What you'll really pay for beehiiv after the October 2026 price change, from 1,000 subscribers to 250,000, and how to pay less.
Disclosure: I'm a beehiiv Partner and earn a commission if you sign up through my links, at no extra cost to you. I run the Knocked-Up Money newsletter on beehiiv and pay for it like everyone else.
Beehiiv changed its plans and prices in October 2026, and most pricing pages online still show the old ones. If you've seen "Scale" and "Max" quoted somewhere, that information is out of date. This guide uses the current plans, Free, Lite, Pro and Enterprise, verified against beehiiv's own pricing page in November 2026.
Quick answer: how much does beehiiv cost in 2026?
Free: $0 forever, up to 2,500 subscribers.
Lite: $59/month billed monthly (or $49/month billed yearly) at 1,000 subscribers, rising to $469/month at 100,000.
Pro: $109/month billed monthly (or $95/month billed yearly) at 1,000 subscribers, rising to $999/month at 250,000.
Enterprise: custom pricing through beehiiv sales.
Discount: Use code KMONEY for 20% off your first three months of any paid plan, plus a 14-day free trial. Get the KMONEY offer.
Who pays the new prices, and when:
New customers: new pricing has applied since October 1, 2026.
Existing monthly customers: your price changes at your first renewal on or after November 1, 2026, with at least 30 days' notice.
Existing annual customers: your current price holds until your term ends.
Existing discounts: they carry over, but they can't be combined, and a new offer replaces an old one.
The increases are modest for small lists and steep for big ones. Independent testers at EmailToolTester measured increases as high as 52% on some tiers, mostly at 50,000 subscribers and above.
In return, beehiiv put its core products (newsletter, website, podcast and community) on every plan, including Free. Pro now goes self-serve to 250,000 subscribers; that used to require an Enterprise deal at 100,000.
Beehiiv pricing by subscriber count
Beehiiv charges by list size, not by emails sent. Every plan includes unlimited sends. You pay for the tier your subscriber count falls into, and each tier has a ceiling.
Monthly prices as reported by EmailToolTester after the October 2026 change; confirm your exact tier on beehiiv's pricing page.
Annual billing is cheaper. At 1,000 subscribers, beehiiv's pricing page shows Lite at $49/month and Pro at $95/month when billed yearly. Beehiiv says yearly billing saves up to 20% versus paying month to month. The exact saving varies by tier, so toggle to "Yearly" on the pricing page and enter your subscriber count.
What each beehiiv plan includes
The biggest line in this table is the second one: Free can't take money from readers. Lite is where earning starts.
Free is for testing an idea. It's a real plan, not a trial, and many newsletters never outgrow it. But you can't sell subscriptions or run ads, and you can't automate a welcome sequence.
Lite is the plan most solo creators should be on once they want income. It unlocks paid subscriptions, the Ad Network, Boosts, automations and A/B testing.
Pro is for teams and portfolios: up to 10 publications and 10 seats, no beehiiv branding, and dynamic content that shows different blocks to different readers.
Enterprise is for large media companies. It adds single sign-on, dedicated sending IPs and an account manager. Pricing goes through beehiiv sales.
The costs that aren't on the pricing page
Beehiiv takes 0% of your paid subscription revenue, which is its biggest pricing advantage over Substack's 10% cut. But "0% platform fee" doesn't mean every dollar reaches you.
1. Stripe processing fees. Payments run through Stripe, which charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. On a $5/month subscription that's about $0.45, or 9% of the payment. On a $50/year subscription it's about $1.75, or 3.5%. Annual pricing for your readers keeps more money in your pocket.
2. The 2,500-subscriber cliff. Free stops at 2,500. Subscriber 2,501 doesn't put you on Lite's 2,500 tier; it puts you on the 5,000 tier at $109/month. Plan your upgrade before you hit the ceiling, not after.
3. Tier jumps as you grow. You pay for the tier you're in, so crossing a line raises your bill even if you only added a few people. Going from 9,900 to 10,100 subscribers on Lite adds $30/month.
4. Dead subscribers cost real money. You pay for every address on the list, including people who haven't opened in a year. Beehiiv itself suggests cleaning disengaged subscribers, which can drop you a tier.
5. Seats and publications. Lite includes 2 seats and 3 publications. If you need a third editor or a fourth newsletter, the only self-serve answer is Pro.
What beehiiv actually costs: three real newsletters
List prices are abstract. Here's what a first year looks like for three common setups, on monthly billing.
KMONEY math: 20% off months one to three, then full price for months four to twelve.
When does Lite pay for itself? At $5/month, each paid subscriber nets about $4.55 after Stripe. That means roughly 24 paying readers cover Lite at the 5,000 tier. On Pro at 25,000 subscribers you'd need about 77. The Ad Network and Boosts can close that gap too.
If you're under 2,500 subscribers and not charging anyone yet, stay on Free. Upgrade the month you're ready to earn.
Every legitimate way to pay less for beehiiv
Beehiiv doesn't let you stack discounts. A new offer replaces an old one. So pick the one that saves you the most.
Use promo code KMONEY. New customers get 20% off the first three months of any paid plan, plus a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Full steps and current terms are on my beehiiv promo code page.
Start on the free trial. Lite and Pro both come with a trial, so you can set up automations and your paid tier before paying anything.
Switch to yearly billing once you're sure. Beehiiv says yearly billing saves up to 20%. At 1,000 subscribers, Lite drops from $59 to $49 a month. A sensible order: trial, then monthly with KMONEY while you test, then annual once the newsletter is earning.
Clean your list. Removing subscribers who haven't opened in months can move you down a tier. That's an easy $30/month or more, every month.
Watch for Black Friday. In 2025 beehiiv took 20% off annual plans during Black Friday week. As of mid-November 2026, no 2026 sale has been announced. Black Friday falls on November 27. I'll update this page if a deal goes live.
Let the newsletter pay the bill. Lite and above unlock the Ad Network, Boosts (paid recommendations) and paid subscriptions. Many newsletters cover their beehiiv bill from these alone.
Which beehiiv plan should you choose?
Most people overbuy. Choose based on what you need to do this year, not where you hope to be in three.
I run Knocked-Up Money on beehiiv, and Lite covers everything a one-person newsletter needs. Pro is worth it only once you're managing people or several publications.
Comparing beehiiv to other platforms? Price is only part of the decision. Substack is free to start but keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, which gets expensive as you grow. Mailchimp is built for store promotions more than newsletters. I've written full head-to-heads:
beehiiv vs Substack: Which Newsletter Platform Is Better in 2026?
Mailchimp vs beehiiv: Which Is Better for Newsletters and Small Businesses in 2026?
Beehiiv pricing FAQ
How much does beehiiv cost per month? Free costs $0 up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite starts at $59/month on monthly billing ($49/month yearly) and Pro at $109/month ($95/month yearly), both at 1,000 subscribers. Prices rise with list size.
Is beehiiv really free? Yes. The Free plan is permanent, not a trial, and includes unlimited sends, a website and a podcast. It caps you at 2,500 subscribers and doesn't include paid subscriptions or ads.
What happened to the Launch, Scale and Max plans? Beehiiv renamed them in October 2026. Launch became Free, Scale became Lite, and Max became Pro.
Did beehiiv raise its prices? Yes. New prices took effect October 1, 2026 for new customers. Existing monthly customers move to them at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions? No. Beehiiv charges a 0% platform fee. You still pay Stripe's processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Is there a beehiiv discount code? Yes. Code KMONEY gives new customers 20% off the first three months of any paid plan, plus a 14-day free trial. See how to apply it.
Can I combine KMONEY with annual billing or Black Friday? Beehiiv doesn't allow stacked discounts; a new offer replaces the old one. Check the terms at checkout and choose whichever saves more.
What's the difference between beehiiv Lite and Pro? Pro adds up to 10 publications and 10 seats, removes beehiiv branding, and adds dynamic content, unlimited analytics and 24/7 support. It also extends the limit from 100,000 to 250,000 subscribers.
Is beehiiv cheaper than Substack? Substack is free to start but keeps 10% of paid revenue. Beehiiv becomes cheaper once that 10% is bigger than your beehiiv bill. At 1,000 subscribers on Lite ($59/month), that's about $590/month in paid revenue; at 5,000 ($109/month), about $1,090. Full comparison here.
Does beehiiv have a Black Friday sale in 2026? Not yet, as of mid-November 2026. Last year it took 20% off annual plans. I'll update this page if that changes.
The bottom line
Beehiiv is free until 2,500 subscribers, then about $59 to $109 a month for most small newsletters, and it never takes a cut of what you earn. The October 2026 increase makes it a bit pricier than last year, but the free plan and 0% fee still make it one of the best-value platforms for creators who want to get paid.
If you're ready to start, don't pay full price. Code KMONEY takes 20% off your first three months, and you get a 14-day free trial first.
Get 20% off beehiiv with code KMONEY →
Prices verified November 2026 and subject to change; confirm on beehiiv's pricing page before you buy. This article is for educational purposes and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Views are my own.
Sources: beehiiv pricing page · beehiiv: New Plans and Pricing (October 2026) · EmailToolTester beehiiv pricing review
