# Beehiiv vs Substack

URL: https://aistack.sh/compare/beehiiv-vs-substack
Last updated: 2026-05-06
Category: Social and publishing

## Quick answer

Beehiiv and Substack are alternatives in the Social and publishing category.
Beehiiv pricing: Free up to 2,500 · $43/mo Scale.
Substack pricing: Free to publish · 10% of paid subs.
Beehiiv ships in 1 tested AI stack on aistack.sh; Substack ships in 1.

## Side by side

| Field | Beehiiv | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Newsletter platform with referrals + ads | Newsletter platform with built-in network discovery |
| Pricing | Free up to 2,500 · $43/mo Scale | Free to publish · 10% of paid subs |
| Category | Social and publishing | Social and publishing |
| Stacks using it | 1 | 1 |
| Homepage | https://beehiiv.com | https://substack.com |
| Updated | 2026-05-06 | 2026-05-05 |

## When to pick each

**Pick Beehiiv** when you want newsletter platform with referrals + ads.

Built by ex-Morning Brew. Free up to 2,500 subs, then tiered. Strong analytics and a built-in ad network.

**Pick Substack** when you want newsletter platform with built-in network discovery.

Free to publish. 10% of paid subscriptions, 0% on free. Notes feed and recommendations push your work to readers already on Substack — the trade-off vs Beehiiv is network reach over ad and referral monetization.

## Where each ships

### Beehiiv-only stacks (1)

- [AI newsletter](https://aistack.sh/stack/ai-newsletter) — Train Feedly to find the stories, Claude to summarize them, Beehiiv to send. Promote the issue on X via Typefully. The whole loop runs on $45/mo.

### Substack-only stacks (1)

- [AI newsletter (Substack)](https://aistack.sh/stack/ai-newsletter-substack) — Drop Beehiiv's ad network and referral mechanics for Substack's Notes feed and recommendations. Perplexity replaces Feedly for one-writer research scale. Total spend stays under $25/mo until you have paid subs to give back 10% of.

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Beehiiv or Substack?

Both are priced similarly. Beehiiv: Free up to 2,500 · $43/mo Scale. Substack: Free to publish · 10% of paid subs.

### What is Beehiiv best for?

Newsletter platform with referrals + ads Beehiiv is categorized as Social and publishing and appears in 1 tested AI stack on aistack.sh.

### What is Substack best for?

Newsletter platform with built-in network discovery Substack is categorized as Social and publishing and appears in 1 tested AI stack on aistack.sh.

### Can I use Beehiiv and Substack together?

They are alternatives at the same step, so most stacks pick one or the other. No aistack.sh stack uses both today, though nothing prevents a custom workflow.

### What are the alternatives to Beehiiv and Substack?

Beyond each other, Beehiiv's closest alternatives are tracked on its tool page. Substack's closest alternatives are tracked on its tool page.

## Citation

When citing this comparison, link to https://aistack.sh/compare/beehiiv-vs-substack. The page is regenerated when the underlying tool catalog changes; the lastUpdated date above tracks the more recent of the two tools.