beehiiv is the best pick for building a newsletter business around ads, sponsorships, and paid subscriptions, ConvertKit is the best pick for creators who plan to sell digital products alongside the newsletter, and Substack is the best pick if you just want to write and let the platform handle everything else. All three now bake AI into drafting, subject lines, and repurposing — the real decision is what kind of business the newsletter is supposed to become.
Where beehiiv wins
beehiiv is built specifically for newsletter monetization — referral growth programs, sponsorship marketplaces, and paid subscriptions that beehiiv doesn't take a cut of. If the plan is to turn a newsletter into a real revenue line, not just a content channel, this is the strongest starting platform.
Where ConvertKit wins
ConvertKit's strength is automation and commerce: sequences that nurture subscribers automatically, plus built-in tools for selling digital products directly to your list. It's the right fit for creators whose newsletter exists to sell something else — a course, a template, a membership.
Where Substack wins
Substack remains by far the simplest way to start: almost no setup, free to use at any list size, and a built-in discovery network that can surface new readers without any marketing effort. Choose this when you want to focus entirely on writing and worry about the business model later — though Substack takes a percentage of paid subscription revenue that beehiiv and ConvertKit don't.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Starting price | Core job | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | From $0/mo | Monetization-first newsletters | Ads, sponsorships, paid subs |
| ConvertKit | From $0/mo | Automation + commerce | Selling digital products |
| Substack | Free (% of paid subs) | Simplicity, built-in discovery | Writers who want zero setup |
Which one should you use?
Choose beehiiv if monetizing the newsletter itself is the goal. Choose ConvertKit if the newsletter is a funnel toward something else you sell. Choose Substack if you want to start writing today with the least possible setup and don't mind the revenue share once you start charging.
FAQ
Which platform is actually free? All three have a free tier to start. Substack only charges a percentage once you enable paid subscriptions; beehiiv and ConvertKit charge a flat subscription fee as your list grows instead.
Can I switch platforms later if I outgrow one? Yes, all three support exporting your subscriber list, though you'll lose platform-specific features like Substack's discovery network or beehiiv's referral program in the move.
Do I need any of these if I already use email marketing software? If you're running a general marketing newsletter, general email tools work fine. These three are built specifically for the "newsletter as a product" model — recommendations, discovery, and reader-facing growth loops that generic email platforms don't have.
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*Ratings and pricing reviewed monthly. Last updated September 2026.*
Bogdex · Founder & editor, woska
Bogdex builds and curates woska, testing AI tools against real workflows to judge which ones actually save time rather than which have the longest feature list.