Also published on LinkedIn.
I saw a post yesterday about Kit raising its prices again. Good moment to write this comparison.
I'm an affiliate partner for both. I've had clients on both. Fair version below.
Getting started
Beehiiv wins on day one if you don't have a technical background. Clean interface, fast setup, and you get a full website included, so you don't need separate hosting. Free plan goes up to 2,500 subscribers.
Kit's free plan is generous on subscriber count, but you can't remove their branding from your newsletter site even if you pay. Small thing, but it adds up when you're trying to look like yourself.
Automations and integrations
Kit is still ahead here. The automation builder is more mature, segmentation goes deeper, and if you're connecting tools via webhooks or API, Kit has more to work with.
Beehiiv is closing this gap fast. They push updates almost every week. The newest one is a native podcast feature, which is genuinely useful and something I've been waiting for. I'm finally moving forward with my own podcast site because of it.
Monetization
Beehiiv charges 0% on memberships. Their Ad Network finds sponsors for you so you can stay focused on writing. Then there's Boosts, where other newsletters pay you to recommend them to your subscribers. You can also sell your own products and services directly. And Beehiiv made newsletter acquisitions a real thing. People now build newsletters specifically to sell them later, which wasn't really a category before.
Kit lets you sell digital products and run paid subscriptions with low fees. If you're selling ebooks, courses, or coaching alongside your newsletter, Kit handles it in one place.
Website and SEO
Beehiiv works as a blog and newsletter in the same place. Proper SEO settings, fast load times, sitemap, meta descriptions. If you want people to find you through search, Beehiiv is built for it.
Kit was never really a blogging tool. Their creator profiles are closer to a link-in-bio page. Not where you'd build organic traffic.
Growth tools
Both have referral programs, A/B testing, segmentation, and automated sequences. Beehiiv edges ahead with the Boosts marketplace and the recommendation system, where newsletters cross-promote each other directly inside the platform. The network effect is real and built-in.
The honest summary
Starting from zero, non-technical, want a website, 0% fees, and built-in ways to grow: Beehiiv.
Already on Kit with complex automations, webhooks, API integrations, and product sales built out, and you don't want to switch: stay where you are if you want to.
But if you're on the fence or just getting started, I'll be direct. I've been moving more of my work to Beehiiv and recommending it more to the people I work with. The platform is improving fast, the pricing is fair, and you're not penalized for growing.
And if you're worried about the migration, Beehiiv handles that for you, too.
If you're thinking about switching or starting fresh, this is where I'd point you. Start free here.
Full ESP comparison table with pricing at different list sizes here;
See you tomorrow.
— Selim