Kit vs. beehiiv: Which Newsletter Platform Fits a Small Business?
Kit has a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, while beehiiv starts paid plans at $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers.
Kit and beehiiv both let you grow an email list, write newsletters and sell to your readers. Kit leans on automations and selling digital products and subscriptions. beehiiv leans on publishing tools, a website and an ad network.
Prices below are for 1,000 subscribers and come from each company's pricing page on the date checked. If you are weighing a bigger email tool instead, see our list of email marketing tools for small business.
| At a glance | Kit | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user | Up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 team seat |
| Entry paid plan (1,000 subscribers) | Creator, $33 a month billed yearly | Lite, $49 a month billed annually, $59 monthly |
| Top plan listed (1,000 subscribers) | Pro, $50 a month first-year promo | Pro, $95 a month annual, $109 monthly |
| Automations | Not on Free; unlimited on Creator | Not on Free; added on Lite |
| Selling to readers | Digital products and subscriptions, even on Free | Paid subscriptions and digital products from Lite |
| Users | 1 on Free, 2 on Creator, unlimited on Pro | 1 on Free, 2 on Lite, 10 on Pro |
| Best for | Starting a list on a budget | Publishing a newsletter as a media product |
Kit
Kit is the easier place to start if you want to build a list without paying. The free plan is generous, and you only pay once you need automations.
- Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts
- Unlimited visual automations and email sequences on the Creator plan
- Sell digital products and subscriptions, even on Free
- Free plan keeps the audience tagging and segmentation tools
- Free plan has 1 user and charges 3.5% + 30 cents per transaction
- Automations, SMS and branding removal need a paid plan
- Pro price is a limited first-year promo and renews at the standard rate
beehiiv
beehiiv suits a business that treats its newsletter like a publication. You pay more for the paid tools, but the website and ad network come built in.
- Unlimited email sends and posts on the free plan
- Lite adds paid subscriptions, ad network, digital products and automations
- Pro removes beehiiv branding and adds a Send API and dynamic content
- Prices are listed by list size, so you can budget growth
- Free plan has no automations, monetization or digital products
- Costs more than Kit at the same list size
- Lite keeps beehiiv branding
Pick Kit if you are starting a list, want automations like a welcome sequence, or want the most subscribers for free. Pick beehiiv if your newsletter is the product and you want the website, ad network and paid subscriptions in one tool, and you can pay about $49 a month and up. Either way, price it at the list size you expect in a year, not the size you have today.
Prices and features checked October 30, 2026 from each company's own site. They change often, so confirm before you buy. We are not paid by either company.
- Kit pricing (Kit)
- beehiiv pricing (beehiiv)
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