Best newsletter platform: Beehiiv or Substack?
TL;DR
There is no absolutely perfect newsletter platform. However, Beehiiv is the ideal solution for our Blocks with Benefits newsletter. Substack was a little bit basic for our big plans – but that’s not to say that everybody needs big plans. There are definitely pros and cons for both platforms.
Nevertheless, we recommend giving Beehiiv a try; it’s free for the first 30 days and you can sign up here.
Introduction
Beehiiv or Substack – that’s an important question for many content creators and an increasing number of companies as well as other organisations of all sizes. Substack has dominated this area for a few years, but Beehiiv has quickly established itself as a very good alternative.
Beehiiv has a strong focus on offering user-friendly tools as well as features to earn money with newsletters (although the latter aspect is optional). Substack has a similar target group, but its largely aimed at individual content creators who don’t need many advanced features.
Also, a disclosure is important: We’ve been using Beehiiv for some time now as we thought that it’s the perfect option for our purposes. Based on individual requirements, however, the perfect choice may be a different one.
Overview and background
Both platforms offer interesting tools, but whether you decide to go with Beehiiv or Substack really depends on your needs when it comes to publishing newsletters.
Beehiiv
Beehiiv is kind of the new kid on the block. From the beginning, the team has combined a user-friendly interface with comprehensive features. Users can quickly design a newsletter platform with typical blog functions. In short, this is a comprehensive solution for providing content which is supported by features such as search engine optimization (SEO) and comprehensive analytics.
Substack
Substack has been at the forefront of independent publishing for some years now. It’s a straightforward tool that allows creators to publish their articles and distribute them automatically to their subscribers. You’re hunting for a simple tool which combines writing, distribution and – possibly – subscription services? Then you should have a look at Substack.
Core features
Content creation
Beehiiv provides a whole suite of tools for content creation. The intuitive editor allows for dynamic content integration and provides an overall smooth experience when it comes to writing. Several multimedia options make it even easier to engage readers. Substack comes with a more straightforward editor which was designed for writers who prefer a simple user interface without a range of options or design elements.
Subscriber management
Both platforms make it easy to manage subscribers. Beehiiv, however, comes with a broader set of analytics tools. Those are useful for really understanding what subscribers are interested in – but you need to spend some time with the analysis. On Substack, you’ll find a simpler and more streamlined system to manage a subscriber list which is a good option for many independent creators who want to focus on writing rather than thorough reader analysis.
Monetization
Many creators want to earn at least some money with their newsletter project. Beehiiv provides a whole suite of features to make that simple. Paid subscriptions, native ads or sponsorships can be integrated with a few clicks. Large subscriber lists can therefore be a way to diversify revenues when you don’t want to rely on paid subscriptions.
Meanwhile, Substack only includes paid subscriptions as a native service. Creators can of course include ads or sponsorships but they would have to look for partners themselves. On the bright side, they also keep all the revenues from revenues that are not paid subscriptions.
Stats and analysis
The stats on Beehiiv are designed well and easy to understand. You can even dive into the behaviour of any subscriber or of pre-defined subscriber groups to identify specific patterns.
Substack doesn’t include a comparable set of detailed analytics – which would arguably not be used by many creators anyway. Nevertheless, the dashboard provides all essential data on subscription figures and read rates.
Support and customer service
Beehiiv already has a comprehensive set of tutorials and guides which is constantly expanded, in line with new features that are being added to the system. You can find both short articles and many video walkthroughs. This should address even pretty in-depth questions about specific features.
Substack also has a well-established customer support centre on the website. It provides frequently asked questions and many resources for troubleshooting. Additional questions can be sent via email to the service team.
Pricing models
The pricing structure is where both platforms really differ. Beehiiv has a free plan which allows for up to 2500 subscribers (there’s no limit on the number of emails that you can send per month). That’s great to start off, especially because you’ll get all the benefits of the two subscription-based tiers for the first 30 days. If you want to keep all or some of those features, you’ll have to pick one of those packages, but Beehiiv doesn’t take any additional cut on the revenues you are able to generate.
The model on Substack is a bit different. Everybody has the same options and it’s all free to use for creators. Substack’s claim is that they will only make money when you do: the platform takes 10% plus some additional fees from all paid subscriptions. While that sounds attractive, you can easily calculate at what point it makes more sense to pay monthly on Beehiiv and take a much higher percentage of all revenues.
Additional features
Both platforms provide some additional integration possibilities. Through an integration with Zapier, you can connect any newsletter to various apps and services. That makes it easy to automate workflows and add more functionalities. Beehiiv makes it particularly easy. It’s therefore an attractive option for organisations with specific individual aims and requirements.
Substack also allows for Zapier integration. However, the available options are more limited because the main target group, i.e. independent creators, generally doesn’t have such extensive requirements.
Beehiiv or Substack – pros and cons
The information above should be sufficient to get a comprehensive picture. What’s more to say? Maybe just to think about the philosophy of both platforms.
Beehiiv provides a simple setup to start, but there are a lot of features to be found in the higher tiers. That’s great if you have time to analyse subscriber data and want to have at least a semi-professional newsletter setup.
On Substack, there are a lot less features as the platform has been aimed from the beginning at independent creators. Anybody who likes writing doesn’t necessarily enjoy data analysis so it remains a viable option for many users.
One thing to note about Beehiiv: You’ll have access to all advanced analytics tools for the first 30 days for free. To really make the most of it, you should have a good idea what you’re looking for and maybe even some test content ready to be sent out.
And if that all sounds good, you can sign up here.