Kit vs beehiiv: pricing and fees compared (2026)
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Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and beehiiv are the two creator-first newsletter platforms. Kit leans on email automation and creator commerce; beehiiv on growth, ads and a website/podcast stack. Here is what each really costs.
Short answer
- Under 10k subscribers, no automations: Kit Free is $0 and still runs a paid newsletter (3.5% + 30¢ per sale). beehiiv Free stops at 2,500 and has no paid subscriptions.
- Need automations, up to ~25k: Kit Creator matches or beats beehiiv Lite at every size we priced (e.g. $139 vs $139 at 10k, $89 vs $109 at 5k).
- Above ~25k: beehiiv Lite is cheaper ($299 vs $379 at 50k; $469 vs $679 at 100k), and its 0% take beats Kit's 3.5% checkout fee on paid revenue.
- Ad revenue: beehiiv's Ad Network (Lite+) has no direct Kit equivalent; Kit offers newsletter sponsorships and paid recommendations (Kit keeps 23.5%).
- EU data: both process subscriber data in the US. The DPF register lists Kit, Inc. as 'Inactive – Lapse' since 31 Jul 2026 (Kit's DPA still has SCCs).
Monthly list price by list size
| Subscribers | Kit Free | Kit Creator | Kit Pro | beehiiv Free | beehiiv Lite | beehiiv Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | Free | $39 | $79 | Free | $59 | $109 |
| 2,500 | Free | $59 | $99 | Free | $79 | $149 |
| 5,000 | Free | $89 | $139 | — | $109 | $199 |
| 10,000 | — | $139 | $189 | — | $139 | $239 |
| 25,000 | — | $199 | $279 | — | $199 | $349 |
| 50,000 | — | $379 | $519 | — | $299 | $469 |
| 100,000 | — | $679 | $879 | — | $469 | $699 |
Monthly billing, USD. Kit annual = 10 × monthly (two months free); Kit Pro annual is 25% off the first year until 7 Nov 2026. beehiiv annual is about 14–17% cheaper. Treat exactly 10,000 as paid on Kit.
Fees on paid subscriptions
| Kit | beehiiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform take on paid subscriptions | 3.5% + 30¢, incl. card processing (all plans, incl. Free) | 0% on Lite/Pro, plus Stripe 2.9% + 30¢; not on Free |
| Digital products | All plans | Free 1 / Lite 3 / Pro unlimited |
| Paid recommendations fee | 23.5% (Creator+) | Paid recommendations on Lite+ |
All-in cost for a paid newsletter
US cards, monthly billing, VAT excluded. Same scenarios as the full report.
8,000 subs · 200 paying × $8 = $1,600 MRR
| Option | Platform fee | Fees | Total/mo | % of MRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit Creator | $119.00 | $116.00 | $235.00 | 14.7% |
| beehiiv Lite | $139.00 | $106.40 | $245.40 | 15.3% |
| Kit Pro | $169.00 | $116.00 | $285.00 | 17.8% |
| beehiiv Pro | $239.00 | $106.40 | $345.40 | 21.6% |
Cheapest of these: Kit Creator.
25,000 subs · 750 paying × $10 = $7,500 MRR
| Option | Platform fee | Fees | Total/mo | % of MRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv Lite | $199.00 | $442.50 | $641.50 | 8.6% |
| Kit Creator | $199.00 | $487.50 | $686.50 | 9.2% |
| Kit Pro | $279.00 | $487.50 | $766.50 | 10.2% |
| beehiiv Pro | $349.00 | $442.50 | $791.50 | 10.6% |
Cheapest of these: beehiiv Lite.
100,000 subs · 2,500 paying × $10 = $25,000 MRR
| Option | Platform fee | Fees | Total/mo | % of MRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv Lite | $469.00 | $1,475.00 | $1,944.00 | 7.8% |
| beehiiv Pro | $699.00 | $1,475.00 | $2,174.00 | 8.7% |
| Kit Creator | $679.00 | $1,625.00 | $2,304.00 | 9.2% |
| Kit Pro | $879.00 | $1,625.00 | $2,504.00 | 10.0% |
Cheapest of these: beehiiv Lite.
Try them
- Visit Kit [AFFILIATE LINK]
- Visit beehiiv [AFFILIATE LINK]
Features and fit
| Kit | beehiiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subs; broadcasts, forms, paid subs; no automations or sequences | Up to 2,500 subs; unlimited sends; no paid subs, ads or automations |
| Automations | Creator+ unlimited | Lite 10 live / Pro unlimited |
| Remove branding | Creator+ | Pro+ |
| Team seats | Unlimited users on Pro | Lite 2 / Pro 10 |
| Ad network | Sponsorships (Creator+) | beehiiv Ad Network, CPM/CPC (Lite+) |
| Website / podcast | Landing pages + newsletter site / n.v. | Website builder / podcast hosting, all plans |
| Data location | USA | USA (AWS US regions) |
| AI/agents | Kit MCP (Creator+) | Public pricing MCP; workspace MCP (write on Lite+); llms.txt |
| Migration help | Free migration service (Creator+) | Self-serve import; Stripe subscribers move in place |
n.v. = not verified this edition.
Get the full picture
The full report covers every tier up to 500k subscribers, annual pricing, MailerLite (cheapest at most sizes), the EU/GDPR deep-dive, AI/agent readiness and migration risk, plus a JSON dataset.
Get the full report (from $39) 4-way free comparisonSources (retrieved 14 Oct 2026): kit.com/pricing (tier data from kit.com's pricing code), Kit Free plan, beehiiv.com/pricing, beehiiv Ad Network, Substack fees, beehiiv Trust Center, Kit DPA, Substack privacy. Full source register in the JSON summary.