So you’ve decided you need a platform that can help manage and grow your audience but you’re stuck between a choice of ConvertKit and Beehiiv, well we’ve used both and are here to help guide you into which is best for you and your needs.

Although both are creator focussed when looking at Beehiiv vs ConvertKit you need to first understand that they both offer a core product that is quite similar and this is the ability to easy, quickly and effectively send newsletters and emails to your community.

If you were to go with one of them right now without reading further you’ll likely have a good experience, but take a few minutes to read our comparison and you’ll be able to pick the one that is right for you.

The main differences

If you’re hoping for some major differences between the two then you may be disappointed, both offer very similar products but they do have some differences which make each more suitable for certain types of marketing.

Beehiiv is more suited for those where by content is the main focus of their newsletter, those wanting to grow their audience effectively and have full control of them. Beehiiv is also often preferred by those who class themselves as creators and are aiming to build up an email community.

Additionally Beehiiv benefits from these features that ConvertKit don’t have:

• Integrated referral program
• 1-click audience polls
• Real-time email verification
• RSS Feeds
• Advanced analytics
  

ConvertKit on the other hand is more suited to those that sell digital assets, whether this is a course, coaching services, a product etc. They have a range of features that let you build out funnels and custom landing pages which can make converting your email audience into customers an easier and more effective process. 

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Additionally ConvertKit has these options that Beehiiv doesn’t:

• Sell coaching, event sales, digital downloads etc
• Wider range of landing page and email templates
• Pay what you want audience option + Tipjar 
• Integrated payment dashboard
• Ability to add a countdown timer in emails
• Automation such as link triggers
  

ConvertKit has been around for longer than Beehiiv, having launched in 2013, where as Beehiiv was 2021, does this mean one is more likely to be around next year than the other, not necessarily, although if this is something that worries you then you may want to opt for the more established one which is ConvertKit.

Integrations comparison

When we come to look at ConvertKit vs Beehiiv in terms of how they integrate with existing tools you may use, there’s currently a clear winner and this is because ConvertKit has over 100 integrations compared with less than 10 for Beehiiv. However, it’s key to note that many customers of both will often not use many as there core use of the tool is for simply sending emails out. 

Winner: ConvertKit, due to the number of integrations

Automations

Both Convertkit and Beehiiv offer automations however the automations are only available for Beehiiv customers on the top plan, where as for ConvertKit users they can access this on the Creator plan.

Additional automation when it comes to making rules and sequences can vastly help you to create better newsletters and ConvertKit currently has much more advanced features in comparison to Beehiiv. 

Winner: ConvertKit just wins - It has more options when it comes to automation however most users will find Beehiiv is good enough for them however if you love automating and deep diving then ConvertKit may be better suited to you.

Forms

ConvertKit has a wider range of forms for you to get users to sign up, meaning if you want that extra bit of flexibility when it comes to getting users to sign up to your newsletter then you may want to consider this over Beehiiv.

Winner: ConvertKit - Due to having more form options.

Segmentation

Segmenting your audience and sending different messages, emails and offers to each can be a very powerful way to keep your audience engaged as well as increasing the revenue/value you get out of each of your newsletter readers. Both Beehiiv and ConvertKit offer this option in all of their paid plans.

Winner: Draw - as both offer a good level of segmentation

Monetizing your newsletter

So let’s say you’ve got a big newsletter list, the chances are you’ll want to explore montezing it too, both allow you to implement paid subscriptions so you can charge your users access to a premium newsletter or just your general one. 

Both offer tip jars if you want to have these in your emails, but many people find these an annoyance and conversion rates are often incredibly low.

Winner: Draw - both offer similar functionality when it comes to monetizing

Comparing Pricing

For many people, the choice between ConvertKit and Beehiiv may end up being one that comes down to price and we can’t argue too much with that as they are both so similar and great at what they do. 

Both companies do pricing slightly differently, Beehiiv opting for simple straight forward pricing whereas ConvertKit base pricing on the number of subscribers so it’s harder to compare directly without knowing your exact email audience numbers

Beehiiv pricing

One of the things we love about Beehiiv is it simple to follow and clear pricing, Beehiiv have three main plans and they are as follows:

Launch - $0 free

No commitment and no cost, you can use Beehiiv for up to 2,500 subscribers for free with unlimited sending, custom newsletters, web hosting and much more. Great for those with smaller lists and those on a tight budget.

Grow - $42/month if billed annually ($49/m if billed monthly)

This plan is for those who are growing, with the ability to have up to 10,000 subscribers, custom domain names, paid/premium subscribers, polls, surveys and much more, this plan is a popular one

Scale - $84/month if billed annually ($99/m if billed monthly)

For those who are growing a serious newsletter then this plan could be for you, with up to 100,000 subscribers and everything in the other plans, it boasts additional features such as an advanced web builder, Ad network, referral program and automations. 

Remember that you can enjoy 20% off any of these plans for 3 months when using the promo code: FP30 via the Beehiiv site here. 

ConvertKit pricing

As with many newsletter and email marketing companies ConvertKit pricing is based on the number of email subscribers you have, this can make it hard to work out exactly what you’ll be paying in the future, unlike Beehiiv which gives you a more simple pricing plan.

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ConvertKit has three plans:

Free Plan - $0 free

This plan gives you access to a number of features and is for those with a newsletter of up to 1,000 subscribers. It gives you access to unlimited landing pages, form, audience segmentation, ability to sell products and subscriptions and community support.

Creator Plan - Varies from $9 up to $1,800+/month

This plan varies in price depending on the number of subscribers you have, you can see the exact price on the ConvertKit pricing page. This plan is what you will natural go onto if you have more than 1,000 subscribers and has nearly all the features except for referral systems and advanced reporting

Creator Pro Plan - Varies from $9 up to $2,150+/month

This is very similar to the above plan but just has the added features of a newsletter referral system, subscriber scoring and advanced reporting as well as priority live chat and email support. 

Some real life pricing examples:

As it’s quite hard to compare prices without a set number of subscribers we’ll show you a few examples below so it’s easier:

If you have 8,000 subscribers it will cost you:

Beehiiv = $42 month (paid annually)

ConvertKit = $83/month (paid annually) on Creator plan

If you have 15,000 subscribers it will cost you:

Beehiiv = $84 month (paid annually)

ConvertKit = $125/month (paid annually) on Creator or $175/month on Creator Pro

If you have 75,000 subscribers it will cost you:

Beehiiv = $84 month (paid annually)

ConvertKit = $416/month (paid annually) on Creator or $553/month on Creator Pro

If you have 145,000 subscribers it will cost you:

Beehiiv = You’ll need to contact Beehiiv sales for Enterprise pricing

ConvertKit = $766/month (paid annually) on Creator or $933/month on Creator Pro

As you can see, in nearly all cases you’re better off price wise with Beehiiv,  they are substantially lower especially when your subscriber base goes into the tens of thousand range.

Winner: Beehiiv - in nearly all cases is the better priced option

Comparing the editors

When you sign up to one of these tools you’ll naturally spend a lot of time within the editor so the usability, features and general look are important.

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There is quite a contrast in the editors but both offer all of the features you’d expect and make writing an easy and straight forward task. The main decision on which is best will come down to your own personal preference. 

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Beehiiv - what we love

If you’re a content creator, looking to build their audience then Beehiiv could be a great fit for you, some of the features we love include: 

• Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers
• Comprehensive features that cover most users needs
• Clear and very competitive pricing
• Ability to get 20% off for 3 months using code: FP20
  

Beehiiv - what we don’t love

We’ll be honest, their are not many things we don’t like about Beehiiv, but some are:

• We wish their was slightly more templates and form options
• Enterprise plans require you to contact sales to get prices

If you're wanting to know more about what we love as well as the more detail in general, then head over to our Beehiiv review and see what we make of it.

ConvertKit - what we love

As one of the longest established companies in this space, they have a big customer base and do stuff really well including:

• Ability to sell products easily
• Great range of templates and forms
• Easy to offer paid newsletter options
• Powerful features for segments and automation
  

ConvertKit - what we don’t love

As with every tool, theirs always a few things that could be better or that are missing, in ConvertKit’s case we’re not fans of:

• Higher price than some competitors
• Limited reporting options
  

Beehiiv vs Convert and Ai

With the dramatic rise of AI it's no surprise that many people now want artificial intelligence options within software, Beehiiv have jumped on AI to offer a variety of options however as far as we can see ConvertKit have not. Therefore if AI is important to you then Beehiiv may be the better option for you.

Beehiiv currently have integrations of AI within their platform, allowing you to do the following:

• AI writing assistant - this will write content based on you describing a topic, tone of voice and length
• AI text tools - If you just want a helping hand, then this allows you to highlight your content and use AI to improve it
• AI translation - this is really useful, allowing you the ability to translate your content into other languages from within the editor
• AI image creation - simply type the image you're after and it will create one for you.

As with AI in general, we recommend using it sparingly and use it to improve not fully create all of your content, we believe human content will always be better.

Our final thoughts

Let’s start by saying that when it comes to Beehiiv vs ConvertKit we think you’ll be happy with either option, so the choice really then comes down to which interface and features you think will suit you more or if the price difference which can be substantial is enough to sway you to Beehiiv over ConvertKit. 

ConvertKit has a more established company base with more features aimed at those who sell digital products however in most cases Beehiiv’s features are enough for most people.

If you're still on the fence, then you can also check our comparison of Beehiiv vs Substack but you'll likely find that you'll come to a similar conclusion that all of the platforms are quite similar.

FAQ

Here are a few questions that may help with your decision process.

Is it easy to switch to either of these?

Yes, both Beehiiv and ConvertKit make moving to their platforms easy. As you’d expect both have a straight forward system for moving emails and systems across from other competitors into their own system, making switching a quick and stress free process.

I want to start a paid newsletter, which is better?

Both platforms do this well, Beehiiv generally will be the better option for this due to zero fees from their side on the premium platform side of things (you will still have to pay Stripe fees)

Do they tie you into contracts?

Neither of the platforms tie you into contracts and alllow you to pay either on a monthly or an annual basis. If you opt for an annual payment then you will pay upfront and may not be able to get a refund if you want to end your subscription before the end.