Beehiiv Free Plan vs Substack Free Plan 2026 — Full Comparison

Both Beehiiv and Substack have free tiers — but they work very differently. Here's exactly what you get for free on each platform in 2026.

Substack free plan

Substack has no 'plan' — it's always free to use for both you and your subscribers. There's no subscriber limit and no monthly fee. The only cost is when you charge readers: Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue.

This means: you can build a list of 100,000 subscribers on Substack without paying a dollar. You only pay (in the form of the 10% cut) when you start charging.

Beehiiv free plan

Beehiiv's free plan allows up to 2,500 subscribers with all platform features unlocked: paid subscriptions (0% to Beehiiv), referral program, custom domain, analytics, the ad network, and unlimited sends.

Above 2,500 subscribers, you need a paid plan starting at $39/month.

The free plan is remarkably feature-complete — Beehiiv doesn't cripple the free tier to force upgrades. The upgrade is purely about subscriber count.

Feature comparison on free plans

Custom domain: Beehiiv (free), Substack (free). Paid subscriptions: Beehiiv free (0% cut), Substack (10% cut). Referral program: Beehiiv free, Substack (no). Ad network access: Beehiiv free, Substack (no). Analytics: Beehiiv (detailed), Substack (basic). Sub-count limit: Beehiiv (2,500 free), Substack (unlimited free).

For features on the free plan, Beehiiv wins significantly — more growth tools, better analytics, and no revenue cut.

When the free plans end

Substack's free-to-use model never ends — but the 10% revenue cut applies forever. On a newsletter making $5,000/month from paid subscriptions, Substack takes $500/month permanently.

Beehiiv's free plan ends at 2,500 subscribers — you pay $39/month from there. But 0% revenue cut means if you're making $5,000/month from paid subscriptions, you pay $39 and keep the rest.

At 2,500+ subscribers and any meaningful paid revenue, Beehiiv's $39/month is cheaper than Substack's 10% cut.

Which free plan is right for you

Start on Beehiiv free if: you want the best growth tools, 0% revenue cut, and detailed analytics while you're building — and you're confident you'll stay under 2,500 subscribers while getting started.

Start on Substack free if: you want zero financial risk regardless of subscriber count, you care less about growth tools, and you're building slowly without a hard timeline.

For most newsletter builders reading this who are serious about growth: Beehiiv's free plan with 2,500 subscribers and all features is the better starting point.