Tool profile
beehiiv: cost, fit and limits
beehiiv is a newsletter platform made by beehiiv Inc. that bundles an email editor, a website builder, an ad network, paid subscriptions and an AI writing assistant. It is aimed at independent writers and media businesses that want to grow and monetize a subscriber list from one place.
What to know first
beehiiv prices by subscriber bucket and by plan, with a free tier up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends on every plan. AI is gated by plan: the free tier gets limited use, Lite elevated use and Pro five times Lite. Features that matter to companies, such as SSO and zero-retention AI, sit on Enterprise. Cost climbs quickly once a list passes tens of thousands of subscribers, so check your target bucket.
beehiiv at a glance
| Maker | beehiiv Inc., United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $59 per month for Lite at 1,000 subscribers ($49 billed yearly) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Newsletter Platforms in 2026, rank 2 of 10 |
| Website | beehiiv.com |
Who beehiiv is best for
Writers who want ad income
beehiiv describes a native ad network for newsletters plus direct sponsorship workflows, so a writer can run advertising without stitching together a separate marketplace.
Podcasters with a newsletter
Plans include podcast hosting with monthly download allowances of 5,000 on Free, 15,000 on Lite and 50,000 on Pro, so audio and email can share one workspace.
Publishers with several brands
Lite allows 3 publications and Pro 10, with 2 and 10 team seats, which suits a small media company running more than one title.
Developers who automate publishing
The API is open on every plan except the Send API, which needs Pro, and the pricing page lists MCP read access for all plans and write access on paid ones.
beehiiv plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 seat and 1 publication, with limited AI usage, 5,000 podcast downloads a month and no credit card required. |
| Lite | $59 per month at 1,000 subscribers, or $49 billed yearly | Up to 100,000 subscribers, 2 seats, 3 publications, elevated AI usage, 3 webhooks and Slack community access. |
| Pro | $109 per month at 1,000 subscribers, or $95 billed yearly | Up to 250,000 subscribers, 10 seats and publications, AI usage at five times Lite, unlimited webhooks, the Send API and the WordPress integration. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom limits, SSO and SAML, audit logs, dedicated IPs, a no-training and zero-retention setting and bring-your-own model key. |
Checked November 2026.
What beehiiv does
- In-editor AI
- beehiiv AI sits inside the editor on Lite, Pro and Enterprise. The pricing table states allowances rather than functions, so the practical limit is how much generation each plan permits before you hit the cap.
- Website and AI design
- The home page describes no-code website hosting with AI-assisted design and custom domains, which lets a writer launch a branded site alongside the newsletter without a separate builder.
- Recommendations network
- The page describes free and paid cross-promotion, where a writer can earn by recommending other newsletters. It is one of the main growth levers beyond ads.
- Automated sequences
- Automated sequences, an AI writing assistant and drag-and-drop templates are listed under the editor, with unlimited sends across every plan. Sequences let a writer send a welcome series or a timed course without manual scheduling.
- Developer platform
- A REST API, SDKs and webhooks exist, and the Send API is limited to Pro and Enterprise. Webhooks stop at 3 on Lite and are unlimited on Pro.
How beehiiv handles your data
beehiiv's privacy policy names beehiiv Inc. as the company and states it is headquartered in the United States, with a mailing address in New York. It says nothing about AI or model training, and does not state where data is hosted. The pricing page lists a no-training and zero-retention setting, a bring-your-own model key and an agent audit log only on Enterprise. Data exports and two-factor authentication are listed on all plans. The pages we read make no SOC 2, GDPR or HIPAA claim, so ask for the data processing addendum linked from the policy.
Where beehiiv falls short in practice
- Cost scales with subscriber buckets. Lite at 100,000 subscribers is $469 monthly or $399 billed yearly, and Pro at 250,000 or more is $999 monthly. A fast-growing list moves through those steps, so model next year's bucket now.
- AI controls sit on the top plan. Zero-retention AI, bring-your-own model key and audit logs are Enterprise only. A paid-plan customer who handles sensitive drafts cannot switch these on without a custom contract.
- Trial rules are thin. The pricing page says some Lite and Pro features are excluded from trials but gives no trial length. Test the specific feature you are buying for before the first charge.
Works with
Alternatives to beehiiv
beehiiv: common questions
Does beehiiv take a percentage of paid subscriptions?
The pricing page says beehiiv takes 0 percent of paid subscription revenue on Lite and Pro. Payments run through Stripe, whose standard processing fee of 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction still applies. Check how Stripe payouts reach your own account before launching a paid tier.
How much AI can I use on the free beehiiv plan?
The pricing table labels free AI usage as limited, with elevated usage on Lite and five times Lite on Pro. It does not publish a token or message count, so the cap is only visible inside the product. A heavy drafting workflow should test the cap on the free plan first, then decide whether Lite's elevated allowance is enough.
Does beehiiv offer an ad network?
Yes. The home page describes a large native ad network built for newsletters plus direct sponsorship workflows. Eligibility rules and payout terms were not on the pages we read, so confirm those before building your plan on ad revenue. It is worth asking for an example of typical earnings per thousand subscribers.
Can I run a podcast on beehiiv?
Plans include podcast hosting with monthly download allowances: 5,000 on Free, 15,000 on Lite, 50,000 on Pro and 100,000 or more on Enterprise. Heavy-download shows should check those ceilings against their current audience. A show with large episode libraries should compare that ceiling against its current monthly downloads before moving.
Is beehiiv suitable for a company with security requirements?
Only on Enterprise, which adds SSO and SAML, audit logs, dedicated IPs and a no-training, zero-retention setting. The pages we read claim no SOC 2 or similar certification, so ask the vendor for its current attestations first. Request the data processing addendum linked from the privacy policy as well.