beehiiv vs Kit (ConvertKit): which newsletter platform fits you? (2026)

beehiiv vs Kit is a common choice for anyone starting a serious newsletter. The short answer: pick beehiiv if your newsletter is the product and you want to earn from ads and paid subscriptions, and pick Kit if you sell courses, coaching or digital products and need automated email sequences.

This comparison is built from both companies’ pricing, features and help pages, read on 14 October 2026. We have not run a publication on either platform for this page, so it is labeled as researched. See how we test for what that means. The full write-ups are our beehiiv review and our Kit review.

beehiiv vs Kit at a glance

Facts below were checked on each vendor’s site on 14 October 2026.

Where beehiiv beats Kit

Keeping your paid subscription revenue. beehiiv lists a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions and digital products. You pay Stripe’s standard 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction and nothing more to beehiiv. Kit lists its own fee on commerce (see the pricing section below), so as paid revenue grows, beehiiv keeps more of it in your pocket.

Big lists on a flat price. Lite is listed at $49 a month on yearly billing for up to 100,000 subscribers, and Pro at $95 a month for up to 250,000. We read Kit’s price only at 1,000 subscribers, where it is lower, but Kit’s price rises with list size. If your list is already in the tens of thousands, price both at your real number.

Built-in ad income. beehiiv’s ad network starts on Lite. Kit offers sponsorship matching instead, where you approve every placement. Both can bring in sponsors; beehiiv’s is more central to the product.

Several newsletters under one roof. beehiiv lists 3 publications on Lite and 10 on Pro, which suits someone running a main newsletter plus side projects.

A website, podcast and community included. beehiiv says these come with every plan, including Free.

Where Kit beats beehiiv

A much bigger free plan. Kit’s free plan runs to 10,000 subscribers, four times beehiiv’s 2,500. It includes unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, and selling digital products and subscriptions.

Automations and sequences for selling. Kit’s Creator plan adds unlimited visual automations and email sequences that react to purchases, link clicks and form fills. That is what a course launch or a coaching funnel needs. beehiiv has automations from Lite too, but they are not the center of the product in the way they are for Kit.

Selling from the free plan. Kit lets free accounts sell digital products and subscriptions. On beehiiv, paid subscriptions start on Lite.

Cheaper branding removal. Kit removes its branding on Creator. beehiiv keeps its branding until Pro at $95 a month billed yearly.

Help moving in. Kit lists free migration on every paid plan: an Essentials move (subscribers, tags, lists and segments, in 2 to 5 business days) under 10,000 subscribers, and a Concierge move for larger lists that also covers forms, automation emails and templates.

beehiiv vs Kit pricing (2026)

beehiiv’s pricing page showed only yearly-billing prices. Its FAQ says yearly billing saves up to 20% compared with paying monthly, so expect a higher figure if you pay month to month. beehiiv also changed its plans on 1 October 2026 (Launch, Scale and Max became Free, Lite and Pro); existing customers move at their first renewal on or after 1 November 2026.

Kit’s Pro discount applies to the first year only, and its page says yearly Creator billing ($390) saves $78, although 12 months at $33 comes to $396, a difference of only $6. Treat Kit’s listed savings with care and check the figure at checkout. Kit’s two fee figures did not match each other on the day we checked, so confirm the fee before you rely on it.

Is beehiiv or Kit easier for a beginner?

Both are easy to start with, and both offer a free plan, so the best test is your own. beehiiv’s free plan gives you a website and unlimited sends straight away, which suits someone who just wants to write and publish. Kit’s free plan gives you more subscriber room and selling tools, which suits someone who already has an audience to bring over. Both offer free trials of their paid plans without a credit card.

Who should skip beehiiv, and who should skip Kit

Skip beehiiv if your list is small and you need welcome sequences and product launches on a budget, or if you want to sell from a free account. Kit covers that for less at small list sizes.

Skip Kit if you plan to run an ad-supported publication, manage several newsletters, or charge readers and want to keep every cent past Stripe’s fee. beehiiv is shaped around exactly that.

Skip both if you run a shop and mostly need abandoned-cart flows and customer emails. Our Kit vs MailerLite comparison and the best email marketing software for small business cover tools built for that.

How to choose between beehiiv and Kit

Ask yourself how the newsletter will make money.

1. Ads, sponsors and paid subscriptions? Start with beehiiv. Its free plan lets you build the habit, and Lite turns on paid subscriptions, ads and automations.
2. Your own courses, coaching or digital products? Start with Kit. Its free plan holds up to 10,000 subscribers, and Creator adds the sequences you need to sell.
3. Not sure yet? Open both free accounts, write the same first issue in each, and see which editor you prefer. Moving later is possible, but rebuilding automations takes time.

Plans and prices change often, as beehiiv’s October 2026 changes show, so confirm everything on each pricing page before you pay.

beehiiv: check current pricingKit: check current pricing