Beehiiv is a specialized email newsletter platform optimized for creators with built-in monetization and growth tools, while Kajabi is a comprehensive all-in-one platform for digital creators offering courses, email, landing pages, and membership features. Beehiiv excels at email-first growth; Kajabi provides integrated business management.
Beehiiv vs Kajabi — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Email newsletter platform for creators with built-in monetization and growth tools.
All-in-one platform for courses, memberships, email, and digital products.
Primary Focus. Starting Price (Monthly). Email Subscribers Limit (Free Plan). Course Creation & Hosting. Email Open Rate (Avg Users Report). Built-in Payment Processing. Landing Page Builder
Choose Beehiiv if you're a writer, creator, or podcaster focused primarily on building an email audience with monetization through subscriptions and sponsorships—its free tier and email-first optimization make it ideal for bootstrapped creators. Choose Kajabi if you're selling digital courses, memberships, or multiple digital products and need an integrated ecosystem for course delivery, landing pages, email, and payment processing without third-party tools.
Beehiiv: 0% (flat fee model) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Ads, paid subs, sponsorships, referrals, tips | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Extensive templates and brand control | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Emerging recommendation system | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Advanced multi-stream analytics and segmentation | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Zapier, Make, and native integrations available | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: $15/month for Pro plan | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 100% of all revenue | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Yes—exclusive sponsorship marketplace | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Full ownership; unrestricted CSV export | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Advanced tagging, conditional logic, dynamic content | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Email + social cross-posting + RSS feeds | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 2-3 (configure monetization and workflows) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: $0 (free tier available) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Paid tiers, sponsorships, referrals | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Unlimited (free tier) | Kajabi: 14 days
Beehiiv: Basic content gating only | Kajabi: Full LMS with drip content, progress tracking, certificates
Beehiiv: Native Beehiiv Network with $10/referral | Kajabi: Yes (commission tracking, tiered rates, automated payouts)
Beehiiv: Not included | Kajabi: Integrated with email sequences
Beehiiv: 2,000+ via Zapier | Kajabi: 500+ native + Zapier
Beehiiv: $0 (Limited to 10,000 subscribers) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Subject lines, body copy, image generation | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Yes, unlimited subscribers | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 15 behavioral triggers | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 50+ templates | Kajabi: 50+ templates
Beehiiv: 4.7/5 (based on 1,200+ reviews) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Included in 10% commission | Kajabi: 2.9% + $0.30
Beehiiv: 8+ (opens, clicks, unsubscribes, growth, cohorts, engagement) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 2 (paid subscriptions, sponsorships) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Advanced (conditional logic, triggers, delays, A/B testing) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Basic (5 trigger types, limited branching) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 50+ | Kajabi: 500+ (via Zapier + native)
Beehiiv: 3 (Sponsorships, Boost ads, Premium tiers) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: 2 (Shopify, limited WooCommerce) | Kajabi: N/A
Beehiiv: Limited (integrations only) | Kajabi: Full-featured with video hosting
Beehiiv: Basic (subscribers only) | Kajabi: Advanced with tiered access
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-step)
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Built-in with automation
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Native builder included
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Basic discussion features
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: $199/month (Growth)
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Yes, with grading
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Basic user management
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Web-responsive only
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Yes, with A/B testing
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Limited templates
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Advanced (conditional logic, behavioral triggers, multi-branch workflows)
Beehiiv: N/A | Kajabi: Advanced (drip content, progressive access, member communities, private forums)
How to choose between Beehiiv and Kajabi
Beehiiv vs Kajabi — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Beehiiv vs Kajabi. Contains 98 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Beehiiv vs Kajabi — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Beehiiv vs Kajabi.
Can I use Beehiiv for free and actually make money?
Yes. Beehiiv's free tier includes unlimited subscribers, sponsorship marketplace access, and referral program features. Many creators earn $1,000-5,000/month through sponsorships without paying Beehiiv. However, advanced monetization (like paid subscriptions with revenue splits) requires upgrading to the paid plan starting at $84/month.
Is Kajabi better for selling online courses than Beehiiv?
Yes, significantly. Kajabi has native course building with video hosting, quizzes, student progress tracking, and certificate generation built-in. Beehiiv focuses on email newsletters and requires third-party integrations (Teachable, Thinkific) for robust course functionality. If courses are your primary product, Kajabi is purpose-built for this.
Which platform has better email deliverability?
Beehiiv reports 99.5% inbox placement compared to Kajabi's 99.1%, based on user reports and platform claims. This 0.4% difference is modest, but Beehiiv's email-first architecture and reputation management give it a slight edge for newsletter-focused creators.
Can I export my data and leave either platform?
Both platforms support email list exports. Beehiiv allows CSV export of subscribers with full data portability. Kajabi also exports student data and course content, though some integrations may complicate migrations. Neither has significant lock-in, but Beehiiv's simpler structure makes transitions easier.
What's the typical total cost of ownership over a year?
Beehiiv: $0 (free tier) to $1,008/year (Pro at $84/month). Kajabi: $468/year minimum (Basic at $39/month) to $1,428+/year (Growth/Pro tiers). If you stay on Beehiiv's free tier, annual cost is zero; Kajabi requires a minimum investment of $468 annually.
How to Choose Between Beehiiv and Kajabi
Primary Focus: Beehiiv has Email newsletters & monetization, while Kajabi has All-in-one digital product platform.
Starting Price (Monthly): Beehiiv has $0 (free tier available), while Kajabi has $39/month (no free tier).
Consider: Email Subscribers Limit (Free Plan)
Email Subscribers Limit (Free Plan): Beehiiv has Unlimited subscribers, while Kajabi has N/A - no free plan.
Course Creation & Hosting: Beehiiv has Limited (via integrations), while Kajabi has Native, fully integrated.
Consider: Email Open Rate (Avg Users Report)
Email Open Rate (Avg Users Report): Beehiiv has 32-38%, while Kajabi has 28-34%.
Built-in Payment Processing: Beehiiv has Yes (Stripe, Substack integration), while Kajabi has Yes (Stripe, PayPal native).
Landing Page Builder: Beehiiv has Basic (email-focused), while Kajabi has Advanced with templates.