Side by side
| beehiiv | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Free for up to 2,500 subscribers, with 1 publication, 1 team seat and a 30-day analytics lookback. beehiiv branding stays on the newsletter. | Yes. Free for up to 250 contacts with a maximum of 500 sends a month or 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience. Mailchimp branding stays on and generative AI is not included. |
| Starting price | Lite is $49 a month, billed yearly. | Not published. |
| How it charges | By plan tier, with subscriber count setting the limits: Free up to 2,500, Lite up to 100,000, Pro up to 250,000, and Enterprise at a custom price. | By contact tier. Paid plans bill monthly or annually at the rate for your tier, and overages are billed automatically when limits are passed. Pay-as-you-go email credits are an alternative for infrequent senders. |
| Works with | Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Overcast for podcast distribution. It also offers an API, a Send API and an MCP connection compatible with Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. | Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Stripe, Salesforce, WordPress and QuickBooks, among 300+ integrations. |
| AI features | beehiiv AI is part of the Publish tools, and AI can create a website or landing page from a prompt. beehiiv MCP is included on Lite and up, and AI Credits are available on Pro. | Generative AI features are on the Standard and Premium plans, not on Free or Essentials. Intuit Intelligence is in beta with limited availability and can make mistakes. |
Prices and plans change. We checked these figures on October 10, 2026, so confirm them before you buy.
What beehiiv is
beehiiv is an all-in-one platform for newsletters, podcasts, digital products, communities and websites. The tools are grouped into Publish, Grow, Earn, Analyze and Connect.
A newsletter operator can use it to write and send issues, build a website, run a referral program and recommendations, sell paid subscriptions, and earn from ads. It also offers a free plan.
Paid subscriptions carry a 0% take rate, with Stripe's processing fees still applying.
What Mailchimp is
Mailchimp is an email and SMS marketing platform with automations, analytics and AI tools. Example users include restaurants, non-profits, ecommerce, small businesses and professional services.
A newsletter operator can use it for email campaigns, templates, popup forms, audience tools and reporting. SMS is an add-on in select countries and needs approval.
It connects with 300+ apps.
Which one fits
These two are built for different jobs. beehiiv is a platform for publishing, growing and earning from a newsletter, with a website, a referral program, recommendations and an ad network in one product. Mailchimp is an email and SMS marketing platform for small businesses.
On cost, beehiiv's free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and its Lite plan is a flat $49 a month billed yearly for a list up to 100,000. Mailchimp's free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, and paid plans rise by contact tier. If the newsletter is the product, beehiiv's pricing and tools are aimed at that. If email is one part of marketing a business, Mailchimp is built around that.
Does beehiiv have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan costs $0 and supports up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 publication and 1 team seat. It includes unlimited email sends, landing pages and templates, and beehiiv branding stays on the newsletter.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
Paid subscriptions on Lite and up carry a 0% take rate. Stripe's 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction still applies.
Does Mailchimp have a free plan?
Yes. It allows up to 250 contacts, 500 sends a month or 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience. Sending pauses if a limit is exceeded.
Is there a free trial of paid plans?
Yes. There is a 14-day free trial that needs valid payment information at sign-up. Canceling during the trial incurs no charge.