beehiiv vs Substack vs Kit for a startup newsletter

Say 100 readers pay $10 a month with US cards: $1,000 of monthly revenue. Our arithmetic from each vendor's published fees:

• Substack: 10% ($100) + Stripe 2.9% ($29) + $0.30 × 100 ($30) + Stripe Billing 0.7% ($7) = $166 a month.
• beehiiv Lite: 0% take rate + Stripe ($29 + $30 = $59) + Lite at $49 to $59 = $108 to $118 a month.
• Kit Free: 3.5% ($35) + 30c × 100 ($30) = $65 a month, if the free plan's features are enough.

Two honest notes. Kit is cheapest in this example, because you can sell subscriptions on its free plan. And beehiiv's pricing page lists only Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30; Substack's help page also lists Stripe Billing's 0.7%, so check your Stripe statement either way.

The pattern: Substack's 10% is small on small revenue and large on large revenue. Below about $490 to $590 a month in paid revenue (Lite billed yearly or monthly), 10% is less than beehiiv Lite's plan price.

• beehiiv: custom domains on Lite and up; beehiiv branding stays until Pro.
• Substack: an optional custom domain for a one-time $50. Substack also runs a reader app, so some readers find and read you inside Substack.
• Kit: Creator removes Kit branding. We did not verify Kit's custom domain terms.

If the newsletter carries your company's brand, beehiiv Lite (custom domain) or Kit Creator (no Kit branding) fits better. If you are writing as yourself and want readers to discover you, Substack's app is a real advantage.

• beehiiv: none on Free; 10 live automations on Lite; unlimited on Pro.
• Kit: unlimited visual automations and email sequences on Creator.
• Substack: its pricing pages do not list automations, and we did not verify them.

If a new subscriber should get a welcome sequence, or a launch list should get a short series before you open, you will want beehiiv Lite or Kit Creator.

Pick Substack if

• you want to publish for free with no plan to pay, at any list size;
• you write under your own name and value readers finding you in the Substack app;
• paid revenue will stay small, where 10% costs less than a plan.

For many first newsletters, Substack is genuinely the better choice: nothing to pay, nothing to configure.

Pick Kit if

• your list will pass 2,500 subscribers before you want to pay anything;
• you want to sell digital products or subscriptions without a monthly plan.

Pick beehiiv if

• the newsletter is a growth channel for a company: referrals, A/B tests, surveys and an ad network (not in all regions) are on Lite;
• you expect meaningful paid revenue and want 0% taken from it.

Our own newsletter runs on beehiiv. See our beehiiv review for the plan detail.

Affiliate link: new accounts through it get a 14-day trial and 20% off the first 3 months, and we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never changes our verdicts (disclosure).

Or go direct: Substack, Kit.

Which is cheapest for a free newsletter?

Substack: publishing is free at any subscriber count. Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers and beehiiv's up to 2,500. All three cost nothing to start.

Which costs least at 1,000 subscribers?

Substack is free. On paid plans billed yearly, Kit Creator is $390 a year and beehiiv Lite is $588 a year. Both add automations; Substack's pricing pages do not list them.

What does each take from paid subscriptions?

Substack keeps 10% plus Stripe fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment and 0.7% Stripe Billing). beehiiv takes 0% on its paid plans; Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies. Kit charges 3.5% + 30c per sale, including card processing.

When does beehiiv beat Substack on cost?

When the 10% Substack keeps is more than beehiiv's plan price. At 1,000 subscribers Lite is $49 to $59 a month, so the switch point is about $490 to $590 a month of paid revenue. Our arithmetic, before Stripe fees, which both charge.

Can I use my own domain?

beehiiv lists custom domains on Lite and up. Substack offers an optional custom domain for a one-time $50. We did not verify Kit's custom domain terms.

• beehiiv pricing: https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
• Substack, how much does Substack cost: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
• Substack, going paid: https://substack.com/going-paid. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
• Kit pricing: https://kit.com/pricing. Checked Oct 22, 2026.

Prices in USD. Fee totals are our arithmetic on published rates. Spotted a change? Tell us.

Review: beehiiv review for founders.

Launch tools: Best form builder for AI app builders, Make vs Zapier.

All app builders side by side: the tool tracker.