beehiiv’s free Launch plan carries up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends, custom domains and API access — the most generous free tier in this library after Kit. Paid plans start at $49/month (Scale) and $109/month (Max) on monthly billing at 1,000 subscribers, or $43 and $96 billed annually.
Figures read directly from beehiiv’s live pricing page on 8 August 2026 at the 1,000-subscriber tier, with both billing modes checked. beehiiv was not used to produce this page, so nothing here describes how the product performs — only what it publishes. No numeric rating is given.
Quick Verdict
beehiiv is not really an email marketing tool. It is a newsletter business platform — the sending is table stakes, and the product is built around helping a newsletter make money: an ad network, a recommendation network, paid subscriptions, sponsorship storefronts and digital products.
That focus shows in the pricing. The free tier is deliberately generous on capacity, because beehiiv wants your newsletter growing on its network. What it withholds until you pay is the monetisation machinery, not the sending.
beehiiv Pricing 2026
The pricing page defaults to the annual view, so the first figures you see — $43 and $96 — are already discounted. Both rates are below, captured at 1,000 subscribers.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Subscriber ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $0 | $0 | Up to 2,500 |
| Scale | $49/mo | $43/mo ($517/year) | Scales with list |
| Max | $109/mo | $96/mo ($1,151/year) | Scales with list |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | 100,000+ |
Annual billing saves $71/year on Scale and $157/year on Max. Every plan, including the free one, includes unlimited email sends — beehiiv charges on list size alone.
What the Free Plan Includes
Launch covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, and it is unusually complete for a free tier: newsletters, a website and podcast hosting, custom domains, campaign analytics, the recommendation network, an AI website builder, link-in-bio, API access excluding the Send API, and read access to beehiiv’s MCP server and Copilot.
Custom domains on a free plan is the standout — most platforms in this category gate that behind a paid tier. For comparison, MailerLite allows 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month on its free plan, and Mailchimp allows 250 contacts and 500 emails.
What You Pay For
Scale ($49/month) unlocks the money side: the Ad Network, paid Recommendations, a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions, digital products, community, email automations, surveys and polls, webhooks, three team seats and MCP write access.
Max ($109/month) removes beehiiv branding, adds a sponsorship storefront, audio newsletters, RSS-to-send, up to 10 publications, unlimited seats, the Send API, dynamic content and click-triggered automations.
Note where email automations sit — Scale, not Launch. If you want a welcome sequence, the free plan will not run one. That is the single most important line in the table for most people.
Where beehiiv Differs
The 0% take rate on paid subscriptions is worth reading twice. Platforms that host paid newsletters typically take a percentage; beehiiv takes none on Scale and above, leaving only the payment processor’s fee. If you are running a paid newsletter at any scale, that difference compounds fast.
The Ad Network is the other structural difference. beehiiv brokers sponsorship deals into your newsletter rather than leaving you to sell them — genuinely different from every other platform here, and the reason a newsletter operator might choose it over Kit despite Kit’s larger free tier.
Who It Suits
Anyone whose newsletter is the business rather than a channel for one — writers, media operations, and creators intending to earn from sponsorships or paid subscriptions. If you are a small business sending campaigns to customers, this is the wrong shape of tool and MailerLite or Brevo will fit better.
beehiiv FAQ
Is beehiiv free?
Yes. The Launch plan is free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends, custom domains and API access. It does not include email automations, which start on Scale.
How much does beehiiv cost?
At 1,000 subscribers as of 8 August 2026: Scale is $49/month billed monthly or $43/month billed annually ($517/year); Max is $109/month or $96/month annually ($1,151/year). Enterprise is custom-priced above 100,000 subscribers.
Does beehiiv limit how many emails you can send?
No. Every plan including the free Launch tier includes unlimited email sends. beehiiv prices on subscriber count alone.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
No, on Scale and above beehiiv advertises a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions. Standard payment-processor fees still apply.
How this vendor presents its prices, set against six competitors captured the same day, is covered in our pricing-page audit.
How We Researched This
All pricing and plan limits were read directly from beehiiv’s live pricing page on 8 August 2026 at the 1,000-subscriber tier, with both monthly and annual billing modes checked. No account was opened, so this page reports what beehiiv publishes rather than how it performs, and carries no score. See our sources and method.
Disclosure
RightToolHQ has no affiliate relationship with beehiiv at the time of writing, and this page contains no affiliate links. If that changes, this notice will be updated and any affiliate link clearly marked. See our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.