Beehiiv vs ConvertKit (Kit) 2026: Pricing, Features & Verdict
Published: June 2026Beehiiv wins for most newsletter creators in 2026. After Kit raised prices roughly 35% in early 2026, Beehiiv is now $93/month cheaper at 10,000 subscribers on annual plans — and takes 0% of paid subscription revenue vs Kit’s 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction. Kit is still the right call if you sell digital products, courses, or need advanced email automation as your primary business model.
Our Pick for Newsletter Creators: Beehiiv
Lower cost at scale, 0% revenue share, native ad network, and built-in growth tools Kit doesn’t have.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) raised prices approximately 35% in early 2026. The Creator plan for 10,000 subscribers went from roughly $100/month to $135/month. If you haven’t revisited your platform costs since that change, you are paying more than you were and likely more than Beehiiv charges for the same subscriber count.
The Real Cost Difference at 10,000 Subscribers
Most platform comparisons show the headline subscription price. That misses two things that matter more: what each platform takes from your paid subscription revenue, and what the actual monthly bill looks like after Kit’s 2026 price increase.
That $93/month gap is just the subscription. Add Kit’s 3.5% + $0.30 per paid subscription transaction and the difference widens further. At 200 paid subscribers paying $10/month, Kit’s transaction fee adds another $70/month that Beehiiv simply doesn’t charge.
Pricing Comparison: Beehiiv vs Kit by Tier
| Subscribers | Kit Creator (annual) | Beehiiv Scale (annual) | Monthly Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $29/mo | $39/mo | Kit saves $10 |
| 3,000 | $59/mo | $42/mo | Beehiiv saves $17 |
| 5,000 | $79/mo | $42/mo | Beehiiv saves $37 |
| 10,000 | $135/mo | $42/mo | Beehiiv saves $93 |
| 25,000 | $199/mo | $84/mo | Beehiiv saves $115 |
| 50,000 | $379/mo | $84/mo | Beehiiv saves $295 |
| 100,000 | $566/mo | $168/mo | Beehiiv saves $398 |
Kit wins only at the smallest tier — under 1,000–3,000 subscribers where its lower base price offsets the gap. Above 3,000 subscribers, Beehiiv is cheaper at every data point, and the savings compound as your list grows.
Revenue Share: The Hidden Cost Kit Doesn’t Advertise
Both platforms allow paid subscriptions, but they charge very differently for processing them. Beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue on its Scale and Max plans. Kit charges 3.5% plus $0.30 per transaction on every paid subscription processed through Kit Commerce.
| Monthly Paid Revenue | Kit Transaction Fee (3.5% + $0.30) | Beehiiv Transaction Fee | Annual Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 MRR | $17.50 + per-txn fees | $0 | $210+/yr to Beehiiv |
| $2,000 MRR | $70 + per-txn fees | $0 | $840+/yr to Beehiiv |
| $5,000 MRR | $175 + per-txn fees | $0 | $2,100+/yr to Beehiiv |
| $15,000 MRR | $525 + per-txn fees | $0 | $6,300+/yr to Beehiiv |
Feature Comparison: What Each Platform Actually Does
| Feature | Beehiiv | Kit (ConvertKit) |
|---|---|---|
| Paid subscription revenue share | 0% (Scale/Max plans) | 3.5% + $0.30 per txn |
| Monthly plan cost (10k subs, annual) | $42/month | $135/month |
| Native ad network | Yes — brands pay you directly | No |
| Paid subscriber acquisition (Boosts) | Yes | No |
| Built-in referral program | Yes | Via Sparkloop (third-party) |
| Email automation builder | Basic — newsletter-focused | Advanced visual workflows |
| Digital product / course sales | No | Yes — native checkout |
| SEO-optimised newsletter archive | Yes — every issue is a web page | Limited |
| Public API access | Yes (Scale plan+) | Yes |
| Subscriber segmentation | Good — improving | Advanced tag-based system |
| Free plan | Yes — up to 2,500 subs | Yes — up to 10,000 subs |
| Podcast hosting | No | Yes |
| Make.com / Zapier integration | Yes — via API | Yes — native |
Who Should Pick Beehiiv vs Who Should Pick Kit
✓ Choose Beehiiv if you…
- Run a paid newsletter as your primary product
- Have 3,000+ subscribers and want lower platform costs
- Want to monetize through sponsorships and ads
- Care about newsletter SEO — Beehiiv turns every issue into a rankable web page
- Are migrating from Substack or Kit and want 0% revenue share
- Want built-in audience growth tools (Boosts, Recommendations)
✓ Choose Kit if you…
- Sell digital products, courses, or coaching as your main revenue
- Need advanced automation with complex IF/THEN subscriber journeys
- Have under 1,000 subscribers and want the cheapest entry point
- Already use Teachable, Gumroad, or Patreon and need deep integration
- Need the largest-possible free plan (Kit allows 10,000 free vs Beehiiv’s 2,500)
How to Migrate from Kit to Beehiiv
Migration from Kit to Beehiiv preserves your subscriber list and tags. The one thing that doesn’t transfer is automations — you will need to rebuild those in Beehiiv. For most newsletter-first operators, this is a few hours of work that pays for itself in the first month of lower platform fees.
- 1Export your subscribers from Kit In Kit, go to Subscribers → Export. Download the full CSV including tags. This file is everything you need — email addresses, tags, and subscription status all export together.
- 2Create your Beehiiv account and connect Stripe Sign up on Beehiiv and go to Settings → Monetization to connect your Stripe account. If you have paid subscribers on Kit who pay via Stripe, connecting the same account allows Beehiiv to match those payment tokens during import.
- 3Import your subscriber CSV into Beehiiv In Beehiiv go to Audience → Import. Upload the Kit CSV. Tag imported subscribers during upload so you can distinguish them from new organic subscribers. Beehiiv preserves Kit tags on import.
- 4Rebuild your key automations Recreate your welcome sequence and any active drip campaigns in Beehiiv’s automation builder. These do not transfer from Kit — budget 2–4 hours for a typical setup with 3–5 active sequences.
- 5Send one issue from Beehiiv before cancelling Kit Run your first send from Beehiiv and monitor deliverability and open rates before disabling your Kit account. Keep Kit active for at least 14 days after migration to catch any delivery or access issues from longtime subscribers.
FAQs – Beehiiv vs ConvertKit
For newsletter creators focused on monetization, Beehiiv is the stronger choice in 2026. After Kit raised prices approximately 35%, Beehiiv is significantly cheaper at every subscriber tier above 3,000. It also takes 0% of paid subscription revenue where Kit charges 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction. For creators who primarily sell courses and digital products, Kit’s automation and commerce features remain superior.
Kit raised prices approximately 35% in early 2026, with the Creator plan for 10,000 subscribers increasing from roughly $100/month to $135/month. The company cited platform investment and AI feature development. The increase triggered a significant wave of creators evaluating alternatives, with Beehiiv being the most common destination.
Yes. Kit charges 3.5% plus $0.30 per transaction on paid subscription revenue processed through Kit Commerce — on top of the monthly plan fee. Beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue on its Scale and Max plans. At 500 paid subscribers paying $10/month, Kit’s transaction fee costs an additional $175/month that Beehiiv doesn’t charge.
Yes. Beehiiv supports direct migration from Kit including subscriber import with tags preserved via CSV export. The main limitation is that automations don’t transfer — you’ll need to rebuild email sequences in Beehiiv. Most migrations for lists under 50,000 subscribers complete in a few hours. Paid subscriber payment tokens transfer via Stripe if you connect the same account.
Beehiiv has a native ad network where brands pay to reach your subscribers directly, a paid subscriber acquisition tool called Boosts, a built-in referral program, SEO-optimised newsletter archive pages that rank in search, and 0% revenue share on paid subscriptions. Kit has none of these. Kit’s advantages are a more powerful visual automation builder and native digital product and course sales.
Beehiiv is cheaper than Kit from around 3,000 subscribers upward on annual plans. Below 1,000 subscribers, Kit’s lower base price wins. Between 1,000 and 3,000, it’s close. Above 3,000, Beehiiv pulls ahead and the savings gap widens at every tier — reaching $295/month cheaper at 50,000 subscribers and $398/month cheaper at 100,000.
Ready to Stop Overpaying for Email?
Beehiiv’s free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with no credit card required. If you’re already past the Kit break-even point, the migration pays for itself in the first month.