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Feature Comparison

A feature-by-feature look at how Substack and beehiiv compare across publishing, growth, community, and creator tools.
Illustration comparing Substack and beehiiv

Substack and beehiiv are built for different goals.

Substack is a publishing and community platform with a built-in network of readers — more than half of new subscribers on Substack come from within the platform itself — and powerful tools to support every kind of creator, from independent voices to those building full media businesses.

Beehiiv is an email-first tool with no native reader app, no social layer, and no built-in audience. Substack charges no monthly platform-usage fees and is completely free to start — you only pay when you earn, with a 10% fee on paid subscriptions. beehiiv can charge up to $109/month before you earn a dollar.

Create Your Own Space

Substack lets you create your own publication without spending a single dollar to get started. Publications on Substack are customizable via numerous features and tools:

  • World-class text editor with support for embeds, polls, code blocks, LaTeX, recipes, financial charts, and more
  • Theming to adjust the look and feel of your publication with colors, fonts, and sections
  • Content produced on text, video, and audio to fit your vision

Beehiiv has a tiered plan system, meaning that you cannot access all features without paying first.

Substack vs. beehiiv
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Publications and content
Substack
beehiiv
Feature-rich text editor
Themes
Content scheduling
Post templates
App/web draft syncing
Paywalls
Dynamic content
Unavailable on Free Plans
Collaboration tools
Send to segments
Unavailable on Free Plans
Surveys
Unavailable on Free Plans
Podcasts
Video
Live Video

Grow Your Audience

Substack is the creator platform designed to grow your audience and amplify your message with:

  • A native reader app with millions of users on iOS and Android
  • Notes, a social feed for distribution and engagement
  • Cross-publication recommendations help connect you with a creator network
  • Category leaderboards and discovery
  • Referral program for readers with tiered rewarding

Beehiiv gives you limited tools to build your audience and distribute your work. Additionally, beehiiv charges you more as your audience grows, regardless of how many paying subscribers you have.

Substack vs. beehiiv
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Growth
Substack
beehiiv
Native reader app
Notes
Recommendations
Category leaderboards
Reader referral program

Build Your Community

Creators on Substack have thriving communities with strong retention rates because of the engagement tools such as a native reader app and multiple ways to connect with your audience, such as through Chat or Direct Messaging.

Beehiiv has no equivalent community-focused features and often operates as an email distribution platform. Beehiiv’s one-way publishing focus caps the creator’s growth potential.

Substack vs. beehiiv
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Community
Substack
beehiiv
Native reader app
TV app
Notes
Chat
Live
Direct messaging
Post comments

Full-Fledged Creator Suite of Tools

Substack is the home for influential voices and media companies because of the advanced tools built with direct feedback from creators running real businesses.

Beehiiv charges for many basic features that are available for free on Substack.

Substack vs. beehiiv
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Creator tools
Substack
beehiiv
Automations
Unavailable on Free Plans
Data insights
Segmentation
Integrations / pixels
A/B testing
Unavailable on Free Plans
Data export

Frequently asked questions

Substack vs. beehiiv: which is better?
It depends on what you’re building. Substack works best if you want a built-in audience network, a reader app, video, and community features alongside email. beehiiv works best if you want a focused email tool with built-in advertising features and a flat monthly cost instead of a revenue share. For most creators trying to grow a paying audience, Substack does more of the work for you.
How much does Substack cost compared to beehiiv?
Substack is free to start: there’s no monthly platform fee, and you only pay when you earn — a 10% fee on paid subscriptions, plus standard Stripe processing fees. beehiiv charges a monthly subscription that increases as your list grows, and many features are gated behind paid tiers, so you can pay up to roughly $109 per month before earning a dollar from your readers.
Can I move my newsletter from beehiiv to Substack?
Yes. You can import your subscribers, posts, and Stripe customers from beehiiv to Substack in just a few clicks. Substack’s import tool keeps your audience and paid subscriptions intact, so existing readers continue to get your work without re-subscribing.
Do I own my subscribers on Substack?
Yes. You own your mailing list and your relationship with your subscribers. You can export your subscriber list at any time, and if you ever decide to leave, you can take your audience and paid subscriptions with you.
Does Substack or beehiiv have a mobile app?
Substack has native iOS and Android apps with millions of readers, plus a TV app for video. The Substack app is where readers discover new publications, listen to podcasts, follow Notes, and chat with creators. beehiiv does not have a native reader app, so subscribers read your work primarily through email.
Does beehiiv have anything like Substack Notes?
No. Notes is Substack’s built-in social feed where creators and readers share short posts, recommendations, and conversations. It is one of the main ways new readers discover Substack publications. beehiiv does not have a comparable social or discovery layer.
Can I publish video and podcasts on Substack and beehiiv?
On Substack, you can publish text, video, podcasts, live streams, and chat — all from the same publication, with paywalls and subscriber-only content built in. beehiiv is primarily an email tool and does not have native podcast hosting, video hosting, or live streaming.
Which platform is better for growing an audience?
Substack is built around a network of readers — recommendations, leaderboards, the reader app, and Notes are all designed to help your work get discovered by new audiences. More than half of new subscribers on Substack come from inside the platform itself. beehiiv focuses on email-based growth tools like referral programs and ads, but it does not have a built-in audience network.
Can I run paid subscriptions on both platforms?
Yes. Both Substack and beehiiv support paid subscriptions through Stripe. The main differences are pricing model and feature availability: Substack is free to start with a 10% revenue share on paid subscriptions, while beehiiv charges a monthly platform fee and gates some monetization features behind higher tiers.
Does beehiiv have features Substack doesn’t?
beehiiv leans more heavily into email-newsletter advertising and offers built-in ad placements as a monetization path. If your business model is primarily ad-supported newsletters, those tools may be useful. Substack is focused on subscriptions, community, and multimedia, and offers a much wider set of creator-facing tools out of the box.
Is Substack just for writers?
No. Substack is built for any kind of creator — writers, journalists, podcasters, video creators, educators, illustrators, and media companies all publish on Substack. You can mix text, audio, and video in the same publication and offer free or paid subscriptions to your audience.

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