beehiiv Wins On
- No revenue share on paid subscriptions (Substack takes 10%)
- Built-in ad network (Boosts) for additional revenue
- Referral program for organic growth
- Custom domains and full brand control
- A/B testing, polls, segmentation on Scale tier
- API access on Max ($109/mo)
Substack Wins On
- Built-in discovery network (recommendations, Substack app)
- Simplest possible setup (literally zero configuration)
- Community features (Notes, Chat)
- Free forever with unlimited subscribers (if you accept the 10% cut)
- Podcast hosting included
The Caveat
The 10% revenue share math changes as you grow. At $5/month subscriptions with 1,000 paid subscribers, Substack takes $500/month ($6,000/year). beehiiv Scale at $49/month ($588/year) saves you $5,412/year. The breakeven is roughly 100 paid subscribers at $5/month. Below that, Substack free model is cheaper. Above that, beehiiv Scale saves real money.
FAQ
Can I move from Substack to beehiiv?
Yes. beehiiv has a one-click Substack import. Subscribers, posts, and paid subscriptions transfer. You may lose Substack network discovery.
Is beehiiv Launch (free) better than Substack (free)?
beehiiv Launch is limited to 2,500 subscribers with beehiiv branding. Substack free has unlimited subscribers but takes 10% of paid revenue. For pure free newsletters, Substack has no subscriber limit.
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