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ConvertKit vs Beehiiv

C

ConvertKit

Creator-focused email marketing platform emphasizing simplicity and community.

Established course creators, digital product sellers, and authors who need payment processing and want to earn affiliate revenue from their audience.

VS
B

Beehiiv

Newsletter platform with built-in monetization and creator tools.

Newsletter creators focused on rapid subscriber growth, solopreneurs seeking affordable email marketing, and writers who want to monetize through sponsorships and paid tiers rather than digital products.

Short Answer

ConvertKit focuses on creator monetization with 10% commission on affiliate sales and advanced creator tools, while Beehiiv emphasizes subscriber growth with built-in referral mechanics and network effects that have attracted 100,000+ creators. ConvertKit suits established creators wanting payment processing; Beehiiv suits growth-focused newsletter builders.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose ConvertKit if you're an established creator with existing products/courses and prioritize direct payment processing, affiliate revenue, and a proven monetization ecosystem. Choose Beehiiv if you're building a newsletter from scratch, want lower entry costs, need viral growth mechanics, and value a mobile-first writing experience with a thriving creator community.

Was this verdict helpful?

ConvertKit6.7
8.3Beehiiv

Choose ConvertKit if

Established course creators, digital product sellers, and authors who need payment processing and want to earn affiliate revenue from their audience.

Choose Beehiiv if

Newsletter creators focused on rapid subscriber growth, solopreneurs seeking affordable email marketing, and writers who want to monetize through sponsorships and paid tiers rather than digital products.

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Key Differences at a Glance

πŸ”Ή
Affiliate Commission Rate: ConvertKit wins (10% on creator sales vs No built-in affiliate program)
πŸ”Ή
Referral/Network Features: Beehiiv wins (Advanced viral loop with Boosts and swaps vs Basic referral links)
πŸ“
Creator Community Size: Beehiiv wins (100,000+ creators (as of 2024) vs 50,000+ creators)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

MetricConvertKitBeehiivDiff
Base Monthly Price(USD)$25 (paid plan)β€”β€”
Native Integrations(count)50+β€”β€”
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$119 (10k subscriber tier)β€”β€”
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)$33/month (Creator plan, billed yearly)β€”β€”
Free Subscriber Limit(subscribers)1,000 subscribersβ€”β€”
Platform Fee on Revenue(%)0%β€”β€”
Third-party Integrations(integrations)150+β€”β€”
Setup Time for Beginners(hours)4-6 hoursβ€”β€”
Starting Cost(USD/year)$300 minimumβ€”β€”
Monthly Active Users (Platform Reach)(millions)0 (creator-owned only)β€”β€”
Setup Time to First Publish(minutes)60-120 minutesβ€”β€”
Cost per 10,000 Subscribers/Year(USD)$360β€”β€”
Base Price (Monthly)(USD)$25β€”β€”
Free Trial Duration(days)14 daysβ€”β€”
Landing Page Templates(count)12β€”β€”
Customer Support Response Time(hours)12-18 hours averageβ€”β€”
Starting Price(USD/month)$25/month$0 (free tier available)β€”
Email Integrations Count(integrations)300+β€”β€”
Behavioral Automation Triggers(triggers)Tag-based (limited)β€”β€”
API Rate Limits(requests/second)100β€”β€”
Free Trial Length(days)14 daysβ€”β€”
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$25β€”β€”
Included Subscribers at Free Tier(contacts)None (paid only)β€”β€”
Price at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$79β€”β€”
Email Deliverability Rate(%)99.5%98.5%+1%
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)100+150+-33%
Customer Support Channels(count)Email onlyβ€”β€”
API Rate Limit(calls per minute)100β€”β€”
Form Builder Types(types)5β€”β€”
Average User Satisfaction (G2)(rating)4.7/5β€”β€”
Starting Cost(USD)$109$109β€”
Revenue Share on Subscriptions(percent)0% (flat fee model)0% (flat fee model)β€”
Setup Time to First Newsletter(minutes)30-4530-45β€”
Startup Cost(USD)$15/month for Pro plan$15/month for Pro planβ€”
Creator Revenue Share(USD per 1,000 views)100% of all revenue100% of all revenueβ€”
Monthly Active Users (Platform)(millions)2+ (creators)2+ (creators)β€”
Setup Time (hours)(hours)2-3 (configure monetization and workflows)2-3 (configure monetization and workflows)β€”
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$0 (free tier)$0 (free tier)β€”
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (10k subscribers)(USD)$84$84β€”
Ease of Use Rating(G2 Score (1-10))9.2/109.2/10β€”
Pre-Built Automation Templates(templates)30+30+β€”
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)10,00010,000β€”

All figures sourced from publicly available data. Last updated Jun 2026.

Key Differences

Affiliate Commission Rate

ConvertKit

10% on creator salesπŸ†

Beehiiv

No built-in affiliate program

Referral/Network Features

ConvertKit

Basic referral links

Beehiiv

Advanced viral loop with Boosts and swapsπŸ†

Creator Community Size

ConvertKit

50,000+ creators

Beehiiv

100,000+ creators (as of 2024)πŸ†

Starting Price (Monthly)

ConvertKit

$29/month

Beehiiv

$15/monthπŸ†

Email Deliverability Rate

ConvertKit

98.5% average

Beehiiv

98.8% averageπŸ†

Native Payment Processing

ConvertKit

Full Stripe integration with payouts

Beehiiv

Stripe/PayPal integration added 2024

Mobile App Features

ConvertKit

Subscriber management only

Beehiiv

Full writing, scheduling, analyticsπŸ†

Full Comparison

ConvertKit
Beehiiv
Base Monthly Price(USD)
$25 (paid plan)
β€”
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)
$119 (10k subscriber tier)
β€”
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)
$33/month (Creator plan, billed yearly)
β€”
Platform Fee on Revenue(%)
0%
β€”
Starting Cost(USD/year)
$300 minimum
β€”
Show 10 more attributes
Base Price (Monthly)(USD)
$25
β€”
Starting Price(USD/month)
$25/month
$0 (free tier available)
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$25
β€”
Included Subscribers at Free Tier(contacts)
None (paid only)
β€”
Price at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)
$79
β€”
Starting Cost(USD)
$109
β€”
Revenue Share on Subscriptions(percent)
0% (flat fee model)
β€”
Startup Cost(USD)
$15/month for Pro plan
β€”
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$0 (free tier)
β€”
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (10k subscribers)(USD)
$84
β€”
Contacts/Subscribers (Base Plan)(count)
1,000
β€”
Native Integrations(count)
50+
β€”
Shopify Integration Quality(level)
Basic API integration only
β€”
Landing Page Builder
Yes, built-in
β€”
CRM & Deal Pipeline
Basic subscriber management
β€”
Automation Workflow Complexity(trigger types)
Standard (simple sequences, tags)
β€”
Free Subscriber Limit(subscribers)
1,000 subscribers
β€”
Email Automation Workflows(capability level)
Advanced (sequences, conditionals, tags, delays)
β€”
Show 22 more attributes
Native Product/Course Hosting(capability)
Yes - full course and digital product platform
β€”
Automation Workflows (Basic Tier)(count)
Unlimited
β€”
Landing Page Templates(count)
12
β€”
Subscriber Segmentation Levels(depth)
Tags, purchase history, custom fields
β€”
Email Integrations Count(integrations)
300+
β€”
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)
100+
150+
Automation Workflows Included(templates)
Creator sequences
β€”
SMS Marketing Availability(tier)
Paid add-on ($9+/mo)
β€”
API Rate Limit(calls per minute)
100
β€”
Built-in Paywall/Paid Subscriptions(availability)
Yes, native feature
β€”
A/B Testing on Landing Pages(availability)
Limited
β€”
Affiliate Program for Creators(availability)
Yes, built-in matching
β€”
Form Builder Types(types)
5
β€”
Monetization Methods
Ads, paid subs, sponsorships, referrals, tips
β€”
Design Customization Level
Extensive templates and brand control
β€”
Built-in Discovery Features
Emerging recommendation system
β€”
Analytics Depth
Advanced multi-stream analytics and segmentation
β€”
API and Integration Support
Zapier, Make, and native integrations available
β€”
Automation & Segmentation Tools(features)
Advanced tagging, conditional logic, dynamic content
β€”
Content Distribution Channels
Email + social cross-posting + RSS feeds
β€”
Pre-Built Automation Templates(templates)
30+
β€”
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)
10,000
β€”
Setup Time to Productivity(weeks)
1-3 days
β€”
Ease of Use Rating(G2 Score (1-10))
9.2/10
β€”
Third-party Integrations(integrations)
150+
β€”
Setup Time for Beginners(hours)
4-6 hours
β€”
Customer Support
Email, help center, community forum
β€”
Monthly Active Users (Platform Reach)(millions)
0 (creator-owned only)
β€”
Audience Ownership(percentage)
100% (creator owned)
β€”
Email Marketing Capability(feature availability)
Full-featured email marketing with automation
β€”
Setup Time to First Publish(minutes)
60-120 minutes
β€”
Setup Time to First Newsletter(minutes)
30-45
β€”
Setup Time (hours)(hours)
2-3 (configure monetization and workflows)
β€”
Subscriber List Export(availability)
Full export available
β€”
Maximum Revenue Potential (Monthly)(USD)
Unlimited (creator-controlled)
β€”
Creator Revenue Share(USD per 1,000 views)
100% of all revenue
β€”
Built-in Sponsorship Network
Yesβ€”exclusive sponsorship marketplace
β€”
Built-in Monetization Tools(features)
Paid tiers, sponsorships, referrals
β€”
Cost per 10,000 Subscribers/Year(USD)
$360
β€”
Free Trial Duration(days)
14 days
β€”
Free Trial Length(days)
14 days
β€”
SMS Marketing Included
No (third-party required)
β€”
Customer Support Response Time(hours)
12-18 hours average
β€”
Customer Support Channels(count)
Email only
β€”
Behavioral Automation Triggers(triggers)
Tag-based (limited)
β€”
API Rate Limits(requests/second)
100
β€”
SMS Deliverability Rate(percent)
N/A
β€”
Email Deliverability Rate(%)
99.5%
98.5%
Average User Satisfaction (G2)(rating)
4.7/5
β€”
Monthly Active Users (Platform)(millions)
2+ (creators)
β€”
Subscriber Data Ownership
Full ownership; unrestricted CSV export
β€”

Visual Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of numeric attributes

Pros & Cons

ConvertKit

5 pros3 cons

Pros

  • 10% affiliate commission on referred creator sales creates passive income stream
  • Native Stripe payment processing with automatic payouts for digital products
  • Dedicated Creator Network with 50,000+ active members for collaborations
  • Advanced segmentation with custom fields and tag automation
  • Excellent onboarding specifically designed for writers and course creators

Cons

  • Highest starting price at $29/month with limited free tier features
  • Mobile app lacks content creation capabilitiesβ€”writing only possible on desktop
  • Limited native referral mechanics compared to competitors; no built-in viral loop

Beehiiv

5 pros3 cons

Pros

  • Referral Boosts program allows creators to sponsor each other's newsletters, creating viral growth loops
  • Lowest entry price at $15/month with substantial free tier supporting 2,500 subscribers
  • 100,000+ creator network (2x larger than ConvertKit) enabling powerful cross-promotions
  • Native mobile app with full writing, scheduling, and analytics capabilities
  • Built-in Stripe/PayPal integration (added 2024) with free tier for payments up to $20K/year

Cons

  • No native affiliate program; monetization limited to direct sponsorships and paid subscriptions
  • Newer payment processing system with fewer customization options than ConvertKit
  • Less mature product management tooling for complex segmentation workflows

Frequently Asked Questions

Beehiiv is significantly better for growth-stage creators. Its Referral Boosts feature enables creators to sponsor each other's newsletters, creating viral loops. Beehiiv's 100,000+ creator network (vs ConvertKit's 50,000+) provides more cross-promotion opportunities. Additionally, Beehiiv's free tier supports 2,500 subscribers vs ConvertKit's 1,000, allowing longer bootstrapping before paid tier requirement.

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