advanced segmentation

Substack does not offer API access or webhooks. Custom integrations? Nope. Automated data flows? Not happening.

Everything’s manual. That’s a real limitation if you want to scale or build more complex marketing funnels.

Migration and Platform Switching

Beehiiv makes it easier to migrate your content and subscribers from other platforms. The system supports data imports and exports in a bunch of formats.

You can move from platforms like ConvertKit or other newsletter services with less friction. Beehiiv gives you tools to transfer subscriber lists and content archives—honestly, it’s less of a headache than you’d expect.

Substack’s closed system creates migration challenges. Moving your content and subscribers to or from Substack? That takes more manual work, unfortunately.

The platform doesn’t really offer robust export tools or much migration assistance. If your needs change, switching out is just… harder than it should be.

Community, Support, and Brand Building

Both platforms have different takes on community building and brand development. Beehiiv leans into growth tools and customization, while Substack is more about reader interaction and keeping things simple.

Community Engagement

Substack users get built-in comment systems that spark active discussions under each post. Readers can reply to authors and even chat with other subscribers right there.

The platform encourages community through its recommendation network. When you join Beehiiv, you get access to referral programs and cross-promotion tools—which is kinda nice if growth is your thing.

Beehiiv emphasizes viral growth features like:

  • Referral tracking systems
  • Social sharing tools
  • Reader recommendation rewards

Substack’s approach feels more about deeper connections. Authors can host community chats and subscriber-only discussions, which is cool if you want that closeness.

Both platforms support reader feedback. Still, Substack’s comment system feels more like a classic blog, while Beehiiv treats engagement as a growth metric—depends on what you value, really.

Educational Resources

Beehiiv offers a pretty extensive library of learning materials for creators. Their resource hub covers growth hacking, email marketing, and strategies for monetizing your work.

Substack and Beehiiv both have:

  • Video tutorials
  • Best practice guides
  • Creator case studies
  • Technical support docs

Substack’s educational stuff leans into the craft of writing and building loyal readerships. Their guides are more about storytelling than marketing tactics, if that’s your jam.

Beehiiv’s training? It’s pretty data-driven. You’ll find courses on A/B testing, automation, and even subscriber segmentation.

Support quality does differ. Beehiiv generally responds faster and goes deeper on technical help, which can be a game-changer if you’re in a jam.

Building Your Brand Identity

Substack publication designs stick to minimalist templates with not a ton of customization. Most newsletters look alike, aside from basic tweaks to color or font.

Beehiiv gives you full brand control through:

  • Custom HTML and CSS
  • Logo placement options
  • Branded landing pages
  • Website integration tools

Your visual identity matters for recognition, right? Beehiiv lets you get creative and match your existing brand materials—it’s kind of refreshing.

Substack, on the other hand, puts content over appearance. The uniform look helps readers focus on your writing, not the design—there’s a certain charm to that simplicity.

Domain customization is a bit different on each platform. Beehiiv includes custom domains on paid plans, but Substack charges extra for that feature, which feels a bit old-school.

Platform Updates and AI Innovations

Both platforms keep evolving with new features and a dash of AI. Beehiiv is all-in on AI-powered writing tools and automation, while Substack sticks closer to classic publishing with a sprinkle of AI here and there.

Recent Feature Releases

Beehiiv rolled out a bunch of major updates in 2025. They added advanced segmentation tools for targeting specific reader groups. Now you can create automated email sequences based on what your readers actually do—pretty slick.

The referral program got a solid upgrade, too. You can set custom rewards and track performance much more easily. Oh, and Beehiiv launched multilingual support for six languages, including Spanish and German.

Substack’s updates take a different route. They introduced group subscriptions for businesses. The chat feature lets readers talk directly with writers, which is neat. You can also embed lead magnets in your posts now.

Substack launched Notes for short-form content—a place for writers to share quick thoughts and connect with others. They also improved podcast integration tools, which is a nice touch if you’re into audio.

Both platforms upgraded their analytics dashboards, thankfully. You get more detailed data on reader engagement and growth patterns, so you can actually see what’s working.

AI-Powered Capabilities

Beehiiv excels at weaving AI into multiple features. The AI writing assistant helps you crank out content faster. It suggests headlines, polishes your writing, and can even generate entire drafts if you’re stuck.

The platform uses AI for smart segmentation, grouping readers based on behavior—no manual sorting required. AI also powers the spam detection system, boosting your email delivery rates.

Beehiiv’s AI can even optimize send times for each subscriber. This makes Beehiiv stand out for creators who want more automation—honestly, it feels like the future.

Substack offers basic AI features, but they’re not as heavy on automation. Their AI helps with content suggestions and gives you a hand with writing. It also recommends content to readers, which is helpful, but not mind-blowing.

The AI tools are more limited compared to Beehiiv, if I’m being honest. Substack seems to care more about keeping the writing experience human than going full robot.

Trends to Watch

AI is only going to get more important on both platforms. Beehiiv’s planning to add AI-powered content personalization, so each reader might see a slightly different version of your newsletter. Wild, right?

Substack is working on better discovery features to help readers find newsletters they’ll actually enjoy. That could really help creators grow their lists.

Both platforms are working on improving mobile experiences, too. More people read newsletters on their phones these days, so mobile optimization is a must.

Integration with social media is expanding all over. You’ll be able to share your content across multiple channels more easily—about time, honestly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Choosing between Beehiiv and Substack brings up a lot of the same questions: features, pricing, analytics, monetization—you know the drill. These platforms serve different needs, and their approaches to newsletters and audience building are pretty distinct.

What are the key differences in features between Beehiiv and Substack?

Beehiiv gives you advanced referral tracking and built-in referral programs to help grow your subscriber base. You can toss polls and surveys right into your newsletters, which is cool. The platform even supports multiple languages—French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, and probably more down the line.

Substack, meanwhile, focuses on publishing features like podcast integration and a chat feature for direct reader engagement. You can create multiple newsletters under one publication, and Notes lets you share short-form content whenever inspiration hits.

Both platforms offer simple editors, but Beehiiv warns you if Gmail might clip your newsletter. Substack lets you set exact cut-off points between free and paid content, which is handy for paywalling.

How does the pricing model of Beehiiv compare to that of Substack?

Beehiiv has a free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers—no monthly fees until you grow past that. After that, you pay monthly or annually based on your subscriber count.

Substack, on the other hand, doesn’t charge monthly or annual fees, no matter how many subscribers you’ve got. You can send unlimited newsletters to unlimited readers at zero cost.

But, Substack does take a 10% cut of any paid subscription revenue you earn. Beehiiv charges subscription fees but usually takes a smaller percentage of your monetization revenue.

Which platform offers better analytics and audience insights, Beehiiv or Substack?

Beehiiv gives you more detailed analytics and audience insights, hands down. You can track engagement at the segment level and see which growth tactics are actually working. The platform breaks down performance data for different subscriber sources, too.

You can even analyze whether subscribers from Facebook ads engage differently than those from, say, Twitter or organic signups. Super useful for figuring out where to focus your marketing spend.

Substack’s analytics are more basic—focused on subscriber growth and engagement rates. You get the essentials, like open rates and subscriber count changes, but not much more.

Can users monetize their content more effectively on Beehiiv or on Substack?

Substack makes paid subscriptions really easy to set up and manage. You can offer free trials and sell group subscriptions to organizations. The platform handles all the payment processing for you, which is a relief.

Substack takes 10% of your subscription revenue, but there are no upfront costs. For new creators, it’s a low-barrier way to start monetizing without much risk.

Beehiiv gives you monetization options, but you’ll pay platform fees no matter your revenue. That means you need to cover subscription costs before you even start earning from your newsletter.

If you’re just starting out with monetization, Substack’s revenue-sharing model is probably easier to swallow.

What are the advantages of using Beehiiv for email marketing over Substack?

Beehiiv brings stronger email marketing tools for growing your audience. The referral program lets subscribers share your content and bring in new readers—and you can see exactly which sources are working best.

The platform offers more ways to customize your email templates. You can tweak fonts, swap out content blocks, and use pre-styled elements like buttons and tables. It’s a bit more flexible, honestly.

Beehiiv’s multilingual support opens doors to global audiences in their preferred languages. That can really expand your reach beyond just English speakers.

And the Gmail clipping detection? It keeps your emails from getting cut off, so your message actually lands in full—something every sender wants, right?

How does the user experience and interface differ between Beehiiv and Substack?

Substack leans heavily into a writer-focused interface. It really puts content creation front and center, rather than getting fancy with design stuff.

The editor feels a lot like a pared-down word processor—nothing flashy, just you and the words. There aren’t many distractions, which is honestly pretty refreshing.

You get this clean publishing experience that just lets you write. There’s easy podcast integration, too, which is nice if you’re into that.

Content management tools are simple and straightforward. Nothing to trip you up.

Beehiiv, on the other hand, is clearly more marketing-oriented. The interface comes packed with extra tools aimed at helping you grow your audience.

You’ll see more options for tracking your performance and managing different subscriber segments. It’s a bit more involved, but that can be a good thing if you’re into analytics.

The editor itself offers more visual customization, so you can tweak things to match your vibe. Still, both platforms seem to value simplicity over letting you go wild with design.