Substack Alternatives: beehiiv vs Kit Costs (2026)

Compare Substack, beehiiv and Kit by free limits, paid newsletter fees and migration requirements. See a worked annual cost example before switching.

About this guide

Published by StackOnSale. Publisher: Emmanuel Grenier. Guide updated: 2026-10-24.

Research based on official vendor pages, not a hands-on review.

StackOnSale may earn a commission through disclosed affiliate links on the site. This does not decide which tool fits your needs.

The offer we list

US dollars, before tax. We list no Substack offer.

Sources reviewed 2026-10-05. These are dated plan details, not a live checkout quote. Confirm current pricing and eligibility on the official pages.

Some vendor links on offer pages are disclosed affiliate links; this is not a paid ranking.

Plans recorded in this guide, with billing and important limits
Plan	Recorded price	Billing and limits	Before choosing
beehiiv Lite	$588/year	1,000 subscribers, $49 a month billed yearly; $59 billed monthly	Paid subscriptions and automations start on Lite. The Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers.

Official source for beehiiv Lite

The short answer

We priced two Substack alternatives: beehiiv and Kit. Substack is free to publish and takes 10% of each paid subscription payment, plus Stripe's fees. beehiiv and Kit charge a plan price by list size instead. beehiiv takes 0% of subscription revenue. Kit charges 3.5% + 30c per sale, card processing included.

Both alternatives have free plans: beehiiv up to 2,500 subscribers, without paid subscriptions, and Kit up to 10,000 subscribers, which its pricing page says can "Sell digital products & subscriptions". In our example of 100 subscribers paying $8 a month, Kit's free plan cost the least in year one, then beehiiv Lite, then Substack.

Substack's fees were read in its help center, and beehiiv and Kit on their pricing pages, on October 5, 2026. StackOnSale has not tested these products.

What each one takes

Substack takes a share of revenue and no plan fee. beehiiv takes a plan fee and no share. Kit's free plan takes a fee per sale and no plan fee.

Fees on paid subscriptions
Tool	Plan price	Share of subscription revenue	Card processing
Substack	Free to publish	10% of each subscription payment	Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.7% on recurring payments
beehiiv	Lite from $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers, or $49 a month billed yearly; paid subscriptions start on Lite	0%	Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30, as beehiiv's FAQ lists
Kit	Free up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator from $39 a month at 1,000	3.5% + 30c per sale	Included in Kit's fee

Read in Substack's help center, on beehiiv.com/pricing and on kit.com/pricing, October 5, 2026.

One paid newsletter, priced for a year

The example has 1,000 subscribers, 100 of whom pay $8 a month: 1,200 payments and $9,600 a year. Change the numbers to yours: the share-based fees grow with revenue, the plan fees with your list.

The payment-fee example uses the US card rates in Substack's September 29 cost article. Rates vary by country and payment method; these totals are not a quote for a Canadian or European Stripe account. The example keeps the original October 5 plan-price check; the migration requirements below were reviewed on October 23.

1,000 subscribers, 100 paying $8 a month, for one year
Tool and plan	Plan price	Revenue share or sales fee	Card processing	Total
Substack	$0	$960, 10% of $9,600	About $706	About $1,666
beehiiv Lite, billed yearly	$588	$0	About $638	About $1,226
Kit Free	$0	About $696, 3.5% + 30c on each payment	Included	About $696

StackOnSale arithmetic on the fees each vendor states, for 1,200 payments of $8. Stripe for Substack: 2.9% + $0.30 plus 0.7% per payment. Stripe for beehiiv: 2.9% + $0.30 per payment, the rate its FAQ lists.

The free plans

beehiiv Free: up to 2,500 subscribers, without paid subscriptions, automations or A/B testing. Kit Free: up to 10,000 subscribers, without the visual automation builder and automated sequences. Substack: free to publish at any size.

What we could not verify

Whether Stripe's 0.7% billing fee also applies to beehiiv's recurring payments: beehiiv's page lists 2.9% + $0.30. Kit and beehiiv prices between the tiers we read. Whether any price holds at renewal.

StackOnSale earns a commission if you buy beehiiv through our link. Our Kit links pay us nothing, and we have no relationship with Substack.

Before switching: contacts and paid subscriptions move differently

Exporting an email list does not automatically transfer the readers' payment agreements.

Kit's migration guide, dated September 12, says there is no convenient way to move Substack paid subscriptions together with payment details. Its documented workaround asks readers to subscribe again. Contact the migration team before planning a move around the lower fee in our example.

beehiiv documents a Stripe migration flow for paid subscriptions. After verifying the new setup, old Substack billing must be paused or cancelled to prevent duplicate charges. Gifted and complimentary readers need complimentary access in beehiiv for their remaining term. Substack iOS subscriptions are billed by Apple, so publishers cannot cancel them in Substack; those readers must cancel in the App Store before starting a new paid subscription. A contact CSV alone does not complete this work.

Compare migration effort and risk with the projected saving. A cheaper published fee is not, by itself, a reason to move an existing paid newsletter. The linked vendor instructions explain the migration; we have not performed or tested it.

Questions

What is the cheapest Substack alternative for a paid newsletter?

In our example, 100 subscribers paying $8 a month, Kit's free plan: about $696 a year in fees, card processing included. beehiiv Lite came to about $1,226 and Substack about $1,666, Stripe included. Read October 5, 2026.

Does beehiiv take a cut like Substack?

No. beehiiv takes 0% of subscription revenue; Substack takes 10%. beehiiv charges a plan price instead, from $49 a month billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers.

Can I publish for free?

Substack is free to publish at any size. beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers and Kit up to 10,000, each with features held back for paid plans.

Can I move paid Substack subscribers without asking them to pay again?

Do not assume so. Kit's September 12 migration guide says it has no convenient way to transfer the subscriptions with payment details and documents re-subscription as a workaround. beehiiv documents a Stripe transfer flow, with separate handling for iOS, gifted and complimentary access. Verify the destination's current process before changing any billing. Substack iOS subscriptions are billed by Apple; those readers must cancel in the App Store before starting a new paid subscription.

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